N\~~~~~~~~1
\~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ rI f'  i 
"First Abraham, our courier, appeared,'idingo    a fine
Arab horse"                       Pae 38.




P PALESTINE.
EDITED BY 31. A. EDWARDS.
PIItjLADEILPTA:
NAMfES S. CLAXTON,
UOCCESSOR TO W)f... A ALFRED A)I'M'rlENY
606 CUEsrmar STr:ZrT.




Enitered according to Act of Congress, in thX yed- 1886, by
JAMES S. CLX'rON,
Xa the Office of the Clerk of the District Court for the lFate{
District of Pennsylvania.
ST".W'onT'ZD A   Thu PRIX= BY 4LDST A   M.IaTxN.




CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION L      ~.                  5
I.- BEIRUT.         ~                       9 ~
II.-BEIRUT......           27
III.-SIDON..,   *   *                37
IV. SIDoX...    52
V.-TYRE.                   71,VI.-JERUSALE.....  87
VII.-JERUSALEM. *                         105




iv               CON2TE'NTS.
VIII.-JERuSALEM.                            130
IX.-TIBBRAS....  *.   143. —TIBERIAB..... 173
XI.-JoPPA...          186
XII.-JERUSALEM.,.        199
XIII.-JERUSALEM,..            206
XIV.-SHORE OF THE DEAD SEA..      213
XV.-JERUSALEHM..                       241
XVI.-HASBEIYA....           257
~XVII.-DA)MAsoUs....   276
XVIII.-BEIRUT        *        *.    287




INTRODUCTION.
MY YOUNG FRIENDS:When you are introduced to a new acquaintance, you feel a desire to know something
about him beyond the mere name. I think,
then, you will like these letters better if I, the
Editor, tell you something about the boy who
wrote them. I shall be very brief, for his life
was a smooth and common-place one, though
he, like other boys, thought it full of important
incidents, and sometimes felt that it was full of
troubles.
Philip Conway was the only son of a wealthy
merchant of Philadelphia. He lost his mother
1*                           (v)




vi         INTROD UCTroN.
when he was an infant, which was the one misfortune his life had yet known. Her place had been
supplied, as much as a mother's can be, by his
aunt. His father retired from business when
Philip was very young, and, from that time,
devoted himself to his son. He not only sent
Philip to a good school, but took care that he
learned his lessons and understood them.
Under this training, Philip became a studious
boy. He was fond of reading, and, as his
father was a religious man, he early directed
his son's attention to the Bible, which children
will find a very entertaining as well as inStructive book, if they once get into the habit
of reading it.
Philip found it so at any rate; and, though
it may seem strange to most boys, he actually
knew as much about David, the giant-killer,
as he did about Jack, the giant-killer; the




IiNT  OD UCTION.             viL
account of the strange wanderings of the
children of Israel, the wonderful exploits
of Samson, and the miracles of Elijah and
Elisha, were oftener in his mind,-and seemed
to him more entertaining and wonderful than
the bewitching, but false miracles and wonders
of the Arabian Nights. He was as well acquainted with the sweet and simple Ruth as
with little Nell; and the romantic story of
Queen Esther had for him a greater charm
than that of a heroine of a novel, because he
knew it to be true.
When Philip was fifteen years old, Mr. Conway determined to visit Palestine. This had
long been a great desire with him, made
stronger, just then, by the fact that Mr. Harailton, his most intimate friend, had made airangements for a journey to that country.,
What to do with Philip he did not know, for




viii       ITR O D N DUCTIO N.
he and his son had never been paited, when
the boy settled the matter by proposing that
he should go too. After a little hesitation,
Mr. Conway consented, for he thought what
his son would learn in his travels would probably be of greater advantage to him than the
year's schooling he would lose.
But to this consent a condition was annexed,
and that was, that Philip should regularly
write to his friend, Harry Blake, a true and
faithful account of all that he should see, and
all that he could learn about the country and
people of Palestine, The reason why this was
made a condition will probably be as apparent
to my readers as it was to Philip himself.
This he readily agreed to, for he rather:iked
letter-writing, and he loved Harry Blake very
much indeed.
Harry was the eldest of a large family. He




NT TR O D UCTI O N.          ix
and Philip were near neighbors. They were
of the same age; had the same tastes; were in
the same classes at school, and enjoyed the
same games. It is, therefore, not surprising
that they were fast friends. Caroline, who is
occasionally mentioned in these pages, was a
sister of Harry's, a little younger than himself.
Hartley Graham was a youth, some nineteen
or twenty years old. When the visit to Palestine was decided upon, he requested permission
to make one of the party. Mr. Conway was
pleased to have Hartley with them. He was
a pleasant and intelligent companion, and
Philip's father felt that he would be a connecting link between the boy of fifteen and the
grave, middle-aged men.
So the four left America in the month of
September, 18-, and they had a very delightful journey through the Holy Land, as you
will see if you read these letters.




INTt O D UCTIO X.
The only alterations made in -the letters by
the Editor, is that of leaving out the allusions
to home incidents, and the numerous messages
Philip sent to everybody, old or young, that
he knew. These, though no doubt pleasant
enough to Harry, would not interest the:
general readers




PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
I.
BEIRUT, Nov. 20, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:At last I am  actually in Palestinel I
ecarcely realize it yet, for, although this is the
queerest place I ever saw-not at all like Philadelphia-yet I see a great many things that
remind me of home, for I am staying in the
Frank quarter of the town, which is inhabited
by Europeans. When I get out into the wild
country, and among the little Arab villages, no
doubt I shall have many strange things to tell
you.
We left Alexandria about two weeks ago, in
a steamboat I To come to the Holy Land in a
steamboat seemed to me to be out of all propriety, and I wanted to come in the same kind
(xi)




12  P HIL IP IN PAL ES TINSE.
of ship that St. Paul sailed in to Rome; but
father only laughed at me, and said he thought
I would find the steamboat more comfortable.
It had the advantage in point of speed at any
rate, for we were only forty hours from Alexandria to this place.
We were landed above the city, at a bare,
dreary-looking house, called the Lazaretto,
where we were compelled to stay five days in
quarantine. This was a very dull time.
My amusements were watching the arrival
and departure of the few vessels which come
here, reading, and sleeping. On the fifth day,
the authorities, being satisfied that we had not
brought any contagious disease to their city,
permitted us to come into the town. We are
staying with Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, who are
friends of Mr. Hamilton's. They are very nice
old people, and have a house in the Frank
quarter of the city. But, as I said before, I
don't feel that I am in Palestine yet, as I have
never associated this place with the country at
all. This is not a Bible city. By that I mean
that it is not mentioned in the Bible. It is said
to be very ancient, however, although nobody
seems to know when it was founded. It is probable that it was one of the cities of the Phoenicians, for along this coast was their country. It
is a very beautiful city. If you wtill go with me




B EIR UT                13
to the top of the house, you can get a first-rate
view of it. I mean, of course, go with me in
imagination, but I wish you could be with me
in reality.
It seems quite natural to me now to talk
about the housetop, but it was very strange at
first. The houses here, and throughout the
whole country, have flat roofs, and these are
more frequented by the people than the porches
are with us. It is the coolest part of the house,
and is a delightful promenade, especially in the
morning and evening; and, as there are very
few windows looking into the street from these
houses, you have to go to the housetops, if you
want to see what is going on. The people
spend a great deal of time there-attend to
their business, entertain their visitors, and
sometimes even sleep there.
They also use them for drying clothes, in the
city, and in the villages the farmers dry their
figs and raisins there. So you see, the housetop is the most important part of the house,
and I offered you no disrespect by inviting you
to go there with me. Our roof has a stone
battlement all around it, so you need not be
afraid of falling off. All houses are not protected in the same way; but the Jewish people
were commanded to build battlements to their
roofs, that " they brought not blood upon their
2




14  PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
house."*   The housetops are often covered
with vines, which must be very agreeable iD
the summer time.
Just imagine that I have been telling you all
that while we were going up-stairs. Now we
are safely at the housetop (where, by the way,
I am writing this letter)', let us look around us.
First look to the north, where the Mediterranean is sparkling in the sunlight.  It is a quiet
sea, almost tideless, and of a light blue color at
this distance, except that long waving line of
white light, where it breaks against the rocks.
It forms a very pretty bay at this part of the
coast, on which the city is situated, which is
called the Bay of St. George. If you look to
the southeast, you will find what, at first sight,
seems to be another sea, with waves of glistening whiteness. But if you look closer, you will
see it is a dense mass of silvery-looking foliage.
These are olive groves, said to- be the largest
and most productive in Syria. On the southwest is a broad belt of loose sand. Between
the olive groves and the sand, are beautiful
pine forests, which have been planted there,.for the pine is not native to these plains.
There are other trees in this lovely plain, but
they do not grow in such dense groves as the
olives and pines.  We have orange, lemon,
* Deut. xxii. 8.




B  EIR UT              15
mulberry, figs, almond, apricot, sycamore,
prickly oak, and some others which are totally
unknown to you. Now look to the east and
northeast.  The  scenery  is much wilder.
There are the mountains, very steep and rugged-looking from here, and yet their sides are
dotted with villages, churches, and convents,
and covered with pine forests. And, beyond
these, a little further in the distance, is glorious
old Lebanon! When I look there, I feel that
I am really in the Holy Land.
These mountains are much higher than I
had any idea of. The highest peak is 9310
feet high. They look dazzlingly white from here
when the sunlight falls upon them; on cloudy
days they look like masses of white clouds
piled up against the sky. I thought this appearance was caused by snow, but father says
only the very highest peaks are covered with
snow; their whiteness is owing to the white
limestone rocks. Hence the name " Lebanon,"
which is the Hebrew for "White Mountain."
Father also tells me that the sides of these
mountains are covered with villages, and cultivated to the very top. I am sure no one
would suspect such a thing, looking at the
mountains from this place. They seem to be
composed of great masses of naked, whitishlooking rock, cut up by ravines, which run




16   PHZIILIP  IN  PALESTINE.
down to the plain. This appearance must 1
owing to the rocks being very steep-the
villages are hidden behind them. The way
these rocks are cultivated is this: they build
terraces with great labor, and cover them with
soil, which is carried there.
I had always thought there was but one
range of Lebanon mountains, and am quite
surprised to find there are two. They are
known as Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. The
two ranges meet near Mount Hermon. Their
shape is somewhat like the letter V, only
one limb should be made longer than the
other. The left limb of the letter would
represent Lebanon, the right Anti-Lebnaon.
Mount Hermon would be almost at the point
of the V. The valley between the two ranges
is called Ccele-Syria. All south of Hermon
is Palestine, or Holy Land, and all north
and east is Syria. (So you see I am not in
Palestine proper, though this part of the country is often called Palestine.)  The country
of the Phcenicians lay along this coast. Their
territory was not more than eleven miles wide,
and extended southward only as far as Mount
]Hermon. What a little country for such a
great people I Pennsylvania would be a mighty
empire by the side of it I All this country was
included in the Land of Promise; but, as you




BEIR  T.,               17
well know, the Jews never obtained possession
of the whole land promised to them.  We
expect to travel among the Lebanon mountains
some of these days, when I can give you more
particular descriptions. I give you this gene-,
ral view of them, because I expect I shall often
mention them, as they can be seen all along
our route. I am very anxious to climb up
Sunnin, which I look at every day, lifting its
lofty white head into the air. It is one of the
highest of the peaks, and not far from Beirut.
And now, after this long wandering among the
mountains, we will return to our housetop view.
Just outside the city took place the famous
fight between St. George and the dragon. We
can look down on the very spot, and if we were
there I would show you the well down which
the dragon was thrown. I don't believe you
know this story. I never heard it until since I
have been here, and I will tell it to you in my
own fashion: —
Once upon a time, -then-a very great
many years ago I think it must have beenwhen some parts of the earth were infested with'terrible and fiery monsters, a
great dragon inhabited this part of the Mediterranean Sea. This dragon was as large
as six good-sized elephants put together. He
had the head of a lion, the body of a fish, and
2*




18   PH]It IP -IN  PALESTINE.
the tail of a scorpion —all greatly enlarged of
course. His mouth was so big that when it was
open you could have driven a carriage and four
into it with great ease, and had room to turn
round and drive out again-if he would only
let you. This was all awful enough, to be
sure; but what made him still more horrible was, that when he got angry, which was
pretty often, flames of fire gushed out o'
his mouth. This.portly and respectable gentleman was in the habit of coming out of
the sea at a certain time during the day
(nobody knew exactly what hour he would fix
upon), and taking a leisurely stroll about the
country; for this kind of animal I have described lives equally well in fire, water, or on
the earth, and is as often seen in one element
as in the other. He seemed to think this a
good opportunity to take his dinner, which he
did in a manner more agreeable to himself than
to the public at large. He thought nothing of
gobbling up a whole village full of people, and,
if a stray traveller chanced in his way, he
wvould snap him up in a twinkling.
The people soon found that only one person
could play at this game, and the country was
presently deserted by its inhabitants, who
flocked into the great city, which stood where
Beirut does now, only it had a different name.




Bt ~Ei  UT.!            19
But they might almost as well have been swal-'owed by the dragon, for the city was so
crowded that a dreadful pestilence broke out in
it; and, as there was no one left in the country
to cultivate the fields they were all in danger
of famine. And then all trade and commerce
was at end, for no ship dared come there, because of the dragon.
At last, in some way (I am. sure I don't
know how), the dragon was persuaded to listen
to reason, and a bargain was struck between
him and the people. He promised to -behave
himself in as quiet and respectable a manner
as it is possible for a dragon to do. He
agreed to limit his promenades to one particular part of the shore-never to disturb the
city-not to harm anybody he might chance to
meet-and not to molest the ships. In return
for all this the people agreed to furnish him his
dinner every day. Now you might suppose
that this would be an impossible thing to do,
judging from the amount of food lie had been
in the habit of taking;. but it seems he had, all
at once, grown very delicate in his appetite,
and nothing would serve him for dinner but a
tender and beautiful young maiden.
And so, every morning, at sunrise, all the
beautiful young girls in the city were assembled,
and lots cast as to who should go out to be




20  PIIfILIP IV PALESTINE
offered to the dragon. The unfortunate one on
whom the lot fell, having taken a sad farewell
of all she loved, was led out to a place near the
city and fastened to a stake in the sands, where
she remained until the dragon chose to come
and make a meal of her. I think, Harry, the
ugly girls must have thanked their stars at that
time!
Well, this went on for some time, and the
pretty girls were getting rather scarce in the
city, when the great St. George happened this
way. I can't stop to tell you now who this St.
George was, and, in fact, I don't know much
about him, only that he was a very good, and
wonderfully strong and courageous man-like
Great Heart, in Pilgrim's Progress, I suppose.
He was very indignant when he heard all that
the dragon had been doing, and declared he
would kill him and deliver the earth from such
a cruel monster. So the next morning, when
the beautiful young maiden was led out of the
city, he went with her. He was clad in armor
from head to foot and had-a mighty shield, and
a sword that had slain many an enemy. He
rode a splendid steed that was afraid of no
creature. When the dragon came out for his
dinner there was a terrible fight, which lasted
many hours-the beautiful young maiden looking on and praying for her champion. Of




BEi/7RUT.               21
course St. George killed the dr.Lgon; but I
don't know exactly in what way. The body of
the dragon was thrown down the well I pointed
out to you, and St. George bore the fair maiden
in triumph to the city, which was filled with
rejoicing for many days and nights.
To end the story in the usual way, I should
say that St. George married  the beautiful
maiden, but I am pretty sure that he did not.
The well is still here; as I told you; but I don't
believe that with the most patient digging we
would be able to find a single bone of the
mighty dragon. You know  it all happened
so very long ago.
That was a long digression. If I stray about
in this way I shall never get on.
You must not leave the housetops without a
glance down at the city. You see the houses
are high and built of stone. They are very
comfortable, at least those I have been in. But
their walls look dark and gloomy. They have
so few windows, that is, in the old city, within
the walls; we live outside of the walls. Beirut,
they say, has grown very much within the last
thirty years, and the largest part of the city is
outside of the walls. It is the prettiest part,
also, for the houses are surrounded by pretty
gardens. The dwellings of the Franks are ia
this part of the city. Europeans and Ameri



22  PHN ILIAP lN P'LESTINE.
cans are all called Franks here, without distinction of country.
And now I will show you something curious-something you never saw in any city before. It is the wall which surrounds the original city. See! it is dark and high, with little
narrow  slits in it.  That square, turret-like
building is a gate. The part you see is a large,
square room, the gateway is below. In reading
the Old Testament, you remember we used to
think it strange that people went to the gates
for pleasure, or to transact business and to hold
courts of justice. But if you would go with me
to the gate I have just been pointing out to
you, you would not think it strange that people
would like to spend a great deal' of time there.
You enter through an arched way into a large
vaulted place, cool and shady, and when you
recollect that everybody who goes in and out
of the city had to pass through these gates, you
can easily imagine it was the very place to see
all that was going on and hear the news. They
are often used now for the same purposes they
w(re in olden times.
But the streets of Beirut! O, Harry! the
very meanest street in Philadelphia is a magnificenft avenue compared with these. They
are positively only eight feet wide; and, when
I tell you that the houses on each side are fifty




BEIRUT                  23
or sixty feet high, and generally with perfectly'
blank walls, you can judge how miserably dark
and dismal are the streets. But that is not the
worst of them. They have no sidewalks, and
the gutters are in the middle!  They are miserably paved, and the walking is disagreeable
enough when the street is perfectly clear of
everything. But when it happens that a long
train of camels and donkeys come along (and
this is always happening), you have to "run the
gauntlet" round the animals, and under
them-in every direction but over them —
unless a friendly recess or open door receives
you.  The drivers scream out at the top of
their lungs some words which are Arabic for
"Look sharp!" and " Take care!" which is very
polite of them to be sure.
You will wonder how carriages get along in
such streets, and the fact is they don't get along
at all. There are no carriages here, or vehicles
of any kind, and I am told there are none anywhere in Syria. Is it not wonderful that people
can get along without them? But from what I
have seen and heard of the various inhabitants of Syria I don't believe they like to get
along, especially in anything that goes very
fast. They have pretty much the same ideas,
manners and customs their forefathers had
eighteen hundred years ago. This suits us very




24  PHILIP IS PALESTINE.
well, as we shall get a better idea of what the
country was during the time of our Saviour.
The people say there are no good roads in
Syria, which is the reason they cannot use
wheels.  Why don't they make good roads
then? They must have been good a long
time ago, for, in the Bible, we read of wagons
and chariots.
One curious thing about this city is, that
all of the same trade live in the same street.
Thus we have Saddler's street, Blacksmith's
street, &c.
Gas is unheard of here. The streets are not
lighted at all. The shops are all closed at
dusk, and the streets are silent and deserted
until morning. If you wish to go anywhere
at night you will find it necessary to take a
lantern with you.
This city contains forty thousand inhabib
tants, and a curious and mixed people they
are: Americans, Europeans of all nations,
Jews, Turks, Arabs, and I don't know how
many others. You have twenty different languages around you at once.
Some curious sights will greet you also.
Here, you look into a barber's shop, where a
man has just had every particle of hair
shaved off his head I There, you see a woman
with a long, thick veil on, entirely concealing
her face. There are two holes cut in the veil




BEIR U T                 25
for her to see through. There again, are
some men on a roof, saying their prayers.
They are Moslems, and the confusion around
them, and the public place they are in, does
not seem to distract them. What curious
motions they go through!  They fall on their
knees; they touch their foreheads to the
ground; they sit; they stand erect —all the
time repeating their prayers, or passages from
the Koran, as fast as they can. They often
do not understand what they are saying. In
front of that mosque sits a letter-writer. His
business is to write letters for those who cannot
write themselves, and their number is not
small.  He sits cross-legged on a cushion, and
spreads his paper on his lap (sometimes he has
an ink-stand on a little table). His ink-horn
hangs at his girdle, and his pen is made from a
kind of reed.
I think I have told you all that would interest you in regard to Beirut. We have been
here a week, and have been making preparations for the great journey we have before us.
As there are no wagons all our baggage must
be carried by mules and camels. It will require
several of these animals to take it all, for we
have to carry tents, household furniture, and
everything  with  us.  The drivers will be
Arabs.
3




26  PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
Father and Mr. Hamilton have English
horses, but Hartley and I preferred Arab
ponies. Mine is a little beauty, and very
gentle. He knows me already. He is said to
be very sure-footed; I don't know about that,
but he travels very fast-on a good road he will
go a mile in four minutes. I call him Saladin.
He is one of my heroes, and as I shall visit the
scenes of his exploits, I thought it a suitable
name for my pony.
Our courier is named Ibrahim, which is an
odd name, but common enough here. He is a
very grave and dignified-looking Arab, and has
travelled with Franks so many times that he
knows all their ways, and what they like to eat,
and what they like to see. His business is to
attend to everything generally, so that we may
not be bothered thinking of small matters. The
attendants are all under his command, and he
is the guide. He transacts all the business,
pays all the bills, and is very careful that no
one shall cheat his employers but himself. But
Ibrahim  is considered very honest-for an
Arab. He speaks English after a fashion of
his own, but we can understand him.
Our preparations are nearly complete, and
I hope we will soon commence our journey,
for I am getting impatient.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




BEIR  UT.                27
II.
BEIRUT, Dec. 1, 18-.
MY - DEAR HARRY:You see we are here yet. We were all ready
to start when Hartley was taken sick. He is
better now, and will be able to travel in a
couple of days.  Father advised me to while
away the time by writing to you. again, and
telling you about the different races and sects
who inhabit this country. He says you will
have a better understanding of my letters if
you know of the different people and religions.
He has taken a great deal of pains to teach me
all these things since we have been in this city,
and, as I see the people all around me, I have
a better understanding of them, and of their
religious beliefs, than I ever had before.
I told you of the division of this country into
Syria, Ccele-Syria, and Palestine. The whole
of it has, for a great many years, been under
the rule of the Moslems, and a very bad rule it
seems to be. The entire population is to be
found in the towns and villages, it being dangerous to live in the open country, on account
of the lawlessness and violence of the wander



28 PIL IP IN PA L ESTINE.
ing Arabs; the Government, though powerful
enough to oppress the people, does not seem to
have the power or inclination to protect them.
There are five different Mohammedan sects
and nine Christian sects, and as these are
always quarrelling among each other, and the
bitterest hate exists among them, you need not
wonder that every few years everything is put
in confusion, and the whole country visited by
anarchy and civil war. I believe the Protestants have never taken any part in these
numerous quarrels. They are so few in number, that they are not regarded as of much
importance by the other sects.
I have the numbers of each sect, but they
are not exact, as the census is not taken regularly here, as in our country. As the Mohamrnedans have the rule, I will begin with them.
I have often been very much confused by
the names, Mohammedans, Moslems, Musselmen, Islams, and Turks, but I have found out
that they are all different names for the same
things. They all believe in one God, and that
Mohammed was the Prophet of God, and for this
reason they have always been called Mohammedans.  Turkey is the chief seat of this
religion, although it is spread through all Eastern countries, and therefore Mohammedans
everywhere are often called Turks, although




B        1J2I UT.       29'
the name is properly applied only to a native
of Turkey. The name Moslem was given to
Mohammedans by the Crusaders, and we have
retained it ever since. They call themselves
Mussulmen; to the faith they believe they give
the name "Islam," which means "the faith,"
(in the same way that we call the Word of God
"Bible," or "the Book," to show that it is
above all other books;) hence they are sometimes called Islams.
I said there were five Mohammedan sects,
but, properly speaking, there is but one; the
other four are considered heresies. The Mohammedans proper, or the Moslems, as they
are more frequently called in this country,
number 800,000. They hate Christians, and
call them dogs, or infidels. They allow Christians to stay in the country, and have their
own churches and form of worship; partly
because they are afraid of European nations,
but chiefly, I suspect, because of the immense
amount of money they get from the pilgrims.
The Moslems are found all over the country
everywhere, and constitute the mass of the
people, except in Lebanon.  Notwithstanding
their hatred of Christians, they believe the
Saviour to have been a great prophet-the
greatest, next to Mohammed   They hold the
tombs of the patriarchs and of David in great
-3*




0   PH ILIP  IN  PALESTINE.'.
reverence, and will not let Christians look at
them. They believe in the resurrection, and a
final judgment.
The Druses are mostly found on Lebanon.
They number about 100,000. They were formerly very powerful in the mountains, but now
they are inferior to the Maronites (a Christian
sect), and many of the great Druse lords have
become Maronites. They are a very curious
people, and this was their origin: About eight
hundred years ago there was a tyrannical ruler
of Egypt, who was persuaded by an artful
Persian to call himself a god. Soon after the
new god disappeared mysteriously, murdered
by the Persian, probably, who took care that
the people should believe he had been translated to heaven. This Persian, Hakim, then
said the god had left a book suspended at the
door of a great mosque; and there the book
was found! This book the IDruses reverence
as their Bible. If you ask them what they
believe, they won't tell you, but pretend to
believe as you do. They hold their meetings
in secret, and it is said they have some horrible
ceremonies, but that is only suspicion.  One of
their doctrines we know: that the soul, when
it leaves the body, goes into some animal, say a
horse; when the horse dies, it goes into a
donkey, maybe; then into an owl, &c. Pretty




BEIR UT.                31
doctrine, isn't it?  It may be a comfort to a
Druse to think of becoming a donkey, but it
would not be to me.
Of the Nusairiyeh, who live among the
northern mountains, there are 150,000. Very
little is known about them, as they also keep
their religion a secret.
The Metaweleys inhabit the district south of
Lebanon, and east of Tyre. Their mode of
worship is much like the Mohammedans. They
are 150,000 in number.
The Ismaelites have a secret, mystical religion. They are now but few in numbersabout 20,000. They are the descendants of the
people called Assassins in the time of the Crusaders. They were at one time very numerous
in Syria. The founder was a Persian, named
Hassan, called "Old Man of the Mountain,"
because his castle was situated on a very lofty
hill.  Around his palace this prince caused
beautiful gardens and pavilions to be built.
Hie had powders secretly administered to young
men whom he selected as converts.  These
powders threw them into a profound sleep.
While in this condition they were conveyed
into the gardens, and, on awaking, were regaled with everything that could delight the
senses, and were constantly charmed with new
delights. After they had passed some days ia




32   PHIILIP? IN  PA LESTINE.
this manner, they were again put to sleep, and
carried back. They were then told that these
were only foretastes of the delights they would
forever experience, if in this life they remained
faithful subjects of Hassan. These young men
made converts of others, and thus his power
was extended.  Their sole idea of religion
seemed to be blind obedience to Hassan. As
his commands were generally for them to kill
somebody whom he did not like, the Crusaders
gave them the name of Assassins.
Henry, Count of Champagne, paid a visit to
the chief of the Assassins, and was received
with distinguished honors. The -chief led him
to all parts of his palace, and finally conducted
him up a very lofty tower, upon every step of
which stood men clothed in white. "I do not
suppose," said the chief to Henry, "that you
have any subjects as obedient as mine." At
the same time he made a sign with his hand,
when two men threw themselves from the top
of the tower, and expired instantly. The chief
then said:-" If you desire it, at the least
signal' from me, any of these men will throw
themselves down in the same manner; and if
you have any enemy who aims at your crown,
address yourself to me, and my servants will
soon relieve you of all anxiety, by poignarding
him."




BEIR UT.                33
A powerful Sultan once sent to Hassan, and
demanded the surrender of his castles. Hassan
ordered one of his servants into his presence,
and ordered him to kill himself, which he immediately did. He then told another to throw
himself from the top of a lofty tower, and his
order was obeyed. He then said to the ambassador, " Repeat to your master what you
have seen, and tell him I have 60,000 men at
my command, who are as devoted and obedient
as these." The Sultan troubled him no further.
Such were the Assassins at the time of the
Crusaders. They are now greatly reduced in
number, and no longer have a terrible Hassan
at their head.
The Christian sects are Greeks, Greek Catholies, Maronites, Syrians, or Jacobites, Syrian
Catholics,  Armenians,  Armenian  Catholio,
Latins, and Protestants.
The most widely-spread of these are the
Greeks, so called because they profess the Greek
faith, and belong to the Greek Church. They
are Arabs, like the other Arabs of the country.
They use the Arabic language in their worship.
Their bishops are Greek by birth, but their
priests are native, and are chosen by the people.
They are usually married, and work at some
trade. They are very ignorant, but that don't
prevent them  from  teaching  school.  They




84   PHIL IP  IN  PALES TINE.
teach, and work at their trade at the same
time, and vary this by attending to their parish
duties and preaching. At all events, nobody
can accuse them of being idle.
Greek Catholics are very much like the
Greeks, only they acknowledge the authority
of the Pope of Rome, and believe in purgatory.
They have a college and printing press, and
are among the wealthiest inhabitants of Syria,
and possess great influence.
I don't know how many members the above
churches have.
The Maronites are native Syrians, and -number about 200,000. They are found in cities
and large towns, but their home may be said to
be in the mountains of Lebanon, where they
have succeeded in getting the upper hand of
the Druses. They are devoted to the Pope
of Rome, and completely under the dominion
of their priests. They only take the bread in
communion, but in other respects, I believe, are
not much like the Romish Church. They- have
a college which is said to be pretty good, for a
Syrian college. They have fifty convents.
The Latins are Roman Catholics. They
amount only to a few hundreds, and are mostly
persons connected with the convents and holy
places in Palestine.  In some instances the
Greeks and Latins occupy the same churches,




BEIR UT                   35
and fight and quarrel in the most shameful
manner.
The other Christian sects are unimportant.
There are not more than fifty thousand in all.
Then there are the wandering Arab tribes,
who are to be found everywhere, but cannot be
counted, because they are always going about.
They are Moslems.
Beside all these, there are the Jews, who
number about 25,000. I believe they are only
to be found in a few of the cities.  Jerusalem
contains seven thousand of them.  The few
that are in the country are scarcely tolerated, and seem generally to be despised by
their neighbors. And yet this is all their own
country! their " Promised Land!"  How bitterly they must feel when they think of it I
Since I have been here, I have often repeated
to myself a little poem I learned some years
ago, when I was a little boy:THE WILD GAZELLE.
The wild gazelle on Judah's hills
Exulting yet may bound;
And drink from all the living rills
That gush on holy ground;
Its airy step and glorious eye
May glance in tameless transport by.




86  PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
A step as fleet, an eye more bright,
Hath Judah witnessed there;
And o'er her scenes of lost delight
Inhabitants more fair;
The cedars wave o'er Lebanon,
But Judah's statelier maids are gone.
More blest each palm that shades those plains,
Than Israel's scattered race,
For, taking root, it there remains,
In melancholy grace;
It cannot quit its place of birth,
It will not live in other earth.
But we must wander witheringly,
In other lands to die,
And where our father's ashes be,
Our own must never lie;
Our temple hath not left a stone,
And mockery sits on Salem's throne.
But they will be restored to this land, for
God hath said it, and he will, perform it.  The
time will come when the proud Moslem will be
seen no more in all this country, and the hosts
of the Jews, gathered from the east and the
west, from  every nation and clime, shall take
possession of Jerusalem. I would like now,
from this housetop, to watch the long procession
filing over the hills and plains, with the cross
and the name  of Christ inscribed on their
banners.  Your affectionate friend,
PEILIP.




SBID O.                37
III.
SmDoN, Dec. 4, 18-.
MY DEAIR HIARRIY:
We are still in the country of the Phcenicians. This was one of their chief cities.
But what makes it more interesting to us is,
that it is a Bible city.  Father found for me
all the places where it is mentioned. It is
first spoken of in the tenth chapter of Genesis. Only think how old it is! It has been
destroyed and rebuilt a great many times
since then. In the nineteenth chapter of the
same book it is mentioned as the boundary of
the land promised to Zebulon. In Joshua it is
called great —three thousand years ago! In
Judges the Zidonians are spoken of as oppressing the people of Israel. In Kings they are
said to have been skilful in hewing timber.  In
Chronicles they are mentioned as carrying
cedar wood to David.
But the city has a still nearer interest. It
was here that our Lord met with the Canaanitish woman, and healed her daughter;* and Paul
* Matt. xv. 21-27.




88  PEtILIP IN PA LEST 1NE.
and his friends visited this place on their way
to Italy.*
It is a small city now-not more than ten
thousand inhabitants all told. But, before
giving you a description of the city, I must tell
you about our ride from Bierut to this place.
The distance is twenty-seven miles, but we were
twelve hours- performing the journey, and it was
dark when we reached the gates. There was
so much to see, and everybody had so much to
say about all that was seen, that we loitered
very much on the road. It was the most interesting ride I have ever taken in my life, and it
was over the very worst road I ever saw.
Hartley says it is one of the best roads in Syria,
but I hope he is only joking.
We left Beirut at the first peep of dawn.
Mr. Hamilton and father mounted on their
horses, and Hartley and I on our ponies,
dashed out of the gate in fine style, and then
drew up the side of the road to watch our
little caravan file out. First Ibrahim, our courier, appeared, riding on a fine Arab horse. A
general commanding an army could not have
looked more important than he did. Then
two poor little patient donkeys came out on
a half trot; then four great awkward camels
stalked out, one step of their's bei-ng about
* Acts xxvii, 3.




SID ON                  39.
equal to ten of the donkeys. These six animals
carry on their backs our wardrobes, household
furniture, tents, etc., etc. Their drivers are all
Arabs, and are very picturesque looking with
their loose flowing abas (a kind of cloak), gay
turbans and red shoes. Positively red shoes!
The day was clear and beautiful; the air soft,
without being too warm-very much like our
May days. After leaving the gardens of Beirut
we rode through a pine grove for some little
time. Through the trees we caught glimpses
of the sea, and occasionally we would meet with
a stately and beautiful palm tree. These trees
are tall and slender; the trunks are smooth and
very straight. The leaves grow in a great cluster on the top. They are very long, and of a
beautiful vivid green. The fruit grows in
clusters, and is said to be of a rich golden yellow, and almost transparent when ripe. This
don't answer very well to the description of
dates as we have seen them in America, for
they are very dark and all matted together. I
shall have an opportunity of tasting the fresh
fruit in its season.
We next passed through the great olive
groves I mentioned in my first letter. They
are the largest in Syria. These trees are very
valuable property. A  full-grown tree yields
from ten to fifteen gallons of oil in season,




40  PHfILIP IN PALEASTINE.
and an acre of them will yield a crop worth
a hundred dollars. These groves near Beirut
have a great many different owners, hundreds
of people own trees there-some only own one
tree. And yet there is no fence or any landmark to divide one man's property from another.
You may wonder how  they manage mat-,
ters in the gathering season, and I will tell
you the process. Early in the autumn the
berries begin to drop off the trees themselves.
They remain on the ground sometime, not
even the owners are allowed to pick them up.
They are guarded by watchmen, appointed by
the authorities. At the proper time the Governor issues a proclamation that all who own
trees can go and gather the berries which
have fallen. In good seasons this is done two
or three times. When the rainy season commences a proclamation is issued for the shaking
of the olives. Then every man has to look
around him pretty sharply and take care of his
own; for everybody, men, women and children,
flock to the olive groves, climb the trees, shake
down the fruit, and carry off all they can get.
But even this is not the last gathering, for there
will always be some berries left; and these the
very poor, who own no trees at all, are allowed to
glean.:All these customs have remained unchanged since the Israelites first took posses.




SID ON.                  41
sion of the land, as we know from accounts
in the Bible of the gathering and shaking of
the olive:
Although this tree is so valuable, a person
who plants an olive must have a great stock of
patience on hand, for the tree does not produce any berries at all until it is seven years
of age, and the crop is not worth much until
the tree is ten or fifteen years old! But, after
it once begins, it continues to bear fruit for hundreds of years, for the olive is of longer life than
even the oak.  It requires but little care to cultivate it, and, if entirely neglected for fifty
years, will revive again with a little attention,
and be as fruitful as before.  None of these
trees were very tall, though some of them were
very large. They are generally twisted into
strange shapes. Some of them were so old they
had scarcely a leaf on them, and yet these produce a large crop of berries every year.
These olive groves all have to be made, for
the wild olive is not good. They either graft
the wild olives with grafts from good olives, or
else cut off slips that have been grafted and
plant them. In this way all that splendid
grove was made. The olive leaves are of a
light green color, with  an under surface of
white. The blossoms are small and white, and
said to be innumerable in the blossoming sea4*




42   PIIILIP  IN  PA LES TIN E.
son. The trees are almost enveloped in them,
like a covering of snow; but not more than one
in a hundred of them ever comes to anything.
Olive oil you are familiar with, and the berries also. I don't like the berries at all, but
the people here are extravagantly fond of them.
Poor people often eat nothing else with their
bread, and they use the oil for cooking nearly
everything they eat, beside depending upon it
for light; and all their soap is made from it,
So much for the olives.
After leaving them we passed over a sandy
waste. This sand is thrown up by the waves
on the beachn, and carried by the winds up the
shore. They say it is constantly spreading inland. The sand is yellow and piled up in
ridges, some of them twenty feet high. By this
time we all felt like taking a lunch, and concluded to stop at an inn near by. Inns are here
called khans. This one was Khan Khuldeh.
It was a very poor, bare-looking house, and
there we drank some Arab coffee, as strong as it
could be made, and black as ink, with no milk
in it. I drank it, with a great many wry faces,
for I have made up my mind to be satisfied with
what I can get.
We soon after reached the river Damur.
Before crossing it we rode up the mountain
side a little way to look at the sarcophagi, which




SIDO N.                 43
are numerous thereabouts.  These are stone
coffins, and of all sizes, from two to eight feet
long. Some are cut out in the rock, others out
of hewn stone. They have heavy lids, but no
inscriptions on them. There is nothing inside
of them, for they have been where they now are
hundreds and hundreds of years. - For a great
many years the inhabitants of the country have
been breaking them up for building stones or to
burn in the limekilns, and yet there are hundreds of coffins there now. I wonder who was
buried in them! Father says he cannot even
guess.
We forded the Damur, which was only a shallow stream, but it is subject to floods.  We
rested awhile under the oleanders and weeping
willows on the bank, and then had a pic-nic
dinner. It was very romantic.
Directly after leaving the river we passed an
Arab encampment. It was not such a pretty
sight as I expected it would be. The tents
were of a dark brown color, almost black. The
Arabs were lounging about, looking very lazy
and very dirty. Greasy-looking children stared
at us and mangy dogs barked at us.
Then we passed a huge sand-hill, where we
could see great stones. Mr. Hamilton told me
that was all that was left of what was a great
city ages ago.  The city was called Porphyreon.




