scending a hill, when, hearing wild shouts amidst the rocks above us, we saw, on looking up, a figure rushing towards us with loud cries and frantic gesticulations. We soon perceived that we were pursued by a madman, who was perfectly naked, and in a furious state of excitement. He paid no attention to our Syrian followers, but, coming close up to us, screamed out continuously, 'Save me, you Franks! I am bound in a dungeon! Oh, give me liberty, you Franks!-give me liberty!' We quickened our pace, but the poor creature continued to keep up with us, until he had lost the power of shrieking, and fatigue compelled him to stop.

During most of this day our road wound round the western slope of Mount Hermon, which towered above us to the left, bright in a robe of unstained snow, which shone with dazzling splendour in the sunshine.

Having passed Hasbeiya, a town finely situated on a hill covered with olives, we chose for our nightly resting-place a ruin, which Constantine called a khan, but which appeared to have once been a fortress. The building formed a large square, on the sides of which were many spacious vaults, among which we made choice of an apartment, much to the dissatisfaction of a pair of kestrels, that continued to fly in and out, uttering their sharp, shrill cry. A stream, beautifully embowered in flowery oleanders, flows past the ruin. We followed in a great measure its course from Rasheiya, where, nourished by the dews of Hermon, it takes its rise amidst the steeps of the mountain, to the spot where it loses itself in the Lake Samachonitis, or Sweet Waters of Merom. This brook is certainly entitled, from its length and its geographical position, to rank as the parent spring of the Jordan, of which it is a direct continuation; but that honour has always been accorded to a much shorter and less considerable rivulet, which flows into the lake almost at the same spot, from a more easterly direction, taking its rise in a circular lakelet called Phiala.

Leaving the Rasheiya, or Hasbeiya river, for a time, we plunged by a fine ravine into the midst of the mountains, by a path which was new to the guide, and not usually followed, and soon found ourselves surrounded by scenery that greatly resembled many parts of the Scottish Highlands. We stopped for our noontide rest near a fresh bubbling spring,

one of the traditional sources of the Jordan, which is also identified with the site of the ancient Laish, or Dan, from which some translators have considered the name of the river to be derived. No traces of ancient buildings remain on the spot; but we saw, at a short distance to the east, some of the former strongholds of Cæsarea Philippi, which has resumed its ancient name of Banias-a corruption of Paneas from the worship of Pan.

We were now at Dan; and to ride to Beersheba over the hills of Palestine, is not so easy a matter, particularly for a lady, as it may appear on the map; but, refreshed by the springs of the Jordan, we rose to pursue our journey, when an unexpected difficulty brought us to a stand. It seems to be the rule in the East, at least with such persons as travellers are brought chiefly in contact with, never by any chance to deviate into truth; and it is extraordinary that men who are constantly endeavouring to deceive others, are themselves imposed on with the facility of childhood.

Our muleteers, who had for some days held mysterious converse with every peasant or goat-herd whom we met, now positively refused to proceed a single step farther, declaring that we were advancing upon certain destruction.

I rode hastily back, and was about to convince them that robbers were not the only persons they had to fear, but I was somewhat mollified on seeing the state of abject terror the poor wretches were in; and I found, at the same time, that Constantine had solemnly assured them that they were to stop during the night at Banias. The men were, in fact, running a greater risk than I was aware of, as was proved by an adventure which befell two persons, who, having arrived at Beirout by the same vessel that we did, pursued a route through Syria nearly identical with that which we followed.

Twice during the journey we encountered these travellers, and at Jerusalem we received from them an account of an attack which had been made upon them. After leaving Damascus, wishing to benefit by the numbers of our party, they endeavoured to keep within sight of us, but at Katana their muleteers refused to proceed farther in the direction which we took, and insisted on adhering to the more beaten path. They had not, however, proceeded far, when a large party of Druse rushed upon them with loud cries.

Remonstrance was useless, and the robbers were about to plunder, if not to murder them, when the travellers, who were Asiatics by birth, but English by adoption, exhibited their passports, and declared they were British subjects. Instantly the Druse bent their heads, kissed the seals of the papers, and assured the travellers they would touch nothing that was theirs; but that the muleteers being Turks, were their open enemies, and that the blood of fallen friends called out for revenge, and that vengeance they would have. The representations and earnest remonstrances of the travellers saved the lives of the Mahometans, but they were stripped naked, and savagely beaten. Their mules were taken, but the Druse allowed the gentlemen to buy them back; and the robbers having, with the utmost coolness, mounted the horses the travellers rode, remarking that they were not their own property, tried if they had been trained to stop suddenly when at full gallop, and finding they had not, and were therefore unfit for Syrian warfare, they returned them.* One of these travellers, a Moor by birth, but a Londoner by residence, illustrated his Cockney adoption by writing to the 'Times' an account of his woes, the instant he arrived at Jerusalem.

