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father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28. And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out, and entreated him.

29. And he, answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends;

30. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

LESSON XL. To Seneca Lake.

1. ON thy fair bosom, silver lake!
The wild swan spreads his snowy sail;
And round his breast the ripples break,
As down he bears before the gale.

2. On thy fair bosom, waveless streain,
The dipping paddle echoes far,
And flashes in the moonlight gleam,
And bright reflects the polar star.

3. The waves along thy pebbly shore,

As blows the north wind, heave their foam
And curl around the dashing oar,

As late the boatman hies him home.

4. How sweet, at set of sun, to view
Thy golden mirror, spreading wide,
And see the mist of mantling blue,
Float round the distant mountain's side.

A SYRIAN DESERT.

5 At midnight hour, as shines the moon,
A sheet of silver spreads below;
And swift she cuts, at highest noon,

Light clouds, like wreaths of purest snow.

6. On thy far bosom, silver lake!

Oh! I could ever sweep the oar,
When early birds at morning wake,
And evening tells us toil is o'er.

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LESSON XLI. A Syrian Desert.

1. I GALLOPED over an illimitable plain, covered with a vivid, though scanty pasture, and fragrant with aromatic herbs. A soft, fresh breeze danced on my cheek, and brought vigor to my frame. Day after day I journeyed, and the land indicated no termination. At an immense distance, the sky and the earth mingled in a uniform horizon. Sometimes, indeed, a rocky view shot out of the soil; sometimes, indeed, the land would swell into long undulations; sometimes, indeed, from a dingle of wild bushes, a gazelle would rush forward, stare, and bound away.

2. Such was my first wandering in the Syrian desert! But, remember, it was the burst of spring. I could conceive nothing more delightful, nothing more unlike what I had anticipated. The heat was never intense, the breeze was ever fresh and sweet, the nocturnal heavens clear and luminous to a degree which it is impossible to describe.

3. Instead of that uniform appearance and monotonous splendor I had hitherto so often gazed on, the stars were of different tints and forms. Some were green, some white, and some red; and, instead of appearing as if they only studded a vast and azure vault, I clearly distinguished them, at different distances, floating in ether. I no longer wondered at the love of the Bedouins for their free and unsophisticated life.

4. It appeared to me, that I could live in the desert forever. At night, we rested. Our camels bore us water in goat-skins, and carried for us scanty, although sufficient, provisions. We lighted our fire, .pounded our coffee, and

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smoked our pipes, while others prepared our simple meal, bread made at the instant, and on the cinders, a slice of dried meat, and a few dates.

5. I have described the least sterile of the deserts, and I have described it at the most favorable period. In general, the soil of the Syrian wilderness is not absolutely barren. The rains cover it with verdure, but these occur only for a very few weeks, when the rigor of a winter day arrests the clouds, and they dissolve in showers.

6. At all other seasons, the clouds glide over the scorched and heated plain, which has neither hills nor trees to attract them. It is, then, the want of water, which is the occasion of this sterility. In the desert, there is not even a brook ; springs are rare, and generally brackish; and it is on the artificial wells, stored by the rains, that the wanderer chiefly depends.

7. From the banks of the Euphrates to the shores of the Red Sea; from the banks of the Nile to the Persian Gulf; over a spread of country three times the extent of Germany, Nature, without an interval, ceases to produce. Beneficent Nature! Let us not wrong her; for, even in a land apparently so unfavored, exists a numerous and happy race.

8. As you wander along, the appearance of the desert changes. The wilderness, which is comparatively fertile in Syria, becomes rocky when you enter Arabia, and sandy as you proceed. Here in some degree, we meet with the terrible idea of the desert prevalent in Europe; but it is in Africa, in the vast and unexplored regions of Lybia and Sahara, that we must seek for that illimitable and stormy ocean of overwhelming sand, which we associate with the popular idea of a desert.

LESSON XLII. A Bedouin Encampment.