44  PHUILIP IN PALESIINiE.
Then we came to-what do you think?  The
tomb of Jonah!  The Moslems have built a
mausoleum there. It is white, and has a dome
on the top of it. It contains rooms for the
keeper, and to accommodate pilgrims. Whether
the Moslems really believe that Jonah is buried
there I know not, but they do believe that it is
the spot where the fish cast him ashore. They
call the place " Neby Yunas," which is Arabic
for "Prophet Jonah."
After a little time we crossed another river,
the Oweley. This we crossed on a bridge. It
is a narrow river. Soon afterward the sight of
old Sidon gladdened my eyes, for the ride had
been tedious, though I had seen a great many
things which interested me. The road was terrible, all the time over rocks or through deep
sand. If you look at the map you will see that
the road lies close by the sea-shore, and we had
the Mediterranean for a companion all day long.
It is a calm, gentle sea, with small waves rolling constantly on the beach. This sea is almost
tideless-the tide never rising higher than ten
inches.
The city of Sidon, which Joshua calls great,
and which was once renowned far and near, is
now quite small. There is very little in the city
itself which is interesting. There are but few
ruins. There are six khans. We are staying




SID OV:                45
at the best one, but it is full of discomfort. We
intend to avoid khans as much as possible in our
journeys; we all prefer "camping out."
There are a great many mulberry orchards in
the neighborhood, the leaves of which are used
for food for the silk-worm. Silk and tobacco
are the chief exports of the place.
They have most delicious fruits here. I have
as many oranges and bananas as I want, and
drink scarcely anything but lemonade. The
orange and lemon groves are beautiful; buds,
and flowers, and fruit all hang on the same
trees at the same time, and the air is constantly
filled with the most delicious fragrance.
There are several cemeteries in Sidon. Each
sect has its own. Every time I have visited one
I have seen women mourning over the graves.
They shriek and scream; they throw themselves
on the ground; they tear their clothes and
their hair.  These women are hired by the real
mourners, and "do up" so much grief for so
much money. The funerals here seem to be
conducted somewhat in the style of an Irish
wake. A great feast is given, and all the
friends invited have a jolly time. In olden
times they had a very queer fashion of collecting the tears of mourners, and putting them
in bottles and placing them in the tomb.
These bottles were called lachrymatories.




468  PZHILIP IiN  PALES TINE.
They have been found in great numbers in the
old tombs opened in this country. I have
had two given to me-the first of my stock of
curiosities. Mine are made of glass; they have
a funnel-shaped top, long neck and broad
bottom.
The hills around here are said to be full of
old sepulchres-most of them caves cut out of
solid rock.
I have seen very few ladies since I have
been here, and they are all closely veiled.
If you visit at any house, except those of the
Franks, you will see no women; nothing but
men. The women are kept shut up in the
harem. I think they must have a terribly stupid time of it-don't you?  They dress very
much like men here, except the long veils and
head-dresses. Some of these last are beautiful. I saw one yesterday that your sister
would be glad to have. It was a pretty little
red cap, with golden tassels; the cap was nearly
covered with small glittering jewels. I was not
able to get a glimpse of the face of the wearer
of this, though I looked long and anxiously, for
I thought nobody that was not young and pretty
would wear such a cap as that.
These people have very queer ways. We
went to a dinner-party a day or two ago in the
house of a native. When we entered the room




SID ON.                 47
we found all the company seated cross-legged
on their cushions, very gravely smoking their
pipes. These pipes were various in fashion.
Some of them were very beautiful, with long flexible tubes, and cut-glass bottles to hold the water,
for they prefer their smoke to pass through
water before inhaling it. They all rose up as
we entered, making the most solemn bows, or
salaams as they would say. Coffee was passed
around soon after our arrival. I managed to
drink mine, as there was not much of it. It
was served in tiny cups of-china and silver,
very pretty.
The Arabs keep on their turbans all the time,
and always slip off their shoes before entering
the room. This is because they always sit on
cushions with their feet doubled up under them.
WVe took off our hats, kept on our shoes, and
sat on divans which had been provided expressly for our use.
The silence and gravity soon disappeared. A
few of the company understood English, but
most of them talked in Arabic, in very loud
tones, and faster than I ever imagined people
could talk. I could often tell what they were
saying from their expressive gestures. Father
and Mr. Hamilton are Arabic scholars, and
Hartley and I talked to the few who could muster a little English.




48  PHILIP IN PAL ES TINE.
In a couple of hours servants came in bringing little round tables. On each of these was
placed a tray with dishes containing the food.
Four or five gathered around each table and
fell to eating. We had no plates, or knives and
forks. The dishes were all stews, or soups, or
sauces. Pieces of bread were placed before
each one. This Arab bread is made in the
thinnest possible cakes, and is tolerably good.
The Arabs eat with this bread by doubling it
up, spoon fashion, and dipping it into the
dishes. We.foreigners were furnished  with
wooden spoons, and, though you may be surprised at my want of nicety, I dipped my spoon
into the dishes pretty often, for these soups and
stews are delicious, if all do eat out of the same
dish. All drink out of the same water-pitcher
also, but we were furnished with glasses, out
of respect for our Western habits I suppose.
After the tables were taken away servants
went around with a pitcher and basin. You
hold your hands over the basin while the servant pours water on them and gives you the
napkin to dry them with. This answers the
purpose better than the finger bowls we use.
If I was not vastly entertained with the
conversation, I was with the curious customs,
and was glad I had attended this remarkable
dinner-party.




8IDO  N.               49
The gardens of this city are beautiful.  In
the summer they must be magnificent.  Now
they are green with foliage, but only a few
fruits and flowers are in season.
The streets, like those of Beirut, are narrow,
crooked and dirty, and I have seen in them
pretty much the same sights I saw there. One
curious thing I have noticed about the houses
here. The walls are covered with maxims, or
quotations from the poets; or sentences from
the Koran in Moslem houses, and from the Bible
in Christian houses. I spoke to father about it,
and he said that Moses commanded the children
of Israel to write the precepts of the Lord upon
their door-posts and gates. I think this must
have been because they had no books.
This morning I saw a funeral procession, but
it was not very solemn. The women went first
by themselves, throwing their arms about and
shrieking like wild creatures. The men and
boys were crowded together in a grand mass,
and were singing, "Ya All1]ih! Ya Allah!"
(which is Arabic for 0 God!  0 God!) "La
Allah illa Allah!" (no God but God!) and " Muhammedhn russul Allah!" (and Mohammed
is the prophet of God). After a time they
stopped and formed a ring, when two men in
the centre of the circle began to jump about
like wild cats, twisting their heads and jerking
5r




50  PHILIP IN PA LESTINVE.
their bodies, until one of them tumbled down,
and then they all thought he was in a divine
trance, though I suspect he had a hysteric fit,
which is not to be wondered at considering the
performance he had just gone through with.
Then they all took up the line of march again
and soon disappeared.
While I am talking about the curious customs
I will tell you about the Douseh. This is a religious ceremony given in honor of the dervishes, who do a great many wonderful tricks
on this occasion. They throw sharp instruments into their eyes and cheeks and draw
them out without hurting themselves. Whether they really throw them in, or only appear
to, I can't say. Then a long pavement of boys
is formed. The boys lay flat down, with their
faces to the ground-one with his head to the
south, the next with his feet to the south, and
so on, alternating head and feet.  The dervishes ride their horses over this living pavement, and it is said the boys are unhurt by this
proceeding. Whether they are unhurt, or not,
it is a very slavish and a very disgusting ceremony, I think. This is only done on extraordinary occasions, and it is not probable I shall
ever witness it, but a gentleman who lives here
has twice seen it, and he told me about it.
I hope I shall have a chance to see some




SID O                   51
whirling dervishes. If I don't meet with them
in this country we will find them in Constantinople, if we return that way. You have
heard of them. Their form of worship is
whirling about. They say they are inspired
by God to do this, and they keep whirling until
the inspiration passes off. Those who have
seen them say the- performance is slow and
rather graceful at first, but they whirl faster
and faster until they get quite frantic; their
faces have a "rapt" expression, and their
minds seem  entirely withdrawn from  earthly
things. This may be because of the muddled
condition their brains must be in after such a
spinning round. The whole thing reminds one
of that play the girls have that they call
"making cheeses."
To-morrow we are going up the mountain to
visit the place where Lady Hester Stanhope
lived so many years.
Your affectionate friend,
PIIILIP.




~,  PEIILIP  IXN  PA LESTIi E.
IV.
SIDON, Dec. 5, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:I should not have written to you from Sidon
again, had I not promised to give you an account of our visit to the house which formerly
belonged to Lady Hester Stanhope.
Quite a large party had been made up to go
with us-all Franks-most of them English.
Among them were four ladies. We rode out
of the gate of Sidon at sunrise, but, early as
it was, there were a great many loungers
there, and I flattered myself we made quite a
distinguished appearance as we cantered over
the plain. Hartley and I had seen so many
different styles of dress since we came to this
country that we were tired of our common.
place American style, and concluded we would'flourish out" on this occasion. So we each
wore an aba, which is a cloak worn by all classes
of Arabs, made of various materials. Our's
were quite short; they were made of dark
brown silk, ornamented with gold and silver
thread, and were what Caroline would call




SID S.O.             5
"very Jashy."  We wore red caps trimmed
with gold cord.  Father thought we bought
these as curiosities to take home with us, and
was quite surprised when we made our appearance with our red caps, and gold trimmings
sparkling in the sunlight.  The whole party
laughed at our Oriental appearance, which
was all the compliment we received, and I can't
say that we found the change in our attire altogether comfortable; but we knew we looked
well, which is a great matter.
We rode at a brisk pace, and were not long
in reaching the Oweley. If you look at the
map you will see that the little village of Joon
is but a short distance from the river. It is
situated on a mountain side, and on the very
top of the mountain is Dahr Joon, where the
Lady Hester lived.
Riding over the high hills and up the'mountain side would have been very grand, if it had
not been so very frightful. I don't think,
Harry, that I am a very great coward, and I
confess that I turned pale more than once as
my little pony walked gingerly along the edge
of a precipice, or down a steep and rocky
path into a deep ravine. Father looked a
little anxious about me, but was quite relieved
when he saw how very cautious I was. He told
me I must accustom myself to face such dangers if
5*




64  PHfIL IP IN PA L ESTINE.
I would become a traveller, and that when I
travelled over the Lebanon mountains I would
meet with worse roads than that which leads to
Dahr Joon. By that time I shall have become
accustomed to bad roads, but I never rode close
to the edge of precipices until that day. The
ladies, I noticed, were quite fearless —they are
used to these barbarous roads.  My little Saladin was very sure-footed, and trod along these
narrow rocky paths as if he had been used to
them all his days, as it is very probable that
he has been.
The road was desolate and solitary, generally
winding over barren hills or down into narrow stony valleys. These valleys are here
called wadies. A few goats were wandering
about, attended by their keepers, and occasionally we would come across a little cluster of
Arab tents. Once I caught sight of a village
in the distance, with olive orchards'near it.
I was surprised at this sight and pointed it
out to a lady, and she told me that there
were villages, cornfields and orchards in plenty
among these stony valleys'and barren-looking
mountains.
Once, on making a sudden turn in the road,
we came upon a very queer sight.  It was so
unexpected, and I was so unprepared for it,
having -never heard of such a thing, that I




SI1 ON.               55
burst out laughing. Hartley joined me, which
was very impolite of us, as the objects we
were laughing at were ladies. They were
mounted on mules, and looked like a company
of ghosts with their long white dresses and
thick veils. And, to give them a still more unearthly appearance, each one had a long horn
growing out of her head? That is, they seemed
to grow out of their heads, but they were really
made of silver, and fastened on to the head
somehow. Over these they hang their veils.
These horns were about two feet long, and you
may imagine the effect. These were grand
ladies-they were Druse ladies of very high
rank-ladies of lower rank wear smaller horns.
I think these women must have very empty
heads or they never could bear the weight of
such horns.
The road grew worse as we went up the
mountain, and at last we dismounted from our
horses and climbed up a steep narrow path for
two hundred feet. The house stands at the very
top of the mountain. It looks like a great castle, with turrets and towers, and a high wall
all around it. Nobody lives in it, and it is falling into ruin. The gardens, which were once
very splendid, are filled with weeds and rub-.
bish. The tomb is in the garden. We found
our way to it with some difficulty. The vault




56  PHIIL IP IN P A L ES TINE.
was broken, and the arbor which had covered
it was lying upon the ground. It was a picture of desolation. There was no inscription on
the tomb. Not a living creature besides ourselves was to be seen. We could see the village of Joon on the side of a little mountain,
just across the wady. I must say, I don't admire Lady Hester's taste in the selection of a
place for her residence, especially as there are
so many pretty places hnear..Perhaps she
thought it very fine to look around her and see
nothing but mountains on every side. Joon is
steep and rocky, but I suppose she felt safer for
that'reason. But there is no water here, and
all she used had to be brought up the mountain
on mules.
Our luncheon was brought up in the'same
way; and, having found a clean shady place,
we had our dinner of bread, chicken, figs, bananas and oranges, with lemonade for a beverage; and we enjoyed it, too, for we were
famously hungry. As the day was warm, and
it was quite pleasant on the mountain top, we
concluded to wait a couple of hours before
starting for Sidon. Some of the party wandered
about the ruins, others lay down under the
trees and went to sleep.
Mrs. Wilson, an English lady, had promised
to tell the story of Lady Hester Stanhope to




SID ON                 57
E1artley and myself, for neither of us had ever
heard it. So we fixed a seat under a terebinth
tree and put cushions there for her, while we
threw our cushions on the ground at her feet,
and, having established ourselves comfortably,
she told us the story. I had pencil and paper
to take down the story for your benefit, but she
has since kindly written it out for me. Here
it is"It would be almost impossible forme to give
you a complete history of the life of this strange
woman who ended her days up here in this
lonely mountain of Dahr Joon, so varied and
wonderful were her adventures. She was born
in England, and was the grand-daughter of the
Earl of Chatham and niece of William  Pitt.
She was a girl of rare abilities, and as soon as
she was old enough Pitt chose her for his private secretary. She is described as being, at
that time, very beautiful, witty and talented,
and excessively romantic. She loved Sir John
Moore. Of course you are familiar with the
story of his life and his heroic death. The
memory of this early love remained with Lady
Hester all her life, and she never married.
"After the death of Pitt she received a pension of six thousand dollars a year from the English government. This income was certainly too
small to enable her to. move in the society to




58   PHILIP   INA  PALESTINR.
which she had been accustomed, in the style
which she felt she ought to maintain. She regarded it as a mere pittance, and never forgave the English government for what she
termed its ingratitude to the statesman who had
clone so much for his country. She determined
to leave Europe and come to the East, partly because of the simple mode of life here, but chiefly,
I expect, because she hoped that here she might
find opportunities for gratifying her ambition,
which would be impossible in Europe. To acquire absolute power had been the dream of her
childhood and youth; and, from the time she left
England, it was the goal towards which all her
efforts were directed.
"After she came here she'could never be
persuaded to return to England. She knew
every language of Europe and Asia, and could
converse with the wild Arabs of the desert
as easily as she could with the princes and
distinguished men of every nation who visited
her. After a time she gained great ascendancy
over the Arab tribes, and they delighted in
nothing so much as doing her bidding. They
made her Queen of Palmyra, and she ruled
them right royally. She used to wear the
dress of an Emir-weapons, pipe and all. She
was a splendid horsewoman, and rode at the
head of her guard of mourted Albanian sol



SID OX                 59
diers, whom she always kept about her. She
had spies at the different cities, and at the
courts of Pachas and Emirs, and knew everything that was going on in the countries around,
which knowledge she turned to her own account.
"After leading a wandering and romantic
life for some years she rented a lonely house,
which was situated on the mountain of Joon,
added many rooms to it, built a wall around it,
fortified it strongly, and called it Dahr Joon.
D)ahr means hall or court, and here, for many
years, she held her court. And now, having
given up the comforts of her English home'
having separated herself forever from her relatives and friends; having hardened her heart
until it was without sympathy for her kind;
disdaining the refinements of civilized life;
scoffing at the religion of Christ; she had gained
in return for all these the object of her ambition-the desire of her life. She did indeed
possess absolute power, and woe to that man in
Syria, be he prince or slave, who dared to interfere with or to dispute her authority. And who
were her subjects? Her own Arab servants and
negro slaves; the wretched and degraded inhabitants of the neighboring villages; and, for
a time, those lawless robbers, the Bedouin
Arabs. She had more influence, too, than any




60  PHIILIP IN PALESTINE.
woman, probably, in modern times. And whom
did she influence? Ignorant Pachas and vul.
gar Emirs; mixing herself up with their petty
squabbles and disgraceful intrigues. I think
her own soul must have been filled with disgust at herself; and no doubt it was. We have
the testimony of one who knew her intimately
at this time, that there was not a more
wretched woman on the face of the earth.
"And what did the wild Arabs and uncivilized inhabitants of Syria gain from their
intercourse with the most talented and influential woman of her age? Nothing. What a
commentary on years of absolute power, that,
when it was all over, and the restless spirit,
which had ruled so long, was at rest forever,
the people she had governed were as ignorant,
degraded, and brutalized, as when she first
appeared among them. If she had used her
talents and influence to elevate, civilize, and
Christianize the natives of Syria, what a vast
amount of good she might have accomplished!
No woman ever had such opportunities before.
No one could more utterly have wasted and
abused them. No wonder that she was unhappy. No wonder that her temper grew more
and more violent, and that her fits of passion
were terrible. She did not even make one
friend among the natives. They all deceived




SID ON                 61
her; stole from her; and, in her poverty, left
her to die.
"Her income was not sufficient to meet her
expenses, and every year she got deeper and
deeper into debt, until, at last, she was utterly
ruined. She was now old, and her charms of
person and manner were gone. She was in
feeble health, and no longer able to terrify with
her lightning glance and terrible tongue. And
then her power and influence melted away like
a thin vapor, and she was left to reflect how
unsubstantial it all had been.  Her guards
gradually deserted her. Her servants neglected her when she was sick, and robbed her.
She could hear them breaking open chests,
and ripping up cushions, when she was too ill
to prevent them.  She dismissed them, but
those who took their places were no better.
Poor Lady Hester! We do not know what
were her thoughts in those awful days, for she
had no one to whom to confide them. The few
Europeans who had followed her to Syria, and
remained faithful to her for many years, were
dead, or had been compelled to leave her long
before, and she died at the age of seventy-three,
without a European attendant, and without a
friend.
" Her funeral ceremonies were performed by
an American missionary of Sidon; two English.
6




2  PffILIP IZN PA LES TINE.
men were with him. It was found necessary
to inter the body soon after their arrival at
Joon, and she was buried at midnight. A,
French general had been put into this vault
years before, and the servants had gathered his
bones up in a heap near the entrance, with the
skull on the top. Candles were stuck in the
eye-sockets, and by the light of these Lady
Hester's body was committed to the ground.
"It was rather a curious coincidence, that
she should have been buried in this manner-so
similar, in many respects, to the burial of her
early lover, Sir John Moore, very many years
before. You remember the account how he
was buried hastily, at midnight, in a lonely
spot on the battle-field, by a few attendants,
for the enemy was advancing on them:"'We buried him darkly, at dead of night,
The sods with our bayonets turning;
By the struggling moonbeams' misty light,
And the lantern dimly burning.'
"As for the treasures she had collected
during her long life, none were found in the
house after her death. Her rooms were examined by the English Consul of Sidon, and
found to be filled with rubbish. One was piled
up with old, worm-eaten saddles, all that was




S1DA 0i:               63
left of her Albanian guard. Another was full
of pipe-stems. Some were filled with physic,
for she pretended to a great knowledge of
medicine among other things.  There were
plenty of books, although she was never a great
reader.  But everything valuable had been
stolen by her attendants.  A very wealthy
man in Sidon is said to have made his fortune
in this way.
"The life of Lady Hester would be incomplete if I did not say something about the
means she took to establish her influence over
all around her. Her lavish expenditure of
money was, no doubt, part of the secret, but,
after all, the real power lay in herself. She
had the art of charming her equals, so that
they felt a pleasure in submitting to her will,
and her inferiors she terrified into obedience.
And then she had such great penetration. Her
power of finding out the inmost secrets of the
human heart seemed absolutely miraculous,
and made her greatly feared. She could do
generous acts, too, in a princely way. The
reason she built so large a house was, that, in
the numerous wars which were always breaking
out in Syria, the poor, and oppressed, and
houseless might come to her, and find a home.
And she welcomed all who came to her for
protection, even those she was known to hate,




64  LHILIP IN PALESTINVE.
and neither flatteries, threats, or violence would
make her give them up. But then they, as
well as all others who approached her, must do
as she bid them.
"She had great physical and moral courage.
She has faced those sent to kill her with a
boldness that has frightened them from their
purpose, and I think we may safely say she
never knew fear. In her arbitrary way she
was also very kind to the poor and sick.
" On the whole, it was a strange life she led
up here in Dahr Joon-now riding at the head
of wild Arabs, as Queen of the Desert; now
scolding the gardener about his lettuce beds;
now dictating a letter of political advice to a
Prince; the next moment telling her maid
how to cut out her apron; at one time treating
with contempt consuls, generals, and nobles,
and ordering officers sent to her lodge to be
whipped, and, directly after, resorting to the
meanest shifts to avoid her creditors; one day
kind and charitable to the poor, the next
treating them with cruelty and harshness.
"I think she may be said to have had no
religious faith, as she thought all systems of
religion nearly equally good. She either believed, or pretended to believe, that the Messiah was yet to come, and she was to act a very
important part at that time. She and the




SIID ON.               65
Messiah were to ride into Jerusalem side by
side. She kept two beautiful mares, named
Laila and Luda, which were never suffered to
be ridden, as these were for the use of the
Messiah and herself. One of these had a singularly-shaped back. Its backbone sank suddenly
down at the shoulders, and rose abruptly near
the hips. This deformity she imagined to be a
miraculous saddle, on which she was to ride
into Jerusalem.  Both these animals were
attended with great care. They had comfortable rooms, in which lamps were kept constant]y burning. They were fed with sherbet
and other delicacies.  After Lady Hester's
death, these poor, pampered creatures were
sold to farmers in the neighborhood, and hard
work and poor fare soon put an end to their
miserable lives.'
We were very much interested in this account of Lady Hester, and begged Mrs. Wilson
to tell us something more about her; but she
said she would tell us a short story instead —
one that was written by St. Jerome, whose cell
we would see at the convent at Bethlehem.
She said the two stories should be related
together, because they were both about persons
who did nothing for mankind or the good of
the world, and lived to old age, solely intent
on their own: advancement-the one desiring to
a*t




66   PHILIP  I1V  PALESTINE.
be great on earth, the other to be great in
heaven.
" A certain holy anchorite had passed a long
life in a cave, remote from all communion with
men, and he fasted, and prayed, and performed
many severe penances, and his whole thought
was how he should make himself of account in
the sight of God, that he might enter into his
Paradise.
"After having lived this life for threescore
and ten years, he was puffed up with the
notion of his own great virtue and sanctity,'
and, like to St. Anthony, he besought the Lord
to show him what saint he should emulate as
greater than himself; thinking, perhaps, in his
heart that the Lord would answer that none
was greater or holier. And the same night the
Angel of God appeared to him, and said:-' If
thou wouldst excel all others in virtue and
sanctity, thou must strive to be like a certain
minstrel, who goes begging and singing from
door to door.'
"And the holy man was in great astonishment, and he arose and took his staff, and ran
forth. in search of the minstrel; and, when he
had found him, he questioned him earnestly,
saying,'Tell me, I pray thee, my brother,
what good works thou hast performed in thy
lifetime, and by what prayers and penances
thou hast made thyself acceptable to God?'




SID ON.                67
"And the man, greatly wondering, and
ashamed to be so questioned, hung down his
head, as he replied,' I beseech thee, holy father,
mock me not! I have performed no good
works, and as for praying, alas! sinner that I
am, I am not worthy to pray, except to ask
God to forgive my wickedness. I do nothing
but go about from door to door, amusing the
people with my viol and my flute.'
" But the holy man insisted, and said,' Nay,
but peradventure, in the midst of this, thy evil
life, thou hast done some good works?' The
minstrel replied,'I know of nothing good that
I have done.' The hermit, wondering more
and more, said,'How  hast thou become a
beggar?  Hast thou spent thy substance in
riotous living, like most others of thy calling?'
"And the man, answering, said,'Nay; but
there was a poor woman, whom I found running hither and thither in distraction, for her
husband and children had been sold into
slavery, to pay a debt. So I took her home to
my hut, and protected her, and I gave her all
I had to redeem her family, and conducted her
in safety to the city, where she was re-united
to her husband and children. But what of
that, my father?  Is there a man who would
not have done the same?'




688-  PIILIP IN PAZESTINE.
"And the hermit, hearing these words, wept
bitterly, saying,'For my part, I have not done
so much good in all my life, and they call me a
man of God, and thou art only a poor minstrel?'."
And then Mrs.'Wilson recited a poem, which
is on the same subject. It was written by an
Englishman, and is prettier even, I think, than
the story of St. Jerome. I have since learned
it, and will write it down for you and Caroline
to learn:"Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase)
Awoke one night from a sweet dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold;
And to the Presence in the room he said,'What writest thou?'. The Vision raised its head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered,' The names of those who love the Lord.''And is mine one?' said Abou.'Nay, not so,'
Replied the Angel. Abou spake more low,
But cheerily still, and said,'I pray you then,
Write me for one who loves his fellow-men.'
The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
He came again, with great, awakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo I Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!"




SID OXI               69
At four o'clock we left Dahr Joon to its
loneliness, and rode slowly over the breakneck
roads back to old Sidon. On our return over
the plain, we stopped to look at some men who
were ploughing. It was a curious sight. No
less than six ploughs were following each other
in the same furrow! Each plough has a yoke
of oxen and a driver.  The ploughs were
wretched little things. I could have lifted one
with the greatest ease. And the oxen were
not larger than good-sized heifers are in our
part of the world. The ploughs do not sink
very deeply, but scratch up the ground at the
top, which may be. the reason that so many
ploughs go over the same track. Lands cultivated this way are owned in common, or belong
to Government.  The ploughmen like this way
of working, as it gives them a chance to gossip.
But what a lazy way of doing things!
It is an old custom, though. Father asked
me if I remembered the account of the calling
of Elisha-he was ploughing with twelve yoke
of oxen, and he with the twelfth. I remembered it well, for I had often puzzled my head
over it. What he wanted with so many oxen,
and how he could yoke himself with the
twelfth! But now it was as clear as daylight
to me. There were twelve ploughs and twelve
yoke of oxen, and twelve drivers, all in a line.




70  PHIILIP IN PALESTINE.
lie was with the twelfth yoke as a driver. I
am constantly finding out that the reason some
of the things told in the Bible seem impossible
to me, is because of my own great ignorance.
We will leave Sidon and its pleasant and
hospitable people to-morrow. Everybody, both
Franks and natives, have been so kind to us
since we have been here, that I shall be sorry
to leave them.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




TYBE.                   71
V.
TYRE, Dec. 10, 18 —.
MY DEAR HARRY:You will naturally expect my account of this
place to be particularly interesting, but I fear
you will be disappointed. I have not been very
greatly entertained here, and a two days' storm
has put me in such a state of stupidity that it
will be wonderful if some of it does not get into
my letter.
But, according to custom, I will first tell you
about our journey from Sidon to this place.
How familiar are the words, "the coast of Tyre
and Sidon." They are frequently mentioned
in Bible history, and certain it is, that our
Saviour once travelled through all the region I
have been wandering over, for the last few
days. We left Sidon on the sixth, pitched our
tents near Sarepta in the afternoon, and remained there all night, and the next morning
resumed our journey to this city, which we
reached at noon. The distance is generally
calculated at eight hours, but we chose to take




72  PH ILIP IN PALES TINE.
matters slowly, which makes travel much more
enjoyable.
On the road from Sidon to Sarepta we saw
several houses with white domes; occasionally
a village with two or three of these in it. Mr.
Hamilton  tells me that these white-domed
houses cover the shrines of prophets or holy
men. Judging from the numbers we have seen
during the short time we have been in the
country, I should suppose that there had been
a large collection of holy men in this region.
Nearly every high hill has on it a sacred place
-a willy or mazar, as they are called by the
natives-and to these the people go to worship.
Some of these are very old, so old that it is not
known whether they were built by Jews,
Christians, Mohammedans, or Arabs, and therefore all these sects claiim them, and use them in
different ways for the same purpose. Father
says these are the "high places " so frequently
condemned in the Old Testament. They are
generally situated in a grove or under a single
tree.
When we arrived at Sarepta, we found our
tents pitched under some tamarisk trees. After
dinner we lay down for some time under the
trees, for the sun was pretty hot by this time.
As I lay there I began to understand how it is
that people who live here long get into such




-  TY/BE.             73
lazy habits.  Everything around me was so
quiet, and the air made me feel dreamy, not
sleepy. I had a feeling that it would be much
more agreeable to lie there always, and look up
into the soft, clear Syrian sky, and think of all
the splendid things I intended to do, than to
have to work hard all my life, as we Western
people do.  And then, you know, one can
think of things so much more splendid than he
can ever do, let him work hard as he may. It
was like a romance to me, any way, being
there at all. I would shut my eyes for a few
moments, then turn my head in any direction,
and suddenly open them, always seeing something I was not accustomed to-palm  trees,
lovely little gazelles, queer-looking camels, and
queerer-looking Arabs, the long wave of drifted
sand, and the light feathery trees above me. I
thought of Philadelphia, and how it was full
of people, toiling from morning till night at all
sorts of trades, manufactures and professions;
heavily-loaded drays going through the streets;
carts, wagons, and omnibuses rattling over the
pavements; men, women, boys, girls, and
horses all hard at work. Oh, dear! it fairly
made me groan!  And our old school-room
rose before me. O! but there is plenty of hard
work done there!  I thought of you, Mr.
-Iarry, poring over your books, and wishing
7




74 PHILIP IN PA L ESTINE.
yourself on the pond, skating. Skating! How
that word changed the current of my ideas. I
would not live in this country on any account,
beautiful as it is. No snow! no skating! no
sledding!
During these reflections everybody was
asleep but me. When they woke up we four
travellers started for a survey of Sarepta and
the surrounding country. I should say Sarafend, for that is the name it is now known by,
and I expect that is the only name you will
find on your map. But I like the old names
best. The ruins of Sarepta extend for a mile
along the shore, and they are really ruins;
there is very little shape or form about them.
They have been dug over a great many times
for building stones. Workmen were digging
out stones when we were there. We asked
them what they were going to do with them?
They told us they were going to take them to
Beirut! These people have no reverence and
respect for ancient things. They would tumble
down the wall of a splendid temple, which had
stood for centuries, with no more emotion than
we would feel in overturning an old shed. No
wonder that all traces of the very ancient cities
of this country are entirely lost. In the neighborhood of Sarepta there is quite a large extent
of country which is covered with rubbish,




T YR E.                75
which rubbish was once ruins, which ruins
marked the site of an ancient Greek city, called
Ornithon. Thousands of years ago Ornithon
disappeared from the face of the earth; hundreds of years ago Sarepta passed away, and
now the little village of Sarafend is all that is
left of them.
Sarepta is called Zarephath in the Old Testament. It was here the widow lived who
entertained Elijah, and gave him of the little
food she had when there was a famine. For
this act of kindness, the Lord did not suffer her
barrel of meal to waste, or cruse of -oil to fail
during the famine.* In Sarafend they showed!us the cave where the widow had lived-at
least so they told us.
The next morning we continued our journey,
riding near the blue waves of the Mediterranean, and sometimes in them. We saw no
villages, which I thought strange, but Mr.
Hamilton says the people who cultivate these
plains live among the mountains, and come
down to the plain to do their work. This is
because they are afraid of the wandering
Arabs. When the Phcenicians lived here the
whole coast was covered with great cities and
thriving villages. That is because they were
* 1 Kings xvi.