It was, however, no longer the Druse, but the bad characters among the Bedouin Arabs, that our party had to fear; and our muleteers were only induced to proceed, on our guaranteeing that the price of their mules should be paid them, in the event of their being taken by the Arabs. During the whole of that afternoon, we were kept in considerable anxiety. It was evident that the inhabitants of the district were living in a state of alarm, dreading the attacks of marauders upon their property; and many a time we saw men on the watch, scanning us from hill-tops, or from behind rocks, and occasionally firing shots as signals to their companions. Once we imagined we were about to have an encounter, as nine very suspicious-looking Arabs, well mounted and armed, * A Turkish firman is seldom taken by travellers, as being of no use, but this is a mistake. The horses of these two travellers were taken from them at Damascus for the government, and they were actually told they had been sent for by our party, as it was known I had brought a firman with me from Constantinople, which gave me the power to take any animal not in the employment of government.

crossed our path, but, after halting for some time on first seeing us, they passed quietly on. It may be they had no hostile intent, but we were glad at the time to consider that, so far as numbers went, we appeared stronger than they.

Our path now became much less mountainous, and we traversed a bare but cultivated district, where labourers were at work with rude ploughs, with which they turned up a rich loamy soil. Here, for the first time, we saw those elegant little animals so typical of Palestine, the softeyed gazelles. Groups of four or five were browsing on the corn-lands, and started off when we approached them, their gallop being a succession of rapid bounds. They are shy, but not very wary, and are easily stalked. They would make good rifle-shooting, if one could have the heart to send a ball through such slight and graceful forms.*

Syria is a land of many surprises. We had ridden for some hours over low grey hills, when suddenly our eyes were delighted by seeing an expanse spread out before us, green as emerald, and level as a lake. It was the rich grassy margin of the reed-fringed Bahr el Houle, or Sweet Waters of Merom.

Passing some huts, we inquired as to the state of the country beyond, when we received the agreeable information, that we were riding right into a 'robber's nest.' Such was our informant's expression, but, on hearing that his tribe was at feud with those whom he described as being so fierce and lawless, we consoled ourselves by reflecting, that had we been travelling in an opposite direction, we should probably have received a similar account of the people who were thus warning us.

The luxuriant meadow before us was covered with hundreds of buffaloes, the property of the Bedouins, who were just migrating thither; and on the opposite side of the verdant plain we saw their dark brown tents, stretched out in a line that appeared almost interminable. On reaching the margin of the lake, a sight presented itself which, to any observer, must have seemed extraordinary, and to the eye of a sportsman appeared perfectly

*The body of the gazelle is about as large as that of a goat, his colour dun, his head high set, with black spiral-twisted horns, his legs are long, and exceedingly slender. The flesh of the animal, when cooked, is very dry.

marvellous. The whole expanse of greensward and marsh was covered by millions of wild-ducks and other birds. I could not at first believe my eyes, that the countless multitudes of living creatures that rose in clouds as we advanced, were actually malards. But so they were; and though our people begged me not to fire, in case of drawing attention to our party, I forgot alike the fear of robbers and malaria, and wading for miles along the marshy lake, blazed away among birds that fairly bewildered me with their variety and countless numbers. Snipe and teal were alike unnoticed and innumerable-malards sprang around me in thousands, and then pitched down again, after flying little more than a hundred yards. The beautiful white egret, a small and elegant species of heron, rose from time to time amidst the reeds. The bird called — though erroneously—the ibis, soared round me, and frequently alighted on the backs of the buffaloes. Pelicans -the first I had ever seen-swarmed in the pools, and though shy on the hill, here they feared no danger; a hundred water-fowl, whose names I knew not, floated or flew past me. Our own brighthued kingfisher, and a larger species with speckled feathers and large crest, darted amidst the plume-like reeds, or hovered over the streams. Birds of prey of every size were there, from the vulture that sat gorged on some block of stone, to the slight small hawk that shot like light along the grass; but the most common kind was a large dusky buzzard, which, with owl-like flight, hunted slowly over the lake, just touching the tops of the gigantic reeds with his heavy wing, and sometimes lighting upon them. I observed this species of hawk everywhere in Palestine where such reeds abounded; but the only one I shot fell into a morass, where I could not secure him.

--

What a spot for a Cockney sportsman! So thickly did the birds fill the air, that on firing at one, I repeatedly killed some others much farther off. Many lapwings frequent the plains surrounding this lake, and observing that at least half of their number were of a species differing considerably from ours, I shot one or two, when I was surprised to find a strong horn, in the form of a hook, protruding from the middle joint of each wing. This bird is a common one on the banks of the Nile. Darkness, which approaches so suddenly in the east, recalled me to my companions,

who had ridden along the base of the hills, whilst I had waded in a parallel direction, often up to the middle in water, which was actually tepid.

