March 20.

WE started this morning from our lovely halting place, quite loath to leave it. As we travelled slowly along the edge of the lake, we were engaged in looking over to the other side, to try to discover the most likely place where might have happened the miracle of the demons and the swine, mentioned Luke viii. 33. The cliffs are every where very abrupt and lofty, except to the north side of the eastern shore, where they gradually become lower and less steep; and we fancied we could fix upon one or two places which might have been the likely spots on which the thing occurred. When you have left Tiberias two or three miles behind, you quit the sloping shore of the lake, and enter upon the rich little plain of Gennesaret. It is very small, but has always had the reputation of being one of the most fertile spots in the East; almost every kind of fruit tree, and almost every kind of flower are said to shew themselves here; we saw fig-trees, almond trees, olives, and numerous others all growing wild, and the oleander was in full bloom, in immense quantities

along the margin of the water.* Ruined villages seemed sprinkled about on all sides: no doubt this little paradise was once well filled with a busy population. Nearly at the northern extremity of the lake are the remains of a large khan, Khan Minyeh, which is said to be the spot on which Capernaum stood; but as mentioned before, all certainty as to the locality of this place has long since disappeared. Close by the khan was encamped a body of pilgrims; they had just slaughtered

a camel, over whose remains a flock of huge vultures were feasting. On our approach they flew off, and stationed themselves, already half gorged, on the walls of the khan, stretching out their bare necks, and impatiently awaiting our departure.

We now left the lake, as its shore continued to bend towards the East, and instead of following it and proceeding up the valley of the Jordan, we began immediately to ascend the

* This has been erroneously supposed to be the rhododendron, which it very much resembles. It was not only in full flower; but we were able also to collect a great quantity of seed.

hills out of the plain, making a straight course over them, towards the point where the river leaves Bahr Huleh, or the waters of Merom. We presently saw some mounted figures in the distance, which rapidly approached us, and it was not very pleasant to discern in them a body of about half-a-dozen well armed Arabs. They passed at a very short distance from us, curbing in their horses as they neared, and taking a most careful survey of our party. Never was an observing scrutiny more visible, than in these men's dark and savage countenances; they seemed to be calculating our strength with the ut most care, and comparing it with their own; and it was probably their discovery of the fact that we were Europeans, and the good shew of swords and pistols that immediately was presented, which made them to desist from attacking us, for I am persuaded they were all ready for the business. When we got to Damascus, we then heard that these same robbers had, the very day after we met them, assaulted a small caravan of merchants, less formidable looking than we were; and after a sharp encounter, taken every thing belonging to them, and left some of them very dangerously wounded. About a quarter of an hour after they disappeared, we came in sight of their encamp. ment, which consisted of a large number of black tents, and many camels, with not a few men scattered about here and there.*

We were gradually rising higher and higher; when at length, having reached the summit of the hills

These Arab tents are always black, and are made of stuff woven by the women, out of camels' hair. They are flat and low, having the appearance of a piece of cloth, slightly inclined out of a horizontal position, supported at the four corners by stakes fastened in the earth; and the sides are also closed in. (See Song of Solomon i. 5.) These maurauding Arabs usually hover about in small parties, and keep near to each other for help. If you see one set of them one part of the day, you are almost sure to see the rest soon afterwards. How completely does their character coincide with that of their great patriarch! (See Gen. xvi. 12.)

which we had to cross over, and which continued for some miles further in an unbroken plain, the clouds began to darken the sky, thunder sounded in the distance, and every thing seemed to be making for a heavy storm. We were just now in no pleasant position, being the most elevated and prominent objects on which the electric fluid could take effect, and nothing rising higher than ourselves in any direction. Providentially our fears were not of long continuance; the storm, which seemed to have broken almost immediately over our heads, rapidly moved to the eastward, and we could see the lightning darting upon the eminences in the vicinity of the lake, while the rain fell in torrents upon the ruffled surface of the water.

About here is the place which tradition points out as Dothan, the spot where Joseph was sold by his brethren ; and the Turks have a small kind of mosque built in memory of the patriarch.

A

We were now gradually, yet evidently advancing northwards; Bahr Huleh, or the waters of Merom, came in view, and the huge Jebel-esh-Sheikh, Mount Hermon, lay just beyond it, all clothed in cold ice and snow. green tract of country we then passed over, gently inclining towards the lake, and over which numerous foxes and jackalls were running about in all directions, and at length came to Jisr Yacoob, or Jacob's bridge, over the Jordan. At this spot we halted for the night. The Jordan is here very rapid, and still narrow and muddy: it comes out of the lake about a mile up above. The bridge over it is rather an ancient one, and built of stone; the first one of the kind I have yet seen in Syria. Bahr Huleh is but a small lake, about five or six miles long, and two or three broad; the Jordan enters it on the north, coming immediately from the regions of ice and snow on the heights of Hermon. There is a Turkish guard stationed at Jisr Yacoob, partly to collect tolls from merchants passing over this bridge, and partly to protect them from the Arab robbers. We pitched close by the stream, on

a small flat piece of ground, which seemed to be the only place any where about ever used for the purpose.