76  PHTILIP IN PALESTINE.
seamen, and it was convenient for therm to live
on the sea-coast.  I don't believe the present
inhabitants know how to manage boats; I have
not seen a boat on the sea during our journey.
If you will examine your map, you will see
that before we reached Tyre we had to cross a
river, called Kasimieh.  Tracing the river up
from its mouth, you will find it is a very long
river, and that higher up it is called the
Litany.  It is the largest river, except the
Orontes, which empties into this part of the
Mediterranean.  It is said to be a very beautiful river where it winds among the mountains, and some of these days we will pay it a
visit. On the banks of this river I counted
twenty young gazelles, drinking. At our approach they bounded gracefully away over the
plain.
Near the city we saw  a fountain, called
Babuk, and around it are the ruins of an
ancient city. There we had a fine view of
Mount Hermon, which the Arabs call Jibel-esSheikh (Mountain of the Chief), not a bad
name for- the grand old fellow, which lifts its
head so-high above all others, and puts a stop
to the long range of Lebanon mountains.
As for Tyre itself, it is the most meagre collection of insignificant villages, with no walls, no
public works, not even ruins of any interest (if




T YR E.               77
we except the cathedral), and an empty harbor.
Intelligent Europeans, who live in this country,
tell us that there are magnificent ruins all
around us, or rather underneath us, for they
say that great temples and palaces are buried
in the ground, with heaps of stones and rubbish
piled on them, which have been accumulating
for hundreds of hundreds of years.  Persons
have built houses on top of these temples, and
lived there for a lifetime, never dreaming what
splendor was beneath them. When I get to be
a man I intend to excavate some of these old
cities, if somebody don't do it before me. Parts
of the ancient wall of Tyre lie buried under the
sand heaps, and can be seen by those who
choose to go to the trouble and expense of
having the sand thrown off them.
The day we arrived here we were rowed
round the city in a boat. It was the first time
I had been on the Mediterranean in an open
boat. We were shown a large stone let in the
old wall of Tyre, which is just as as it was
when first placed there, thousands of years ago.
It is seventeen feet long-a pretty good-sized
stone. It is close down by the water. By
looking down to the bottom  of the sea, we
could see great numbers of granite columns,
some of them very large. They once belonged
to buildings which have been thrown into the
7*




78  PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
sea by earthquakes, or the sea changing its bed,
or something of the kind. I wonder the people
here don't try to raise them, as they are so
anxious for building materials. I have some
beautiful specimens of marble, of various colors,
which I broke off fragments of columns near
the sea.
Once upon a time, there was in Tyre a great
cathedral, over two hundred feet long, and
eighty feet high.  Hartley says it was built in
the morning twilight of Christianity, which is
his poetical way of saying that no one knew
when or by whom it was built. In it was laid
the body of Origen, one of the earliest Christian
writers, and in it was buried the Emperor
Frederic Barbarossa. At this present time it
is a complete wreck; scarcely any part of it is
left standing. The great area is filled up with
mean hovels, in which dwell a dirty race of
peasants. This is all I can tell you of the most
interesting ruin which Tyre possesses.
We only expected to remain here two days,
but on the afternoon of the second day there
commenced such a storm, the like of which you
never saw, I think —I mean in amount of rain.
It poured down almost incessantly for two days,
and it seemed to me there was one continuous
sheet of water descending perpetually from the
sky to the earth. Yesterday the rain was a




T YB E.                79
little less violent, but the wind blew nearly a
hurricane. The sea, which has been so constantly calm and blue, looked then like black
broth boiling in a kettle.  Of course nobody
could think of going out of doors, and we
amused ourselves the best we could in the
house. Hartley and I spent a good deal of time
watching the sea, which is only a few yards
from the khan. Occasionally we took a game
of chess, but oftener coaxed Ibrahim to tell us
stories. He has a very entertaining way of relating stories, and his broken English makes
them amusing, but when I undertake to write
them  down I find they are really very silly
things. They are p.retty much in the style of
the Arabian Nights, only not half so good; all
about genii and evil demons;- King Solomon
plays a conspicuous part in most of them.
This morning Ibrahim called us early to go
to the sea-shore with him. The morning was
bright and beautiful; the sky without a cloud,
the sea as calm and blue as if it had never been
disturbed by wind or rain. The beach was covered with shells, most of them new to me.
There were thousands of what I took to be
small conch shells. They were like them in
shape, but I found they were much thinner than
conch shells, almost transparent in fact, and so
brittle that I could easily crush them in my




80   PH ILIP  IN  PALESTI.FJI.
hand. They were beautifully colored. Ibra.
him told us that in old times people who lived
in Tyre, in the days when it was a great and
powerful city, used these shells to dye beautiful
purple and crimson cloths, which were sent to
all parts of the world, and much sought after
by kings and queens, being very rich and very
costly. I had read a great deal about the famous Tyrian purple, and looked at these shells
with curiosity. I asked Ibrahim if this was the
only place where they could be found. He said
they were scattered all along the coast-there
were more of them about the bay of Acre than
anywhere else-after a storm they could be
gathered by loads; but they were so delicate
the waves washing over them soon broke them
to pieces. I asked him how they got the coloring out of the shells. He said they broke
them up in mills and other ways, and that
seemed to be all he knew about it. I asked
him why no one tried now-a-days to make this
beautiful dye-"you, for instance, Ibrahim,"
said I, thinking I would stir up some ambition
in him; "why don't you set up a dy eing eatablishment and find out how to color those beautiful cloths?  You are a smart man, and there
is no reason why you shouldn't send your cloth
over the whole world and have it: worrn by kings




Tr YR_ E.              81
and queens; and soon, instead of being a courier,
you will be a very rich and great man."
He listened respectfully, as he always does to
everything we say, but when I finished he only
said: "Young Amelican gentleman think poor
Arab know  everything-do everything; but
pool Arab poor beast."
This opinion I had had for some time, but
was too polite to tell Ibrahim so. Here they
are in one of the most charming climates, which
they care nothing for; with good soil, which
they only half cultivate; with a sea on which
they have not a ship; with fine rivers, on whose
waters is neither steamboat or sloop, and on
whose banks are no factories; with grand old
ruins which they tumbled down to get stones
for their miserable hovels.
As soon as we returned to the khan I hastened to show father my treasures, which he
was very glad to see. I told him, also, of the
fine prospects I had held out to Ibrahim, but he
seemed to think Ibrahim  would not succeed
with his dyeing establishment, even if he had
the energy and knowledge necessary; for the
Tyrian purple, which was so celebrated in ancient times, would probably be worth little now,
as we have so many beautiful colors and fine
cloths, such as the old Tyrians never dreamedof. I thought all this very likely, and I told




_82   PI.iLIP  IN  PALESTIN.E.
Ibrahim after breakfast that he might as well
give up the dyeing establishment, but I had nc
~doubt I should find some business equally as
good for him before I left the country. I have
some shells carefully put away for you, but I
doubt whether I shall be able to take them
safely to America.
When the storm commenced we had just returned from a visit to Ras-el-Ain, which means
"fountain head."  Here there are several large
fountains, or "springs," as we generally call
them in America. The waters of some of these
have been collected into four large reservoirs,
fifteen or twenty  feet  high.  These four
were in ancient times connected together by
small aqueducts, and the water was carried
through great aqueducts to Tyre. The distance is  about four miles. We  rode  by
the aqueduct most of the. way.  It is in
ruins, although  the water is still carried
by it for a couple of miles to El Mushuk, where it is used for turning mills.
This aqueduct is very old, having been built,
probably, by the Romans. But the reservoirs,
or "birkehs," as they are called here, are
much older-so old that no tradition tells
when they were built. They are thought to
have been here during the reign of Solomon,
when, you will recollect, Hiram was king of




TY  E.                83
Tyre. As old as Solomon! Only thir]k of it I
There are broad walks around the tops of
the walls of these reservoirs; and, as I walked
around the largest one I thought perhaps
Solomon and his friend Hiram had walked
in the very spot where  my footsteps were
treading. Who knows?
Hiram's tomb is not very far from the fountains, and we visited it. It is an ugly, massive-looking monument, built of five immense
stones, laid one above another, of which the
third stone is the largest and the fifth the
smallest.  The height of the monument is
twenty feet. The stones are very grey and
weather-beaten, and we all agreed it looked
old enough to be the tomb of Hiram. Tradition says it was built for him; but we have
no means of knowing certainly. I choose to
think it was his, and that he once lay in the
sarcophagus which was to be seen on the top
of it a few years ago.
We took our lunch under some fig trees
near by; and then, as we saw the angry
clouds gathering in the sky, we took to our
horses and scampered off to Tyre. As we
drew near the village father pointed out to
me some fishermen drying their nets in the
rocks, now  bare, which were once covered




84  PffILIP IN PA LESFTINE
with the temples of ancient Ty-e, and repeated these words:"And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus,
and break down her towers; I will also scrape
her dust from her, and make her like the top of
a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of
nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken
it, saith the Lord God; and it shall become a
spoil to the nations."*
Father said I must give you some idea of
what you may learn of Tyre in the Bible.
We looked out all the places during the rainy
days. The: first mention  of the city is in
Joshua, where it is called "a strong city." It
is mentioned as part of the land given to the
tribe of Asher, although the Jews never actually owned any part of the -sea-coast. In the
second book of Samuel it tells how Hiram, king
of Tyre, sent cedar-wood, carpenters and masons
to David; also how Joel, in numbering the
people, came to the " stronghold" of Tyre. In
the; first book of Kings, Solomon sends to Hiram
"a cunning workman in brass," also gives him
several cities. In Ezra cedar-wood was again
obtained from Tyre for the rebuilding of the
tonple. In Nehemiah the Tyrians are mensu4 ed as selling things to the Jews on the
* Exekial xxvi. 3, 4, 5.




TYRE.                  85
Sabbath. The city is mentioned several times
in the Psalms. In the twenty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel you may read an account of
the commerce Tyre had with the nations
around her. The prophets all foretold her
downfall. While our Saviour was on earth
the wickedness of Tyre must have been great;
for, speaking of the sinfulness of the cities of
Galilee, he says: "Wo unto thee, Chorasin! wo
unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works
which were done in you had been done in Tyre
and Sidon, they would have repented long ago
in sackcloth and ashes." In Acts the Tyrians
are spoken of among those who worshipped
Herod as a god, and there was also a Christian
church in that city, which was visited by Paul
just before his departure for Rome.
Tyre was founded by a colony from  Sidon,
two hundred and forty years before the building of Solomon's temple. It was a very
strongly-built city. The walls were almost
impregnable.  Seven hundred'years before
Christ the king of Assyria blockaded it for five
years in vain. Nebuchednezzar laid siege to it
for thirteen years, and history does not say
whether he captured it then. Alexander took
it after a siege of seven months. Afterwards
the Romans had it in possession. Then the
Moslems. The Crusaders dared not attack it
8




86  PHfILIP IN PAlES~TINE.
until after they had been in the Holy City for
twenty-five years. They then took it after a
five months' siege. The Christians held it for
one hundred and fifty years, when it again fell
into the hands of the Moslems, who destroyed
some of the fortifications.  From that time it
has dwindled down, until now it is but a paltry
village. Several attempts have been made to
rebuild it, but all have failed. The modern
name of it is Sur.
Father has received a letter from Mr. Elliott, a very dear friend of his, who lives in New
England. He is now in Jerusalem, and expects soon to leave the country, as he has travelled all over it. He wishes father to spend
Christmas with him in Jerusalem. This alters
our plans a little, though we had intended to
be in Bethlehem on Christmas day. Now we
shall go directly from here to Jerusalem.'Vnnr nEffPetionate




JER USAL E M.              87
VI.
JERUSALEM, Den. 20, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY: 
The Holy City of the Holy'Land! It is my
home now, and has been for six days. Our
journey from Tyre was rather wearisome, and
we met with no accident.  On our arrival
here we found Mr. Elliott expecting us. He
was visiting an English family whom he had
known before he met them here. They kindly
invited our party to spend our time with them,
and pressed us so we found it impossible to refuse. The family consists of Mr. and Mrs.
Fanshawe, two sons and a daughter, all grown
up, and a lady, Miss Erskine, Mrs. Fanshawe's
sister. It is much more agreeable to be here
than at a hotel-that I know. They have
rented a house and intend to stay here a year.
Making this their home they will go to visit all
the places they care to see. A very nice plan,
isn't it? They have a very large and handsome
house. The halls are laid with marble floors.
The garden is quite large, and lai a out very
prettily. I enjoy it very much. Everything is
so comfortabhl, just like home.




88  PHILIP IN PALLESTINE.
We have paid off and dismissed all our atb
tendants except Ibrahim, so we will have to get
another supply when we leave.
There are so many things to tell you about
Jerusalem that I don't know where to begin.
Father suggests that I first give you some idea
of the general appearance of the city.
The modern city, like the ancient, is entirely
enclosed within the walls, but the ancient walls
extended much beyond the present. The city
now is small in size, being only a mile long and
half a mile broad. -The population is smallthe regular population I mean. There is always
a great crowd of strangers here. During Lent
and Easter the city is said to be fairly packed
with visitors and pilgrims. It is the holiest of
the holy cities of the Jews; the Moslems regard it as next to Mecca in their sacred places;
they call it El Kuds (the holy); the Greek and
Roman Catholics make pilgrimages to it, and
even Protestants look forward to a visit to Jerusalem as the most desirable of journeys. It
is -certainly held in:greater esteem than any
other place on earth.
The city is divided into four distinct quarters, the Christian, Armenian, Jewish and Mahom:medan.
The walls are high, never less than twentyfire feet, sometimes aSs high as forty.  At - -hort




JTER USALE.              89
distances there are -square towers, and there are
many loop-holes in the walls. There is a path
around the top protected by a breastwork,
which makes a very fine promenade. Flights
of steps, at convenient distances, lead up to this
walk. There are four gates. On the west the
gate is called Bethlehem, or Jaffa gate, because
the road from it leads to those places. The
Arabs call it Hebron gate. That on the north
is called Damascus gate by the Franks —Gate
of the Pillar by the Arabs. On the east is St.
Stephen's gate; or, according to the Arabic,
Gate of the Tribes. On the south is Zion gate;
or, as the natives choose to name it, Gate of the
Prophet David. There are also three gates
which have been walled up. Two of these are
small-one of these the Franks call the Gate
of Herod, the Arabs the Flowery; the other is
the Gate of the Western Africans.  The third
gate is a very large one, the "Golden Gate " of
the Franks, the "Eternal Gate" of the Arabs.
I have visited all these gates. They are
mostly square towers. The Golden Gate, although walled up on the outside is open within
the city, and is the handsomest of them all. It
has pillars in it and beautiful carved work.
The Arabs walled up this gate because of a prophecy that when the Christians take the city
they will enter through that gate. I think-th-ey
8*




0o  PH2ILIP IN PALESTINE.
are f6olish to suppose a few stones will defeat
the prophecy —as if the Christian nations could
not enter the city whenever and wherever they
choose! All the gates of the city are closed
during the night-they are also closed at the
hours of prayer on Friday, on account of another prophecy, that if the city is ever captured by the Christians it will be at that
time.
I will give you the names of a few of the
principal streets, which are the only ones
much visited by travellers:1. Street of David, which you will see goes
from Jaffa gate to the
2. Street of the Temple, which leads to what
was in ancient times the Temple Area, but is
now the Mosque of Omar, as you will see on
your map.
3. Street of the Patriarch, leading north
from Street of David to Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.
4. Via Dolorosa, which leads from Street of
the Patriarch to St. Stephen's gate.
5. Street of St. Stephen, leading through the
markets to the Damascus gate.
The Via Dolorosa, or "Path of Sorrow," is,
according to tradition, the path our Saviour had
to take in his wearisome journey to Calvary,
zarrying his cross.




JE2R USALEAMI             91
The "show places" of Jerusalem, what we
would call the "lions of the city," are the following:Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a very large
building on Calvary, owned by several different sects.
The Mosque of Omar.
The Convents-Greek, Latin and Armenian.
Church of St. James, a ruined  Syrian
church.
Arch of the "Ecce Homo!"* also called the
Arch of Pilate. This spans the Via Dolorosa.
Church of the Flagellations, built, according
to tradition, on the spot where Christ was
scourged by Pilot.
Church of St. Ann, reputed birth-place of the
Virgin Mary.
Church of the Forerunner.
The Schools-Greek and Moslem.
Hospital and Dispensary of the London
Mission.
The Synagogues.
The Khans. These pretend to be hotels.
They have pretty good accommodations for animals-men are expected to be capable of taking
care of themselves. Travellers have to furnish
their own rooms and find their own provisionsa
*' Behold the man!" See John xix. 5.




92  PHIILIP IN -PALESTINE.
I am glad we are so fortunate as to be in a plivate family.
The Bazaars.
College for Blind Dervishes.  The Muezzins,
who stand on the minarets and cry the hours
of prayer, instead of ringing bells, are commonly taken from this college. The reason
given for this is that they cannot see what
their neighbors are doing on the housetops,
where Eastern people spend most of their
time.
As to the valleys of Jerusalem, you are
familiar with their names. One runs through
the city from the Damascus gate to the Pool of
Siloam. This is called the Valley of the Cheesemongers. Of course there is a ridge on each
side of this valley; that on the east is Mount
Moriah, where, you know, the Temple was
built; on the west is Mount Zion. On the north
and east of the city is the Valley of Jehosaphat.
The brook Kedron runs through it. On the
north this valley is often called the Valley of
the Kedron. On the east of this valley is the
Mount of Olives; on the southeast the M[ount
-of Offence. On the south and west is the
Valley of Kinnom. South of this is the Hill
of Evil Counsel. At the foot of the Mount
of Olives, nearly opposite St. Stephen's gate,
you will findc the Garden of Gethsemane.




JER UISAL Em.              93
As the- place possessing the most interest
of any in Jerusalem, we should, I suppose,
have visited first the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre; but then we did not do it. The
first day after our arrival here the elder gentlemen were busy with their own affairs, and
left us young ones to our own devices.
William Fanshawe, Hartley and I set forth
in the early morning, and spent the whole day
roaming about the city; looking at the buildings, going into some of the churches, talking
to the beggars, buying things at the bazaars,
just for the fun of hearing the merchants
praise their wares and flatter us, and various
other things which I have forgotten. I know
we spent a very pleasant day, and had a great
deal of sport. But the walking was rather
wearisome-all the time up, up, up, or down,
down, down! Verily this is a hilly city! The
streets are like those of the other cities we
have seen in this country-badly paved and
narrow, without sidewalks, and with a deep
channel in the middle to let the water run off.
They are very crooked. Many of the houses
are built of a beautiful-colored limestone-a
rich cream color streaked with blood red. I
like it, but it looks odd. Some of the streets
are paved with large round stones of the same
color. Everything looked so very old. The




94  PIITLIP IN PALESTINE.
buildings and arches and recesses were timestained, and many of them overgrown with
vines.
As for the people, I believe every nation
undei the sun has. its representative here; and,
as they all wear their native costumes, your
curiosity is on the stretch and your excitement kept up all the time. We would often
stop somebody and ask a question. Sometimes
we would get a stare, sometimes a bow and a
smile, some would shake their heads to let us
know they did not understand us, and others
would answer in some strange jargon. Once
we met an Englishman; but, as he told us that
we would be taken by the Turkish soldiers and
put to the torture, that he had been robbed and
nearly murdered since he had been in the country, that Jerusalem was the most unhealthy city
in the world and the plague had broken out in
it, we did not consider his style of conversation
agreeable and soon left him.
Among other places we visited the Armenian
convent, which is, I believe, the largest in the
city. William Fanshawe is slightly acquainted
with the Patriarch, and on the strength of this
acquaintance he took us there, and we were
shown all over the building by a priest, who
spoke English and made himself very agreeable. He had a very pleasant face and I liked




L   ERUSALE 1M            95
him. We saw the portraits of all the former
patriarchs, who, since their death, have been
made into saints. I hope the memories they
have left behind them are more beautiful than
the pictures. We saw the doors of a chapel
which were made of tortoise shell inlaid with
mother-of-pearl. They were very pretty and
curious and costly. The walls were of mosaic,
representing terrible fights between saints and
devils. I suppose it was all very fine. I am
not a judge of such things, but I found it
hard work to decide which were the saints and
which were the devils. We gave the priest
some money for the poor and he gave us his
benediction, whereupon we parted mutually
pleased.
After leaving the convent we bought something to eat in the bazaar, and then Hartley
proposed we should visit the Mosque of Omar,
as the grounds looked very inviting to rest in.
William Fanshawe told him he would have to
turn Mussulman before he could be admitted into
those grounds. Hartley thought he would
rather not. William then said he would take
us to Pilate's house, from which we could have
a good view of the building and grounds. It
seemed to me a funny idea to go to Pilate's
house, and, thinking he was joking, I asked him
if it would not do as well to go to Oaiaphas'




96   PIHILIP  IiN  PA LESTINEV.
palace, but he assured me this was the very
house of Pontius Pilate; or, at least, people
said so, and he knew nothing to the contrary.
We found nothing very magnificent about the
house, but it looked old enough to have belonged to Pilate. From the roof we had a fine
prospect.
The mosque, as you well know, stands on the
spot once occupied by the temple. Indeed, it
is said that some of the stones in its foundations
were parts of the great temple itself. I don't
know about this, but certain it is, that the
present building is very beautiful. The mosque
has eight sides, and stands on a square marble
platform. This platform is in the highest part
of what used to be the temple area. From it
the ground slopes on every side down to the
walls, which surround the whole enclosure.
On the south side of the enclosure there is also
a handsome mosque, called El-Alksa. Between
the two is a great marble basin, filled with
water and surrounded by trees. It looked as
if inviting us to a plunge. But those savagelooking black men, who were guarding the
gates, would have said a word or two to us if
we had attempted anything of that kind.
None. but "the faithful " are allowed to. enter
these sacred grounds. They are very beautiful,
planted with acacias and olives, cypresses and




JTER USAEL E3             97
palms. White-veiled women were flitting aboUt,
looking ghost-like among the trees; turbaned
Turks, in their gay dresses, were pacing gravely
about, according to their fashion, and all seemed
to be enjoying themselves.  Suddenly from
one of the minarets of the mosque there rung
out a clear, silvery voice, crying, " There is no
God but God, and Mohammed is the prophet
of God-!"   This was the muezzin's call to
prayer. Instantly every one in the grounds
threw himself into some one of their numerous
attitudes of prayer. This is a pretty custom, I
think, in Mohammedan countries. They have
stated hours for prayer.  They permit no
bells in their churches, but- have men, called
muezzins, stationed at the different minarets,
who call out the regular hours, in the manner
mentioned above. Then every Mohammedan,
it makes no difference where he may be-in
the street, at his counter, on his horse, no
matter what urgent business he may have on
hand, drops on his knees, and says his prayers.
As the sun was setting we would now have
departed, had it not been for the conversation
of a young man who had come up to the roof
some time after us, and who was telling his
younger brother all about the mosque. He
talked so well that we liked to listen. He saw
how interested we were, and told us if we




98   PHIIL IP  IN  PALESTINL.
would draw riearer he would tell us the history
of the temple. I thought of you, and asked
him if he had any objections to my writing it
down, much to William Fanshawe's surprise
and Hartley's mortification. But the stranger
only smiled, and said he liked to see young
people eager for information, and that I was at
liberty to write as much as I ple'ased. So here
is the story just as he told it.
"'In the days of King Solomon, when Jerusalem was in its greatest glory, when silver was
nothing accounted of, it was so plentiful, and
gold was brought hither in immense quantities
from Ophir; when the Jews were at peace with
all the world, and Hiram, King of Tyre, was
the friend of Solomon; in those days Solomon
built, upon a chosen spot on Mount Moriah, a
magnificent temple, which he dedicated to the
Most High.  This temple was one of the
wonders and glories of the world. Its walls
of fragrant cedars, adorned with gold; its great
golden cherubims, and candlesticks, and golden
altars; its rich purple and scarlet hangings,
and curiously carved tables, were the talk of
all the nations around.  And when it was
finished, Solomon  assembled  all the great
people of the land, and solemnly dedicated it.
In this temple was a holy place, where none
but the High Priest might enter, and they




J,  TUSA  EUSA i.          99
brought the aik, which had accompanied the
cnildren of Israel in all their wanderings, into
the holy place. The ark contained the two
tables of stone, on which was written the law
given on Mount Sinai. And the Shechinahthe glory of the Lord-filled the temple, and
all Israel rejoiced in the favor of the Lord.
But after a time they became disobedient and
sinful, and the glory'began to depart from their
nation.  Jerusalem  was several times conquered, and the temple plundered, defaced,
and partially destroyed.  It was often restored
by the Jews. Herod beautified it greatly, but
its magnificence was much inferior to Solomon's
temple.  It was this temple that was visited by
our Saviour.
" In the seventieth year of the Christian era
the city was entirely destroyed by Titus. The
temple, in which many of the unfortunate Jews
had taken refuge, was besieged for a long time,
and finally destroyed by fire; hundreds of the
people perishing in the flames, or rushing out
only to be butchered by the Romans.
"For fifty years after this we hear nothing
of the temple; then the Roman Emperor
Adrian built, on the site of the ancient temple,
one he dedicated to Jupiter.  This temple was
destroyed in some one of the numerous revolutions which took place afterwards in the city.




100  PH IL IP  IN  PA i E s TINE.
In 362 the Jews attempted to rebuild the
temple, but were frightened from their work by
strange prodigies. Flaming swords appeared
in the sky over their heads; balls of fire issued
from the ground, and rolled among the workmen, doing much damage, and various other
wonderful things happened. These things were
probably the result of natural causes, of which
we know nothing, but they effectually stopped
the work.
" In the middle of the sixth century, Justinian built a church here, which was dedicated
to the Virgin Mary. The mosque of El-Aksa
is supposed to have been this church.
"In 636 the followers of Mohammed, under
Omar, took possession of the holy city. Omar
was a caliph, or king, and father-in-law to
Mohammed.  He thought it would be a fine
thing to build a mosque on the spot where the
great Jewish temple had been. He inquired
of the people, in order to find out the exact
spot. They tried to deceive him by showing
various places, but the old caliph was not to be
cheated, and finally he was conducted to the
sacred rock, as it was called. This rock, known
as Es-Sukrah, was invested with a great many
traditions, both by Christians and Mohamnedans. The former believed that it had once
stood under the holy of holies; and also that




JEPR USA L E.           101
it was the very stone that Jacob used for a
pillow. They likewise thought it was the spot
where the destroying angel stood when about
to smite Jerusalem with pestilence. The Arabs
have a variety of legends, connecting this rock
with their prophet.  Over the rock Omar
erected his mosque, which is generally known
by his name, although Mohammredans call it
Haram-esh-Sherif (the Sanctuary).
"Some four or five centuries after this the
Crusaders swept down upon the country like a
swarm of locusts. After rivers of blood had
been spilt, the Christians got possession of
Jerusalem. A great number of the Moslem
inhabitants took refuge within the mosque of
Omar, thinking the invaders would respect
that holy place, but their hope was vain. The
Christians massacred all indiscriminately, men,
women, and children. Those on the roof were
shot down with arrows; those in the vaults
below the building were drowned in the cisterns; and writers who lived in those days, say
that the grounds around the mosque were
ankle-deep in blood.
"You are, no doubt, struck with horror at
this account of the cruelties of men calling
themselves Christians, but you must remember
the leaders of these men were only Christians
9*




102 PH2ILIP I.N PA LESTINE.
by birthright —that is, they were born in a
Christian country, of Christian parents. They
had not the grace of God in their hearts. And
you must also recollect that the age they lived
in was a very barbarous one; and that, bad as
these Christians certainly were, from all the
accounts which have come down to us, the
Mohammedans of that time were even worse.
"After this horrible piece of wickedness had
been accomplished to their satisfaction, these
inhuman Christians proceeded to clear away
the dead bodies, and cleanse the place, and to
consecrate the Mohammedan mosque to the
worship of *the great Jehovah, whose most
sacred laws they had been violating. The rock
Es-Sukrah they covered with marble, and built
an altar over it. The mosque El-Aksa was the
residence of King Baldwin II, who there established a new order of knights, called Knights
of the Temple.  These afterwards became
famous throughout Europe, under the name of
Knights Templars.
" About a hundred years after these events,
the Moslems, led by the famous Saladin, of
Egypt, re-conquered Jerusalem.  The golden
cross was taken down from  the mosque, and
dragged through the streets.  The crescent
was elevated in its place, and there it remains




JEAR USALEM.             103
to this day. The mosque, the grounds around
it, the sacred rock, the subterranean vaults, are
all guarded with jealous care by the Moslems,
and no infidel is allowed to profane the sacred
precincts.
"Thus this beautiful temple area, which lies
before us, looking so still and peaceful, with its
palms, and graceful buildings, and quiet fountains, has been the'holy place' of Jews,
Pagans, Christians, and Mohammedans. Many
a time has it resounded with the tread of armed
men, and horrible deeds have been committed
there. Its walls have echoed the praises sung
to the great Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of
Isaac, and of Jacob; the ground has drunk the
blood of the sacrifices offered to Jupiter; our
Savioar's feet have trod these courts many a
time, on blessed deeds of mercy and salvation;
its atmosphere has been redolent with the
incense offered to the Virgin Mary; full choirs,
in grand and sweet chants, have there worshipped the glorious Trinity; and now we hear
from it the musical Ftrain of the muezzins:-'There is no God but tCod, and Mohammed is
his prophet!'
"But the time will surely come when the
cross will be lifted in the air above Ilaram-esh



104 PHILIP IN PA LESTINE.
Sherif, and from its towers and grounds will
arise to heaven the triumphant song of Israel
restored."
I took this down in short-hand, and it is
word for word as the stranger told it to us.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




JEBUSALE.                105
VII.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 22, 18MY DEAR HARRY:
It is night, but I do not feel at all sleepy, and
though pretty tired, I will give you an account
of all that I have seen during the day, while it
is still fresh in my mind. I have my little
note-book before me to refer to, should I be at
a loss. I have got into the way of carrying it
about with me, and occasionally jotting down a
thing or two, to help my memory.. It is very
easy for me to recollect what I see, but not so
easy to remember what I hear, and, as I promised
father to write to you a faithful account of
everything, I wish to be particular.
This morning, directly after sunrise, our
party and the Fanshawes rode out of the
Damascus gate, to make the circuit of the city
outside of the walls. As soon as we left the
gate we found ourselves in the Valley of Jehosaphat, or Kedron, as it is sometimes called.
We turned our horses' heads to the right; and,




106  PtILIP  IN  PAIESTINE.
if you will consult your map, you can follow us
on our route.
We passed some ancient quarries. Mr. Fanshawe says they must have been worked for
centuries, they are so extensive.  They pass
under the city quite to the temple area, and
hundreds of rooms have been formed by digging
out the stones.  It was in these rooms, or
caverns, that a great many Jews hid themselves
during the destruction of the city by Titus.
Travellers sometimes explore these rooms, but
it is very dangerous. I would like to see them,
but don't fancy going under the ground like a
gnome, and don't think we will try it. I am
ready for any amount of climbing, but don't like
to make a mole or weasel of my.self. We next
came to the Grotto of Jeremiah. This is underneath a high rocky mound (called here a "tell").
The grotto is more like a cavern. It extends a
hundred feet under the mound. In it are little
buildings, graves, and holy spots walled off.
Ibrahim got lighted tapers, and we descended
into-what do you suppose?-a cistern.  It
was very large, and supported by pillars. We
tasted the water, and it was cool. On the top
of the hill was a Moslem cemetery.
We rode briskly round the northeastern part
of the city, and came out upon the bank of the
brook Kedron. It had but little water in it,




JER USALEM.                107
and, at some seasons, is entirely dry. It looks
as if it was never very large. Near St. Stephen's gate there is a small cistern, called
Mary's Pool, I know not for'what reason.
South of this gate is the tomb of Mary.  That
is, it is supposed to be her tomb, but none of
our party seemed to put any faith in the
legend.  The church was closed, so that we
could not enter.  It is partly subterranean.
The tombs of Joachim, and Anna, and St.
Joseph are said to be within it, as well as the
tomb of Mary. Close by this is a bridge over
the Kedron, and, crossing it, we found ourselves
at the foot of the Mount of Olives, under the
walls of the Garden of Gethsemane. A venerable looking old monk was just entering a
gate, and he very politely admitted us. There
are eight very old and decayed looking olive
trees in the garden, which are believed by some
to be the very same which were here in the
time of our Saviour. This is scarcely possible,
for, though the olive lives to a very great age,
longer than any other tree, it is incredible that
a tree should live for eighteen hundred years.
These are probably the children of those olives.
Besides these old trees, there were a great
many young ones, which Mr. Fanshawe said
had lately been planted.  The Latins have
possession of this place, and are trying to fix it




108 PHILIP IN PA LESTINE.
up like a garden again. Before they took it, it
was a bare spot of ground, with the eight trees
in it.
After leaving the garden, we soon camne to a
cluster of four tombs-those of Jehosaphat, Absalom, St. James, and Zacharias. The tombs
of Jehosaphat and St. James are excavations;
those of Zacharias and Absalom monuments.
That of Absalom is very handsome. The lower
part is a great block of stone, and has columns
cut on all four sides. Above this is a small
block, with a dome on it, which has a very
pretty ornament on the top.  The tomb of
Zachariah is like this, except it is differently
fnished at the top. It is not likely that the
persons whose names are given to these tombs
were buried in them. Indeed, it is not even
pretended that St. James was. The tradition
is that he retired within this cave, and spent
the time between the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ.
A little further on we came to the Fountain
of the Virgin. This is a well, which looks like
a cavern. We went down into it, which is a
very easy thing to do, as there are steps all the
way down. First, we went down sixteen steps,
then we came to a level platform, and then
went down twelve more steps. The water was
not deep, but clear, and tolerably good, though




JER US.ALE                 ~ 109
it had a slightly salt taste. Those persons who
make use of this well go down all these steps,
and dip up the water in their jars or pitchers,
which they then carry off on their heads.
They are mostly women.
A little to the south we found the Pool of
Siloam, or Shiloh. It is a small, deep reservoir.
The water does not stand in it, but flows
through, and it is led off by a little channel to
water the gardens near by. The water comes
by a subterranean passage from the Fountain
of the Virgin. You are familiar with the name
of this pool. Father found me all the places in
the Bible where it is mentioned, and I was
surprised that there were only three. It is
mentioned in Isaiah as having softly flowing
waters; in Nehemiah it is called the dragon
well; and in the ninth chapter of John there is
the account of our Saviour healing the blind
man. We discovered that the name "dragon
well" is still given to it by the common people,
and the reason is this. The waters flow irregularly, sometimes suddenly becoming deeper and
stronger, and more rapid, and' then almost
ceasing. The common- people believe that a
dragon lives in the fountain; when he is awake
he stops the water, when he is asleep it
flows. Near the fountain is the little village of
Siloam.
10




110 PH I'HZLIP IN PA L ES2TI2N.
South of this pool is another well, called EnRogel, and also the well of Job. This is very
deep. It is prettily situated among gardens
and olive groves. It is a very ancient well,
and is mentioned in the book of Joshua.*
There is a building over the well. The water
is drawn up by hand, in leather buckets, and
emptied into stone reservoirs.
West of this is a small hill, called the Mount
of Offence, because. tradition says this is the
hill on which Solomon built altars to false
gods.t
We now left the Valley of Jehosaphat, and
entered that of Hinnom, passing along at the
foot of the hill called the Mount of Evil
Counsel.  The legend is, that the house of
Caiaphas, in which the Jews'met to take
counsel to destroy Jesus, stood on this hill.;
On the side of it, not far from the well of Job,
they pointed out to us an ancient cemetery,
said to be Aceldema, or "Field of Blood,"
bought with the thirty pieces of silver.
Farther up the valley we came to another
pool, called by the Arabs, Birket-es-Sultan;
and some distance to the northwest of this,
nearly west of the Jaffa gate, there was another,
called Birket-el-Mamilla.  These are supposed
* 1 Joshua xv. 7. t 1 Kings xi. 7. 1 Matt. xxvi. 3, 4.




JERUSALEM.                111
to be the Upper and Lower Pools of Gihon*
(for this part of the valley is often called
Gihon).  The upper pool is large, and the
wraters are conducted by a small aqueduct to
the Pool of Hezekiah, which is within the walls.
North of this pool is a Moslem cemetery.
From here we rode at a brisk pace to the Damascus gate, for men and horses were getting
terribly hungry. As for the ladies, you know
they never get hungry. Thus we had made
the entire circuit of the city.
After dinner, we found ourselves so far
rested that we resolved to sally forth for a
walk. I don't know that I have told you in
what street " our house " is situated. It is in
the Latin Quarter, in a short street leading
from the Via Dolorosa, and near the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre. We have not yet visited
the interior of this famous church. But to
return to our walk. We went along the Via
Dolorosa, passed the Pool of Hezekiah, and
directed our course towards the Gate of Zion.
The Pool of Hezekiah is large, but not deep; it
was nearly full of water, brought from the
Upper Pool of Gihon.t
We turned a little out of our way to visit the
Tower of David, which is close by the Jaffa
* Isaiah vii. 3: 2 Kings xviii. 17. t 2 Kings xx. 20.




112 PHIL1P IN PALES2INE.2
gate. I don't know why this is called the
Tower of David. It was built by Herod, and,
he named it Hippicus, after his friend. It
looks as if it had stood for a thousand years,
and might stand for a thousand more.
Passing out of the city, through the Zion
gate, we soon came to the house of Caiaphas.
We had already been shown one house of Caiaphas, and were rather surprised to find another.
One was probably his summer residence. This
was a poor looking establishment for a high
priest to have, but we went in, and beheld
some precious relics. Among other things, we
saw the stone that closed the door of the
sepulchre! We were shown the precise spot
where the cock stood which crowed thtee times
during Peter's denial of the Lord! I expect
the monks have told these stories so often they
now actually believe them.  They looked as if
they did.
Near b y is an American cemetery, which we
had not time to visit, as the Tomb of David
claimed our attention. This tomb is now converted into a mosque.  Whether or not it be
the veritable Tomb of David no one can say,
for the Mohammedans will not allow any one
to visit the tomb. They hold it in great reverence, and guard it jealously. We were allowed
to enter the room over the tomb. It is called




JER USAL E M:              113
the Ccenaculum, and is said to be the place
where our Lord celebrated the passover with
his disciples, and where the Lord's Supper was
instituted. It is also said to be the roomin
which the disciples were assembled on the day
of Pentecost. Since I have been in Jerusalem,
I have learned to be very doubtful of what they
tell me in regard to these sacred places, but
father says that fourteen hundred years ago
this place is mentioned by Cyril, a Christian
bishop.  It was then a Christian church, called
the Church of the Apostles, and Cyril spoke of
it as a received fact, that it was in this place
that the cloven tongues descended. So it is
likely this tradition is true. Don't you think
so?
The room is built of stone. It is sixty feet
long, and thirty wide. It is very bare and
dreary looking. At one end there is a recess
in the wall, where the Christians celebrate
mass; at the other end is another recess, where
the Mohammedans say their prayers.  Queer
mixture, is it not? I had a great curiosity to
go into the tomb, but I don't believe there is
anything in it worth seeing. At a little distance is the English cemetery, but we could not
visit it, as the sun was about setting, and we
hastened to get into the gate before it was
closed for the night.
1* ro




114 P-TILIP INV PALESTINE.
As this letter is short, I will send you a brief
history of Jerusalem, which Hartley wrote for
me:"We do not know  when Jerusalem  was
founded. It was formerly called Salem, which
signifies'Peace.' It is mentioned in the Bible
in connection with Melchisedec,* who, according
to ancient tradition, was its founder. Another
tradition says he lived in the time of Shem, son
of Noah. If so, Jerusalem is the oldest city in
the world.  Mount Moriah, the scene of the
sacrifice of Isaac, was afterward included in
the city.
" After this, we hear no more of Jerusalem
for five centuries. Then the Israelites, under
Joshua, entered the promised land.  Jerusalem
was one of the cities of the Jebusites, and, in
the division of the land, their country fell to
Benjamin; but Jerusalem, or Jebusi, as then
called, was on the border between the two
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and considered
common to both.t But the Jebusites were
never completely subdued and expelled from
the city, until the time of David. He made it
the capital of the country.  Here Solomon
reigned, and built the temple and palaces. and
many other buildings, and was a very magnifi* Genesis xiv. 18.   J Joshua xv. 8.