We halted for the night on the slope of a hill that stretched down to the lake, and fixing upon a patch of smooth greensward, proposed that the tents should be pitched upon it. Constantine, in a state of unnecessary excitement, declared, that to erect tents and kindle a fire on such a spot, was a sure way to invite attention and provoke an attack. And where, then, are we to sleep?' we asked. "There!' replied he, and pointed to what seemed the blank hill side. A few jutting rocks and low bushes concealed the mouths of two grottoes or caverns in the mountain, and so well were the places hidden, that they could not be observed at more than a few yards' distance. Immediately on entering the cave that was to serve as our dormitory, we started back in no unreasonable alarm, for, on stepping under the hanging rock, we found the place occupied by some of the very men of whom we had been so often warned, and whose names had appeared so terrible to our muleteers. Four savage-looking Bedouins of the worst class stood there, with their guns in their hands, apparently as much surprised to see us in their cave, as we were to find them in it. Our dread was only momentary, as we were too strong to have anything to fear from four Arabs armed with matchlocks. After a short consultation at the mouth of the cavern, we opened a parley with the inmates. They demanded a sum for the use of their lurking-place, which, had we paid it, would have almost amounted to robbery. Had we taken the place by force, the robbers would undoubtedly have returned in strength, when we might have paid dearly for our lodging. We were, however, in a position to dictate terms to our hosts, and we did so without hesitation. We told them we would pay for their den as if it was a first-rate hotel, but that they must lay down their arms and remain our prisoners for the night. Placing three of them in a recess of the cavern, and affecting to trust the leader of the band, we told him he must keep watch, during the night, over the safety of his castle, and he was accordingly posted as a sentinel in front of his fellows. The other cavern was alloted to our Syrians, and the horses and mules, some of which were only forced down the steep stair-like entrance after

at the waters of Merom, we met numerous Bedouin families, travelling in a fashion truly patriarchal. The head of the house was changing his abode, surrounded by his kindred and his flocks, and all that was his. First came the young men with the camels, some of which carried the wives and the maidens of the family group, whilst the rest were loaded with their tents the only houses the wanderers ever knew. Flocks of many goats and a few sheep followed, and then came several mules and asses, on some of which rode the more aged women, whilst on the rest were packed the slender stock of furniture and culinary utensils required for their pastoral mode of life. One of the asses bore on its back two large iron pots, slung across it, in the form of panniers. From one of these peeped out the pretty faces of two infants, and in the other were placed a lamb and a kid, both recently dropped on the way. The donkey's tender freight was a perfect picture of innocence. At the rear of the procession, mounted on a beautiful Arabian marehis head and face protected from the sun by a scarf of yellow silk, bound round the temples by a band of camels' hair, the picturesque head-gear of the Arabs, and carrying in his hand a long and slender spear-rode the patriarch, directing the progress of his people. So journeyed Abraham from the land of his fathers, starry Chaldea.

After having ridden about four hours from our cave in the hill, we came within sight of the Lake of Tiberias, and at noon we dismounted on its margin, and spent the day in wandering by its tranquil waters. Though no sacred associations had hallowed the scene around us, the gentle beauties of the Sea of Galilee would in themselves have had charms sufficient to implant a picture on the memory never to be blotted

out.

The hills, receding from the western shore, have left a wide semicircular plain, which was covered by bright verdure: detached trees being scattered over rich grass, gave it the appearance of an English park. On the eastern shore a chain of steep and rugged mountains seemed to approach close to the water, and, stretching along its margin, shut out its southern extremity from the view.

The lake itself rested amidst its hills, like an expanse of polished silver, the

only specks on its surface being waterfowl, which,

Luxuriant

'Like painted birds, Upon a painted ocean,' floated almost motionless. oleanders, twined round the lake like a garland, stretched out their fresh green leaves and fair lilac flowers to meet the limpid waters, upon a strand covered Gennesareth seemed to know no winter. with tiny spiral shells. The Lake of The fresh turf we trod upon was bright with anemones, and the feathery trees that studded the plain-beautiful to look on, but terrible to touch-were thorns, covered with small, delicately formed leaves of a brilliant green.

Tranquilly fair as was the scene, it was not till sunset shed upon it that magic light which is the great charm of an eastern eve, that Galilee blushed into loveliness. The rugged hills of Bashan assumed a violet hue, and, softened by gentle shadow, closed in a landscape of rare and glowing beauty. Not unfitting was that placid scene to the peaceful and holy memories attached to it. often

How

Over these acres walk'd the blessed feet, Which, eighteen hundred years ago, were nail'd,

For our advantage, to the bitter cross.'

On that pure lake, and on these still shores, how many miracles of mercy were performed, and how often were the once famous cities, upon the unmarked sites of which we wandered Chorazin and Bethsaida-warned of their approaching doom.*

The thousand lilies which, though not

strange fight took place upon the Lake of Ti* About forty years after this period, a berias, if fight it could be called, where the forces were so unequally matched. The unfortunate Jews, hunted from the land by the Roman legions, took refuge on the water, where their invaders, for a time, could not follow them, for want of ships. But Roman energy soon overcame the difficulty. From the woods around timber was cut, and large vessels built, with which the unhappy Jews were soon hunted down. They defended themselves with desperate but unavailing lack of more formidable weapons; but the courage, pelting the Romans with stones, for lake was soon covered with their dead bodies, and a terrible slaughter was made, both on the water and in the surrounding country— those spared being sent, as slaves, to cut Trajan, and Titus, were all present at this through the isthmus of Corinth. Vespasian, action.-Whiston's Josephus.'