March 21.

We were now approaching a country more and more dangerous, teeming with robbers, and almost entirely destitute of villages. It became a question whether we should not engage into our service, during the rest of our way to Damascus, an escort of the Turkish guard which was stationed here. And yet there was a doubt whether, in a struggle, they would be of any practical use; whether they would not take to their heels on the first approach of danger. However, we came to the conclusion that if they did no other good, they would swell our numbers, and make our caravan look more formidable; and so accordingly we ordered a couple of fellows to be in readiness for our departure this morning; and by the time our tents were struck, they made their appearance; and two fierce looking, strangely dressed Turks they were, armed to the teeth with their scimitars, and huge pistols, which when stuck in their girdles, looked more like respectably sized guns. A poor lad, who was making towards Damascus, also took advantage of our protection.

We now crossed the Jordan, and mounting the hills on its eastern bank, found ourselves in the Hauran. This was the territory of that ancient monarch, Og, king of Bashan; and a very splendid country he had. I can hardly conceive any thing more rich and fertile; the whole surface is as green as an emerald, except where the profusion of wild flowers tints it with their own peculiar colours; in places indeed it appears like a decorated carpet of flowers, amongst which the tulip and the star of Bethlehem bloom conspicuously. Among other trees of a large size, the most magnificent oaks are interspersed all about, quite coming up to the idea one has always formed from Scripture, of "the oaks of Bashan."

This country has sometime been most numerously inhabited; ruins of

all kinds lie about in every direction, not only of single buildings, but of good sized villages, and even towns. These places are infested with robbers. It is here that they lie concealed, and dart out upon any unhappy travellers who are passing by, not sufficiently protected; the least they do is to deprive you of every thing; in which your life is included, if you make resistance.

At a certain season of the year, when the interior deserts are so entirely burnt up, that nothing can be found for man or beast to subsist upon, the Arabs who inhabit them, pour over in immense hordes into this fertile region. Now you see not a single human being; then you can go in no direction, but you will find the whole country strewed with their black tents, their camels and goats; like a flock of locusts they swarm all over the land, eating up every green thing before them; and like them, when they again take their departure, they leave behind them a complete desolation; and this, not from having exhausted the supplies of the land only for the season; but in causing it to be void of inhabitants, and desert like, though so rich and fertile. No peasant dare settle himself down in his cottage and attempt to till his ground; the next summer, when the locust comes, all his labours would be swept away.* Towards the afternoon, the country began to alter its character; we seemed to have risen on to a very elevated plain, and to have left all the rich land for the present behind us; we, in fact, had only passed over the most northern corner of it. stretches far down towards the south, presenting the same fertile character, and covered with ruined towns, some

It

The modern habits of the Arab are precisely the same with the very earliest usages of society. We find Abraham and Lot wandering about with their flocks and herds, owning no particular district but that which they were at the time actually occupying; when they left it, it was free to any one else to make use of in a similar way. What a singular relic, to connect modern with ancient times! And how far removed are we in England from this, when almost every square inch of ground in the country is appropriated!

of them most wonderfully perfect, but little explored by Europeans.

The

We were now in the regular beaten track from the south of Syria to Damascus, and as we advanced further on, there were evidences of its having been such for a very long time. Every now and then we had a long piece of a paved road, composed of large stones most carefully cut, and cemented together. pains taken originally to form it must have been prodigious; for the whole distance, it has evidently been raised two or three feet above the level of the surrounding ground, to avoid the numerous overflowing swamps and marshes; and almost every two or three miles, there was a bridge to cross the endless streams that flow down from the snows of Hermon.* The substantial character of it all, points out at once its Roman origin; and you hardly know which to wonder at most-that so useful and necessary a convenience should have been allowed to go into decay; or that ever being neglected, it is not more decayed, considering the many hundred years it has been exposed to the destructive hand of man and some of the elements. Parts of it are very perfect, and others seem to have been intentionally and forcibly destroyed.