SER US'A LI E 1M         115
cent king. The renown of the city spread to
the ends of the earth. Its decline dates from
the death of Solomon.
"I cannot record the numerous wars which
took place in Judah, and the sieges Jerusalem
sustained, until its total destruction by the
Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, 580 B. C
The city and the temple were destroyed by
fire, and the silver, gold, and brass were taken
off as spoils, and the Jews carried away captive to Babylon.
"It is a curious fact, that no mention is
made, in either sacred or profane history, of the
fate of the Ark of the Covenant. We know it
was not taken away by the Babylonians; or, if
it was, it is the only part of the desecration of
the temple which is passed over in silence.
We cannot suppose it was burned, as the precious materials of which it was composed would
have proved too great temptations to the Babylonians. The Jewish legend is, that the Ark is
miraculously preserved in a secret chamber,
difficult of access, prepared by Solomon in the
sacred rock, which rock is now within the great
mosque at Jerusalem. It was deposited there
by Josiah, under Huldah, the prophetess. The
early Christian Church had another legend
They said it was concealed by Jeremiah, the
prophet, in obedience to a divine command,




116 PHILIP IV PALESTI2V-E
shortly before the destruction of the city, in a
cave under Mount Nebo, where, with the tabernacle and altar of incense, it is to be preserved
until the Lord shall gather his people together
again, and receive them into mercy. You can
adopt either of these that you may prefer.
"During the reign of Cyrus, the Persian, fifty
thousand Jews were permitted to return to
Jerusalem, to rebuild the temple. The foundation was laid amid tears and rejoicings; but
there were many interruptions to the building,
caused by the ill-will of the Samaritans, and it
was not till the reign of Darius that the temple
was finished and dedicated. Sixty years after
this Ezra came, and found the Jews in a state
of disorder, owing to their intercourse with
their neighbors. This he remedied. Soon Nehemiah came, with authority to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem. The great work which
Ezra accomplished, was the collecting together
of all the books of the Bible which had then
been written.
" When Alexander the Great overthrew the
power of the Persians, and became the conqueror of the world, he was very angry with
Jerusalem, because its inhabitants had shown
sympathy with the Persians, whose monarchs
had granted them  many favors. Alexander,
Josephus says, marched with his army against




JER USA LEH.              117
Jerusalem, but, as he approached the gate, a
wonderful sight met his eyes. The whole
population of the city came forth to meet him,
clothed in white-the priests in their garments
of fine linen, headed by the high priest, dressed
in his robes of purple and scarlet, and with his
mitre, on which was inscribed the name of the
Almighty. Alexander, to the amazement of all
his train, prostrated himself before that name,
saluted the high priest, and promised protection
to the holy city. He then entered the temple,
and had sacrifices offered to God, and listened
to the prophecies relating to himself, which the
high priest read to him out of the Scriptures,
The glory and success predicted for him in
these prophecies so flattered him, that he gave
to the worshippers of this strange God the
privileges they asked-permission to worship
the God of their fathers, and release from
tribute on every seventh year.
"After this the Jewish people came under
the power of one nation and another, with various good and evil fortune, until the Syrian monarch, Antiochus Epiphanes, possessed himself of
the city. He stripped the temple of its sacred
vessels, the palaces were burneO, and the walls
thrown down. But what was more terrible to
the Jews, he interfered with their religious
practices. On the altar of the Temple swine




118 PHILIP lNV PALESTIZElV
(which are an abomination to the Jews) were
offered, and temples of idol worship were
erected, and daily sacrifices of swine ordered to
be offered in them. The religious practices of
the Jews were forbidden, and the most horrible
tortures inflicted on those who persisted in worshipping the God of their fathers according to
the precepts of the Bible. The greater part
of the nation gave way and yielded to these
impositions, but many remained steadfast.
"And now appeared on the stage the wonderful family of the Maccabees, as they are
called. This family consisted of a priest, Mattathias by name, and his five sons, of whom the
most distinguished were Simon and Judas.
They were citizens of Ml[odin, a town near Jernsalem. The sufferings of their countrymen
roused their pity and their indignation. They
refused to forsake their religion.  Mattathias
openly disobeyed the decree of Antiochus ordering him  to offer sacrifice to idols. They
were all obliged to hide in the deserts to escape
the fury of Antiochus and of their apostate
countrymen. There they were joined by other
Jews who could not be induced by bribes or
threats to forsake the worship of the Almighty.
The Maccabees organized these men into companies of soldiers. Antiochus sent a division
of  his army against them.  This division




JE   USAL EM.             119
came upon a thousand of the Jews, who were
dwelling in caves with their wives and children.
Now it happened to be the Sabbath-day, and
the Jewish lawF being very strict with regard
to the observance of the Sabbath, these devout
Jews thought it wrong to fight on that day.
They therefore remained quietly in their caves
while their enemies made large fires in front of
them, and every soul, men, women and children,
were smothered. The Maccabees were not with
this devoted band, and they and their followers
concluded that after that, though they would
make no attack on the Sabbath, they would defend themselves if attached.
"From  this time commenced the renowned
exploits of these famous champions. They demolished idol altars, they insisted upon the observance of all religious ordinances, and battled more fiercely against the apostasy of
their country than against the Syrians and
Macedonians. In the first battle they fought,
the Syrian Governor was defeated and slain.
Army after army was sent against them only to
be discomfitted and routed. Their victories
were almost miracles. At one time, with a
force of only three thousand, they succeeded,
by stratagem, in dividing an army of fifty thousand into three divisions, and then separately
defeated them  all.  At another, with ten




120  PHILIP  IN  PALESTITi7E.
thousand soldiers, they completely routed sixty
five thousand, led by Lysias, a famous Macedonian general. Five thousand of Lysias' soldiers
were slain.
"After fighting a good many battles the
Maccabees gained possession of Jerusalem.
They cleansed and purified the Temple and reetored the ancient worship. A great festival
was held on the day the Temple was reopened
for the daily sacrifice. This was called the'Feast of the Dedication,' and it was ordained
that it should be annually observed in the Jewish church. This was honored by our Saviour
himself, and it is still observed in the synagogues as the'Feast of Lights.'
" Mattathias died a natural death, but his five
sons all came to a violent end. Some were
slain on the field of battle and others murdered.
"For a few years after the death of the last
of the Maccabees the country was in tolerable
quiet. Then civil war broke out; and, while
the Jews were fighting among themselves, the
Romans marched into their country and put an
end to the commotion by conquering the whole
of it.
"When our Saviour was born Judea was
under the Roman power and Herod was king,
but subject to the Roman emperor. This Herod




TER USAL EM.              121
was one of the most wicked and cruel men that
ever lived. It is not necessary to relate here
all his numerous crimes. That mentioned in
Matthew-the slaughter of the infant children
of Bethlehem —will give you an idea of his cha.
racter. While Christ was still a little child
Herod was seized with a terrible disease and
died in the most awful agonies. His son, Ar.
chelaus, was king for nine years, and after that
Judea was ruled by Governors. During the
time our Saviour was teaching in Judea, Pontius Pilate was governor.  He condemned
Christ to be crucified.
"But the Jews were not a people to tamely
submit to be ruled by another nation. Revolts
were common. Especially were they jealous
of any act of contempt for their religion, or any
interference with it. Quarrels with the Roman
governors and Roman soldiers were frequent.
At last the Roman emperor, wearied out with
the numerous insurrections in Judea, determined to conquer the Jews, and force them to
abject submission, or else utterly destroy the
nation. Then followed the most horrible of all
the horrible wars on record. It is difficult to
tell which showed themselves most treacherous
and cruel, the Romans or the Jews. The Jews
committed all their barbarities under the name
of religion, and it is true that they were very
11




122  2PHfIL IP  IN  P A.L   SI TINE.
zealous for what they called religion-the forms
and observances of the Jewish church-and
many suffered martyrdom rather than give up
one article of their faith, But the religion
which would treacherously break the most sol.
emrn oaths and massacre the enemies whom the
fortune of war threw into their hands, was certainly not that taught by Christ half a century
before, in the- streets and through the towns
and fields where this terrible war was raging.
"It ended in the desolation of the whole
country of Judea and the utter destruction of
Jerusalem.
" This happened forty years after the crucifixion.
" The siege of the city occurred at the time
of the Passover, when vast numbers of Jews
from other countries were shut up in the city.
This, of course, made provisions very scarce
after awhile, although vast stores had been accummulated. Over a million died of famine
before the city surrendered.  A million and a
half were slain during the siege and in the
massacres which followed the surrender, when
the hapless inhabitants were given up to the
fury of the Roman soldiers. A hundred thousand Jews were carried away captive by Titus
the conqueror.
"Thus the prophecies of our Saviour in re



7R vUS.AL EM              123
gard to the desolation of the city were all
fulfilled. Since then the Jews have been scattered over the whole world. Never since that
memorable siege have they assembled in their
Holy City for their grand Temple worship.
Their beloved country has passed into the hands
of strangers, who treat them with scorn when
they ask even the poor privilege of going to the
walls of Jerusalem to weep over their desolate
city. But we know that they will return, for
God hath spoken it. In his own good time he
will bring it to pass. Then Jerusalem shall
become more glorious than of old, and her
children shall be gathered to her out of every
nation under heaven.
"The Christians were not in Jerusalem  during the siege. Believing in the prophecies of
Christ they knew its destruction was inevitable;
and, being warned, they had all departed long
before.
"When the great Roman empire, which
claimed the whole  of  the  then  known
world,  fell  apart,  because  of  its own
weight, Palestine was included in the Eastern empire, and came under the domain
of Constantine. You remember how he became converted to Christianity by seeing a
flaming cross in the sky, on which were inscribed the words:-' By this sign shalt thoa
conquer.' It is probable his mind had been




124  PffILIP  IN  PALESTINVIE.
opened to receive the truths of Christianity before. He and his mother, Helena, took Palestine under their particular charge. They
showed their zeal by erecting costly buildings
over all the sacred localities they could discover,
or that they imagined they had discovered —
for they appear to have been very credulous;
Helena was eighty years old when, in 326, she
set out for Palestine.
"' The first object of her ambition was to discover the cross. But there was no mark or tradition among Christians as to where it lay.
But the people of Jerusalem told Helena the
cross would certainly be found near the sepulchre, as it was the custom among the Jews to
make a great hole near the place where the
body of the criminal was buried, and to throw
into it whatever belonged to his execution. So
Helena set workmen to digging for the sepulchre. A heathen emperor had caused a statue
of Venus to be placed on the spot where he was
told the sepulchre was, in order to show his
scorn for the Christian religion. The workmen
irreverently threw down this statue, and after
digging to a great depth the sepulchre was discovered. Or, at least, a sepulchre was discovered. Tradition said it was the very sepulchre
in which Christ had lain. Helena believed it
to be the true one, and a great many wise and




JER USALEM.               125
good men hold that belief to the present time.
But there are a great many men, just as wise
and good, say the thing is impossible, and they
think they can prove it. This dispute, I fear,
will last to the end of time, and meanwhile all
persons are allowed to take whichever side is to
them most agreeable.
"Not far from the sepulchre three crosses were
discovered, which Helena immediately supposed
were those of Christ and the two thieves. If not
those crosses, what ones could they be?  The
next step to be taken was to discover which of
these was the true cross. In regard to this
writers are not exactly agreed.  Some say the
true cross was discovered by Pilate's inscription
on it, while others affirm that it was tested by
the miracles it worked; first it was applied to
a noble lady, who was instantly cured; then to
a dead body, which was immediately restored
to life.
" Constantine caused a magnificent church to
be built over the sepulchre, which was called the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was finished
in 335, and destroyed by the Persians in 614.
Fifteen years after it was rebuilt. This was demolished in 1010 by order of the caliph Hakim.
It was rebuilt thirty years after, which building
met with the same fate as its predecessors in
1808. Another building was immediately com1 1*




126 PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
menced, and this is the edifice which now attracts visitors from all parts of the world.
" But I have wandered away from Constantine's church. When this was consecrated the
true cross was placed in it, enclosed in a rich
silver case. It was afterward divided into
three parts, and deposited in chuiches in the
cities of Jerusalem, Constantinople and Rome.
That which was left at Jerusalem was shown to
the pilgrims, who were sometimes permitted to
break off pieces of it; and, in this way the cross
was spread throughout the earth, and yet it
never grew less! The inscription was placed
in a leaden case and fastened in the top of an
arch at Rome, where it remained as late as
1492. The sponge which was dipped in gall
and vinegar, and the spear with which the side
of Christ was pierced, were found somewhere
and sent to Rome; and the crown of thorns was
also found and sent to Constantinople, and afterward given to the king of France. The three
nails which were in the hands and feet were
discovered by Helena. One she threw into the
sea on her return voyage home to allay a storm,
which threatened to shipwreck the vessel. Of
course the storm  instantly ceased.  Another
was sent to Rome, and the third was given to
Constantine, who had it placed in his crown."
"t'The old monk, from whose book I have




JR UhSA LEM.              127
copied what I have written regarding these
wonderful relics, concludes in these words:The blood of Christ, which is kept at some
places, of which the most famous is that of
Mantua, seems to be what has sometimes issued
from the miraculous bleeding of some crucifix
when pierced in derisionr by Jews and Pagans,
instances of which are recorded as authentic
histories. It seems strange that even such a
person as our simple-hearted old monk, who
lived some three hundred years ago, should
have believed such a mass of absurd fables,
and yet I am told that these legends are credited by many people at the present day! To
Protestant ears they sound almost blasphemous.
" I have devoted quite a space to these things
because the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is so
identified with modern Jerusalem, and has been
the cause of so much speculation, and has given
to the world so many learned treatises, that it
seemed to merit more than a brief notice
"Thus, under Constantine, Jerusalem became
a Christian city; ccntaining Christian churches
and was governed by a Christian bishop, which
state of things continued for many years.
"In the meantime a new religion had been
founded by that wonderful man and cunning
deceiver, Mohammed. His followers, every
day becoming more powerful, were fast conquer.




128 PHIILIP IN PALESTINE.
ing Asia. Having subjugated all the countries
about they cast their eyes on Palestine, the possession of which country had indeed been a
great object with them all the time, because it
was to them a sacred country, being the' promised land' Of Abraham, who was their ancestor as well as that of the Jews. Therefore,
one pleasant day, the caliph Omar, at the
head of his army, rode up to the gates of
Jerusalem. I very much doubt whether any
one of the numerous conquerors of Jerusalem
had cut such a figure. He was mounted on a
camel. From each side of this beast dangled
a leathern bag, one filled with fruit, for his
own use, and the other with corn, for the
camel. Behind him was a leather bottle and
a wooden dish. He was dressed in a camel's
hair garment, which was decidedly the worse
for wear. But he was father-in-law  to Mohammed, a man of genius and a great general,
though he did choose to sit on the ground instead of a cushion, and to eat off a wooden
dish instead of a golden plate. He took
peaceable possession of the city, because there
was no one to oppose him. He promised to
protect both Christians and Jews in their religion, and I am happy to be able to say he kept
his word.
"The city continued in the possession of the




JER USALEA.               129
Moslems until it was conquered by the Crusaders. They held it for many years, when
it was reconquered by the Moslems under
Saladin. From that time it has been under
Moslem rule.
"Jerusalem has been eighteen times taken,
seventeen times sacked and laid in ruins."
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




130  PIIIL IP  IN  PA LES TIi       E.
VIIT
JERUSALEM, DCo. 26. 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:In my last I gave you an account of my adventures up to the evening of the twentysecond. The twenty-third was devoted to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The strange
history connected with this church I also gave
you in my last letter. It is an immensely large
building, or rather group of buildings,'for
there are several churches under one roof.
They are arranged in the form of a cross.
The western part is circular and has:a domed
roof. Within the church every scene connected with the crucifixion and resurrection
of Christ is pointed out, from the spot where
he was nailed to the cross, to the place where
the crosses were said to have been discovered
by Helena.
Directly opposite the door of entrance the
first thing you see is the Stone of Unction.
It is a marble slab, and on it, tradition says,
our Lord's body was laid, and wrapped in
linen and perfumed with spices, before being




7E1 UVS~ALERX.            131
placed in the sepulchre. On one side, near
the door, is a flight of eighteen steps. These
lead to a chapel on the top of a rock twenty
feet above the floor of the church.  This rock
is Golgotha. It is now covered with marble.
In the marble is a hole cut; looking down you
can see a small deep hole in the solid rock,
where, it is said, the cross was placed. Near
this is another hole in the marble, through
which you can see that the rock has a crevice
with rough sides. This break in the rock we
were told happened when the "rocks were
rent," at the time of the crucifixion. Coming
down from Golgotha, and going up the aisle
toward the east, you come to a wide staircase
leading' down by twenty-nine steps to a cl4apel,
belonging to the Armenians, where they show
the throne of St. Helena; this is a stone chair.
-Thirteen steps below this is a cave where the
crosses were discovered.  On the northern
part of the church is the Chapel of the Apparition, where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection. On the floor of
the church, near the southern part; are marks
showing the places where the Virgin Mary
and St. John stood during the crucifixion.
Within the rotunda, under the dome, is the
Chapel of the Sepulchre; this is divided into
two chapels, one contains the sepulchre, which




132  PfIII   1 M'' IN  PA LES TINE.
belongs to the Latins; the other contains the
stone on which the angel was sitting when the
disciples visited the tomb; this belongs to the
Greeks and Armenians. There are two little
wooden chapels close to these, belonging to the
Syrians and Copts. The Syrian chapel contains
the tombs of Joseph of Arinmathea and Nicodemus.
Within the Chapel of the Sepulchre is the
rocky cave in which our Lord was buried.
Helena had the hill cut away all around it, so
that the cave stands out prominently. You
cannot see the original rock, for it is all covered with marble. It was done to prevent people breaking off pieces of it. Entering the cave
you find yourself in a small square chamber.
If you wish to know the exact size I can tell
you; six feet eight inches long, six feet one inch
wide, and eight feet six inches high. Half the
room is occupied by the altar, which covers
the real spot where the bbdy of Christ was laid.
Lamps are kept constantly burning within the
cave.
There are galleries in the rotunda. The
dome is full of great holes. The Greeks and
Latins have been quarreling about it for
several years as to which shall have it repaired;
and in the meantime the wind and raiin have it
all their own way.




JER Ui$AL  E2X           133
Father thinks that the church covers the
real Calvary, where Christ was crucified, and
also the place where he was buried; but
he does not believe in all the sacred places that
are shown there. There have been many books
written by good men on both sides of the question. Whether this church is really on Calvary
or not, I could not stand by the hole in the rock
or inside of the sepulchre without feelings of
reverence and awe such as I never felt before.
The very fact that they have been believed in
for ages, that millions of pilgrims, that many
holy men, have knelt and worshipped there with
joy, it seems to me woul.d make any Christian
feel an affection for the place.
We have refrained from going to Bethlehem
until the twenty-fourth, as we wished our first
visit there to be on the anniversary of our
Saviour's birth. William Fanshawe went there
on the twentieth and engaged rooms for us at
the convent. He could only procure very poor
accommodations, for the monks expected the
building to be crowded. The Roman Catholics
hold a festival on the night of the twenty-fourth,
which attracts a great many people.
We rode out of the Jaffa gate at five o'clock
in the afternoon. There were twelve in our
party, four of them ladies. We were all quite excited, and there was a great deal of lively talk12




134  PHI11IP  IN  PA LESTINiE.
ing and laughing. Bethlehem is only five miles
from Jerusalem, but we were more than two
hours reaching it. The road is tolerably good,
though rocky in some places; but the air was so
soft and pleasant that we were glad to ride
slowly, which we were compelled to do anyway,
for the road was crowded with people, some
walking, some on mules, others on horses; not
a vehicle of any kind of course. They were a
motley crowd and some very curious looking
people among them.
We passed Rachel's tomb, and as we approached Bethlehem we became more quiet and
subdued. The stars came slowly out one by one.
I know what everybody was thinking of though
not a word was spoken. At last Mrs. Fanshawe
began to sing " When marshalled on the nightly
plain," and we all joined her. We then stopped
on a little hill and sang " Glory to God in the
highest," and the hymn, "While shepherds
watched their flocks by night." Quite a crowd
gathered around us, and when we had done
singing we led the way into the village, for a
long train of Arabs and Armenians followed us.
We found the convent crowded, and supper
ready. This was poor enough, but by this time
I was so excited that I did not care to eat.
But the noise of the crowd around me was dis



JER USAL  E H.           13;
agreeable, and I longed to get into the church,
where I thought it would be quiet. After supper we went to the chapel, which is a small
building inside the convent walls. The organist was playing as we entered. The music was
very fine, no doubt, but did not suit a church in
Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. There were opera
airs, polkas and waltzes, and I am sure I heard
a jig!  The congregation  meanwhile were
amusing themselves with talking and laughing;
and, as I had nothing else to do, I looked at the
ladies, as I had often been told since I came to
Palestine that Bethlehem is celebrated in modern times for the beauty of its women. Well,
they are handsome, but they look too much
alike. All have large dark eyes, very much
like those of gazelles; black hair, olive complexions, large mouths, very red lips, and very
white teeth. I like it better in America, where
no two women look the least alike. But our
ladies don't dress as becomingly as these Bethlehem girls. They wear gay scarfs and ribbons,
and the prettiest little red caps.
After a long time some priests made their
appearance, and  moved about among the
crowd, and directly the whole church was a
blaze of light; every window was illuminated,
and in every place where a lamp could. be put
there was a light.  It had a pretty effect.




136  PHfILIP  IN  PALESTINE.
The priests began to sing in Latin, but very
few of the congregation took any part in the
services; they were, most of them, spectators,
like ourselves, I suppose. After twelve o'clock
something was reverently brought in, taken by
the head priest, and held up, while all the
people bowed their heads to it. And what do
you think it was? A little wooden baby, about
a foot long! They call it Bambino, and say it
represents the infant Christ. The lights were
handed round to the congregation. I took one,
as I always like to have a hand in everything
that is going on. The priest, with the Bambino in his arms, descended into the grotto
below the church, the other priests followed
him; and then the whole congregation went
down in a long file, bearing torches. Thirteen
stone steps lead into the grotto, which is cut in
the rock. It is small, and lighted with golden
lam,ps, hung from  the ceiling.  When the
crowd came with their torches there was such a
scorching blaze of light, and such great heat,
that I nearly suffocated.
At one end of the grotto there is a small
recess, in which are twelve lamps, burning
constantly. These represent the twelve apostles. In the floor of this recess is a silver star,
which marks the spot where Christ was born.
In the side of the grottQ is another recess, which




J JER USAL Ex  137
is the place of the manger, where he was laid.
The head priest carried the Bambino to the
recess where the star was, and held it there,
while he chanted in Latin, the people keeping
very still. Then he carried it to the manger,
and laid it carefully and reverently inside, and
we all ascended to the chapel, and from that to
the convent, leaving the wooden baby to its rest
in the manger until morning, when it was put
away until the next Christmas. The whole
thing seemed to me a very ridiculous fuss.
There is nothing grand and solemn in such a
service. What do you think about it?
Now I suppose it seems strange to you that X
place, dug out of a rock, under the ground,
should ever have been used as a stable, but
father says it is very common in Palestine, even
in these days, and, according to ancient writers,
was much more common in the days of our
Saviour. He says we cannot know whether
Christ was boan in that exact spot, but the
place could not have been far off.
The convent was founded by Jerome. We
were -shown the cell in which he lived for many
years, and wrote books.
We had to sleep on hard straw mattresses,
put on narrow iron bedsteads, and were, therefore, up early the next morning. At sunrise
father and I were on a little hill, east of the
12*




138  PIILIP  IN  PA L ES TINE.
village, where it is said the announcement of
Christ's birth was made, to the shepherds.
Father told me to look around carefully, and
remember every spot, for there was not
such another interesting landscape in the
world.
About a mile from us was the building which
covered the tomb of Rachel.  In the plain
below us was the field in which Ruth gleaned
after the reapers, and where Boaz met her.
Near us was the wilderness where John the
Baptist preached, and the Valley of Elah,
where David slew the giant. In the village at
our feet David was annointed king by Samuel,
the prophet. In the valley, to the north of us,
the hosts of Sennacharib's army were encamped
when they were destroyed by the angel of the
Lord. And, more wonderful than all these
things, and nearer and dearer to our hearts, in
the stable of an inn in the little village was
born the Saviour of the world. It was a pleasant spot in which to spend Christmas morning.
We returned to the city that afternoon. We
passed by the convent of John the Baptist,
which stands on the spot where it is said he
was born.
This morning we took another ride in the
opposite direction from Bethlehem. We rode
out of St. Stephen's gate, across the Valley of




JER USA L E 2.            139
Jehosaphat, past the garden of Gethsemane,
crossed the little  bridge over the Kedron.
Here we left our horses, and followed a foot.
path which led up the Mount of Olives to the
Church of the Ascension. The mountain contains three ridges: on the highest of these is
the church, or, rather, -was the church, for now
it is a ruin. It professes to mark the spot from
which Christ ascended into heaven. A mosque
stands near these ruins, and there we got the
key of the church. We found ourselves first in
an open, paved court, around which were
various altars, belonging to different Christian
sects. In the centre of the court is a small
building, which the Mohammedanws use for
prayer. Before this is the rock from which
tradition tells us Christ ascended. There is a
footprint in the rock, which is, by some, asserted
to be Christ's, but I doubt whether this is generally believed, though the pilgrims, who flock
to these holy places, are most of them excessively ignorant.
After leaving the church we were shown the
Cave of the Creed, an underground room, cut
in the rock. Here it is said Christ used to
teach his disciples.  Farther down the mountain we came to the spot where it is said Jesus
taught his disciples the Lord's prayer. Then
we visited the Tombs of the Prophets. A long




140 PHILIP IN PALES T1 NE.
underground gallery leads you into a large
room; from this are three passages, which lead
to galleries. In one of these are places for
corpses. I don't know why it is called the
Tombs of the Prophets. We visited the Jewish
cemetery, which is also on this mountain.
The trees are very scattering now on the
mountain, but in our Saviour's time it was probably covered with trees, and must have been
a delightful place. I don't wonder it was the
favorite resort of Christ and his disciples.
Even now it is a very pleasant spot, and from
it you get fine views of the holy city. We
could see the Dead Sea in the distance. Some
of the olive trees looked as if they might be
centuries old.  We rambled about for some
time, and then, as our scattered forces collected
together, we mounted our horses and took the
road round the hill, over the side of the Mount
of Offence, which road, you will see, leads to
Bethany.
This is two miles from Jerusalem, and, as the
route we were taking is the only regularly
travelled route, and has been from the oldest
times, we were in the very path that Christ
took when he rode toward Jerusalem, the
people strewing palm branches in his way.
Bethany is a little village of some thirty
houses, The monks showed us the house of




JTER US iAL E             141
Mary and Martha, and of Simon the leper, andc
the tomb of Lazarus. This last is right in the
middle of the village; it is a deep vault.
Father says I must put no faith in any of these
legends. But it seems hard not to believe
things when you want to so very much.
We returned to Jerusalem to dinner, after
which father and I visited a very interesting
place. It is called the Place of Wailing. It
is on the west side of the temple area, outside
the walls. The wall in this place is built of
very ancient stones, thought to have been part
of the temple itself. The Jews have bought of
the Moslems the right to visit this spot when
they please, to weep over the ruin of the
temple, and downfall of the nation. We found
several Jews there. Some old men seemed to
be praying, some were reading Hebrew books.
A company of women were kneeling close by
the wall, with their heads bowed down, uttering
cries and groans. The entrance to this place is
through a narrow, crooked alley, which makes
it tolerably private.
This morning, before we started for Bethany,
we parted with Mr. Elliott. I almost envied
him, thinking of his going home. But I reflected I had not seen all I wanted to in Palestine. To-morrow we leave Jerusalem. There




142  PHILIP  IN  PALESTINE.
is much to be seen here yet, but we expect to
return, and may make quite a long stay. Our
journey will be northward, until we reach the
sea of Galilee.
Your affectionate friend,
PHI[LIP.




TIB E RIA S.            14
IX.
TIBERIAS, Jan. 15, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:Since my last letter I have taken quite a long
journey in a round-about fashion. We arrived
at this place this noon. Our tents are pitched
on the shores of the lake, just outside the town.
And now we are all going to rest, and write
letters this afternoon, leaving all explorations
until to-morrow.  I will tell you something
about the mnost interesting of the numerous
places we have seen. I have not had a good
opportunity to write during my journey, and
shall find my note-book of great service in
making out this letter. You must prepare
your mind for a long one.
After leaving Jerusalem, the first place we
saw in which you could take any particular
interest was Gibeon. This place, in the time
of Joshua, was a great and mighty city. You
remember the trick the inhabitants played off
on Joshua, to make him enter into a treaty of
peace with them. They took torn and shrivelledup wine bottles, old sacks, mouldy bread, shoes.




144 PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
tied on the feet with cloths, etc., to make the
Jews think they came from a long distance,
when, in fact, they lived not many miles from
Jerusalem. It was near Gibeon that the terrible battle was fought between Joshua and the
Jews on one side, and the kings of the land on
the other, when Joshua commanded the sun
and moon to stand still, and.they obeyed.
Gibeon, or El-Jib, as it is now called, is only
a poverty-stricken village, inhabited by Moslems, but there are the remains of ancient
buildings of great splendor all round there.
Some of these ruins are inhabited, but I think
at the risk of broken bones, for loose stones are
lying about in every direction, it never having
entered into anybody's head to remove them,
or restore them to any kind of order. We did
not stay long in Gibeon. We drank of the
famous fountain, and took a bird's-eye view of
Wady Yalo, or the Valley of Ajalon, where
the battle was fought.  I think, of all the
miracles of the Bible, I would rather have seen
that than any other, and of all its heroes, I
would rather have been Joshua. But if I fill
up the letter with my thoughts, I shall never
get on.
One day we took our lunch by the fountain
near Shiloh, the water of which we found very
pure and delicious. Shiloh is where the ark




TIBERIA S.               145
rested for so long a time. It was here that
Samuel was dedicated to the Lord, and here
Eli lived with his two sons, Hophni and
Phineas, who were both so wicked. At that
time, probably, it was a gay and lively place;
we know there was a yearly festival held there.
But there are no festivals held now-a-days in
the poor, dingy-looking little village, which: is
called Seilun.
We spent three days most delightfully in
Nabulous, or Nablus. In ancient times this
city was called Shechem, and is one of the very
oldest cities in the whole world. It lies between two mountains, Ebal on the north, and
Gerizim on the south, in one of the loveliest
little vallies I ever saw. This valley of Nablus
is watered by a small, clear stream, and filled
with beautiful gardens, and pretty villages, and
orchards of pomegranates, figs, olives, and
many other trees. The weather was warm  as
spring, and numbers of birds were enjoying
themselves among the groves, and making
everybody happy with their songs. It must be
a charming place to spend the summer, when
the trees are full of fruits and blossoms, and
there are millions of birds. Then, as Ibrahinm
said to me, "your lips will be kissed by fragrance, and your ears by melody." I think it
would be more in accordance with fact, if he
13




146  PffIILIP  IN  PAL  ~S TINE.
had said your nose instead of your lips, as that
organ was given us for smelling; but I suppose
nose is not considered poetical.  Our tents
were pitched among the orchards, outside of
the city.
Nablus is a queer old place. The city is
long, but not very wide; the streets are narrow;
the houses high, built of stone, with domes on
the roofs. The rocks on the sides of Gerizim
overhang the city in some places, and look as
if they would topple on the houses. Mounts
Ebal and- Gerizim are steep, rocky precipices,
on each side of the town, eight hundred feet
high. They have a very grand and imposing
appearance, and make you feel as if they were
protectors to the city nestling between them.
These were the mounts of blessing and of
cursing. In the book of Deuteronomy we have
an account how Moses, by the Lord's direction,
commanded the people, when they came into
the promised land, to build an altar on Mount
Ebal. Six tribes were to take their station on
that mountain to read the curses of the law,
and six on Mount Gerizim, to read the blessings. In Joshua we have the account how all
this was done. It must have been a grand
scene, with the tents of the Israelites covering
the plain; the people assembled in a vast multitude; the Levites on the mountains, alter



TIBLERIAS.              147
nately reading the blessings and curses, and
the whole congregation responding amen I
This was after a great and terrible battle, in
which the Israelites were entirely victorious.
The most interesting portion of the city is
Samaritan's quarter. We visited it several
times, and I don't know which asked the
greatest number of questions, the Samaritans or
ourselves. They were very polite and very
talkative, and told us a great many remarkable
things, all of which they firmly believe. There
are not more than a hundred and fifty of them,
all told, and when I asked a young man if that
was all of his nation left in the world, he said,
"Yes, all that are in the parts of the world
that could be visited."  To be sure, there was
a colony living beyond the river Sabt, or the
Sabbatic River, so called because it can be
crossed only every seventh  day.  Sabbatic
means seventh, and as the Jews and Samaritans
regard the seventh day as holy, Saturday is
their Sabbath.  This colony could not be
visited by Samaritans on the seventh day, as
their religion forbids them to travel on that
day. As I was curious to krow why this river
could only be crossed on a Saturday, he told
me that on every other day in the week the
water leaped up with tremendous force, and to
a great height, and cast up stones constantly,




148 _ PHILIP  IN  PALESTINE.
so that it was dangerous to go near it. I told
him then that I would undertake to cross the
river, if he would tell me precisely where it
was. That he did not know, only it was
towards the rising sun. I then asked him why
the Samaritans did not get some of their neighbors, who did not keep the seventh day holy,
to cross the river for them, and visit their relations. But he only stared, and asked me if I
had ever seen any Samaritans anywhere else.
You must not suppose I talked directly to this
young man, for he spoke Arabic, which I don't
know at all. Ibrahim acted as interpreter.
The priest was a good old fellow. He wore
a red silk robe and a white turban, and looked
very fine indeed.  He went, with us to their
synagogue.  We had to take off our shoes
before we entered. It is a small room, without
ornaments, figures, or pictures. On one side
was a little recess, concealed by a curtain.
The priest disappeared behind this curtain.
Presently he made his appearance again, holding in his hand a couple of rods. Around
these a parchment was rolled, and after we had
given him some money he unrolled the parchmaent for our benefit. It was written all over.with strange looking characters, and was very
musty and very much patched. This manuscript, the priest told us, was three thcusand








'~......~-.,,                   ~=. —- 
"td\\\aw
\
"d'LThe p'`iest was a, good old fellow."'   Pao-e 148.




TIBERIAS.               149
four hundred and eighty years old, and was
written by Abishua, who was the son of
Phineas, who, you know, was one of the sons of
Eli. When he said this, I am sorry to say,
Hartley whistled, but, luckily, the priest was
too busy talking to hear him.
Mount Gerizim is the holy mountain of the
Samaritans. Three times a year they go up in
solemn procession to worship there-at the Feast
of Pentecost, the Feast of the -Passover, when
they pitch their tents on the mountain, and
stay all night, offering a sacrifice of seven lambs
at sunset, the Feast of the Tabernacles, during
which they live on the mountain, in booths
made of the branches of trees. We went up
the mountain, of course. Two young men went
with us as guides. We ascended on the eastern
side, where the holy places are. First we came
to a small hole in the rock, where the lamb is
roasted on the evening of the Passover. Next
we came to the ruins of what had once been a
very large building. These are supposed by
some to be the ruins of the ancient temple of
the Samaritans, which was destroyed more than
a hundred years before the birth of Christ. If
so, the present Samaritans seem to care very
little about it. Near this building we were
shown some flat stones in a row. Under these,
our guides told us, were the twelve stones
13*




150  PHfILIP  IN  PALES TINE.
brought out of Jordan by the Israelites, when
they first came into the country,* and there
they are to remain until the coming of the
Messiah; for the Samaritans, like the Jews, are
yet expecting the Saviour, whom they call E1Muhdy, or the Guide.  Just beyond these
stones is the holy place of the Samaritans.
They turn their faces towards it when they
pray. Our guides took off their shoes as we
approached it. This is the custom in the East,
when reverence is to be shown to any place.
It is a large, flat, bare rock, even with the
ground. Their tradition is, that on this rock
the Tabernacle of the Lord, with the Ark of
the Covenant, was pitched.
On reaching the top we found the view very
fine. We could look over Mount Ebal, which
seemed to be very much the same kind of
mountain as Gerizim. There is nothing on it
of particular interest, I believe.
That evening I asked Hartley to write down
all he knew of the Samaritans for your benefit
and mine, and here is what he has written:"In order fully to understand the history of
the Samaritans, we must go back to the revolt
of the ten tribes.
"During the latter part of the reign of Solo* Joshua iv




TIBER IAS.             151
mon, when he had forsaken God, and served
idols, he began to oppress some of the tribes,
and lay unjust burthens upon them. At his
death, his son Rehoboam ascended the throne,
and the people petitioned him to be less severe
with them than his father had been. But he
refused, and told them he intended to lay
greater burdens upon them.  This foolish
speech lost him the greater part of his kingdom.
Ten tribes immediately rebelled, and chose
Jeroboam for their king. Two tribes only,
Judah and Benjamin, remained to Rehoboam.
He assembled all the fighting men of the two
tribes, to make war upon his revolted subjects. But the Lord sent a prophet forbidding
him, as this thing was from God. So, for more
than two hundred years, there were two kings
in Palestir.ne; one over the two tribes, called the
King of Judah, and one over the ten tribes,
called the King of Israel. The capital of
Judah was Jerusalem; the capital of Israel was
Samaria. Sometimes these kings would make
peaceful alliances with each other, and sometimes they waged terrible war.
"Seven hundred and twenty years before
Christ, Shalmanezer, King of Assyria, made
war upon Israel, and conquered it. He besieged Samaria three years, and at last got
possession of the city, and carried away the




152 PIILIP IN PA LESYNTINE.
king, Hoshea, and all the people of the country,
as captives, and compelled them to settle in
Media and Persia, while, at the same time, he
ordered the inhabitants of Cuthah, in Persia,
to settle in Israel. Thus the ten tribes were
removed from the'promised land,' eight hundred years after first taking possession of the
country. God permitted this as a punishment
for the great wickedness of the nation.
"The people of Cutha, or Cutheans, who had
settled in Israel according to the commandment
of Shalmanezer, were all idolaters, which was
displeasing to the Lord, and he sent lions among
them.* These terrified the people so much that
they sent word to Shalmanezer that they did
not know how to worship the God of the land,
and feared they would all be destroyed. Then
the king commanded that a priest from among
the ten tribes should return and teach the Cutheans how to worship'the God of the land.'
This was done, and ever after they continued to
observe the religious worship of the Jews;
though it is said in the Bible they secretly worshipped their own gods, and taught their children so.t These people the Jews called Samaritans, from  Samaria, the capital of their
country.
* 2 Kings xvii. 25.     t 2 Kings xvii. 41.