1. THE sun was nearly setting, when an Arab horseman, armed with his long lance, was suddenly observed on an eminence in the distance. He galloped toward us, wheeled round and round, scudded away, again approached, and our guide, shouting, rode forward to meet him. They entered, into earnest conversation, and then joined us. Abdallah, the

A BEDOUIN ENCAMPMENT.

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guide, informed me, that this was an Arab of the tribe I intended to visit, and that we were very near their encampment.

2. The desert was here broken into bushy knolls, which limited the view. Advancing, and mounting the low ridge on which we had at first observed the Bedouin, Abdallah pointed out to me, at no great distance, a large circle of low, black tents, which otherwise I might not have observed, or have mistaken them in the deceptive twilight, for some natural formation.

3. On the left of the encampment, was a small grove of palm-trees; and, when we had nearly gained the settlement, a procession of women, in long blue robes, covering with one hand their faces with their long veils, and, with the other, supporting on their heads a tall and classically formed vase, advanced, with a beautiful melody, to the fountain, which was screened by the palm-trees.

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4. The dogs barked; some dark faces and long matchlocks suddenly popped up behind the tents. The Bedouin, with a shout, galloped into the encampment, and soon reappeared with several of his tribe. We dismounted; I entered the interior court of the camp, which was filled with camels and goats. There were few persons visible, although, as I was conducted along to the tent of the chief, I detected many faces staring at me from behind the curtains of their tents.

5. The pavilion of the Sheik was of considerable size. He himself was a man advanced in years, but hale and lively; his long, white beard curiously contrasting with his dark visage. He received me sitting on a mat, his son standing on his right hand, without slippers, and a young grandchild squatting by his side.

6. He welcomed me with the usual Oriental salutation, touching his forehead, his mouth, and his heart, while he exclaimed, "Salam," thus indicating that all his faculties and feelings were devoted to me. He motioned that we should seat ourselves on the unoccupied mats, and taking from his mouth a small pipe of date wood, gave it to his son to bear to me. A servant instantly began pounding coffee.

7. I then informed him, through Abdallah, that, having heard of his hospitality and happy life, I had journeyed even from Damascus to visit him; that I greatly admired the Bedouin character, and I eulogized their valor, their in

dependence, their justice, and their simplicity. He an swered, that he liked to be visited by Franks, because they were wise men, and requested that I would feel his pulse.

8. I performed this ceremony with becoming gravity, and inquired whether he were indisposed. He said that he was well, but that he might be better. I told him that his pulse was healthy and strong for one of his age, and I begged to examine his tongue, which greatly pleased him; and he observed, that he was eighty years of age and could ride as well, and as long, as his son

9. Coffee was now brought. I ventured to praise it. He said it was well for those who had not wine. I observed, that wine was not suited to these climes, and that, although a Frank, I myself had renounced it. He answered, that the Franks were fond of wine, but that for his part he had never tasted it, although he should like to do so once.

10. I regretted that I could not avail myself of this delicate hint, but Lausanne produced a bottle of eau-de-cologne, and I offered him a glass. He drank it with great gravity, and asked for some for his son, observing it was good raki, but not wine.

11. I suspected from this, that he was not totally unacquainted with the flavor of the forbidden liquor; and I dared to remark, with a smile, that raki had one advantage over wine, that it was not forbidden by the Prophet. Unlike the Turks, who never understand a jest, he smiled, and then said, that the book, meaning the Koran, was good for men who lived in cities, but that God was everywhere.

12. Several men now entered the tent, leaving their slippers on the outside, and some, saluting the Sheik as they passed, seated themselves. I now inquired after horses, and asked him whether he could assist me in purchasing some of the true breed. The old Sheik's eyes sparkled as he informed me, that he possessed four mares of pure blood, and that he would not part with one, not even for fifty thousand piastres. After this hint, I was inclined to drop the subject, but the Sheik seemed interested by it, and inquired if the Franks had any horses.

13. I answered, that some Frank nations were famous for their horses, and mentioned the English, who had bred a superb race from the Arabs. He said he had heard of the English, and asked me which was the greatest nation of

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