This road is most interesting, as being certainly the very one along which Saul journeyed towards Damascus, breathing out his threatenings and slaughters against the Christians. How things have altered in the world between the time that he travelled along the road, and now that we are walking over it! Then, he had wellnigh crushed Christianity in the bud; now, it is the mighty tree spreading

*The construction of the road is also curious in this respect, that it is broad enough to admit of two carriages to pass each other; and along the centre, parallel with the sides, runs a single line of stones, (not projecting above the surface,) apparently to separate it into two different roadways. Was this not with the intention to keep all carriages going in the same direction to their own side, like the up and down trains on our railways, so that in meeting there should be no confusion?

over the whole earth. Then, this very country was, perhaps, not much inferior to Italy itself in civilization; all the world, west of Rome, was more or less sunk in barbarism and superstition;-now, two travellers, from the barbarous Ultima Thule, come here, and comparing this with their own country, look upon it with just the same feelings that its inhabitants would have looked upon the Isles of Great Britain centuries ago— ages behind in civilization and religious enlightenment. How do nations change places! When this road did happen to fail us on account of its disorder or its entire destruction, we found the soil but a bad substitute fortravelling upon; especially since, as we proceeded, the country became more level, and the water-courses more and more frequent; so that we not only had to ford them, (the bridges being broken down,) but we had to ride over a great deal of ground which was very wet and swampy. The streams were filled with tortoises, which were amusing themselves with sitting quietly on the stones projecting out of the water, without being the least alarmed at our approach.

As the evening drew on, the plain became more dreary, now not a tree was to be seen. Mount Hermon and its range, which had all day long been enveloped in dark, black clouds, which seemed to be moving round and round his gigantic form, and never to retire beyond a certain distance from him-(there is a strange attractive power in mountains !)— bounded us on the north-west; and on all other sides around us the plain seemed interminable; all was desertlike but for the grass beneath our feet, and the frequent streams. At length we came to a solitary khan, and were thinking of taking refuge here, as the freezing wind continued to blow with increased intensity; but the fear of the inconvenience we should meet with here, sent us onwards, and before long we came to a spot where there were a few trees and bushes about, and this suggesting the idea of fuel for fires, we took our burdens off our animals, and pitched for the night.

There is something most exhilara

ting and refreshing in this independent and wandering Arab kind of life! While our servants were busily engaged in pitching our tents, we set to work to collect all the wood we could find for our kitchen fire; and then turning into our tents, wrapped ourselves up in Albanian capotes, and stretched on our Persian rugs, lost ourselves in pleasing dreams of the past and future, till our meal was announced. After this was over, we went out as usual in order to see that all outside was going on right, and on throwing open the tent door, we were at once enchanted with the singular scene before us. Here we were amongst these few trees, in the midst of this large barren plain-the sky was now blue above us; and the moon shining clearly and brightly; Jebel-esh-Sheikh, divested of all his clouds, appeared one huge and dazzling white mass against the blue horizon, and lit up by the pale rays of the moon, shining full upon it. There came a steady breeze, blowing from his snowy summits, and which, carrying with it all the cold it found there, pierced sharply through all our coverings. On the other side the tent, were our attendants, all squatting or lying round a most enormous fire; and much must they have needed it, poor things, for they most of them, had to sleep all night in the open air. Some of them were already retired to bed (!)—the muleteers being wrapped up in their Syrian blankets, as near the heat as was prudent to avoid danger; our two valiant Turkish horsemen were also asleep, one leaning against a huge log of wood, the other resting on his arm on the ground-but both in a position prepared to rouse up at the least alarm, their pistols all ready to their hand, and their scimitars loose by their side; it is their usual method of passing the night when on their journey; never safe or secure, you must be in a state half asleep and half-watching. How different in happy England! There was another encampment of merchants, a few hundred paces from us; but, before long, they moved on their journey, and we were left quite alone; all now were lost in sleep but the one on watch, and every thing

was as quiet and still as death, save the far-crying howl of the jackal, and the low, cold moaning of the snowy wind from the heights of Mount Hermon.

March 22.

We hoped to reach Damascus by the evening, and accordingly started off early. The fine clear night was succeeded by a beautiful day, and the whole range of Jebel-esh-Sheikh, which bounded our course on the left, presented a splendid appearance of bold mountain scenery. For some hours before noon, we had to travel over the most wretched road that can possibly be conceived. The plain which we were still upon, now became covered with rocks and stones, presenting the most extraordinary confusion. No doubt our Roman road once crossed it without subjecting travellers to any inconvenience, but now this deserted us entirely, and we were left at its mercy. It resembled, perhaps, the ruins of an enormous city more than anything else; for miles, nothing was to be seen but the whole country strewed with large stones, mostly sharp and irregular; not a shrub nor a blade of grass; and no amount of traffic seemed to have any effect in making the path at all tolerable: it hardly mattered where you rode, the beaten track was no better than the strewed ground on either hand. How our animals contrived to make their way over it at all, was extraordinary; our horses were not shod as horses are in England, but merely had a plate of iron fastened on to their feet, which is perfectly smooth, and affords not the least projection by which any hold may be taken of the slippery rocks. The donkies, too, were shod in a similar manner; and these little animals had accompanied us the whole distance from Jerusalem, carrying burdens as great almost as the horses and mules. There were three of them; and on the back of each you usually saw a muleteer and a huge sack of corn. The sharp rocks seemed to be enough to cut their slender legs to pieces, as we passed over a road of this description; and in swamps, they were often entirely up to their bodies in mire; and yet they