TIB E.R IA S.            163'When the Jews, under Zerubbabel, returned
from their exile and began to build Jrusalem
and their temple, the Samaritans also desired
to aid them in their work:'Let us build with
you, for we seek your God as ye do; and we do
sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon.' It was the refusal of the Jews to admit
them to this privilege that gave rise to the illwill between the two races, and from that time
t-, Samaritans did all they could to hinder the
rebuilding both of the temple and the city. It
was the same refusal, probably, with other acts
of mutual hatred, that induced the Samaritans
to erect a temple of their own on Gerizim-Sichom, at the foot of Gerizim, now become the
metropolis of the Samaritans. According to
Josephus, if a Jew at Jerusalem was accused of
eating unclean food, or of breaking the Sab'
bath, or of any crime, he fled to Sichem, declaring himself to be unjustly accused. Thus
there came to be many apostate Jews among the
Samaritans. The mutual hatred continued to
increase, each party contending for the sanctity
of its own temple. At last the temple on Gerizem was destroyed by the Jews, under John Hyrcanus, about one hundred years before Christ.
This did not mend matters,'and the hatred
grew more violent, until, under the procurator
Coponius, who followed Archelaus, a Samaritan




154 PHILIP IN PA L ES TINE
entered Jerusalem secretly, and polluted the
temple by scattering in it human bones. The
very name of Samaritan had now become a byword and term of reproach among the Jews,
and all intercourse with them  was avoided.
We have abundant proof of this in the New
Testament. Jesus himself was called a Samaritan in scorn; and the seventy disciples, when
first sent out, were not to go to any city of
the Samaritans, because they did not belong
to thb house of Israel.
"They still clung to their worship on Mount
Gerizim, though they had no temple, and lived
in constant expectation of a Messiah.
" Yet, after the crucifixion, many believed on
Christ in Sichem itself, and churches were gathered by the apostles in their towns and
villages.
" Not long after the times of the New Testament the city of Sichem received the new name
of Neapolis, which remains to the present day;
under the Arabic form Nabulous.
"In 479, under Zeno, the hatred of the Samaritans broke out against the Christians, and
they killed many of them. The Christians
complained to the emperor, who caused the
Samaritans to be driven from Mount Gerizim,
and the Christians built there a church to the
Virgin. During the reign of Justinian the Sa



TIBERIA S.              155
maritans again rebelled and a battle was fought,
in which an immense number of Samaritans
were slain. The emperor took away all their
synagogues, declared them incapable of public
employment or of acquiring property.  Many
of the people became Christians. From that
time the existence of the Samaritans is rarely
mentioned inx history. Only a small remnant
of them remain to this day.
"As for the ten tribes, no one knows what
became of them after their settlement in Media
and Persia. History is silent on the subject.
To what parts of these countries they were carried, and what befell them afterward, we do not
know; but, in the absence of any positive information, the wildest fables have been told
about them. Some say they emigrated to America, and that the Indians found there on the
discovery of the continent were their descendants; others think that their descendants are to
be found in the interior of Africa; others say
they will be discovered in some continent yet
unknown. They are always spoken of as the
lost tribes of Israel, and this expresses all we
know.
"The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin
were hereafter known as but one- that of
Judah. The fate of the Jewish nation has been
told in the history of Jerusalem."




156 PHIL IP IN PAL ES TINtE.
The next day we visited Jacob's well. It is
at the foot of Mount Gerizim, about half an
hour's walk from the city. It is a curious fact
that Jews, Samaritans, Christians and Mohammedans all believe in the tradition that this is
the veritable well of Jacob, and that Joseph is
buried near it. Father showed me the account
which is given in the last part of the thirtythird chapter of Genesis, how Jacob built near
Shechem an altar, which he called El-eloheIsrael, (God the God of Israel), and how he
bought a "parcel of a field" of Hamor, Shechem's father. Then he found for me the fiftieth chapter of Genesis, where Joseph charged
the children of Israel to carry his bones with
them into Palestine. Then in Exodus it is told
us that Moses did take the bones of Joseph
with him; and in Joshua we find that the
Israelites buried the bones of Joseph in a parcel
of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of
Hamor, so there is no doubt about the identity
of the places. This well is mentioned in.the
New  Testament in the fourth  chapter of
John. An interview took place at this well
between  our  Saviour  and  a  Samaritan
woman.
A large stone covered the well. This was
removed and we looked down into it. It is
some forty feet deep. There was but little




TIB ER IA S.              157
water in it. There is a great deal of rubbish
lying about near the well, which rubbish is said
to be all that is left of a Christian church which
once stood there.
We spent a day in Samaria, or, as it is now
called, Sebustich, or sometimes Sebustia.  Sanaria was the capital of the ten tribes after
their revolt, and when these tribes were carried away, it was the capital of the Samaritans
until they chose Sichem. It is a fine situation
for a city-on the top and sides of a hill six
hundred feet high. The hill is large, oval in
form, and stands right in the centre of a beautiful valley. The valley and hill-sides are very
fertile, and are all under cultivation. The view
from  the top of the hill was, I thought, the
most beautiful I had yet seen in Palestine.
Below you is the green valley, all around you
are high hills, dotted here and there with
villages (not dirty Arab hamlets, but quite nicelooking villages), and covered with orchards
and vines.
I don't wonder that the city of Samaria was
very populous and beautiful, and that Herod
the Great took the trouble to build there magnificent temples and castles. This splendid city is
now in ruins. Indeed, but very few of the ruins
have been left. The stones have been taken to
build the houses of the neighboring villages,
14




158 PHILIP IN PALE STINE.
and the ground has been ploughed and cultivated so carefUlly that the ruins have gradually disappeared. Those left are mostly colonnades. In several places there are rows of columns. In one we counted nearly a hundred
standing upright, and great numbers lying on the
ground! 0, but that must have been a magnificent colonnade! Father said it could not have
been less than fifty feet wide and three thousand long! The capitals are all gone. Without them the columns measure sixteen feet in
height and six in circumference. This colonnade
is supposed to have been built by Herod the
Great, but nobody knows anything about it.
The church of St. John the Baptist is also on
the hill. This church is not as old as the ruins
I have just been writing about, but it has the
merit of being almost entire. It was built
during the Crusades, and is said to cover the
place where John was beheaded, and also the
spot where he was buried. Father says this is
very doubtful; but as there seems to be no certasity about where he was executed, I have no
objections to believing that this is the place.
The church is very large, with high, pointed
arches. In it are two small buildings, a mosque
(they are everywhere) and the tomb. The last
is nothing but a room cut in the solid rock. To
get to it we had to go down a flight of steps.




TIBERIA S.               159
There is a little village on the hill which bears
the ugly name of Sebustich. Nearly all the
modern names of these places are ugly. They
are generally Arabic, and, judging the lanrguage by its proper names, it must be a disagreeable one. The houses of the village are
well built of the stones the builders found
ready cut and ornamented to their hand among
the ruins of Herod's palaces.  "Sic transit
gloria mundi," you know, was one of our Latin
copies. The people were cross and surly-looking, and I don't think hurt themselves with
over politeness. But we may be thankful they
did not do us a mischief, for they have'the name
of being rather rough to their visitors.
After leaving this hospitable place, we entered
upon the plain of Esdraelon. This plain, father
told me, extended from the Mediterranean Sea
on the west to the valley of the Jordan on the
east, and from the hills of Samaria on the south
to those of Galilee on the north. It is twelve
miles wide at its widest part. It is a beautiful
plain, containing many groves of fine trees. In
the summer time the fields are filled with luxuriant crops of grain. It is surrounded on all
sides by hills, some of which are so high that
they are called mountains.  There are great
numbers of villages in this plain, most of them
being situated on the aides of the hills. As: we,




160  PH1ILIP IiN  PALESTINE.
rode through these villages, we frequently met
women bearing water-jars on their heads. They
carried them easily and walked very gracefully,
but never a word would any of them speak to
me, though I spoke to them very politely. In
fact they seldom looked at us. But the men all
stopped and said salaam, which means "peace."
They say that in place of our "how do
you do."
Even in this beautiful plain we saw some
dark tents of the wandering Arabs. They
settle like locusts, and where they settle every
green thing disappears. When the harvest
time draws near, they come down upon the fertile plains in swarms, to the great terror of the
inhabitants, who see these miserable creatures
reap the rich harvests they have taken such
pains to bring to perfection. No wonder this
beautiful plain is not so well cultivated as it
used to be, and that some of the villages are
deserted.
I used to read in my story books at home
such romances about these Bedouins that I
thought they were among the noblest people on
the face of the earth. Their kindness to travellers; their generosity to those who had " eaten
of their salt;" their tender care of dumb animals, especially horses; their love of truth and
honor, and I don't know what beside. But let




TIB ER IA S.             161
me tell you, Harry, that all this is mere fudge.
Why, I used to think it was a pity that nations
should become civilized when these half-savage
Arabs were so much nobler! But now that I
have seen and known these noble, generous,
truthful savages, I shall be very thankful when
I return to America to find myself among civilized  beings.  These  "noble Arabs"  are
treacherous, lying, thieving rogues, and more
greedy of money than any other race on
the globe, which is saying a great deal.
There is some little truth in the "eating
of their salt" story. That is to say, after
you have "eaten of their salt," or, in plain
English, been their guest, they only do a moderate amount of cheating and fibbing, and feel
bound to protect you from-violence, and to keep
their hands from picking and stealing your
goods. What can be meaner than this way they
have of leading idle, vagabond lives all the time
industrious farmers are working, and then, when
the crops are ready to be gathered, coming in
great numbers to steal the ripe grain? So
much for the Arabs. They look better in poetry
and pictures than anywhere else, because out of
the pictures they are very dirty and greasy.
We did not stop at Jezreel. It is a collection
of mean little hovels. It is beautifully situated, and when Ahab held his court there, was,
14*




162   PHILIP  IN  P.ALES TIN.N.
I suppose, a very elegant and fashionable
place.
We then rode along, the foot of the mountains of Gilboa, to Little Hermon. This is so
called to distinguish it from Great HIermon,
which, you know, is higher up, where the two
ranges of Lebanon meet. The mountain did
not look very attractive, being bare and rocky,
so we passed by. These mountains of Gilboa
have seen some terrible - battles. It was here
that Gideon and his handful of men overthrew
the hosts of the Midianites. Here the Israelites
were defeated by the Philistines, and Saul and
his three sons were killed. You remember that
it was the night before this battle that Saul
went to consult the Witch of Endor. I asked
father to take me to Endor, but he said there
was nothing there to see. There are a great
many caves in these rocks, any one of which
will answer for a witch's cavern. And, strange
to say, people lived in them. Most wretched
beings they seemed to be; and, as far as I could
judge, the animals they kept lodged in the
same cavern with themselves. Those that were
standing outside  of these miserable abodes
shrieked after us as we rode along. I could
not understand their language, but Ibrahim
said they were swearing at us for Christian
dogs.




ILB ER IA S.             163
We passed through the ruined village of
Nain, and a ride of four miles further brought
uls to the foot of Mount Tabor. It is a beautiful mountain, standing by itself, and covered
with trees to the very top. From my first view
of it, I should think the mountain was nearly
round. Its height is a thousand feet above the
plain. The path up the side is tolerably good.
It took our party about an hour and a half to
reach the top. All day long I had been very
impatient to reach this spot. I did not want
to speak to any one, but I thought with a great
deal of pleasure that I was standing on the
mount, perhaps on the very spot, where Moses
and Elias appeared and talked with Christ.*
I was going over the scene in my own mind,;
and imagining how the disciples looked, and
what they said, when Mr. Hamilton brought
my flying fancy flat to the ground by saying
he did not believe that this was the Mount of
Transfiguration, and, in fact, nobody believed
it now. That at the time of our Saviour there
was a fortified city on it, and that the miracle
must have taken place nearer to the Sea of
Gallilee. Father immediately took up the
argument, and said that the city was no objection to the miracle, as there were plenty of
Matt. xvii. 1-9.




164 P ILIP IN PA LES  TINE.
secluded places probably, at a distance from
the city, and that it was sufficiently near to the
Sea of Gallilee; and that, as it was peculiarly
well situated for sluch a scene, he chose to believe that it actually occurred there. But the
fact of there being a doubt on the subject, made
me lose all interest in the mount as a " sacred
place."
If I was surprised to hear that this mountain
might not have been the Mount of Transfiguration, I was just as much surprised to find on its
summit the ruins of a city. The foundations
of a thick wall can be traced all around the top,
besides walls, and arches, and parts of dwellinghouses and other buildings. There are also the
remains of a fortress. Mr. Hamilton says these
ruins belong to different ages, probably most
of them to the time of the Crusades.  But long
before that there was a city there-probably as
far back as the time of Joshua. We know,
from Roman history, that there was a fortified
city here during the time of Christ. In later
times the Crusaders built a city and fortress
here.
We had many good views from the different
sides of Mount Tabor. Far to the north we
could see the snowy top of old Hermon; on the
northwest we could faintly see the Mediterranean; on the northeast was the Lake of Tibe



TIB iTE IA S.           165
rias. At the foot of the mountain, and stretching away to Mount Carmel, we had a view of
the whole plain of Esdraelon, with the Kishon
at no great distance, its waters swollen by the
winter rains.. Around us were villages full of
interesting associations, Nain, Jezreel, Endor,
Nazareth.
After we had watched the sunset we mounted
our horses, and rode slowly down the mountain,
and then cantered away to Nazareth, where we
arrived after dark, very weary and hungry.
We gave up two days to Nazareth. I found
it quite a town, a larger place than I expected
to see-I have become so accustomed to little
hamlets and mean villages. It contains about
three thousand inhabitants. The houses are
well built of stone.  The people are goodlooking, especially the women. I saw some
young girls who were quite handsome, but not
so pretty as the Bethlehem girls. They were
not dressed so becomingly. They wore rolls of
old coins around their heads, which seems to me
a funny idea. I thought some of our coin collectors in Philadelphia would like to strike a
bargain with these Nazarenes; but Ibrahim tells
me they can never be persuaded to sell these
head-dresses at any price.
Early in the morning of both days we were
there, we went to the Chapel of the Annuncia



166  PHILIP  IN  PALERSTINE.
tion, to hear the monks read mass. The services were very impressive-; made more so to
me from the fact that nearly all the congregation was composed of the wandering Arabs of
the desert who have become converted to Christianity. It seemed strange to see these wild,
uncouth-looking figures, in their uncivilized
dresses, going through the forms of Christian
worship, making the responses in a reverent
manner, an ijoining in the chants.  As this is
a Roman Catholic church, the service was in
Latin; but the first day it was followed by a
sermon in the Arabic language, to which the
Arabs listened very devoutly.
This cLurch is said, by the Latin Church, to
cover the very spot where Mary was when the
angel appeared to her to announce the birth of
Jesus.
We were shown over the convent to which
the chapel is attached. It is a collection of
buildings, looking something like a church,
but more like a castle. The whole effect
is quite grand. The monks are very hospitable to all visitors. They also receive with great
kindness any poor unfortunate traveller who
has lost his all by the Bedouin Arabs, or who
has been driven to their doors by the fierce
storms which often prevail in the neighboring
mountains. These they comfort with the good




TrBERIAS.               167
t) ings of life, and then send them on their way
rejoicing.
As usual, we were shown a great many
" sacred places."  There was the cave and
kitchen of Mary, the workshop of Joseph, the
dining-table of our Lord and his disciples, the
synagogue where he read the prophet Isaiah,*
and, at a distance from the town, the Mount of
Precipitation. This last is shown as the place
where the people of the city threatened to
throw our Saviour over the precipice, but he
escaped them.
But I have not told you what we saw in the
church.  From the entrance, a flight of steps
leads down to an altar, which stands in a recess.
This recess is said to be the cave in which
Mary lived. The walls are now partly covered
with marble, and partly showing the natural
rock. The marble slab in front of the altar is
actually worn with the kisses of the numerous
pilgrims who have visited this spot.  This
marks the exact spot where Mary stood when,
the angel appeared.  On it are the words,
"Verbum careo hic factum est."  Close by is a
broken pillar, which marks the spot where the
angel stood. He is supposed to have entered
through a hole in the rocky wall. Behind the
*Luke i v. 16.




168  PHILIP  IN  PALEStTIN.G.
altar is a narrow passage, which leads into
another cave, which is said to have been the
residence of a friend of Mary's, who kept house
for her when away from home.
We several times visited the "Fountain of
the Virgin," as it is now called. This is the
only fountain in the place, and the only one it
ever had; therefore our Saviour must have
visited it constantly. This, then, was a " sacred
place" we were sure of.
In a field, close by the fountain, was another
Church of the Annunciation. This belongs to
the Greeks, who are never to be outdone by the
Latins. They contend that this church covers
the cave where Mary lived, and the place
where the angel appeared to her. This is in
the opposite side of the town from the Latin
church. We did not go inside of it; having
already seen one cave, we did not care to see
another. The outside of the church is dull
and mournful enough.
We climbed up a high hill west of the town,
for the sake of the view, which is fine. We
could see several mountains, Tabor, Little Hermon, Gilboa, Samaria, and, far in the west,
Carmel, running out into the sea. We could
even distinguish the convent of Elias on its
summit. We could see the Mediterranean, too,
distinctly, and the bay of Akka. We all con



IBER IA S.             169
eluded that Christ must have often come to this
hill, to enjoy the noble prospect. This thought,
you may be sure, will make us remember the
western hill and its prospect forever.
While we were on the hill, father told to
Hartley and me the strange story of the Holy
House of Loretto. As you may never have
heard it, I will send it to you.
"You have seen two churches of the Annunciation, each party, Latins and Greeks, contending that their church contains the cave of
Mary. Well, in Italy, on the slope of the Appenine Mountains, (Gerlooking the Adriatic
Gulf, there is the thi7rd. You wonder, probably, how long Nazareth has been in Europe,
and how Mary's house happens to be in a
country she never even visited, that we know
of. This I can explain to you in a satisfactory
manner, if you will only believe that in the thirteenth century the house in which Mary lived
at the time of the Angel's visit, and where she
afterwards resided with her husband and the
child-Chr;st —was taken away from Nazareth
by angels, conveyed through the air to France, at
the head of the Adriatic Gulf, and that from
there it was afterward carried to the plain of
Loretto, and from there removed to the hill of
Loretto in the same miraculous manner. You
think, perhaps, thLt it would be a hard matter
15




170  PH IIILIP  IN  PALES-TINE.
to make any one Lelieve such a wild story as
this. And yet, in the whole Christian world,
there is not a church so frequented as this at
Loretto. The most of these worshippers are
persons who religiously believe in this wonderful removal, and who regard the  acnta Casa
(Holy House) as an actual fragment of the Holy
Land, and as the very house made sacred forever by the presence of Christ and his parents.
The church which contains this Santa Casa is
very  large,  and  is  constantly  thronged.
A  hundred priests are always  in  attendance, end the church is open from early
dawn until far into the night. A hundred
and twenty masses are said there daily. When
the doors of the church are opened in the
morning, two soldiers, with drawn swords,
take their places at the entrance of the Santa
Casa. The first mass begins, and then the
Santa Casa itself is opened and lighted. Thaen
the pilgrims begin to flock in, and from that
time until sunset come and go in a perpetual
stream.  The pavement around the'House' is
deeply worn, because all the pilgrims, from the
king to the peasant, crawl around it on their
knees. After they have visited the sacred spot
where Mary stood (which is marked by a marble slab, with the same inscription that we saw
to-day), they retire backward from the chulrch,




TIBERIA S.              171
so that their faces may ]b kept towards this
holy place. All around the walls the story of
the wonderful removal of the House is written
in all languages, that none may be ignorant
of it.
" I talked with the monks this morning about
this House at Loretto, and asked them how
they reconciled the two stories. They told me
that the'House,' which had been carried to
Italy, was certainly the house where Mary and
her family resided, and that the cave they
showed us was connected with the main building by a passage. They pointed out to me the
very spot where the house stood. But those
who are learned and have closely examined into
this matter, tell us that from the construction
of the walls of the House at Loretto, if it could
be placed by the cave at Palestine, it would certainly block up the only entrance to it. Furthermore, they tell us that of the many pilgrims
who visited Nazareth before this removal by the
angels, not one makes any mention of the house
of Joseph and Mary being there. They would
scarcely omit such an important place. And,
besides all this, the'Santa Casa,' the walls of
which can be seen from the inside, though the
outside is cased in marble, is built ot a darkred stone, of a kind which is not to be found in
all Palestine.




172  PILIP  IXN  PA4LEISTINE.
"The reason given for the removal of the'House,' is that it was desirable to remove it
from this land of disorder, and confusion, and
savages, to a land where it would be protected
by the Roman Catholic church."
Don't you think it is wonderful, Harry, how
any one can believe in such wild romances as
the above? And yet I suppose some very wise
people do believe them. But I must close this
letter, which I have spun out to a great length.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




TIBE i IA S.             173
X.
TIBERIAS, Jan. 29, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:My last letter was dated from this place, but
you are not to suppose we have been here all
this time. We have made the circuit of the
Lake of Tiberias, or the Sea of Galilee, or Gennesaret, whatever you choose to call it. I prefer the name of the Sea of Galilee.
From the point where I am writing-a high
hill near Tiberias-I have a view of the whole
lake. It is very small compared with our great
lakes, being only thirteen miles long and six
wide. There is a fine beach all around it. The
water is beautifully clear. The lake is completely shut in by high hills, which give it the
appearance of being held in a large, deep basin.
There is nothing very beautiful about these
hills, except that just now they are covered with
the loveliest green. Ibrahim says he has seen
snow on the hills at this season, but that it is a
rare thing.  This winter has been very mild;
and, lately, rains have been frequent. There
are deep, narrow valleys between these hills,
15*




174 P HILIP IN PALESTINif.
which, I believe I have told you before, are
called wadies in this country. There seem to
be as many fish in the lake as there were in the
time of the apostles. We have feasted on them
since we have been here, and found them delicious. I have tried my luck at fishing, with tolerable success. All the fishing is done from the
shore. I have not seen a boat on the lake all
the time we have been here. Is it not strange?
During our Saviour's sojourn on the lake, there
were plenty both of boats and ships. But these
seem all to have passed away, even as the chariots and wagons from their roads.
I can see from here the place- where the
river Jordan flows into the lake at the northern end, also the place where it flows out at
the south.
I have told you of the beach which encircles the sea. It, was on this beach, probably,
that most of the scenes recorded in the Bible
as happening in Galilee took place. It was
here our Saviour stood and told the disciples
where to cast their nets when they drew up
millions of fishes,* and where Peter walked on
the waves.t It was on this beach the multitude
stood while Jesus addressed them from the ship.
At that time there was a great deal of life,
and activity, and trade, and business on the
* Luke v.              jt Matt. xiv. 29.




TIBER IAS.                 175
beach which is now so quiet; for Herod had
built cities on the shores of the lake.  But
the hills were always desert and solitary, and it
was to these the Lord used to retire when he
wished to be alone, or have only the company
of his disciples.
The greater part of Christ's public life was
passed around the shores of this sea, which
makes it very interesting to us Christian pilgrims. The western side is principally spoken
of, but two or three visits are mentioned to
the eastern shore.
Tiberias is on the western side, but it is
towards the south. We do not know that
Christ ever visited it. During his time it was
a  Roman colony. But just north of here lies
the little plain of Gennessereth, which was one
of his favorite places of resort. At that time
it was very thickly peopled, and was full of
towns and villages.  Now it contains only one
paltry village, consisting of a few houses huddled together, called Magdala. In this place
Mary Magdalene was born. Josephus speaks
of this plain in a very high-flown style: —
"Its nature is wonderful as well as its
beauty. Its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of
trees can grow upon it, and the inhabitants
accordingly plant all sorts of trees there; for
the temperature of the air is so well mixed




176 PHtILIP IN PA LESTINE.
that it agrees very well with those several
sorts; particularly walnuts, which require the
coldest air, flourish there in vast plenty. One
may call this the ambition of nature, when it
forces those plants which are naturally enemies
to one another, to agree together.  It is a
happy conjunction of the seasons, as if every
one laid claim to this country, for it not only
nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruits beyond men's expectations, but preserves them a
great while. It supplies men with the principal fruits-with grapes and figs continually
during ten months of the year, and the rest of
the fruits, as they become ripe, through the
whole year; for, besides the good temperature
of the air, it is also watered from a most fertile
fountain. The people of the country call it
Capernaum. The length of this country extends itself along the banks of the lake, which
bears the same name, for thirty furlongs, and is
in breadth twenty, and this is the nature of the
place."
This is a description of the plain as it was in
the time of our Saviour. It looks very different now. I could not find any walnut or olive
trees.  A  few  scattered fig trees and a few
palms are all I have seen of the magnificent
abundance that Josephus describes.
So much for a general description of the




TIBERIA S.              177
lake and its shores. I will now tell you something about the different places on it which I
have visited. Tell Hum is on the northwestern
shore of the lake, and is said by some to mark
the site of Capernaum, where our Saviour's residence seems chiefly to have been. But this
is disputed by others. They say that Khan
Minyeh, a little further to the south, is the
place. Father and Mr. Hamilton both incline
to Tell Hum. As for me, I am not capable of
judging. But I very much wish there was no
doubt about some of these sacred places, and
especially Capernaum.  It would have been
delightful to me could I have felt certain that I
was in the very place where Jesus had lived.
We are sure of Bethlehem, where he was born;
of Nazareth, where he passed his childhood and
youth. It is strange that the town which was
his residence during his ministry should be
so unknown.
This city, which, in the time of Christ, was
"exalted unto heaven," and which he pronounced judgment against because of its pride
and wickedness, has now not only lost its place
on the earth, but its name. Nobody seems to
know exactly where it was. Tell Hum is now
nothing but a mass of ruins, extending along the
shore for half a mile. These ruins are princie
pally foundations of buildings and loose stones.




178  P-tILIP  IN  PALESTIINE.
In one place we saw very beautiful columns.
The only living things we encountered among
these ruins were some wretched-looking Arabs,
and still more wretched-looking dogs prowling
around.
There are no ruins at Khan Minyeh except
the khan itself. This has been a very large
building. Between it and the shore is a fountain which forms a brook, which flows into the
lake. Over the fountain is a fig tree, which
gives it its name-Ain-et-Tin, fountain of the
fig.
Chorazin and Bethsaida have also ceased to
exist. They are supposed to have been on the
northern shore of the lake, near the Jordan.
We forded the river on a sand-bar near the
place where it emptied into the lake. The
water came up to my feet. In America we
would scarcely call the Jordan a river —at that
point at any rate. It is not more than eighty
feet wide. In some places it is full of shoals
and sand-bars, in others it is deep. The water
is not clear. The banks are low and not very
picturesque. But the whole of this northern
end of the lake is said to be very fertile indeed, owing, no doubt, to the streams of water
which flow through it, for there are several
beside the Jordan.
On the eastern shore there is nothing inter.




TIBERIAS.                179
esting. We crossed high hills and deep, narrow wadies, until I was tired. We saw no villages, no towns, no people, except wandering
Arabs, who, as I have told you so often, and
now tell you again, are everywhere.
On the southern shore the country is much
like the northern, and is very fertile. Both
shores belong to the government, and are cultivated by the Ghawarineh. These people are
Arabs, but somewhat different from the Arabs
we have so long been acquainted with. These
are more quiet and rather more civilized-looking, stay longer in one place, and have some
idea of farming. They raise wheat, barley,
millet, and Indian corn. They own large herds
of cattle, among them are buffaloes. Think of
buffaloes being used as beasts of burden! But
I take it that these buffaloes are very different
from those in our Western territories. These
are much smaller and more easily tamed, but
they are ill-tempered looking animals.
I saw one of the Ghawarineh ladies churning
milk. A large goat-skin filled with milk is
hung on a framework of sticks, and jerked
violently back and forth until the butter came.
Then she took it out, put it in a pan over the
fire, and melted it. Afterward she poured it
into skin bottles. I have had some experience
with this butter.'It is about as thick as honey




180  PHILIP  IN  PA LESTI1iE.
now, but in the summer they say it is like oil.
Whichever time you eat it it is poor, miserable
stuff.
These  people have  strange  habitations.
They are tents made of mats; a poor shelter,
I should think. Ibrahim tells me that these
Ghawarineh are looked upon with a great deal
of contempt by the Bedouins. Indeed I think
Ibrahim himself has not too high an opinion
of them. They are not a very interesting
people, but I think them an improvement on
the Bedouins.
At the southern part the lake is but three
miles wide. Out of this the Jordan makes its
appearance again. We found it very different from the river on the northern shore. It
is very rapid, and more than a hundred feet
wide. It is very shallow, not more than four
and five feet deep. There was once a bridge
here, but it is all broken to pieces, and the
ruins partly choke up the river.
Captain Lynch, who commanded the expedition sent to the Dead Sea some years ago by
the United States government, has told us all
about the Jordan. They went down the river
from the lake to the Dead Sea in boats.
They found many rapids in the, river-they
shot the boats over some and carried them
round others. There were no settlements on




TIBER  IA S.            181
the river until they reached the town of Jericho, near the Dead Sea. The banks were
very fertile, and covered with trees and brilliant flowers.
On this shore we found some precious
stones-jasper, chalcedony and agate-but they
were small and rough, and look very different
from what they do when polished up. I
have some for you. I find there are different kinds of chalcedony. That we found is
the onyx, which is of a thick white color;
then there is the cornelian, which is red; the
sardonyx, which is striped red and white, and
the chrysoprasis, which is sea-green and rare.
We spent a day on the southern shore, at the
special request of Hartley and myself, as we
wished to have a pop at the wild fowl
which we saw flying about so plentifully.
Hartley had capital luck, and so had I, considering I am not much accustomed to using
a gun. Beside ducks and pigeons, which we
wanted, we shot other birds we did not
care so much about —-storks, herons, hawks
and swallows. What we did not want ourselves we gave away to the ragged children
who swarmed around us.
Now, at last, having gone quite round the
lake, and got back to my starting-point, I
will tell you something about Tiberias. It is
16




182  PHILIP  IN PAALESTIiiE.
a town of some size for this part of the world,
having about two thousand inhabitants; but
it is a very dirty and disagreeable place. I
am glad our tents are pitched at a respectable distance from it. There is a Christian
quarter and a Jewish quarter, and I really
don't know which looks the worst. There is,
also, a Christian church here-St. Peter's.  It
is not at all pretty, and is used by both
Latins and Greeks. This is one of the holy
cities of the Jews.  They believe that Jacob
resided here, and near here they expect the
Messiah to appear. Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed,
and Tiberias are the four holy cities of the
Jews in Palestine. Some years ago this place
was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake. A thick wall which enclosed the town
on the land side was thrown down. Nearly
all the houses were overthrown, and six hundred persons perished. Father says this is a
volcanic region, which means it is liable to
earthqualkes.
The hot baths near Tiberias are very famous.
There is a large bathing-house, which would
be quite elegant if it were not so very dirty.
The building is quite handsome. The public
bath is in the centre. So is a large reservoir, in a circular room. There is a marble
pavement around the reservoir; steps lead from




TIBE  1R IA S.          183
the room down to it. The roof is supported
by pillars. There are four springs, but the
water from them all is collected into this great
reservoir. It is so hot that I could not bear my
hand in it an instant. I should think it
would boil an egg. And yet the basin was
always full of men —Jews and Arabs-the
well, the sick, the lame, the deaf, and the blind,
were crowded together in this steaming place;
either hoping to keep well or get cured. The
water is not drinkable, being salt and bitter,
with a strong taste of sulphur. But, used as a
bath, it is considered a sovereign remedy for all
ills. After this description, I need not tell you
we did not take a bath. There are private
rooms for those who can afford to pay for them;
but they did not tempt us much more than the
public bath.
We had thought of going up to Lake Huleh
from here, but it has been decided that this is
not the proper season. We are to wait till
summer, and then, perhaps, we may extend our
travels as far as Damascus. Father and Mr.
Hamilton wish to go back to Jerusalem, so we
take up our line of march for that place tomorrow. We strike across the country from
here to Carmel, and travel down the sea-coast
to Joppa, and from there to Jerusalem.
As we have spent several days among the




184  PHIi 1P  IN  PALES/INE.
scenes where most of our Saviour's miracles
were performed, and where he lived the greater
part of the time he spent in preaching and
doing good, we have talked a great deal about
his life and character, and Hartley told me a
legend about him, which is so beautiful I have
written it down for you:"Jesus arrived one evening at the gates of a
certain city, and he sent his disciples forward
to prepare supper, while he himself, intent on
doing good, walked through the streets into the
market-place.
"And he saw at the corner of the market
some people gathered together, looking at an
object on the ground; and he drew near, to
see what it might be.  It was a dead dog,
with a halter round his neck, by which he appeared to have been dragged through the dirt;:and a viler, a more abject, a more unclean
thing never met the eyes of man.
" And those who stood by looked on with
abhorrence.
"' Faugh!' said one,'it pollutes the air.''How long,' said another,'shall this foul beast
offend the sight?'' Look at his torn hide,''id.a third,' one could not even cut a shQe out
of it.''And his earq' said a fourth,'-all




IBER IA S.              185
draggled and. bleeding.''No doubt,' said a
fifth,' he hath been hanged for thieving!'
"And Jesus heard them, and, looking down
compassionately on the dead creature, he said,' Pearls are not equal to the whiteness of his
teeth!'
"Then the people turned towards him with
amazement, and said among themselves,' Who
is this? It must be Jesus of Nazareth, for only
he would find something to pity and approve,
even in a dead dog!'
"And being ashamed, they bowed their
heads before him, and each went on his way.'
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.
16*




.B62 PHIILIP  IN  PA L ES  TINE.
XIb
JorPPA, Jan. 28, 18-.
MY DEAhR lARRY: —
We have taken a wide circuit since I last
wrote to you. We were then on the eve of
leaving Tiberias. We were all sorry to bid
good-bye to the shores of Galilee. There is no
part of the Holy Lord that seems to me so full
of our Saviour's presence as the country around
Lake Gennessereth.
On our way from Tiberias to Samaria, we
suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a
great concourse of people, who were making a
prodigious uproar, and we discovered we had
lighted on a fair, which is held every Monday
at Kahn-et-Teijar. There were thousands of
people from all parts of the country, and every
variety of merchandise was being sold, such as
cotton, barley, wheat, Indian corn, horses, donkeys, cattle, sheep, cheese, honey, chickens,
eggs, figs, raisins, shoes, ready-made clothes,
jewels, nails, saddles, sacks, and goodness knows
what beside! These merchants tried to drive
as hard bargains as we Americans are said to




JO PPA.                187
do, and I know they made ten times more noise.
They had no idea of order or politeness. Each
mnan was crying his wares at the risk of breaking his windpipe; the chickens cackled; the
dogs barked; the donkeys.brayed; altogether
there was a delightful din and confusion. I
enjoyed it very much, and was glad that Ibrahim stopped. He took that occasion to lay in
a supply of provisions, which is a work requiring time and patience, owing to the great
desire each party always has to cheat the
other.
We crossed the plain of Esdraelon, and the
" ancient river Kishon." At the time we crossed
the river it was of a respectable size, swollen
by the winter rains, but it is often entirely dry.
The idea of calling such a thing a river! Just
fancy the Delaware river going dry in the
summer I This river rises at the Fountain of
Jenin, and flows in a northwestern direction to
the base of Mount Carmel, and empties into the
Mediterranean Sea.  A  great many streams
flow into it on its course. It is famous as the
scene of the battle of Barak, the sacrifice of
Elijah, and the slaughter of Baal's priests.
Carmel is a beautiful mountain, and covered
with trees and shrubs. It is situated on a cape,
and overlooks the sea.  This is not the MIount
Carmel where Elijah's sacriifice was offered.




