And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
He made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well ... A stranger in those regions, who wishes to obtain information, stations himself at one of the wells in the neighbourhood of a town, and he is sure to learn all the news of the place from the women who frequent them every morning and evening. Eliezer followed this course, and, letting his camels rest, he waited until the evening time of water-drawing. There is a well to the southwest of Haran (without the town), in Mesopotamia. This was the direction in which Abraham's servant would have come from Canaan. Of all the wells this alone is sweet and good. The well has a square stone at the top for its cover, with a circular hole to draw water, a flight of steps down to it, and near it stand numerous stone troughs, some higher, some lower, for different descriptions of animals to drink out of' (Walpole's 'Ansayric,' Vol. 1:, p. 316, also Niebuhr's 'Travels'). Throughout the East, camels always kneel down near a well; and one sees the women-Arab girls-come out with pitchers upon their shoulders, and, taking them down with their right hand to receive them on their left, hasten to draw water.