188  PHIILIP  IN  PALESTINE.
Carmel is a range of mountains, eighteen miles
long, and the sacrifice took place some distance
below the mountain now known particularly by
the name of Carmel. We climbed it from the
sea-shore. It is easy of ascent, but full of wild
looking gorges and deep ravines. Its name
means "vineyard of God," and in the ancient
days it was celebrated for its vines. There are
none there now. We were very cordially received, and kindly treated, by the brethren in
the convent of Elias, which is on the very
summit. In the convent they showed us a
grotto, said to have been Elijah's residence; it
has a beautiful marble entrance, and a chapel
over it.
You have read of the Carmelites, or Barefooted Monks, who used to travel so extensively
over Europe, on begging expeditions, They
first came from this convent, and thus gave the
name to others.
From here we had a view of the town and
bay of Acre. The town is nothing but a strong
fortress, and is constantly under martial law.
Between us and the town I saw a river, which
father told me was the Belus, where the Phoenician sailors accidentally discovered the art of
making glass. You know the story, of course.
We did not make the monks -a long visit, and
before dark were down in our camp. The




JOPPA.                189:
Arabs we have now in our employ are much
more lively than those we had on our former
journey to Jerusalem. The cook, a goodnatured, chubby fellow, seems to tell very droll
stories, judging from the laughter he provokes.
Ibrahim sometimes translates his jokes, but
they don't seem to me very funny; but a joke
is generally spoiled by translating.  I was
amused watching their proceedings that night,
after our visit to Carmel, They were just preparing to cook their supper.  The burning
embers: of their fire were scraped aside, and a
large hole made in the heated ground, where it
had been. Within this hole was laid a mass of
dough, made of flour and water. They seemed
to be very careful to make it fit exactly. Over
this the coals were raked, and the fire again
built up. A great pot of rice was then set on
the fire, and, as it cooked, from time to time
melted butter was poured in; the rice was
stirred with the branch of a tree. When this
mess was done to their liking, the pot was
taken off, the fire scraped away, and the bread
taken out. The bottom of the loaf was the
color of the dirt it had been buried in, the top
was covered with ashes and dented with
cinders. The whole party gathered around the
pot, and tearing off great pieces of bread, they:made them  into spoons, and each one kept




190  PHEILIP  TN  PAL 1ESTINiE.
dipping his spoon into the pot until they had
had enough rice, when they went to work and
eat their spoons! I thought of " pious Eneas"
eating his table. Rice is the principal food of
this people. They never seem to tire of it. In
the meantime the Arab cook was preparing our
supper, which he did very nicely, for he is a
first-rate cook. Our supper consisted of the
thin cakes of bread which I described to-you in
a former letter, some very good fried chicken,
an omelette, and excellent tea. We had no
butter, for none of us like the oily, rancid thing
they call butter here.
After supper the Arabs gathered themselves
together in a half circle, and one of their number
stood forth, and, with a marvellous twisting of
his body, and throwing about of his arms, began
to tell a story, which all listened to with the
deepest attention, and with glistening eyes.
Ibrahim said it was all in poetry, and that he
made it up as he went along!  I felt quite
proud to think we had a poet for a camel
driver. When he had finished there was silence
for a time, and then a young man I had never
seen before made his appearance before the
circle. It seems he was a wandering Arab
minstrel, who had joined our camp during our
absence. He had a curious musical instrument,
with only one string. I cannot say much in




JOPPA4.                191
praise of the music. Ibrahim said it was a love
song. It was a tremendously long one, and
the instrument and the minstrel's voice, together, sounded like the creaking of a wheelbarrow, and the howling of a dog. The lover,
as is usual with them in all countries, I believe,
was constantly in the deepest anguish of despair. I judge so from the music, for I could
not understand the words. No one had the
heart to stop this horrible performance, for
these wild men enjoyed it evidently with the
keenest delight. The picturesque dresses of
these Arabs set off the scene, and increased the
effect. I don't think I have ever described the
whole costume to you. Their heads are closely
shaved, and covered with a small red cap; over
this they wear the turban, which is a coarse
cotton shawl of gay colors, generally striped;
the ends of this hang down on each side of the
face, and are usually ornamented with fringe.
They wear cloaks, or abas, made of camel's
hair, and very coarse, with broad stripes. Beneath this they wear a long loose gown, made
of cotton, either white or colored.  This is
fastened at the waist by a leather belt. They
wear red shoes, with pointed toes. When all
these things are bright and clean the effect is
quite pretty, but I must confess they are generally the opposites Qf bright and clean.




192 PHI~IP IN PAL ESTINE.
I forgot to say that there are a dozen villages
on Mount Carmel, inhabited by Moslems and
Druses.
After leaving Carmel, our course lay along
the sea shore most of the way to Ceesarea. As
we approached this place, we rode for quite a
long distance through an oak forest. This was
a treat, for forests are rare in this country.  In,
fact, I think nothing has struck me so much as
the absence of trees. This is why single trees.are so often mentioned in the Bible to mark
places.  In this country the oak is an evergreen; the branches were spreading, and the
under ones very low. It was like having a
green roof overhead, and between the branches
we could get glimpses of the sea. They say
that robbers abound in that neighborhood, but
we did not see any. I believe these gentlemen
are afraid of us, for we have never been assaulted by them. I do so want to have a good
robber fight.
There are many ruins in and around the present Caesarea, for, like all the other towns of
this remarkable country, its glory has passed
away.  It was once a mighty city.  These
ruins are how nearly all rubbish; but there is
one we visited before entering, the city which
still keeps some of its fornm and comeliness,




JOPPA.                193
though it has-been turned into a Moslem castle.
It was once an immense theatre, probably built
by the Romans. The seats are all gone, but
the vaults underneath are in good preservation,
and are used as stables by the peasants. After
leaving the theatre our road lay over an ancient
aqueduct, now broken. This used to supply
the city with water, but I expect no water has
flowed through it for hundreds of years.  It
was not a very agreeable road, for it was very
narrow, and had a fearful bog on one side and
fathomless mud on the other. Some of the
covered aqueducts are of immense size-the natives say that a man on horseback can ride
through  them!  Perhaps so-we have  no
means of knowing.
This place was formerly  called  Strato's
tower.  Herod changed its name to Csesarea,
He it was who beautified it, and mrade of it a
mighty city; so the time of its grandeur was
the first century of the Christian era. Here
Herod erected heathen temples and theatres,
and placed great statues of idols, and in this
way gave great offence to the Jews, and their
quarrels became so bitter that they ended in
the terrible war which concluded, as you know,
by the total destruction of the whole Jewish
nation. One of the very first acts of the war
17




194  PIIILIP  IN  PA LEST1'NE.
was the massacre of twenty thousand Jews in
Coesarea.
So much for the profane history of the city,
which is furl of war and cruelty.  Its incidents
of sacred history are full of tenderness and
peace. Here Cornelius fasted and prayed, and
was visited by Peter, so that here took place
the first Gentile baptism. (Don't you think we
Gentiles should hold Coesarea in everlasting
honor?) Here Paul was kept a prisoner for two
years and preached to the rulers of the land.
Here Eusebius, the historian, lived, and here
Origen studied and wrote commentaries.
And yet the place is entirely deserted! Not
a human being did we see in it, the day we
spent there, but ourselves. At night it is inhabited by robbers.
Our camp was near the mills of Zerka. - These
mills are two hours' ride from Cesarea, on the
river Zerka, which, being translated, means
Crocodile River.  There are ten mills in operation, and near them the ruins of many more.
The mill-dam is said to be very ancient. It is
certainly the biggest mill-dam I ever saw.
The wall is nearly six hundred feet long, and
twenty feet thick. The Zerka is actually inhabited by crocodiles. So we were told, and
Hartley and I stole away, and went down to




JOiTPPA.'       195
the marsh where they have been seen, hoping
to get a sight of one. But the great reptiles
kept themselves very quiet, and perhaps it was
as well, for neither of us knew much about the
habits of the crocodiles, and might have found
ourselves in uncomfortable quarters.
Caesarea is in the plain of Sharon.  In my
mind this name is always connected with roses.
When we passed over it it was not the season
of roses, but Ibrahim  says he never saw one
there in his life.  They must have all died out
since Solomon's time, which is a pity.
On leaving'the plain of Sharon, we left the
country of the ancient Phcenicians, and entered
upon the plain of Philistia-the country of the
Philistines. This extends south as far as Gaza,
and is exceedingly fertile, and contains immense cornfields.  This plain is remarkable, in
the Old Testament, for the numerous battles
fought on it between the Jews and Philistines,
and especially as the scene of Sampson's exploits.
In this plain, on the sea-coast, is Joppa,
whose modern name is Jaffa.  We were twelve
hours in the saddle from Cisarea to Jaffa, only
stopping once to rest and eat dinner. It was
the longest ride I had yet taken, and I was
very tired. But I was up bright and early this




196  PHEIL IP  I N   P A LE S JTINE.
morning, to explore this very, very old city of
Joppa. It was the chief seaport of the Jews.
It has been sacked, pillaged, burned, and rebuilt again and again. For the last twenty
years it has been gradually increasing in population and importance. It now contains fifteen
thousand inhabitants. The reasons it has lately
increased are these: —1. It is the usual landing
place for pilgrims, Christians, and Jews to the
holy city. 2. There are great soap factories
here. 3. Silk is produced in considerable quantities. 4. Fruit and corn are exported from
here to Europe. All that sounds matter-offact and business-like enough, don't it? More
like the United States than Palestine i
The main street, in fact the only one, extends
along the sea-shore. It would not express the
condition of things there this morning, if I told
you it was crowded. It was jammed with
people, and it was a labor to push our way
through them. There were respectable citizens
attending to their own business, and very busy
they were. There were-newly arrived pilgrims,
staring about them in a distracted manner.
Camels, mules, donkeys, and horses disputed
the street with the human beings. But the
most numerous of all objects were the Arabs
and beggars —diseased, ragged, noisy, and quar



JTOPPA.               197
relsome creatures they werE,.  And that reminds me that Dorcas lived in this city. She
ought to be here now, with at least a hundred
assistants.
We were shown the house where Simon the
tanner resided. If I had only been certain it
was his house; but it is so very doubtful.
There are two beautiful things in Jaffa. One
is the building over the fountain, near the gate.
There is always a crowd there, of course. The
other is the orchards and gardens. They are
beautiful at this season, with only the leaves on
the trees; what must they be in the time of
flowers and fruit?  The fruits are bananas,
oranges, lemons, pomegranates, apples, apricots,
quinces, and plums. These orchards have to
be constantly watered, because there is no dependence to be placed in the rains here. They
come in floods, or not at all.  The method of
watering is curious and simple. All underneath the sand there seems to be water; dig
where you will, you will invariably find water
at no great distance. This is raised by Persian
wheels. A wide cog-wheel is carried around
horizontally by a mule, with a sweep. This
turns a larger one perpendicularly, which is
directly above the mouth of the well. Over
this revolves two rough, thick ropes, made of
17*




198  P HILIP  IN  PIA LiES TINE.
twigs and branches twisted together, and upon
them are fastened small jars, or wooden buckets.
One side descends while the other rises, carrying the small buckets with them —those descending empty, those ascending full-and as
they pass over the top, they are emptied into a
trough which carries the water to the cistern.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




JER USALE.             199
XII.
JERUSALEM, Feb. 6, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:
Again in El Kuds! I am right glad to be
back here once more, though I have enjoyed
the journey we have taken since we left this
city. As we expect to remain here now for
some time, Hartley and I have fixed up our
room with books, maps, pictures, curiosities and
guns, and so feel very much at home. We
are staying with the Fanshawes. I think it is
fortunate they took such a large house.
My last letter was written from Joppa. On
leaving there we turned away from the sea.
coast, and took the direct road to Jerusalem.
But we stopped one day in Lydda, or Lydd, or
Ludd, for it has all these names. I will keep
the old Bible one. It was in this village Peter
was staying when he was sent for to go to
Joppa, on account of the death of Dorcas. It
is a pretty little place, surrounded by groves
of fruit trees. It has two thousand inhabitants.
The only thing in the way of antiquities which
the place contains is a very large church, which




200 PH IL IP IN PALES TIVE.
is now partly in ruins. It is called the Church
of St. George. About half of the church is in
ruins, only scattered columns and broken
arches are left. The other half is entire, but
the Mohammedans have built it into a mosque,
and though I am provoked with the barbarians,
I must confess the mosque is very pretty, and
has a very high and graceful minaret. The
church is of pale yellow stone, cut from the
quarries near here. This church was built by
the Crusaders, probably soon after their arrival
in this country. When they took Lydda from
the Saracens, they found there the splendid
sepulchre of St. George. The church had been
levelled to the ground, but they soon built
another. Whether this is the same one, or
whether that was destroyed, and  another
erected in its place, no one seems to know.
Historians disagree on this point, as it seems
they do on many others. I used to think that
whatever I read in history must be true, but
travel has knocked that out of my head, as well
as a great many other foolish notions. Since I
have been in the country, I have heard so
many marvellous legends about this wonderful
saint, that I have tried to find out his true
history. All that I have been able to learn is,
that he was born in Lydda, suffered martyrdom




JER USALE Of.           201
in Nicomedia in the third century, and that his
body was carried to Lydda, and buried there.
In rambling about the streets of the town, we
met a marriage procession.  The bride was
being conducted to her future home by her
husband and his friends. First came the bridegroom, with his friends walking two and two.
Then a gorgeous silk canopy, under which the
bride was walking, we were told, though the
silk hangings hid her completely from view.
On each side of this was a man with a drawn
sword in his hand. Behind the canopy were a
number of women, and after these followed the
musicians. The music twanged most horribly,
the men shouted, and the women screamed; it
was an awful din. Perhaps the bride liked itI hope she did-but I don't think Caroline
would like to have a man with a drawn sword
walking on each side of her.
It took us nearly eleven hours to ride from
Lydda to Jerusalem. The first part of the
way was very pleasant, but the last half was
over the "hill country of Judea," and was
tolerably rough, I can tell you.
I saw a very curious sight yesterday, which I
will try to describe to you. Father, Hartley,
and myself took a ride into the country, just
for a little excursion, without any particular
object. After riding some distance, through




202 PHZIIILIP IN PALES7TINE.
quite a pretty country, we were about to return
when we espied a group of persons, round the
door of a house, at the entrance to a village.
We immediately rode there to inquire into
matters. We were told that a serpent charmer
had just gone into the house, to get a venomous
serpent out of it. Hartley and I sprang from
our horses, and made a rush towards the door,
father following rather more slowly. On entering we found ourselves in a large room, with
rough stone walls, without paint or plaster.
The owners of the house had been frightened
away by the serpent.  Beside the serpentcharmer, there were only a few scared-looking
Arabs in the room. The serpent-charmer was
a dervish, and though he was very dirty, was,
in spite of it, a stately looking, dignified man.
He seemed pleased to have three such intelligent Franks(!) to witness his skill. Father, in
a pleasant way, asked permission to search the
dervish, to see if he had any perfumes, or anything concealed about him, and the man cheerfully consented.  While this was going on,
Hartley and I were looking for the snake. We
could see no sign of it, though the room was
not very light, and there were plenty of darit
corners where a snake might coil himself up.
The dervish had in his hand a short stick of
palm wood. This he struck against the wall




JER USALEZ E M            203
three times in a very mysterious manner. Then
he whistled; then made a noise with his tongue,
something like the clucking of a hen; then he
spit on the ground, and said, " I adjure yod, by
God, if ye be above, or if ye be below, that ye
come forth! I adjure you by the most great
name, if ye be obedient, come forth, and if ye
be disobedient, die! die! die!"  He then raised
his arm, and pbinted his stick high up the wall,
close against the ceiling, and moved it slowly
along. Suddenly the stick was stopped, and
there glided on it a snake, ten feet long, and a
very venomous one. It glided down the stick,
and wound itself around the arm of the dervish,
but it did not seem angry or inclined to hurt
arW one. The frightened Arabs ran at the
very first glimpse of the snake, but the dervish,
not at all alarmed, carried the snake out on his
arm, and it was soon killed.
The dervish walked with us part of the way
back to the city, and father, who understands
Arabic well enough to hold short conversations,
tried to find out the dervish's secret; but he
kept talking, and told nothing, for these dervishes are very cunning.
While they were talking, a scorpion suddenly
ran out into the road from under a stone. The
dervish immediately began his whistling and
clucking; the scorpion stopped, then ran a




204 PH IL IP IN PA L-ESZ TINE.
little way towards the dervish, and stopped.
again. Quick as thought the dervish stretched
out his hand, and, seizing the scorpion, placed
it in his bosom, in the loose folds of his dress.
I expected he would be stung, for these scorpions are irritable little creatures, and sting
quickly, though the cool weather might have
made it somewhat torpid, as they like the very
hottest weather. But the scorpion lay very
quietly; he may have gone to sleep there, for
aught I know, for it was lying in his bosom
when we parted from him.
Is not all this very wonderful?  I could
scarcely have believed it if I had not seen it.
Father says these charmers have been exercising their wonderful powers for hundreds of
years, and he mentioned several passages in the
Bible which refer to them.  There are some
serpents that these charmers seem to have no
power over. The adder is one; the Arabs say
the adder puts its tail in its ears, so that it
cannot hear the charmer. This is a curious
story, but it agrees with the text, which is
familiar to us;-" Like the deaf adder, which
stoppeth her ears, and will not hear the voice
of the charmer, charm he never so wisely."
I think this serpent-charming trick would be
a good thing for our wizards in America. I




JER  USALEM.              205
wonder they don't come over here and get the
secret. I have no doubt it could be bought
with money, for these dervishes are as fond
of that article as our own magicians could possibly be.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.
Is




206 PHILIP IN PALESTINE.
XIII.
JERtSALEM, March 23, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:I have allowed a longer time than usual to
pass without writing to you, but I have bad
very little that was interesting to write about.
I think I have described already all the places
of interest, in  and around Jerusalem.   I
have visited them over and over again; the
Mount of Olives and Church of the Holy Sepulchre have been my favorite places of resort.
I am writing this letter on Sunday night, because I wish to send it in the mail which goes
to Beirut to-morrow; that is to say, a gentleman who leaves for that place in the morning,
has offered to carry letters for us, so that they
can reach Europe sooner. We expect to be off
by daybreak for the Jordan, therefore you
must not expect a long letter to-night.
Lent is over; to-day closed the religious
services for holy week.  The city has been
crowded all during Lent; people from every
nation under heaven come here at that time.
During the past week the crowd has been




JER USALEM.             207
greater than it was before; the khans and convents are overflowing, and so are most of the
private houses; and the streets have been
packed with people. In a few days I expect
they will all have melted away, and the streets
be as quiet and deserted as they were before
Lent commenced.
On Palm Sunday I was in the court in front
of the Holy Sepulchre early in the morning, in
order to secure a palm branch. I thought it
likely it was the only time in my life that I
could carry a real palm branch on Palm Sunday. There are always an immense number of
palm branches piled up near the entrance to
distribute. Early as it was, there was quite a
crowd there, which increased to such numbers,
that I was somewhat frightened. However, I
got my palm branch. and when the door was
opened the crowd went in in tolerable order, so
I was not crushed, as I feared I would be. Inside of the church we formed in a long, solemn
procession, and walked three times around the
Sepulchre, holding our palm branches aloft.
After this I made the best of my way out of
the church, but it took me some time, for the
crowd was increasing every minute. I intend
always to keep my palm branch. I left the
congregation celebrating high mass.
In the afternoon of Wednesday we all went




208 PHIILIP IN PALESTINE.
to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to see the
foot-washing.  The church was even more
crowded than on Sunday. The priests were
most magnificently dressed; they fairly glittered with silver and gold. Twelve monks,
plainly dressed, represent the twelve apostles.
A priest goes around and washes their feet
from a silver basin, which is carried by a deacon; he wipes them, makes the sign of a cross
on them, kisses them, and then gives to each
monk a crucifix. This is in imitation of our
Saviour's washing the disciples' feet. What an
imitation!
On Good Friday we attended services in the
English church, and heard a very good sermon
from the bishop.
But yesterday, Easter eve, was the great day
of the Greeks. Early in the morning we took
our seats in the Frank gallery in the great Rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Below us, on the floor of the building, was the
greatest crowd I ever saw in my life. The pilgrims were wedged together in one dense mass,
or rather two dense masses, one round the
sepulchre, another near the walls of the church.
Between the two was a lane, formed by two
circles of Turkish soldiers; I was surprised to
see these, but was told they were needed to
keep order, to prevent any one being crushed,




JR tSA LE  M,           209
and to interfere if there was any danger of the
Latins and Greeks coming to blows, for disgraceful fights have taken place between these
two sects in front of the sepulchre of Him who
taught "peace, good will among men." Moslem
soldiers keeping peace between Christians! I
never expected to see such a sight as that.
For a long time, nearly three hours I should
think, every thing was quiet, the people all had
a look as if some great and very solemn event
was about to take place; in the Greek Chapel
of the sepulchre there is a little hole in the
wall, and I noticed that those pilgrims near
enough to it, put their hands there, and held
fast to it all the time. All this time I did not
feel tired; I was amused and interested in
watching the people below me, and trying to
find out how many different nations were represented there. I think I may safely say, every
nation I ever heard of.
About noon a group of pilgrims darted out
from the mass into the open lane I mentioned
as running in a circle between the two crowds.
Others followed them, and they began running
violently around the sepulchre. This set the
example, and the pilgrims poured into the lane
until it was quite crowded.  They ran, and
jumped, and danced, and whirled round, and
howled, and  clapped  their hands.  They
18*




210 PHtiLIP IN PALESTINE.
dressed in all sorts of costumes, even to goat
skins; and some had scarcely any clothes at all.
Occasionally one man would jump on another's
shoulders, sometimes quite over his head,
reminding me of leap-frog; sometimes a man
would lift another on his back and run off with
him. Of all the funny sights I ever saw, that
was the funniest. I laughed until I actually
cried. I did not know what to make of this
whirligig at first, but after a time I could hear
some words that I understood, such as: " This
is the tomb of Jesus Christ!" " God save the
Sultan 1" "Jesus Christ has redeemed us!" and
I found then it was a part of their religious
ceremony.
After a couple of hours, this excitement
began to subside, the runners dropped off one
by one, and soon the lane was clear again.
Then from the Greek Church, at the east of the
rotunda, a procession made its appearance.
This procession marched round the sepulchre,
carrying embroidered banners. They chanted
solemn and beautiful chants, but with these
were soon mingled yells like those of savages,
for the whole crowd of pilgrims, now greatly
excited, began to scream  violently.  Three
times the procession went round the sepulchre.
At the third time, the Turkish soldiers formed
into line, and fell in behind. The multitude




JER USALEJLM:             211
pressed together. We could see that they were
getting impatient as the time for the great
event drew near. This great mass of pilgrims
believe that on this day every year the Holy
Ghost descends on the tomb of Christ, and appears there as a bright flame! This was the
event they were now all looking for. It is
thought by them that the presence of the infidel
soldiers prevents the descent of the holy fire.
So that, after the soldiers began to march after
the procession, a grand rush was made upon
them by the people. In a twinkling the procession was broken up, bishops, priests, and
deacons ran for their lives, and were scattered
in all directions; the banners fell and were
trampled under foot, or caught up by the
crowd; and the Turkish soldiers allowed themselves to be driven out of the church.
While this was going on, a small band of
priests hurried the bishop who was to receive
the holy fire, to the Chapel of the Sepulchre,
and the door was closed on him. I expected
now the crowd would be silent, but I was mistaken; the uproar was awful. From the little
hole, which I have mentioned in the chapel, to
the outside wall, a narrow lane was formed,
and on each side of this, as-far as I could see,
hundreds of bare arms were stretched out,




212  PHFILIP  INi  PA LESTINE.
holding candles to be lighted with the sacred
fire.
At last it came. A bright light appeared at
the hole. Those nearest the place instantly
lighted their candles; the light passed from candle to candle along the lane, and back from
them among the crowd, until the whole vast
building was one blaze of thousands of burning
candles.  The bishop was carried out of the
chapel in a fainting state, to make the pilgrims
believe that he was overcome by the glory. A
lighted taper was given to a horseman at the
door of the church, who galloped off with it to
Bethlehem, to light the lamps in the Church of
the Nativity, which I told you of in a former
letter.
The crowd then rushed out of the church.
Sometimes the pressure is so great that many
lives are lost; at one time some hundreds of
people were killed.
I hope that some day these ignorant pilgrims
will learn a better way of keeping Easter eve.
I think that the priests who teach them these
things are very much to blame.
And now, as it is getting late, I will bid you
"good night."  I do not know where my next
letter will be dated from.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




SHORE  OF TEE  DEAD.SEA. 213
XIV.
SHORE OF TEE DEAD SEA, April 4, 18-.
~MY DEAR HARRY:Actually on the shores of the Dead Seal
Yes 1 I, Philip Conway, am seated on a rock by
the Dead Sea, writing a letter to my friend
Harry, who is in Philadelphia, probably at this
time in the school-room, making allowance for
the difference in time.  I suppose it is somewhere about ten o'clock in that practical new
city of schools and candy-shops, market-houses
and drays. There are no such things about
me. All around me would be unbroken solitude, were it not for the noise of our muleteers
and soldiers, who are breaking up camp. Such
an uproar you never heard, and all about nothing, for they have packed away tents, and
tent-pins, and baggage so many times they
ought to know exactly what to do. But, as
they have just commenced operations, and, as I
know by experience, it takes them a long time,
I shall be able to say a good deal to you before
they are done, and I have much to tell. I
think you will be pleased to get a -letter written.




214 PHILIP IN PA LESTINE.
on the shore of this famous sea. I have made
a little arbor of green branches to protect me
from the sun, which is scorching at this time.
With a rock for my table, and the Dead Sea
spread out before me, I feel that I shall be able
to write.  How many marvellous stories we
have read, and believed too, about this sea!
But they were not all true, as you will discover
before you finish this letter.
Father, Mr. Hamilton, William  Fanshawe,
Hartley, and myself, left Jerusalem  Monday
after Easter. We intended to go to Jericho on
that day, and the whole population of the city
turned out to see us off. This will not seem
strange when. I tell you that several thousands
of pilgrims left at the same' time. Most of
these belonged to the Greek Church, and were
going to bathe in the river Jordan. We were
glad to avail ourselves of their protection, as
the region through which we were to pass was
infested with very daring robbers. The Turkish governor was with us, and we were protected by a band of Turkish soldiers. Woe to
the unlucky pilgrim  that loitered behind or
strayed away from the line! He would surely
fall into the hands of thieves, and never be
heard of again. Such a cavalcade as it was!
A small army of about ten thousand men, wo



S.HODR   OF al. 7' DEAD SEA.   215
men, and children; many of these latter were
little babies.
A great white flag was borne aloft in front;
this is the flag of the pilgrims; in the rear was
the green Turkish flag. Our party was among
the last of the pilgrims, and near the soldiers.
I often rode out of the ranks to look at the
long procession. It was a pretty sight to see it
winding around the foot of the Mount of
Olives, and so on to the village of Bethany.
The pilgrims were mounted on a variety of
animals, horses, mules, asses and camels. Sometimes a whole family would be mounted on one
poor, patient camel. The soldiers' horses were
all fine ones. Considering the vast number of
people, they were very quiet. I thought they
were almost too quiet. In America what a
clattering of tongues there would have been,
especially among so many women. After we
left Bethany, I scarcely heard any sound except
the trampling of thousands of animals' feet, and
the horrible din of the kettle drums, which I
believe never ceased.  I think the drums must
have been a kind of defiance to the robbers to
come if they dared.
There has been a great deal said about the
pilgrims going down to the Jordan, and, after
leaving Bethany, I understood it well. For a
mile or twvo it seemed to me we were going




216 PHILIP IN PALS TILNE.
down what was almost a precipice, and a very
rocky one, and the rocks quite slippery. Salas
din had to put his dainty little feet down
pretty firmly. All got down without broken
limbs. When these were safely past, we still
kept going down, though not quite so fast as
before. The valley of the Dead Sea is nearly
four thousand feet lower than Jerusalem, which
fact accounts for the rapid descent we had to
make.
The road was very gloomy-not a house or
tree to be seen. At last we reached the plain,
and in the middle of the afternoon arrived at a
poor little village of about fifty houses. Here
I saw the pilgrims dismounting, and scattering
over the plain in various directions. I asked
Mr. Hamilton why they did not keep on to Jericho?  "Why this is Jericho," he said. "This
Jericho!" said I; "why this is no town!'
"This is Jericho, nevertheless," he replied; "no
trace of the great city of ancient times remains."
The inhabitants of these huts are very much
afraid either of robbers or visitors, for they
have planted thorn bushes all around their
houses, and the branches are so plaited and
twisted together that neither horse nor man
will attack them.
The tents were pitched on a barren, sandy




S./OR/E  OF  TH/E  DEAID  SEA. 217
plain, where there was but little shade, there.
fore it was intolerably hot, for this is the
warmest part of Palestine. We found our tent
was under a fig tree, near the castle. Ibrahim
is a jewel of a courier, and always manages to
get the best of every thing.
This castle was built by the crusaders.
There is nothing left of it but the tower, which
is forty feet high. This is the only ruin in Jericho, and is a little out of the village.
After dinner our party again mounted their
horses, and rode two miles in a northwesterly
direction, to visit the fountain Ain-es-Sultan.
This fountain rises at the foot of a small hill.
It is very large, and is full of small fish. The
water is very cool and sweet. But there was a
time when it was not fit to drink, and Elisha
made it sweet with a cruse of salt.* There is,
I believe, no doubt about this being the very
fountain.
Hartley and I retired early that night, as we
expected to get up long before daylight; but,
just as we were settling ourselves to sleep, father came and asked us if we would like to go
to the top of the castle, where we would get a
good view of the encampment and the river.
We were not long in getting to the top of the
*2 Rings ii. 19.




218 P IHIL IP IN P A L BS TINE.
tower, for the night was cloudless, and the moon
being full, it was almost as light as day. Every
thing was very quiet. Not a sound broke the
stillness, except the songs of the bulbuls. Here
and there we could see a sentinel pacing up and
down, but all else in the camp was motionless.
Hundreds and hundreds of tents were spread
below  us in every direction.  Within them
were sleeping men, women, and children from
all nations and of all sects; Mahommedans,
Druses, Maronites, Roman, Catholics, Greeks,
Armenians, Copts, Syrians, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists, all brought
there by one source of interest, the river Jordan; this river made sacred by the baptism
of Christ, for it is said that Christ's baptism
took place at this spot. Whether this is true
or not, it is believed  by the whole Greek
Church.
Indeed, Harry, it was a wonderful sight to
behold that great city of tents spread there-a
vast congregation of mixed nations and various
creeds, brought together, not for warlike preparation, but to perform a ceremony which gave
public testimony of their common faith in
Christ.  At a little distance we could see the
Jordan, shining faintly in the moonlight, all
unconscious of the scene which would be passing there in a few hours.




SEHOPE Of THE DEAD SEA. 219
We were soon sound asleep, but it seemed to
me we had been sleeping only. a few minutes,
when the drums beat a tremendous reveille,
and started every body to their feet. I found
it was three o'clock in the morning. The bathing was to be done early, so as to get through
before the heat of the day. In an hour's time
every body was mounted, and we took up the
line of march again, towards the southeast.
The soldiers rode in double ranks on each side
of the pilgrims. The governor and his bodyguard brought up the rear, and in front were
the guards, carrying huge torches made of old
rags dipped in turpentine, and stuck on the top
of long poles. We reached the river bank at
sunrise.
At this place the river was ten feet deep in
the middle of the stream, but much shallower
near the shore.  The banks were steep and
high, and covered with thickets of iamarisk,
willows, and canes, except at the bathing-place,
where there was a wide, open space. The river
is very narrow. In America, we would call it
a little stream. It was yellow and muddylooking, and the current seemed to be quite
rapid. This is said to be the place, not only
of Christ's baptism, but also where the Israelites crossed the river when the waters divided
to let them pass over on dry land. Both these




220  PHIIL IP  i'  PALESTINE.
points have been disputed. The Latins have a
bathing-place higher up the river, where they
say Christ was baptized.
We stood, with some hundreds of spectators,
on the river-bank. Soon the pilgrims plunged
in-thousands of them. Most of them wore
white dresses. These are kept till they die,
and used as their winding sheets. It is considered sufficient to bathe once in a lifetime,
and those pilgrims who had little children with
them, held them under the water a minute, as
that would save them the trouble and expense
of performing the pilgrimage themselves in
after years. Very economical in their religion!
They generally remained in the water sometime, and some seemed mightily to enjoy it,
The women, many of them, were very timid,
and I was afraid there would be a sad end to
all this pleasure; so many' people in a narrow
and rapid stream; but I did not hear of a single person being drowned, though we heard it
was not uncommon at these times. There was
not much noise or excitement. Every body
went to work as if it was a business they had
made up their minds to. After the bath was
over, weall returned to the camp, took dinner,
and before night I believe all the pilgrims were
in their tents asleep. At all events, I know I




SHORE  OF THE DEAD  SEA.  221
was, for the day had been very hot, and I was
very tired.
At midnight the drums called us all up
again, and our company mounted the tower to
witness the departure of the pilgrims, for we
were not to return with them.  It was the
grandest torchlight procession I ever saw, extending for miles and miles. It seemed like
a river of light running up and down the
mountains and over the plain.
It was so near morning when the last of the
train departed, that we concluded to take-our
breakfast and start on our own journey, which
was in an entirely different direction from that
the pilgrims had taken. This we did accordingly, and by sunrise, had turned our faces towards the Dead Sea. And now we rode on in
high state indeed; for, in addition to our courier
and muleteers, we were escorted by a gular of
ten Turkish soldiers. Our party was now too
large and formidable to be attacked by robbers
or any of the wild Arab tribes of this region.
They have all kept pretty well out of our way.
I am not going to bore you with a particular
account of every day and hour; but will proceed to pick out the most interesting things
from my memory and my note-book.
We are now, at this present writing, on the
southwestern shore of the Sea, with a wilder19*




222  P1iILIP  IN  PA LESTINE.
ness on one side of us and a desert on the
other, a desolate-looking country behind us,
and pa strange, still sea before us. And yet this
country used to be as "the garden of the
Lord"* before the destruction of Sodom and.
Gomorrah.  Now it is the most dreary, horrible place that one can well imagine. I don't
believe it would be possible for civilized beings
to live here.
Father and Mr. Hamilton have had a great
desire to spend some time near this sea; but
they have decided to leave now, for they find
it too disagreeable in this place. They talk of
returning, if we stay in the country long
enough, and bringing a boat with them, leaving
Hartley and me in Jerusalem; but I hope they
will not do it, for it is a very unhealthy region.
The Arabs call it "the Sea accursed of God,"
and say it is dangerous to stay long on its
shores. Father considered this an Arab superstition before he came ore; but I think he is
getting a little uneasy himself as to the state of
things. You can have no idea how offensive
the air is at times; it smells like bad eggs.
This odor does not come from the sea-water,
but from the marshes, which are more numerous
than agreeable. The heat too, has a bad effect
*Genesis xiii. 10.




SH.OR E  OF T'HE  DEAD  SEA. 223
upon us all. It makes us sleepy and stupid.
Then there is no fresh water any where near
us; what we have we brought with us from Ain
Jidy. And, in addition to all the rest, every
night the mosquitoes torment us almost into
fits. But in spite of all these discomforts, we
have so far kept in tolerable health and very
good spirits.
The Dead Sea or Lake Asphaltites is fortyeight miles long, and twelve broad in the
widest part. The southern part, on which we
are now encamped, is the narrowest. It has a
long, curiously-shaped peninsula running into
it from the eastern shore. This southern sea is
said to cover the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, though some say they are not under
the sea at all, but must have been some where
on the shore.
The water is intensely salt and very greasy
and bitter. The least dash of spray will leave
a crust of salt on you, and, when the water
touches the skin, it gives you a prickly sensation. No fish, or living thing of any kind is to
be found in this sea, and no wonder; nothing
could live in such bitter water. The barrenness
of the soil is owing to the Aalt which abounds
here. It is deposited in great quantities on the
shore. Some of the stones are beautifully encrusted with it. I have collected some fine




Z24 PHiILIP IN PALESTINE.
specimens for you. It is a beautiful sight to
see the dead branches of trees which have beer.
into the water; when the wind lifts them in
the air, the little crystals of salt with which
they are covered sparkle and glitter in the sunlight as our Philadelphia trees do when they
are covered with ice.
Almost all the trees we have seen are dead
ones. Every thing  looks dead. The rocks,
and stones, and sand are generally of a dull,
ashy hue, and what is very strange, I think,
all the birds and animals we have seen are of
exactly the same color. Here and there we
have found patches of green, occasionally a
group of trees, but no forests.  Among these
trees was one called the Spina Christi, or Thorn
of Christ, so named, because tradition says it
was from the spiny branches of this tree that
the Crown of Thorns was made. We have also
seen some fields of barley in the ravines. They
are sown by the Arabs, but it is seldom that
the same tribe that sows the grain reaps it. It
falls to the lot of the most powerful.
We will not visit the eastern shore of this
sea. There is nothing there of special interest,
and the mountains are very steep and full of
precipices.  It was the country of Moab. We
have travelled the whole length of the western
shore. It is very rocky, in some places moun.




SHOR E  OF  THE  DEAD  SEA.  225
tainous. Indeed, the sea is shut in on all sides
by high, rocky hills. There are a great many
caves in these rocks. Some of them have fine,
arched doorways, and are much ornamented.
These must have been used for dwellings. And
these doorways were the means of leading me
into a fine scrape. I had a great desire to
enter one and see what I could discover, but
could never find any that were not so choked
with rubbish it would have been the labor of a
week to have cleared one out. But one day,
when I had wandered a little way from the
rest, I found an open doorway, with no rubbish
about it. I ought to have gone and told the
others my good fortune; but I thought it would
be a very brave thing to explore the cave alone.
So in I marched as bold as a lion. I found myself in a large room, with a high ceiling. Having looked about me with great satisfaction, I
proceeded to make the tour of the apartment,
hoping to find something curious; and as the
room was not very light, it was necessary to
proceed slowly.  Suddenly I heard a noise
which made me stand still —it sounded wonderfully like teeth snapping together. I looked in
that direction, and, through the darkness, I saw
two flaming eyes. I found my way out of that
cave very quickly; Not far from the cave I
nmet Ibrahim and two of our valiant guard.




226  PIIL IP  IN  PA L ESITINE.
They went in and shot the creature, which
proved to be a large panther-a beautiful
animal, with a splendid spotted skin. I will
show you the skin when I get home. I would
not have been afraid of the panther if I had
had my gun with me, of course. Its eyes would
have been a good mark, and I could have killed
it easily; but I had neither gun nor pistol about
me. There are not many panthers here, but
they are seen occasionally, and sometimes
hyenas are met with. I would give a great
deal to see a hyena. We have seen a good
many hares, and plenty of pigeons and other
birds that we do not know, all ash-colored.
It is not true that birds cannot fly over this
sea. I have seen them quite often. Only a
little while ago I watched one entirely across
to the other shore.
You must not think that our way here from
Jericho was an easy ride along the sandy beach.
It was very seldom we could keep along the
beach at all; but the path led us over great
rocks and high hills; a very rough-and-tumble
kind of riding, which I liked well enough; but
Mr. Hamilton and father looked at the rocks
in dismay, the muleteers quarreled and scolded,
and the soldiers took everything complacently.
The beach has no shells on it, of course, as there
are no shell-fish in the sea.




S1-10  E  OF  TIHE  DEAD  SEA.  227
There are two very interesting places on this
shore-Ain Jidy and M1asada. Ain Jidy is a
beautiful green oasis in this wide desert. It is
made green by a fountain of clear, fresh water.
It is four hundred feet above the sea, on the
shde of a mountain.  A good many trees grow
there-among others the tree which produces
gum-arabic.  I wish I was a botanist, and then
I could tell you the names of the beautiful
flowers we saw growing there. Ain Jidy
means the "fountain of goats," and, therefore,
I was not surprised to see these pretty creatures scrambling over the rocks above the founthin.  This is Engaddi, mentioned in the Bible.
Long, long ago, there was a city there. In the
caves in this neighborhood David and his followers hid from  Saul and his soldiers.  The
Essenes-the  Jewish  hermits-made use of
these caves long after the time of David.
Masada is on the top of a very high rock.
The sides are,very steep and rugged; but we
determined to climb to the top, if possible.
We accomplished it in about two hours, sometimes scrambling on our hands and knees.  The
sides of the mounatins were full of holes,
which had been made in them for some purpose.  We found the ruins of a fortress there.
A  ruined wall was all around the summit.
We  entered  through  an  arched  doorway




228 PHILIP IN PA LESTINE.
carved with crosses and queer figures. Within
the walls was a heap of rubbish, fragments
of marble, mosaic and pottery, and nothing
very valuable. There were windows in the
walls in some places. Looking through one
of these, we had a view of the whole sea.
Below us, on a ledge of the rock, were the
ruins of a tower. We could not reach it in
any way. In one place we found a large
room cut in the rock. The walls were stuccoed; a flight of steps led up to a gallery,
which was lighted by two windows. These
were all the discoveries we could make. If
the rubbish was cleared away, perhaps some
strange things might be brought to light.
There is a curious piece of history connected
with this place, to be found in Josephus.
Father showed it to me, and I will write it
for you:"When Baseus was dead, in Judea, Flavius Silva succeded him as procurator there;
who, when he saw that all the rest of the country was subdued in this war, and that there
was but one stronghold that was not taken,
he got all his army together that lay in different places, and made an expedition against
it. This fortress was called Masada. It was
one Eleazer, a brave man and commander of




AS"IHORE  OPF  THE  DEAD  SEA.  229
a number of Jews, called Sicarii, who had
seized  upon it.  These  Sicarii had  often
treated in a barbarous and wicked manner
those Jews who preferred submission to the
Romans to fighting for their liberty, and consequently had not a great many friends, even
among their own nation. They had seized
upon the fortress of Masada because it was
considered impossible to take it in any manner, so wonderful were its defences, both natural and artificial. The nature of these I
will now describe.
"There was a rock, not small in circumference -and. very high. It was encompassed
with valleys of such vast depth downward
that the eye could not reach their bottoms;
they were abrupt, and such as no animal
could walk upon, except at the places of the
rock where it subsides in order to afford a
passage for ascent, though not without difficulty. Now, of the ways that led to it, one
was from the Lake Asphaltites, towards the
sun-rising, and another on the west, where
the ascent is easier. The one of these ways
was called the Serpent, as resembling that
animal in its narrowness and perpetual windings, for it was broken off at the prominent
precipices  of the rock  and returned  frequently into itself, and lengthening again by
20




230  PH-ILEIP. IN  PALESTINE.
little and little hath much ado to proceed
forward, and he who would walk along it
must first go on one leg and then on the
other; there was, also, nothing but destruction in case your feet slipped, for on each
side there was a vasty deep chasm or precipice, sufficient to quell the courage of anybody by the terror it infused into the mind.
When, therefore, a man had gone along this
way for thirty furlongs, the rest was the top of
the hill, not ending in a small point, but
was no other than a plain upon the highest
part of the mountain. Upon this top of the
hill Jonathan, the high priest, first of all built
a fortress, and called it Masada; after which
the rebuilding of the place occupied the attention of King Herod to a great degree; he
also built a wall round the entire top of the
hill, seven furlongs long; it was composed of
white stones; its height was twelve cubits, and
the breadth' eight cubits; there were also
erected upon that wall thirty-eight towers,
each fifty cubits high, out of which you might
pass into lesser edifices, which were built on
the inside round the entire wall; for the
king reserved the top of the hill, which was
of a fat soil and better mould than any valley
for agriculture, that such as'committed themselves to this fortress -for their preservation




SHtOORE OF 2THE DEAD SEA. 231
might not even there be quite destitute of food,
in case they should ever be in want of it from
abroad. However, he built a palace therein at
the western ascent; it was within and beneath
the walls of the citadel, but inclined to its
north side. Now the wall of this palace was
very high and strong, and had at its four corne'q towers sixty cubits high.  He also had cut
many and great pits, as reservoirs for water,
out of the rocks at every one of the places
that were inhabited, both above and round
about the palace, and before the wall; and by
this contrivance he endeavored to have the
water for several uses, as if there had been no
fountains there. Here was also a road, dug
from the palace and leading to the very top of
the mountain, which yet could not be seen by
those without the walls, nor, indeed, could enemies easily make use of the roads, for the
road on the east side, as we have already taken
notice, could not be walked on by' reason of its
nature; and, for the western road, he built a
large tower at its narrowest place, at a thousand cubits from the top of the hill, which
tower could not possibly be passed by, nor
could it be easily taken, nor, indeed, coald
those who walked along it without any fear,
such was its contrivance, easily get to the end
of it.




232 PHILIP IN PALES TINE.
"Within this fortress was laid up corn in
great quantities, and such as would subsist men
for a long time, also wine and oil in abundance, and pulse and dates heaped together.
These fruits were fresh and full ripe, and no
way inferior to fruits newly laid in, which Eleazer found here. These had been stored here
by Herod nearly a hundred years before.
There were also great quantities of weapons
of war. Herod had prepared this fortress as
a refuge, in case he should be deposed by the
Jews or by Antony.
"Silva, having first gained the whole of
the surrounding country, built a wall quite
round the entire fortress, that none of the
besieged should escape. He then pitched his
camp  and prepared  to besiege the place.
There was but one place that would admit
of the banks he was to raise, three hundred
cubits below the highest point of the rock, on
a rock called the White Promontory.  Here
his army built up a bank of earth two hundred cubits high; this was for the support of
the battering rams, catapults, and other machines for breaking down walls. There was
also a tower made sixty cubits high, and all
covered with plates of iron, out of which the
Romans threw darts and stones from the enginis, and soon made those on the walls to re



S.'ORE  OF  THE  DEAD  S E.A. 233
tire, and would not let them lift their heads
above the works. This kept the Jews from
getting on the walls and throwing darts, and
lowering things to protect the walls against the
rams, so those who worked the engines were
not molested; at the same time the iron plates
protected those in the tower from any injury.
With some difficulty, a great battering-ram
made a hole in the walls.
"But the Jews were not disheartened even
by this great misfortune.  They made all haste
and built another wall within that, which was
made soft and yielding, and capable of avoiding the heavy blows of the rams.  They laid
great beams of wood lengthways in rows, one
close to the end of the other, and put earth
between the rows. Across these they laid
other beams, and so bound  together those
that lay lengthways. The Romans found that
this wall withstood the rams. Accordingly
Silva ordered that burning torches should be
thrown upon it in great numbers. It soon took
fire, and there being a high wind and blowing
from the south it was impossible for the Jews to
put the fire out, as the wind blew the flames
upon them.
"When the Romans saw that the wall was
consumed they rejoiced exceedingly, for they
linew that placed the garrison completely at
20*




234:  PH IL 1   IN  PA LES TINE.
their mercy, and night being come, they put off
the attack till next day and retired to rest,?first
setting their watch more carefully than ever
before, so that none of the Jews might escape in the night.
"Eleazer, the Jewish leader, finding there
was nothing else to be done in the way of defence, and that the garrison must surrender the
next day or be all slain, determined to disappoint the Romans. Hie called the men around
him, and having first told them there were no
means of escape, which, indeed, they knew
before, he pictured to them the sorrows which
would follow  their surrender-how the Romans would not be content with killing them,
but would put them  to death by the most
horrible and cruel tortures that could be devised; and that if the garrison refused to
surrender and fought until every man fell by
the sword of the Romans, still there would be
left their wives and helpless children to fall into
the power of the couqueror, who would treat
them with great indignity and cruelty, and sell
them all for slaves.  He then said there was
but one way of avoiding all these horrors, and
that was that the men should first kill their
wives and children, and then destroy each
other. This, he said, though it secmned cruel,
was, in fact, being merciful and tender to their




//ORE  OF  TEE  DEAD  SEA. 235
wives and. little ones, for surely it was better
they should be killed by the hands of those who
loved them, and thus immediately and almost
without pain put an end to life; whereas, if
they remained alive and fell into the hands
of the Rolmans, they must either die a slow
death by torture, or be sold into slavery.
"At first the Jews were not disposed to
agree to Eleazer's proposition, for they tenderly loved their wives and children; but at
last, being persuaded by his arguments that it
was the best that could be done under the
circumstances they were in, they made arrangements for the terrible work.  The husband tenderly embraced his wife and took his
children in his arms and kissed them, with
tears in his eyes, and then became their executioner. When the women and children were
all killed, the men chose ten of their number
by lot, who were to slay the rest. Then each
man lay down in the midst of his dead family
that the sight of them might make him willing
to die, and the ten men went round and siew
them all by cutting off their heads. Then the
ten cast lots to see which one of their number
should slay the rest.  This miserable man did
not shrink from his office, nor did the nine
offer any resistance, for they laid down and
cilmly bared' their necks to the stroke.  The




236  P III  IP IN  P.A L E J TINE.
last survivor then went the rounds to see if any
there were who, perchance, had not been quite
killed, that he might at once put an end to their
sufferings, and if any had been entirely overlooked he would despatch them. But he found
none-they were all slain. He then ran himself through with his sword and fell dead.
Thus perished nine hundred and sixty persons.
"Now it happened that an old woman, who
was also considered a wise woman, hid herself
and her five children in a cavern under
ground, and they thus escaped the slaughter.
" When the Romans attacked the fortress the
next day, they were surprised to see no one,
and everything seemed still, like a solitude.
But, after a time, the woman and children came out.of an underground cavern, and,
appearing on the walls, made known to the
Romans what had happened; but they could
not believe it until they had entered the fortress and came upon the multitude of the slain,
when they wondered at the courage and the resolution of the Jews, and their immovable contempt for death, which so great a number of
them had shown when they went through such
an action as that was."
I have had several searches for the apples of
Sodom-fair and beaut:.ful outside, but dust




SHrORE OF -iTE DEAD SEA. 237
and ashes within-which you and I used to
talk about so often. I have not been able to
find them, and I never knew of anybody who
had; and so I am inclined to think there are no
such apples. Once I was sure I had got them.
I found a beautiful-looking fruit, very much
like a small, yellow apple; but, on cutting it
open, I saw nothing which looked like dust; on
the contrary, a very close, thick pulp. There
is a plant called " osher," by the Arabs, which,
Mr. Hamilton says, is thought to bear this celebrated fruit. We have seen a good deal of
this in our travels. It is a small tree, with
dark-green, glossy leaves, and clusters of delicate purple flowers. This is not the season for
it to be in fruit; but the Arabs tell us it bears
a pretty yellow fruit, something like an apple,
and when cut open is found to contain nothing
but very small black seeds.
We have experienced one sirocco-a very hot
wind. It sprang up suddenly towards night,
blew with great violence for a few minutes,
and then passed on. During the gale, the water
in the sea leaped and bubbled like boiling
water in a kettle. The spray flew about at a
fine rate. Standing near the shore, we found
ourselves covered with salt in a few minutes.
Generally, the water is perfectly motionless;
you can seldom see the smallest ripple on its




P38 PHILIP IV PA LESTINE.
surface. In the heat of the day, a light mist
hangs over the whole sea, owing to the rapid
evaporation of the water.
I must not omit to tell you that we yesterday paid a visit to Lot's wife. You know I
don't mean we paid a visit to Mrs. Lot's
house; but we visited the pillar of salt into
which she was turned.  I expected to see something like a statue of her, and wondered if I
could guess from it what sort of looking woman
she was. And now what do you think I saw?
Why, an irregular pillar of salt-nothing but a
pillar-and that forty feet high! I was so disappointed; and, between you and me, Harry,
I don't believe it is Lot's wife at all. Some
people say it is just possible that this may be
the same pillar of salt which is mentioned in
Genesis; for, as it is three thousand years since
the destruction of the cities, a vast quantity of
salt may have accumulated on the original
pillar and raised it to its present height; but it
is my opinion that Lot's wife disappeared from
the earth ages ago, and that this pillar has
nothing whatever to do with her. It stands on
the southern shore. There is said to be a
mountain of fossil salt not very far from it.
The ruins of Zoar are near. This was the city
to which Lot fled on being warned to leave
Sdomo








"Why, an irregular pillar of salt."    Page 238.




tS1 ORE O   THEE  DEAD  SEA. 239
You would have laughed to have seen us
bathing this morning. We bobbed about on
the water like so many corks. It is impossible
to sink in it; so you see there is never any
danger of being drowned. I was delighted
with the sport at first, but was soon glad to
scramble out of the water much quicker than
I got in. It pricked my skin like hot needles;
and my eyes felt as if camphor had been
poured in them; the water got into my mouth,
and tasted like wormwood tea with salt in it,
and drew my lips together like green persim.
mons.
Last night I sat for a long time on the shore,
ciose to the water, and looked down, far down
into the clear, green depths, hoping I might see
the tops of houses, the domes of temples, and
long lines of shining streets, as they say such
things can be seen in some of the South American waters which cover buried cities. But then
I remembered that these cities were destroyed
by fire from heaven, and that probably not a
vestige of them remains.  I think, Harry, I
never felt such a horror of sin, and such a
dread of the judgments that God will surely
visit upon it, as when I sat on the barren
and dreary shore of this awful sea.
Do you remember a pretty song Caroline used
to sing: "What are the wild waves saying?" It




240 PHIILIP IlV PALES TINE.
kept coming into my mind last night, and I repeated to myself, "What are the still waters
saying?"  And, in the midst of the awful stillness and desolation, I could almost fancy I
could hear "the voice of the Great Creator"
answering from the depths: " For I, the Lord
thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate me."
But I must close now, for I. see everything is
prepared for departure. I will write to you
again from Jerusalem, to which city we are to
return by the way of Hebron.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP,




jEB USALE,.J.            241
XV.
JERUSALEM, April 11, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:Directly after finishing my last letter, we left
the shores of the Sea of Death, and travelled in
a northwesterly  direction  towards Hebron,
which was to be our first stopping-place.- Nothing of any interest occurred in the way, except that I saw women grinding corn with a
hand-mill. I had seen the operation before,
but always at a distance. I rode up to an Arab
tent, and asked for a drink of water, in order to
be near the women who were grinding. There
were two of them, seated on a large piece of
sackcloth. They were facing each other, and
each had hold of the handle, which turns the
upper stone, and pulled it back and forth. It
seemed to be hard work. One threw in the
grain through a hole in the upper stone. There
are two stones, an upper and lower, or "nether " mill-stone. Women always do this work,
and some of them must be forever at it, for
21




242   PHII.LIP  IN  PALZESYTIiAi.
every time I have passed through an Arab village I have heard these mills going.
Hebron is a large town of eight thousand inhabitants. These are mostly Moslems of the
most bigoted sort. A few Jews live there, but
no Christians. It is well built. The houses
are two stories high, and all have domes. The
town is beautifully situated in the midst of
luxuriant vineyards. No part of Palestine
produces such fine grapes as this.. I should
like to be here in grape season. The Moslems
are not allowed by their religion to make wine,
and therefore the grapes they do not sell are
dried into raisins, or boiled down into a kind
of molasses, which they call dibs. I can testify
to its goodness.
There seems to be a great many fruit trees in
and around Hebron. Many of these are in
blossom, and perhaps, for that reason, we saw
the place under the most favorable circumstances. It seemed to me the most beautiful
place we had yet seen. The whole country
was one mass of flowers. Among these numerous blossoms, the prettiest, I think, were
those of the pomegranate; they are of a briIliant scarlet, and shaped like little bells. The
fruit ripens in October. I have eaten plenty
of pomegranates this last winter, and can say
they are delicious. The seeds are a beautiful,




JE'R U'SALE J..            213
transparent red. I wonder they don't send
their fruit to America; but probably it would
not keep. It is of the size, and very much the
shape, of an orange, and of a greenish-yellow
color. But I am wandering from Hebron itself,
though pomegranates may be said to be a part
of it.
There is in Hebron a great trade in glass
lamps, consequently there are glass factories
there, and we visited one of them.  I had
often visited glass factories in America, and
took but little interest in these. In fact, I
thought them very miserable in size and appearance, and their way of working the glass is
nothing to compare to ours.
Hebron, as you perhaps remember, was one
of the cities of refuge. I always had an idea
that they were situated on high hills; but this
one is in a valley surrounded by hills. This is
one of the holy cities of the Jews.
Hebron is perhaps as old as any city in the
world. It has never been destroyed, like so
many of the cities of Palestine. It is mentioned in the twenty-third chapter of Genesis,
under the name Kirjath-Arba, and also by the
name of Mamre.  In this city, or near it,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived and died,
and here they and their wives were buried.
It was one of the cities held by the Anakims.




244  P11ILIP  iN  PALESTINE.
They were driven out by Joshua, and Hebron
was made a city of refuge, It was the residence of David, where he reigned seve'n years
and a-half as King of Judah, and at this place
he was annointed King *f all Israel. It was
here that Absalom rebelled against his father.
The city is not mentioned in the New Testamaent.
There are two large reservoirs just outside of
the town, one at the north, and the other at the
south, which are very ancient. One of these it
is thought must have been the pool over which
the murderers of Ishbosheth were hung by
David.*
It is rather curious, I think, that the Arabs
call this place El Khulil, "the Friend;" they
name it thus after Abraham, who, you know,
is in the Bible called " the Friend of God."
But in Hebron is something more interesting
than anything I have yet mentioned. This is
the cave of Machpelah, which is in the side of
a hill in the city. I believe that every sacred
locality in Palestine but this one has been
doubted by somebody, and given cause for disputes. In regard.to this cave there is absolute
certainty. It was purchased by Abraham for
a burial place, at the time of Sarah's death.t
* 2 Samuel iv. 1.  t Ge.n. xxiii. 19, 20.




JER USALEM.               245'When Jacob died, he charged his sons to carry
his body to that cave and lay it there. He
says: "There they buried Abraham, and Sarah,
his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebekah, his wife; and there I buried Leah."*
Jacob's request was complied with; his sons
carried him from Egypt into Canaan, and buried him in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron.
Father has read a great deal of history in relation to this matter, and he says it so happens
that Hebron has always been in the possession
of people who held the patriarchs in great reverence, and would not allow their tombs to be
disturbed. Here, then, in the red-colored rock,
in the hill-side, is the cave of Machpelah, and
within it are the sepulchres of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob; Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah. Over
this cave the Jews built an edifice to mark the
spot, and surrounded it with a high wall without windows.  When this was built, is not
known; some think during the reign of Solomon, and some say later; but it is mentioned by
very ancient writers. But the Jews have no
control over it now. It has passed into the
hands of the Moslems, and they, following their
usual fashion, have converted it into a mosque,
and they hold the place as so sacred, that no Qou
* Gen. lix. 31.
21*




246  -PI IL IT  IN  PA L ES TINE.
is allowed to enter the building but Moslems, and
no one can go into the cave except a very few of
the highest among them. This has been the case
for hundreds of years, and, therefore, very little
is known about the cave, except some wild accounts by different travellers, which everybody
is in doubt whether to believe or not. But all
agree in the belief that the sepulchres are
really there. Several times Hartley and myself walked round and round this building at a
respectful distance, for we were not allowed to
go too near, and wished for a carpet like the
famous one in the Arabian Nights. We would
have transported ourselves to America in a
twinkling, and in a few hours we would have
been back again with volunteers enough to
have driven these insolent Moslems from the
town, while we explored the cave. But, alas!
we had no such carpet. They are not to be
found, even in the East. Indeed, since I have
been in Palestine, I have come to the conclusion that it would not be wrong for America
and England to get up another crusade, and
drive the Moslems out of this country; only we
would not do the wicked and cruel things
which were done in the old crusades, and we
would let the Jews share in our good fortune.
The outer wall is built of large stones, and is
very high.  There are no windows in it.




tEB U4AL E M.              247
There is a minaret at each corner, and square
pilasters without capitals all around on the
walls. There are two entrances, and long
flights of steps lead up to the doors. Just at
the left of ole of these doors is a small hole cut
in the wall, and through this the Jews are
permitted to look inside. You will Nish for
some description of the inside building. Father has given me two; one is by a traveller
who wrote in the twelfth century, but father
says he is not always to be relied on.  I-e says
that an iron door admits you into a cave, which
is empty, then you go through a second which
is also empty, and in the third are six sepulchres; all with inscriptions on their lids. That
on Abraham's was: "'This is the sepulchre of
our father Abraham, on whom be peace."
The other traveller gives a longer description;
but he had not seen it himself, and wrote what
he was told by those who had. "The mosque
is a square building, with little external decoration. Behind it is a small cupola with eight or
ten windows, beneath which is the tomb of
Esau. Ascending from the street at the corner
of the mosque, you pass through an arched way
by a flight of steps to a wide platform, at the
end of which is another short ascent.  To the
left is the court, out of which, to the left again,
you enter the mosque. The dimensions within




248  PHILIP  IN  PA LESTINE
are about ninety feet by sixty. Immediately
on the right of the door is the tomb of Sarah,
and beyond it that of Abraham, having a passage between them into the court. Corresponding to these, on the opposite side of the mosque,
are the tombs of Isaac and Rebekah, and behind these is a recess for prayer and a pulpit.
These tombs resemble small huts, with a window on each side, and folding doors in front,
the.l'dwer part of wood, and the upper of iron.
Within each of these is an imitation of the sar-.
cophagus, which lies in the cave below the
mosque, and which no one is allowed to enter.
Those seen above resemble coffins with tops like
pyramids, and are covered with green silk,
lettered with verses from  the Koran.  The
doors of these tombs are left constantly open.
The mosque is supported by four columns. A
cord passes from the mosque into the cave
below, and supports a lamp which is kept constantly burning,in the cave of Machpelah,
where the actual sarcophagi rest.  At the
upper end of the court is the chief place of
prayer, and on the opposite side of the mosque
are two large tombs, where are deposited the
two larger sarcophagi of Jacob and Leah."
By the way, being in Hebron, made me
think of the Anakims, who lived there years
ago. I always had a curiosity to know just




JER USA.LE.               249
how high these giants were. The rabbis tell
marvellous stories about them, which they certainly do not expect any body to believe. One
of the most astonishing of these is about Og,
King of Bashan. Here is a description of him:
"The soles of his feet were forty miles long.
The waters of the Deluge only reached to his
ankles. He, being one of the antediluvian
giants, escaped the general destruction, and
reappeared in subsequent history as Eleazer of
Damascus, Abraham's servant. Abraham, who
was only the size of seventy-four ordinary men,
could yet scold terribly. Under his rebuke,
Eleazer trembled so violently, that one of his
double teeth dropped out, and this the patriarch had made into an ivory bedstead, and ever
after slept on it. When Moses, who was ten
ells high, fought with this giant, who was then
Og, King of Bashan, he seized an axe ten ells
long, and jumped ten ells high, and struck with
all his might, and  hit the giant on the ankle."
Rabbi Jochanan says: "I have been a gravedigger, and once, when' I was chasing a roe, it
fled into a shin-bone, I ran after it, and- followed it for three miles, but could neither overtake it, nor see any end to the shin-bone; so I
returned, and was told that this was the shinbone of Og, King of Bashan."
We were in Hebron two days, and, on the




250  PHILIP  IXV PA LESTINiXE.
afternoon of the second day, we had a little
picnic under the great oak, which is two miles
from Hebron, in a northwesterly direction. I
have mentioned before that there are but
few large trees in this country; therefore,
wherever there is one, it is famous, and this
oak is perhaps the most famous in the country. It is very old-nobody knows how oldthe inhabitants of the region believe it was
there in the time of Abraham; in fact, that it
is the very oak under which he entertained the
two angels.*  This idea, of course, is absurd.
But it is called "The oak of Father Abraham." It is a fine, evergreen oak, twenty-six
feet in circumference near the ground, and its
branches extend over ground nearly three hundred feet in circumference. Under the tree the
grass was soft and green, and we all thought it
a delightful place. Some distance beyond the
oak is an unfinished house, which we went to
look at. Nobody could tell us who commenced
building it, or when. Whoever began it, intended it to be strong, for the stones are large and
thick. It is called "the House of Abraham,"
for no reason that I could discover, except that
it was near the place where Abraham lived.
We sto-ped for a few hours at Tekoa. This
*Gewnsis xviii. 4.




OJER  USALE J            251
was the birth-place of the prophet Amos,* and
Joab called a wise woman from here to plead in
behalf of Absalom.t There are some ruins
there, but they are not of much interest. The
place and the country around it were entirely
deserted. We visited the cave of Adullam,
which'is near Tekoa. At last we entered a
cave, said to be the cave of Adullam, where
David and his followers lived most of the time
that Saul was hunting for him.t That cave
was somewhere in this neighborhood, and this
would have been a very good one for their purpose. The cave contained several large chambers and winding passages, and our guide told
us we could easily get lost in it. It was very
dark indeed; our torches only made it more
awful and gloomy. We had a great deal of
trouble getting to it and back again, but I rather
liked the fun of that. We had to slide down
rocks, jump over chasms, and walk along shelves
of rocks which overhung precipices. Father
thought the cave was not worth the journey.
After leaving Tekoa, we took a roundabout
course to Jerusalem, in order that we might
visit Mar Saba. We passed through the valley
of Urtas-Wady Urtas you will see it marked
on the map. In this wady are three great
*Amos i.. t 2 Sam. xiv. 2. $1 Sam. xxii. 1.




252  PHILIP  IVS  PALESTIi E.
reservoirs, called El Burak and the Pools of
Solomon. They were built by that king to convey water to Jerusalem. The aqueducts are
broken, and, therefore, useless; but the cisterns
are in very good order. They were all nearly
full of water when I saw them. The water
comes from  a fountain at a little distance.
These cisterns are built of great square stones,
and are of immense size. To tell you that the
largest one was six hundred feet long, two hundred wide, and fifty deep, would not give you
any idea of it; but perhaps you may imagine
it when I tell you that, when full, it would
float the largest-sized man-of-war.
It was harvest time, and all through the valley they were gathering in the grain'and
threshing it. Father and Mr. Hamilton said
the wheat was of very fine quality. I don't
know anything about that; but I will tell you
how they thresh it. They tie the wheat into
sheaves, as we do, in the fields. These sheaves
are put upon the backs of little donkeys, who
are then driven to the threshing-floors. The
donkeys are so heavily loaded, that generally
you can see nothing of them but their little
legs. The threshing-floors are circular places,
marked out on the ground, and in these
circles the earth is beaten down until it is
very hard. The grain is spread out upon it




JER'USALE.    253
and trodden out by animals. The grain is
then tossed up in the air; the wind carries
away the chaff, and the wheat falls to the
ground by its own weight. It is a slow process and a very wasteful one. Wheat machines should be introduced into this country.
The harvest is not thus early everywhere in
Palestine, only in the warm valleys near the
Dead Sea.
Mar Saba is the most curious place I ever
saw in my life. It is a convent built into the
sides of a precipice. The cells of the monks
are in the ledges, cut out of solid rock. I
don't know what to compare the convent to,
unless it may be an immensely high set of
book-shelves, with rows of cells instead of books.
That part of the valley of the Kedron in
which it is situated is a very wild and romantic spot. We arrived at the narrow valley in the afternoon. At the entrance of the
valley we came upon a tower and stopped before its door.  But we were not admitted immediately, by any means. A tin case was let
down to us by a rope. In this father placed
the letter of introduction we had from the
Greek convent at Jerusalem; the tin case was
then drawn up. I suppose the monks found it
all right, for we were soon after admitted. We
were conducted through a long passage and up
l)~J




254  PI-ILIP  INV   A LESTINE.
some steps into the parlor.  Here we were politely received by a kind-looking old monk,
who invited us to stay all night, which invitation we accepted. The old monk offered us
bread, and coffee, and raisins; and afterward
we were shown to our rooms, which were a row
of cells. The first thing I did was to climb to
the roof of mine. I found myself on a ledge
of rock about one-third of the way up the
precipice. Above me were layers of cells,
rising one upon another until it made me dizzy
to look at them. On the opposite side of' the
narrow valley was another precipice, also full
of little cells. I found these cliffs had other
inmates besides the monks; these were hawks,
which were flying about over my head. There
were also buildings in the rocks. There was
the church, with a dome and towers on it; and
a little chapel, also with a dome; and the high
tower at the corner.  Then there was the
tiniest little garden, with a few vegetables and
flowers in it.
After resting and taking a bath, we were
shown over the whole convent, and it was quite
a tiresome journey, up and down so many steps.
There are seventy cells in all. The convent
contains a number of cisterns, which were full
of rain  water.  Of course we visited the
church, which was very small, but very gor.




JER USABLE1              255
geous, being gilded and silvered, and the walls
covered with pictures. I did not admire these
at all, and the only one I recollect represented
the massacre of fourteen thousand monks by
the Saracens. The prettiest thing in the church
was the pavement, which was of various colored marbles. Near the altar were two clocks,
and two large, handsome  chandeliers and
strings of ostrich eggs.  Opposite the church
is a little chapel, so small that not more than
half a dozen people can get into it at a time.
In this is the tomb of St. Saba. The pavement
between the church and chapel covers the vault
for the dead. We were also shown into a room
containing three hundred skulls piled up
against the walls. These once belonged to the
monks of St. Saba, who were killed by Chosroes, king of Persia, in the sixth century.
There are not more than fifty monks there now;
these are mostly Greeks.  They seemed to l e
very simple-hearted, kind old men. I liked
them very much; but I don't see the use of
their shutting themselves up in that lonely
place. It is said they are very kind to the
Arabs, who, in times of scarcity, often go there
for food. They are certainly very pleasant to
travellers-that is, to gentl6men. They are so
ungallant, they will not admit ladies inside the




256  PHILIP  IN  PALESTINE.
convent. If any lady travellers are benighted
there, they have rooms in the tower.
The reason the monks live in such a fortresslike place, and are so cautious about admitting
strangers, is from fear of the wandering Arabs.
For, though the convent is but six miles from
Jerusalem, it is on the borders of the region
where the Bedouins are.most numerous and
savage.
You will be curious to know who St. Saba
was. All that I can learn about him is, that
he lived in the sixth century, that he was a
very wise man, and, I believe, a very good one,
in his way. He scooped out a cell in this rock,
and other hermits followed his example, until,
finally, the precipice became a convent.
We had a very good supper and breakfast at
the convent, and then came to Jerusalem, where
we had a cordial welcome from our friends.
In a few days we leave, to return here no
xmore.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




JIASBEIYA.              257
XVI.
HASBEIYA, June 10, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:In the middle of May we bade good-bye to
the Holy City. I was sorry to part with the
friends who had been so very kind to us, and I
was sorry to leave Jerusalem.  It is not a pleasant city.  In truth, it is rather gloomy.  I
don't like its narrow, dirty streets, its confined
air, and, more than all, I dislike the Moslems
being masters there. I don't think it would be'n agreeable place to live in, but then there is
so much that makes one feel as if it was not
such a hard matter to be good there as it is
every where else; it seems, too, as if the hills
all loved our Saviour's memory, and held it in
reverence, and as if the stones were ready to
tell beautiful things about Christ. I cannot
describe my feelings; but I would like to stay
there a year, and visit all its interesting places
again and again.
As far as the Sea of Galilee, we passed ovex
very nearly the same route that we did before,
so I will not describe the places to you again.
2a*




258 PihILEIP IN PALESTINE.
The scenes were somewhat different though, for
we found the whole country beautiful with
flowers, busy with harvesters, and alive with
great flocks of sheep.
I have said nothing to you yet about sheep
and shepherds. I have seen them occasionally
during the winter watching their flocks, but not
in the numbers I saw in my last journey to
Galilee. These shepherds are the real, oldfashioned, picturesque-looking ones, always carrying the shepherd's crook-a long stick bent
into a hook at one end. They seem to look
upon their sheep and lambs as so many children to be cared for. They never leave them
by night or by day. During the day they lead
them from place to place, wherever they may
find the best pasture. At night they sleep
surrounded by the flcoik. The shepherd always
goes before; the sheep follow him.  They
know the voice of their own shepherd, and, if
he calls to them, they instantly obey him; but
they will not obey the voice of a stranger.  Tre
tried them often, but they always knew the
voice of their own shepherd, andl would run
away from a strange voice. Some sheep always
keep near the shepherd; these are his favorites,
and each has a name to which it answers when
called. But in a large flock many go rambling
off, and then the shepherd speaks to them




EHA S h E I PA.             259
sharply and scolds them; sometimes a straggler
gets lost, and then the wild beasts seize it.  If
a lamb gets sick or tired, the shepherd will
carry it in his bosom, or lead it gently along.
These shepherds had dogs to help them keep
the flock from straying, and, I am sorry to say,
they were very mean-looking ones.  The sheepfolds are called marahs. They are low, flat
buildings, with large yards, which are enclosed
by stone walls.  Sharp thorns are planted on
these to keep wild beasts from climbing over
them, -but the leopard anid panther sometimes
leap over the walls, and then the shepherd has
a tough battle before him.
Don't all these things remind you of the
Bible accounts of sheep and shepherds? They
have remained unchanged for three thousand
years.
We stopped one day at our old camp-ground
at Tiberias, had some fine fishing, and then
started for Lake Merom, or the Huleh. This
lake is the source of the Jordan. We;ished
to follow the river from the Sea of Galilee, but
found this was impossible, from the nature of
the country.  The roads we travelled were
very bad.
We encamped at Safed, and looked about us
a little. This town was entirely destroyed by
an earthquake in 1837, so that all the houses




260  PHILIP  IN  PA Lf2STINT.F
are new. It seemed like a thriving place, more
so than most of the towns in this region.
There are about five thousand inhabitants, most
of them Jews. This is one of their holy cities.
It is on a high hill, or mountain it might be
called, and the highest point of this is the real
attraction of Safed. There is part of a castle
there built by the crusaders. The earthquake
nearly destroyed it. The castle is not of much
consequence; the view is very extensive. You
can see the plains and Sea of Galilee, and a
long stretch of sea-coast in the distance. You
can see Gilead, Bashan, Samaria, and Carmel,
and the long range of the Lebanon Mountains,
with the high, snowy head of Hermon.  The
crusaders had good taste to build a castle here,
but I suspect the height and safety of the place
were more in their mind than beautiful views.
A great many years ago there was at Safed
a Jewish school, which was very famous and
produced a great many learned men. There
was a printing press there, and many books
were printed. It seems wonderful that such
things should ever have been there. A fair is
held at Safed every Friday, but we were not
there on that day. Its olive orchards and vineyards were very luxuriant.'We encamped for two days near the Huleh,




TI-ASBEIYA.                 261
and rode about the country, and up the hills,
and wandered among the marshes wherever it
was possible to go. Taking one of the high hills
near the lake for a stand-point, we got a pretty
good idea of this part of Northern Palestine.
As for you, you will have to trace it all out on
the map.
You will see that the river Hasbany rises in
the Mountains of Lebanon, near the foot of
Hermon, in the great fountain of Finarr. It
flows in a southerly direction to the marshes of
the Huleh, where the Leddan and Baniasy flow
into it. These three rivers united form the
Jordan, which may therefore be said to rise in
the Huleh, though the source of the Hasbany
and of the Baniasy have both been called the
source of the Jordan. Of these rivers, we are
told that the Hasbany is the longest, the Leddan the widest, and the Baniasy the most beautiful. The Jordan empties into Lake Huleh,
but before reaching the lake, many smaller
streams flow into it. On leaving Lake Huleh,
the river flows southwardly to the Sea of Galilee. We could trace it nearly all the way, or
at least the valley through which it flows, with
the eye. [After leaving the Sea of Galilee,
you know, it is a larger and more important
river, and flows still in a southerly direction,




262  PTHILIP  INI  PALESTINE.
the whole length of Palestine, until it is finally
lost in the Dead Sea.]
Lake Huleh, as you will see, tapers nearly to
a point at the south end.  At the north, it is
six miles wide. It is only eight miles long.
The ground immediately around the lake is low,
and sometimes marshy. On the north side there
is a very large marsh; in many places impenetrable on account of the thick growth of bushes
and briars.  The land is fertile and pretty
well cultivated. Wheat and barley are raised
here; also large crops of Indian corn and rice.
Butter is made here, and honey gathered in
large quantities. Bees were to be seen every
where, and there were plenty of flowers for
them to feed on.  The bee-hives are made of
basket-work, shaped like cylinders, and covered
over with mud. They are piled one above
another in the form of a pyramid, and the
whole is roofed with straw, or covered with a
mat. The honey is very delicious. The land
is cultivated by Arab farmers. It is strange to
think of Arab farmers, but we have met with
them in different parts of the country. They
live in villages, but these villages usually have
not a single house in them. They are built of
tents, and are, in fact, nothing but permanent
encampments. These Arab farmers are called
fellahs, and a number of them are called fella



/HASBEIYA. -             263
Win. They are despised by the Bedouin Arabs,
who roam from place to place, and the fellahs
stand in great fear of their Bedouin relations.
For often the Bedouins come down in force on
the poor fellahs, and carry off their corn or
flocks, and leave them with nothing after all
their labors.
Here we saw buffaloes in abundance.  I
never saw any American buffaloes, but I think
these must have been smaller. They are large
animals, but not the monsters I have always
imagined buffaloes to be. These were not very
fierce-looking; they are used as cattle, and the
milk is made -into butter. They seemed to be
fond of bathing, and it was amusing to watch
their awkward gambols. They look best when
galloping at full speed.
There are said to be many wild animals in
the mountains around the lake, panthers and
leopards, bears, wolves, jackals, hyenas, and
foxes, wild boars and gazelles. We did not see
any of these while at the lake. We heard the
jackals prowling around at night and howling
near the camp. We have often heard them
before, for they abound in this country. I
have seen them, too; they are fierce-looking
beasts; they are something like dogs, but more
like wolves. They feed upon carrion, but will




264  P EILIP  IN  PiA AL ES TIV E.
attack small animals, and even children, when
they are very hungry.
The whole lake was alive with water-fowl.
It is strange there are no hunters about here.
Father thought it was wrong to shoot them
merely for sport; perhaps it was, but Hartley
and I have had so few opportunities for trying
our skill, that a chance like this was not to be
lost. We killed a great many, some of which
were cooked and eaten; but the greater number
had to be thrown away.  We were very careful not to shoot bulbuls (Asiatic nightingales),
for they have sung us to sleep every night for
months, and are to us dear little friends. They
are beautiful birds, in shape like our kingfishers; their plumage is a rich brown, with
here and there a dash of bright blue; they
have deep-scarlet bills.  If the bulbuls made
the night delicious at Lake Huleh, the -rooks
and crows made day hideous; there were vast
armies of them.  They are sensible birds,
and their wise looks and grave manners were
very amusing to us. One day, firing into a
colony of ducks, I killed a pelican. It was a
a large, odd-looking bird, with its long, broad
bill, and great splay feet. From its neck hung
a great bag, in which it carries'its young in
times of danger. You know this bird is said
to feed its young with its own blood, and,




.HAS.BEI YA.              265
though Hartley says it is all a fable, still the
bird must love its young exceedingly, or the
fable never would have been told of it.  I felt
sorry I had shot it, for how did I know but its
young might be pining for it then?
There were cane-brakes on these swamps as
thick and impenetrable as those on the Mississippi River. One kind of cane had a tuft on
the top of the stalk very much like broom
corn, only larger and more beautiful.
As for flowers, there were myriads of them.
Tell Caroline that I found there white and
yellow daisies, white and scarlet anemones, oleanders and morning-glories.  Then there were
a great variety of lovely flowers whose names
I did not know. There was a yellow flower,
which grew in heavy tufts, and a crimson
flower, which grew up into a long spire, like a
miniature church-steeple on fire. The flower
that I admired the most I was told was called
the Huleh lily; it was very large, pure white,
and shaped like our fleur-de-lis. As for the
oleanders, words cannot describe their beauty.
All along the route from Jerusalem, every river
and little stream ran through banks of oleanders. You, who have only seen this plant in
boxes in America, can form no idea of its exceeding luxuriance and beauty in this soft,
Syrian climate.
23




266  PH ILIP  1X  PAL1ESTIi E.
Among the birds, I forgot to mention storks,
and they should be remembered, for they had
so little fear of us. They would stalk directly
past us with great majesty, and looked so full
of stupid vanity that I was quite entertained.
Lake Huleh is the Merom of the Bible. An
old tradition makes it the land of Uz, the home
of Job. Many bloody battles have been fought
on its hills and mountains. It was here that
Abraham fought the men who conquered
Sodom and carried away Lot. It was here
the Israelites, under the command of Joshua,
overcame the Canaanites   The city of Laish
lay on the north of the lake; it was destroyed by the Danites; men, women and children were slain, and the Danites rebuilt the
city and named it Dan. It was the northernmost city of Palestine. There is not even the
remnant of a city there now. Not far off was
Abel, which Joab beseiged because Bichri was
harbored there; a wise woman had Bichri's
head thrown over the wall to Joab, when he
raised the seige. This is now a mean little
village.
There were several " mazars," or holy places
of the Arabs, near the lake; but we did not
visit them. One is said to be the tomb of
Joshua; another, of one of the sons of Jacob.




HAISBEIYA.               267
They all had white domes over them, according
to the fashion of the country.
On the northwest of the lake is the fountain
of El Mellahah. The water is a little salt and
slightly warm, and crowded full of fish. Did
it never strike you how often I have mentioned
fountains in my letters? They are certainly
very numerous; the country is well watered,
and father says there is no reason why Palestine should not be one of the most productive
countries in the world.
From the fountain of Mlellahah a short ride
up the mountain took us to Kudes. This is a
small village, and we did not stop there.  This
was one of the cities of refuge-Kadesh Naphtali. It was a great city. Barak was born
there.
Only one incident occurred from there to
Hasbeiya. We have not killed any gazelles;
they are such pretty, timid-looking creatures,
that we had not the heart to do it. But on
that day the imp of mischief put it into Hartley's head to fire at a full-grown one which he
saw cantering along at some distance. The distance was too great, he only wounded it; and it
was brought to us, its soft, black eyes looking at
us ir. the most pitiful manner. I had only time
to glance at it, when Ibrahim  said "Look
there!"  HIle was pointing to the east of a




~268  PHILIP  IiN  PA L E' STINE.
mountain not very far from where we were
standing, and there, with its bright stripes
showing distinctly against the clear, blue sky,
stood a tiger! Hartley's gun had roused it, I
suppose, and it was, no doubt, looking to see
what that strange noise meant. For a minute
it stood there, looking grand and savage, and
then, with a bound, disappeared from our
sight. Everybody was so astonished, that no
one thought of firing at him; but I doubt whether we could have got good aim, he was so
far. I am very glad I. saw him. Tigers are
very rarely seen as far north as this —this one
must have wandered from the Dead Sea. As
for the poor gazelle, that was killed to put it
out of its misery.
Hasbeiya is a beautiful city, most pleasantly
situated in a valley.  It lies at the foot of Jebelesh-Sheilih, on the western side.  This is the
Arab name of this mountain, so called because
it is the highest among the mountains of Lebanon, being nine thousand feet high. But I
prefer the old name —Hermon.  So you see
that at last we have reached that mountain I
have been seeing from nearly all parts of the
country, and have so often mentioned to you.
The top is always covered with snow; or,
rather, the valleys which run down the sides,
are full of snow; at a distance this gives it the




JI4ASBEI YA.             269
appearance of having radiant points, like a
star.  I would like to climb old Hermon, but
father will not hear of it.
This is a thriving place, I believe. The valley is small, but full of fruit trees and vineyards. All kinds of religion seem to flourish
here.  There is a Moslem  quarter, a Jewish
quarter, and a Protestant quarter.  It is an
American missionary station; and, I believe,
the church and school are in a prosperous condition. At Sidon, at Jerusalem, and here, are
the only places we have been able to attend
Protestant worship. Generally, on Sunday, we
have had religious services in a tent, father or
Mr. Hamilton officiating as ministers.
Hasbeiya also boasts of a great man-a Moslem prince-an Emir he is called, and he lives
in a palace. The Emir I have not had the
pleasure of seeing, but I can tell him his palace is not much to boast of in the way of
beauty.
We have visited the fountain which is the
source of the Hasbany. It sends forth.a large
volume of water, and we found there what I
am sure none of us expected to see-a mill!
You cannot see the fountain itself, because of
the mill-dam built just below it; but you can
see the water bubbling up above the dam.
We rode to the bitumen pits, half a mile be23*




270 PHILIP~ IN PALESTINE.
yond the fountain, which are quite wonderful
in their way. The pits look like small wells;
some are fifty feet deep. There are as many as
thirty of these pits. The bitumen is drawn up
by means of a windlass. It is hard, and is said
to be of the finest quality; but I could not hear
of any use that was made of it, except to mix
with oil to put on grape-vines, to kill the
insects.
Hasbeiya, you will see, lies in the valley of
Ccelo Syria, which is a long valley running between Lebanon and Ante Lebanon. Several
rivers run through this valley, but the longest
is the Litany.  It rises near Baalbek, flows the
whole length of the valley, nearly in the centre
of it, and, after leaving the valley, runs in a
westerly direction and empties into the Mediterranean.  We crossed it in going from Sidon
to Tyre, and I think I mentioned it in my letter written at that time. The river is one hundred and twenty miles long, and the scenery is
said to be magnificent.
Hartley, Ibrahim and I made an excursion to
this river, and spent a whole day on its banks.
Mr. Hamilton was sick, and father did not go.
When tired of rambling about, we sat down on
a ledge of a high rock and looked down at
the river, eight hundred feet below us. It was
curious to watch its course-now creeping




IIA SB EIYA.           271
quietly along between smooth rocks, then
suddenly whirling round a corner or dashing
up against a precipice. We crept down to a
lower ledge of the rock, and sat quite silent for
long time. I was thinking of the different
places and people I had seen, and also of my
far-away home. I thought of you, and wished
you were with me in that romantic spot. I
don't know what Hartley was thinking of; but
we were so still, that the the conies crept out of
the rocks near us. They look somewhat like
rabbits, and have soft, dark fur; they are shy
little creatures. Presently there was a great
whirring and. whizzing, and the conies suddenly
vanished. The new comers were a pair of
eagles. They came so near us, were so tremendously large, and had such fierce eyes, that I
actually was afraid of them. They took no notice of us, but flew up to the rocks overhead;
very likely they had an eyrie there. Hartley
wished for a gun, but concluded, afterwards, he
was glad he did not have it; for what good
would an eagle have been to him, and he could
not have it stuffed? We saw a great many afterwards; there must have been thousands
about those cliffs.
I think we must have walked four or five
miles, altogether, along the banks, and everywhere found them wild and rocky. I gathered




272 PHILIP IN PALESZTILE.
pinks, altheas, snap-dragons, and many other
flowers.
We have remained at Hasbeiya ten days, on
account of the illness of Mr. H-amilton.  We
intended visiting Banias before coming to this
place; but he felt so unwell when we left Huleh,
that we came directly here. He is again quite
well, and we will leave for Damascus tomorrow.
Father, Hartley  and myself, escorted by
Ibrahim only, went over to Banias one day and
returned the next. The road was hilly, but
tolerably good. The valleys were full of oleanders and all sorts of flowers.
Banias is called Csesarea Philippi in the
Bible. There is not much to say about the
town itself.  It is nothing but a poor village,
in a little valley among the mountains, on the
southern side. of Hermon.  The wonders of
Banias are the castle and the fountain.  The
castle is two miles from Banias, on the top of a
high hill. It is, in fact, a fortress, with four or
five acres of ground with its walls. It is very,
very old; the wisest cannot tell when it was
built. It was used by the Crusaders, and also
by the Saracens. Some of the towers have
Christian, and some Saracenic inscriptions on
them, telling who built them. We were a long
time rambling over this castle.  In the open




A ASB. IYA.              273
space within the walls crops of tobacco were
growing, and a few huts were there, in which
the farmers lived. We went up the towers, and
down the dark stairway into the vaults beneath, where we did not care to stay long.
This staircase does not stop at these vaults, but
continues on down the rock; it was all choked
with rubbish, but it is believed, in the neighborhood, to lead to the fountain, two miles
distant.  Quite  doubtful, I should  think.
Strange to say, nobody knows anything about
the history of this castle before the Crusades,
and it was considered an ancient building
then!
Stumbling among the rocks, we scared out
some scorpions, which luckily ran away. They
are disgusting-looking  reptiles.  They sting
with their tails; the wound is painful, but does
not produce death. We were afraid they would
get into our tents at night, but they were not
out in sufficient force for that. In very warm
weather they abound in this neighborhood.
The fountain is the source of the Baniasy.
It flows out of a cavern, which is now partly
choked up with stones and rubbish-the ruins
of some building which formerly stood there.
The water gushes out from among these great
stones with a loud noise. On the rock of the
cavern is an inscription in Greek, stating that




274 PHIILIP IN PALESTINE.
there was once a temple to the god Pan at
this place. Its ancient name of Paniurn was in
honor of this god. Perhaps the great stones
were part of this heathen temple.  This fountain is generally called the source of the Jordan, though the fountain of the iHasbany
might be called so with greater truth, for it
is the longer river.
Father says it is probable that our Saviour
often visited Banias and drank of its fountain.
In his time it was quite a large place. The
wretched houses of the present village are
built among its ruins: in one place you will see
a high wall, with a little hut behind it; in another place a little hovel will be perched on a
heap of ruins, looking like a mouse on a flourbarrel. The country all around there is very
romantic, and famed for the wild beauty of its
scenery. It is also very rich and fertile, which
is, perhaps, of equal consequence.
I can send this letter to Beirut by one of
the missionaries who is going there, and has
kindly offered to execute any commissions for
us. I shall write to you again at Damascus,
but don't know whether I can send a letter
from there.
We are going to pass through wild regions
now. We go -to Damascus by the shortest
route, which is oier the Lebanon Mountains,




HASBEIYA.               275
north of'iermon. I don't know how long we
will stay at Damascus; ther we go up the country to Baalbek; then across Lebanon again to
the "Cedars;" then down the mountains to
Beirut.
And-now I must go to bed, and get a good
night's sleep as a preparation.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.




276  PHIL IP  [N  PAL ES 7TINE
XVII.
DAMASCUS, June 30, 18-.
MY DEAR HARRY:We came here by the shortest route from
Hasbeiya, as I told you in my last letter we
intended to do. Our mountain journey, though
made delightful by beautiful and romantic
scenery, had very little that I could put into a
letter. We did not go to the top of old Hermon, but climbed some respectable mountain
peaks for all that. It was curious to notice the
difference in vegetation as we went up. In the
valleys we found valerian, oleanders, broom
plant, &c.; a little higher up we came upon
heath and ferns, and at the top of the mountain we could only gather moss. The air was
cold and bracing up there. I was sorry when,
from a mountain peak, I first got sight of Damascus, although it was a beautiful sight to
see. But I had not had enough of the mountains.
On the spot where I had my first view of the
city, the prophet Mahommed, then a cameldriver, had also his first sight of it. He was




DAKMA S CUS.            277
urged to enter the city, but refused, saying:
"Man can have but one paradise, and my paradise is fixed above."
You may know, from this high-flown speech,
that Damascus, and the approach to it, are considered very beautiful. For half an hour befar'e reaching the city, we rode through avenues
of fruit trees. There are mud walls built along
the sides of the avenues.  The fruit orchards
are well watered by canals, cut in different directions from the Barada River. It rises among
the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, flows in a southeasterly direction, and empties into a lake east
of Damascus. The Awaj is a smaller river,
also in the plain. These are the'"Abana and
Pharpar, rivers of Damascus."*
The population of the city is one hundred
and fifty thousand. About half of these are
Moslems. There are a good many Christians
and Jews here. A wall surrounds the city,
which is four miles in circumference. This has
been built in modern times; thee old city was
much smaller. Part of the old wall still remains, and may be seen running through the
middle of the city. The streets are generally
narrow, crooked, and very dirty. They have
the gutter in the middle of the street, like other
*2 Kings v. 12.




278 PHILIP 1iN -PALESTINE.
Syrian cities. But the principal street is nearly
straight, and goes from one side of the city to
the other. It is a very busy street, and has
different names in  different parts; but the
Christians regard it as "the street which is
called Straight," in which St. Paul lived.*
Many of the streets are closed by gates; these
are shut an hour and a half after sunset, but a
little money opens them quite easily. I believe there are between thirty and forty gates
in the walls.
From the street, the houses do not appear to
be handsome. They are built of wood or hard
clay. I have been inside of two or three private houses, and they were exactly my ideal of
Eastern houses, though I have seen none of
them until now.  In the centre is a court, filled
with fragrant flowers and tempting fruits. In
the midst of these a fountain sends up a jet of
water, which falls into a marble basin and
dashes the spray in every direction.  From this
a tank leads the water off through the garden,
thus making a little brook. The house is built
around this garden, and has, therefore, four
sides. These have open porches on the lower
floor. The rooms are all of good size. The
reception-hall has a marble floor, and there is a
* Acts ix. 11.




DA~A S CUR.              279
fountain in the middle of the room. All
around the walls of the rooms were passages
from the Bible, in the houses I was in. The
Moslems have verses from the Koran on their
walls, I can't say that I much liked this
fashion.  It is pleasant to step from  the
street into one of these houses; the air is
made cool by the fountains, and fragrant by
the flowers.
There are numerous khans here, which are
quite handsome. The one we are in is a splendid affair; quite a palace. It has a very large
dome on the top. It is very well filled; all the
guests are men, and most of them merchants.
We have a very pleasant time here, as you may
know by our staying two weeks.
As many as eighty mosques lift their domes
and minarets above the houses, and give the
city a beautiful appearance. There are some
Jewish  synagogues  and  a  few  Christian
churches, both Roman Catholic and Protestant.
Many things seem to be manufactured here;
among others, silk goods, but they are not so
celebrated as they once were. But the name,
Damask, taken from the name of this-place, is
still given to goods manufactured in other
countries' I inquired about Damascus sword



280 PHILIP IN PA LEASTIiNE.
blades, but could not hear of any place where
they were made.
It is amusing to watch the trains arrive in
this city. Not as they come to our cities in the
West-a big locomotive puffing along, drawing
a train of carriages after it. No, indeed! these
trains are long lines of camels. They stalk
along in what I suppose they intend to be a
very imposing manner, with all kinds of merchandise in huge piles on their patient backs.
The hotels are the depots of these slow-moving
trains.
There are hospitals in various parts of the
city; one especially for lepers; another in a
beautiful plain outside the city, called "The
Merj" (meadow), intended for pilgrims on their
way to Mecca.
We have had several pleasant excursions
from the city. One of the curiosities near here
is a monstrous plane tree, which measures
twenty-nine feet in circumference.
We visited the very ancient castle, but I did
not care much about it.  I would rather have
gone into the great mosque of Ommiades,
which is said to be a magnificent affair; but
Christians are not allowed to enter it. - I
wonder what harm they think we can do their
mosques.  This one was built for a pagan
temple, and dedicated to Juno; then it became




DAMA S CUS.                281
a Christian church, consecrated b) the name of
St. John the Baptist. The most sacred portion
of the mosque, the Moslems say, contains the
head of Joirn the Baptist.
The dogs here are positive nuisances. The
streets are full of mean-looking curs, who have
no master, but live entirely in the streets.
They all know each other, and, if a strange dog
shows himself for a minute in the streets, the
whole troop will attack him.  They do not
trouble people, except by being forever in the
way.
I think, if you were here, you would enjoy
the bath as much as I do. I did not like it at
first; now I think it delightful. The one we
frequent is built in the Chinese style. First,
you enter the rotunda, which has divans all
around the walls, sufficient to accomodate sixty
people. It has a domed ceiling, painted skyblue. The walls are ornamented with Chinese
pictures, done in their usual style of art. If you
make known your wish to take a bath, you will
be conducted into an apartment so filled with
hot vapor, that it will be a couple of minutes
before you will be able to distinguish any thing
in the room. You will then find that it has
a domed roof, with glass windows all around
it; a marble floor, which is so heated that you
have to have wooden clogs, three or four inches
24*




282.PHILIP  IN.   PALESTINE.
high, put on your feet before you go into the
room. In the room are fountains of hot and
cold water, and alabaster reservoirs.  You
have to sit by one of the fountains until you
are partly boiled; then yellow Chinese, with
shaven skulls, rub you with hands not very
gentle, and made rougher by wearing horsehair
gloves. Then they will lead you into a room
still hotter, where you will be boiled a little
more, lathered, and then thoroughly washed.
By this time, if you are new to the business, you
will be pretty well exhausted. You have clean,
cool linen wound round you, which feels very
grateful to you; a turban is coiled round the
head, and you are gently supported to another
room, where you sink down upon a soft couch,
and have coffee or sherbet brought you.
The quarter of the city oftenest favored with
may presence, contains the bazaars. Each trade
here is separated from the others; the goldsmiths in one place, tailors in another, druggists in another, &c. In one plate you see
nothing but pipes; in another, a groat variety
of glass lamps. You pass through whole lanes of
confectionery, which is very good, I can tell
you. These bazaars remind one of the old
Arcade in Philadelphia; they are built much
in the same way. But the noise that reigns in
these walks is entirely beyond description or




DAfA SCUS.    -              28U
comparison.  The invariable  rule  with  the
merchant is 1) ask a great deal more for what
he sells than it is worth. It is the buyer's
business to beat him down to the very lowest
possible price.  The one that can talk the
loudest wins the battle; and, as the bazaars are
all in one part of the city, you may imagine the
confusion of tongues.  It sometimes takes a
merchant a half-hour to sell a skein of thread.
On the banks of the Barada, which flows
through the northwestern part of the city, are
several coffee-houses. Every evening we go to
one of these; sit in a balcony overhanging the
river, eat ices, sip sherbet, and listen to the
story-tellers. That is, Ibrahim listens and interprets, and we listen to him. They are not
very good stories, and are much alike; about
geniis, gnomes, and fairies, and their wonderful
deeds.  Sometimes the story-tellers would relate  parables.   These were rather  better.
Here is one I wrote for you, as it was rather
curious, I thought.
"A wise man from Europe visited the flowerland of Damascus. When he departed to return to his native shore, he bore carefully away
with him a  ittle palm tree. IHe planted it in
rich soil, 0n a sunny' slope, where only the
softest witids murmured.  It grew  up a tall,




284 _ PHILIP IN PALESlTI'NE.
graceful shaft, and the heart of the wise man
was pleased when it put forth a plume of
broad, green leaves. But, as year followed
year, much he marvelled that neither fruit nor
flower appeared on the tree. He did not know
it was pining for its Syrian sky, and only lifted
its languid leaves when the east wind brought
with it the fragrance of the orange groves of
Damascus. Then it would throw out its arms
imploringly to the wind, which only whispered
softly,'Farewell!' and went away. It had to
live, and the duty of its life was to grow; so
the grand head was lifted on a taller shaft, and
the leaves grew broader and longer. It was a
weary task to the pining palm; and the fair
head drooped, and the leaves hung listless and
still. But the wise man only saw a palm tree,
which grew luxuriantly, and was fair to the
sight.
"In the moon of roses there came a Syrian
bulbul to the palm tree. Whether the east
wind drove it across the sea, or whether Allah
had compassion on the palm, mortal may never
know; but she thrilled with joy, such as she
had not known since last she heard that song
on Syria's golden plains. The wise man heard
the notes, and, turning on his couch, said,'It
is sweet!' He did not know a bird from heayen was outside his lattice. But the bulbul




DA 2A SC US.               285
would not stay.  She remembered that her
mate was calling her to the Syrian shore; and
before the dawning, she spread her wings, and
flew towards the sea.
"To the palm the bird had brought deliver,
ance. Its song was like the strains the muezzins sing while the day is dying. The memories of her Syrian home stirred so strong within
her, that the life current ceased to flow; the
palm drew her roots away from the foreign soil;
she lifted her leaves but once more, laid them
on the wings of the east wind, and, with a sigh
of gladness, died. The wise man found a worm
at the root of his palm. He said the worm had
killed it. It was pitiful! his beautiful palm!
"Most unhappy is the life of the exile from
Damascus. Death is not so great a punishment
as this."
You will see from this letter, that I am leading a very idle life. It is a fact, but we don't
stay here long, and I don't think my native
energy will be killed in so short a time. Even
Mr. Hamilton, who you know, is a very enterprising and active man, says no one can help
yielding to the delights of Damascus. Father
says if he should spend a year here, he would
never want to go away; and Hartley, who is
always extravagant in his remarks, says that no




2g6  PHI LIP IN PALESTINE.
one who has not been to Damascus knows what
enjoyment is-that in America, life is a necessity; here it is a luxury. I have not quite got
hold of his idea yet. The truth is, we would
all like to stay here some time if we could, but
HIartley and I have to return to America-he
to study medicine, and I to go to school.
Your affectionate friend,
tHILIP.




BEIR UZ                287
XVIII.
BEIRUT, July 11, 18 —.
MY DEAR HARRY:We arrived here this morning, and to-morrow
afternoon we will take the steamer for Alexandria. From there we go directly home by way
of Italy, Germany and England. We will not
stay in Europe any longer than necessary, for
father says I must not lose any more time from
school. I can travel in Europe when I leave
college.
Our journey from Damascus to Baalbek was
through wild mountain scenery, and the great
numbers of ruins scattered everywhere through
this wilderness, showing that a powerful nation
had perished from the land, gave me a strange
feeling —a sort of an idea that it was not
much matter what you did in this life, for
men and their works are so soon forgotten.
Nobody could tell me anything about the
ruins we saw; there they were, fast crumbling
into dust, but the race of men, whoever they
might have been, that raised those great
buildings, which were to  make them remea-n




288  PIIILIP  lN  PALESTINE.
bered forever, have crumbled into dust ages
ago, and no one even knows their names.
For this reason I did not take any interest
in these ruins. I like to look at broken columns and tumble-down walls, if there is any
piece of history connected with them, because
then I please myself thinking of the men and
women who lived there, and looked at the
same stones, and I wonder what they thought,
and felt, and did. But a mere pile of stones
I care nothing about.
But, when we reached Baalbek, I found the
ruins so perfect in parts, and so wonderful in
size, that they were interesting in themselves.
It is a city of ruins. They meet you everywhere. We found a good many people there.
Among the ruins were some Moslem huts; on
a plain near by were a number of dark
camel's-hair Arab tents. Near the "public
square,' were pitched the white tents of a
party of English travellers. Our tents were
in the court of the great temple itself, which
furnished us with perpetual shade. Most of the
English travellers were artists, I should judge,
for I could never go anywhere without finding a man perched on a stone, with paper
and pencil in hand.
Nobody can form any idea of the grandeur
and beauty of the buildings until he has seen




B EIR UT.       289
them. They are said, by those wlhose taste
in such matters is not to be questioned, to
exceed in size, grace and elegance, any building or ruin in any part of the world. They
are all built of white limestone, which was
quarried from the hills near there. The most
wonderful of these buildings is the Great
Temple.  On the eastern front are the remains
of a large portico, one hundred and eighty
feet long; at each end is a square tower. The
portico is twenty feet above the ground, and
once a flight of steps led up to it, but these
have all disappeared.  This portico had twelve
columns in front, but only the pedestals of
them are left. They were twelve feet in circumference. A wide hall leads from the portico into the first court, which has. eight sides.
It is two hundred feet long, and two hundred and fifty wide. A hall fifty feet wide
leads from this into the Great Quadrangle or
Court. This room is four hundred and forty
feet long, and three hundred and seventy wide.
A good-sized room, that I These are the most
important rooms, but there are many smaller
ones; small compared to these, that is to say.
Some of these rooms contain columns. Fronting upon the Great Quadrangle was the
"Peristyle," nearly three hundred feet long,
and one hundred and sixty broad. Around
__




,290  PHILIP  IN  PA LEST'INE.
this was fifty-four columns. These are twenty,
one feet in circumference. We used to think
the pillars at Girard College were large; but,
Harry, I tell you they are babies compared to
these. They are seventy-six feet high. They
are very beautiful, and the capitals are richly
sculptured. I have written as if the fifty-four
columns still remained upright. Alas! all but
six have fallen, and lie there broken and covered with rubbish. These six lofty columns
can be seen from all directions around Baalbek, and they are the ones we always see in
pictures of that place. You remember them,
I am sure. Three men, with arms extended,
can just reach around one of these columns.
The Lesser Temple is not far from the
other. It is two hundred and twenty-five
feet long, and one hundred and twenty wide.
It had thirty-four columns around it, which
were forty feet high. Nineteen of these are
standing. Above the columns was a cornice,
made of great stones, beautifully sculptured.
There are figures of gods still supported in
the air by the columns, but most of the sculptures have fallen. The portal has a great
many beautiful sculptures. There is a figure
of an eagle, with a crest; from his beak the
strings of long garlands extend on each side;
the other ends are borne up by flying genii.




IB RUT2e.         291
It is not easy to get inside of these temples, because the steps. are all gone, and there
is so much rubbish. And such rubbish I
great shafts of broken columns, and beautiful
cornices and ceilings.
We visited the quarries, which are a mile
from the temples. Some stones lie there now
just as they were cut-I don't know how many
hundred years ago. One stone is famous for its
great size. It is sixty-eight feet long, seventeen
wide, and fourteen high.  Three good-sized
rooms might be cut in it!  I asked father how
they could carry such a stone a mile, and
then lift it up to the top of one of those high
columns?  He told me that question had puzzled wiser heads than his or mine.
Near the two temples I have mentioned.
there is a small one, called "The Temple of
the Wind." It is a graceful, circular building, almost covered with green vines and little
bushes. It has eight columns.
Of course you would like to know who built
these temples. I rather think, Harry, a great
many people in this world are in the same
predicament.  If I could only tell them  I
should become a great man at once. Nothing
is known with absolute certainty. It is generally believed that the foundations, and parts
of the buildings, were built by King Solomon.




292  PHIIL IP  IN  PA L ES TINE.
The Moslems say they were. It is evident
that many different nations had a share in
building them. It is pretty evident that they
were dedicated to the worship of the Sun,
and, in ancient times, the city bore the name
of Heliopolis (City of the Sun).
A little out of the town is what I call the
"public square."  It is a common, shaded by
walnut trees; little streams flow through it, for
it is, in fact, the source of the river Leontes. It
is a charming spot. I call it the "public
square," because all the inhabitants of Baalbek used to collect there in the afternoon,
and gossip and lounge under the trees. It
was so pleasant at Baalbek, we staid there
three days instead of one.
On your map of Palestine you will see a spot
in the Lebanon mountains marked "Cedars."
After leaving Baalbek, we made direct for that
place; that is, as direct as the roads and the nature of the country would permit. We found
that the part of the Cmelo Syrian valley we
crossed was not so thickly settled as that lower
down, towards lermon.
The "Cedars" are remarkable, because they
are the real cedars of Lebanon, so often mentioned in the Bible. There is only this one
grove of cedar trees in all the Lebanon mountains. The oldest ones are said to be three




B _EIR UT               293
thousand years old! We spent a night and
part of a day in the grove. There are several hundred trees, old and young, large and
small. Some of the trees, not the very oldest,
are very graceful and beautiful. They spread
out wide branches at the bottom, very near
the ground; the branches grow smaller and
smaller to the very top, thus making the tree
into the shape of a cone; a great mass of
delicate, dark green leaves. The oldest trees
have several trunks, and their branches straggle
rather wildly about.  Large, smooth spots are
cut in these trunks, where travellers have written their names.  I think it is shameful, for it
helps to destroy the trees. The grove is on the
highest part of. this range of mountains, being
six thousand feet above the sea.  It is in a little
valley, with the tall peaks of the mountains,
covered with snow, all around it. Besides
these trees there is not a green thing to be
seen anywhere. It is a clear grove, with no
underbrush. I never saw any place I would
like better to spend a summer.
There is a little Maronite chapel in this
grove, and monks and other persons were living
there during the summer. We bought some
little articles of them, made of the cedar wood.
We also got some cones, which are very large
and fine, and some nuts, or seeds, which I in25*




294  PIIIL IP  IN  PALtESTINE.
tend to plant when I get home. The seeds
have been carried from this grove to all parts
of the world, and it is said there are more
cedars of Lebanon within fifty miles of London than in all Syria. And yet there was a
time when these mountains were covered with
cedars. It was a valuable and costly wood, and
was used by all the ancient nations in building
their temples and public edifices. Forest after
forest was cut down, until the mountains were
fairly stripped of them. But they are said to
grow quickly, and to be easily propagated in
this climate. A good government, that took
an interest in the matter, could soon cover
Lebanon with cedar forests.
All the Scripture writers appear to have adrmired this tree very much, and compare beauful and glorious things to them. It was used
in the ornamental work of Solomon's temple.
The grove, and the river near it, are considered sacred by the Syrians.
We were four days making the journey from
the Cedars to Beirut. Our route lay along the
western side of the Lebanon Mountains. It
was very perilous in some places; but, thanks
to a kind Providence, we are safely over it;
and, indeed, it was charming. I don't believe there can be lovelier scenery in the
world than is to be found on these mountains.




BEIrR UT.              295
You find something at every turn; villages,
perched up in the air; towns, snug in little
valleys; old castles, where you fancy wonderful
adventures; old convents, where you hear
them; flocks and picturesque shepherds on the
green hill-sides; Arab encampments, with their
dark tents; roaring rivers; deep precipices;
and, every little while, you find yourself on
some high peak, where you get a magnificent
view of the sea. My journey in Northern
Syria is stored away, never to be forgotten. I
am glad we went to Baalbek and the Cedars.
They were not in the plan father had marked
out for his journey. He had only intended
to visit Palestine proper —the part actually
occupied by the Israelites. We left that when
we departed from Lake Huleh. But Lebanon
always seems like a part of Palestine, it is so
constantly mentioned in the Bible; and then
you can see its snowy peaks from all Northern Palestine.
We have now made the circuit of the whole
country, and seen its principal objects of interest.
All Syria is not quite as large as the State of
Pennsylvania. It would hardly take us as long
to go over that State. We would be carried by
steam there, and not; by camels and donkeys;
and then we would not want to stop so long
over everything as one feels like doing in




296  PH ILI P  IN  PALESTINE.
Palestine. Almost every house and tree here
has a story at least two thousand years old.
We bade farewell to our camels this morning,
and never expect to travel with any again. I
have been greatly disappointed in the disposition and manners of the camel.  I thought
they were meek and patient animals, suffering
all things with a contented mind. They are
very stupid, tolerably vicious, and the most
complaining creatures I ever met with. From
the moment they are made to kneel down to receive their loads they begin to growl, nor do
they stop until the last package is put on.
They will not endure the heavy loads that the
little donkeys carry. I have several times seen
them attack their drivers in a very vicious manner. They are very easily frightened, and very
silly; when alarmed at any little thing they
run and huddle together like sheep. They are
awkward and uncouth-looking, and more solemn than the gravest judges; even the young
have no sprightliness and playfulness. They
seem to have very little feeling for themselves,
or for each other. But I will not be too hard
on the poor camels. What desert travellers
would do without them I am sure I cannot tell.
Their feet have soft cushions on them, which
prevents them from feeling the heat of the sand,
and enables them to press lightly on the loose




BEIR UT                297
gravel. They eat but little, and consider the
thistles and thorny shrubs to be found in the
desert delicious food. They can travel for days
without drinking, and do not appear to suffer.
They travel slowly, but never seem t6 get tired;
they look as fresh, nearly, at the end of a day's
march, as in the beginning. They are also
good beasts for the mountains; their step is
sure-they never slip or stumble. Their skins
are so tough that they don't mind blows, unless they are very heavy. The poor creature
certainly  gets  enough  of them.  If they'were more gently treated, and better attended to, I have no doubt they would be better tempered and more sprightly. They kneel
down to receive their loads, and when they
wish to rest. They are not good beasts to ride;
the motion is like that of a ship rolling in a
heavy sea, and gives me the same kind of feel.
ing.  So much for the " djemmel."  They have
been our companions so long that I could not
let them go without a parting word.
Ibrahim left us this afternoon. He appeared
to be in great grief, but was consoled by some
presents. He will forget us long before we
will him. He has been an excellent guide and
good company; always in  a good humor;
always willing to oblige. I hope he will have
the  pleasure  of guiding many travellers




298 2HILIP IN PALESTINE.
through the Holy Land, and retire, at last,
with a snug fortune.
Totmorrow I must say good-bye to my pretty
Safladin. I have given him to Mrs. Fanshawe,
and he will be sent to Jerusalem in the morning. I wanted very much to take him home,
but father says it is impossible. My only consolation is, that he will be in good hands and
well cared for.
In a couple of months I shall be with you,
when I can tell you many adventures, not set
down in these letters.
Your affectionate friend,
PHILIP.
TIlE END.