FROM THE SEA OF GALILEE TO THE FALLS OF BUK'AH. —DEPARTURE OF THE BOATS.
BRIGHT was the day, gay our
spirits, verdant the hills, and unruffled the lake, when, pushing off from the
shelving beach, we bade adieu to the last outwork of border civilization, and
steered direct for the outlet of the Jordan. The "Fanny Mason" led
the way, followed closely by the " Fanny Skinner;" and the
Arab boatmen of the " Uncle Sam" worked vigorously at the
oars to keep their place in the line. With awnings spread and colours flying,
we passed comfortably and rapidly onwards.
Our Bedawin friends had
many of them exchanged their lances for more serviceable weapons,
long-barrelled guns and heavily mounted pistols. 'Akil alone
wore a scimetar. The priestly character of the Sherif forbade
him to carry arms. With the addition of Emir and his
followers, they amounted in all to thirty horsemen. Passing along the shore in
single file, their line was long and imposing. Eleven camels stalked solemnly
ahead, followed by the wild Bedawin on their blooded animals, with their abas
flying in the wind, and their long gun-barrels glittering in the sun; and
Lieutenant Dale and his officers in the Frank costume brought up the rear.
Gallantly marched the cavalcade on the land, beautiful must have appeared the boats upon the water. Little did we know what difficulties we might have to encounter! But, placing our trust on high, we hoped and feared not.
(171)
We started at 2 P. M., the temperature of the air 82°, of the water 70°. For the first hour we steered S. E., then S. E. by S., and E. S. E., when, at 3.40, we arrived at the outlet. The same feeling prevented us from cheering as when we launched the boats, although before us was the stream which, God willing, would lead us to our wondrous destination.
The lake narrowed as we approached its southern extremity. In its south-west angle are the ruins of ancient Tarrichaea; opposite, on the eastern shore, a lovely plain sweeps down to the lake, and on the centre of the waterline a ravine (wady) comes down. Due west from it, across the foot of the lake, the Jordan debouches shortly to the right. The right or western shore descends in a slope towards the lake; the left is somewhat more depressed, and much washed with rains.
The scenery, as we left
the lake and advanced into the Ghor, which is about three-quarters of a mile in
breadth, assumed rather a tame than a savage character. The rough and barren
mountains, skirting the valley on each hand, stretched far away in the
distance, like walls to some gigantic fosse; their southern extremities half
hidden or entirely lost in a faint purple mist.
At 3.45, we swept out of the lake; course, W. by N. The village of Semakh on a hill to the south, and Mount Hermon brought into view, bearing N. E. by N.; the snow deep upon its crest, and white parasitic clouds clinging to its sides. On the extreme low point to the right are the ruins, called by the Arabs, Es Sumra, only a stone foundation standing. A number of wild ducks were upon the water, and birds were flitting about on shore. 3.55, our cavalcade again appeared in sight, winding along the shore. The Bedawin looked finely in their dark and white and crimson costumes.
At 4.30, course W. S. W. abruptly round a ledge of
small rocks; current, two knots. Our
course varied with the frequent turns of the river, from N. W. by W. at 4.35,
to S. at 4.38. The average breadth about seventyfive feet; the
banks rounded and about thirty feet high, luxuriantly clothed with grass and
flowers. The scarlet anemone, the yellow marigold, and
occasionally a water-lily, and here and there a straggling asphodel, close to
the water's edge, but not a tree nor a shrub.
At 4.43, we passed an inlet, or bay, wider than the river, called El Muh, which extended north a quarter of a mile. We lost sight of the lake in five minutes after leaving it. At 4.45, heard a shot from the shore, and soon after saw one of our scouts: 4.46, passed a low island, ninety yards long, tufted with shrubbery; left bank abrupt, twenty-five feet high; a low, marshy island, off a point on the right, which runs out from the plain at the foot of the mountains. Water clear and ten feet deep. 4.55, saw the shore party dismounted on the right bank. Mount Hermon glittering to the north, over the level tract which sweeps between the mountain, the lake, and the river.
When the current was strong, we only used the oars to keep in the channel, and floated gently down the stream, frightening, in our descent, a number of wild fowl feeding in the marsh grass and on the reedy islands. At 4.56, current increasing, swept round a bend of the shore, and heard the hoarse sound of a rapid. 4.57, came in sight of the partly whole and partly crumbled abutments of "Jisr Semakh," the bridge of Semakh.
The ruins are extremely picturesque; the abutments standing in various stages of decay, and the fallen fragments obstructing the course of the river; save at one point, towards the left bank, where the pent-up water finds an issue, and runs in a sluice among the scattering masses of stone.
From the disheartening account we had received of the
river, I had come to the conclusion that it might be necessary to sacrifice one
of the boats to preserve the rest. I therefore decided to take the lead in the "
Fanny Mason;" for, being made of copper, quite serious damages to
her could be more easily repaired; and if dashed to pieces, her fragments would
serve to warn the others from the danger.
After reconnoitering the rapid, at 5.05, we shot down the
sluice. The following note was made on shore:
"We halted at the ruins of an old bridge, now forming
obstructions, over which the foaming river rushed like a mountain torrent. The
river was about thirty yards wide. Soon after we halted, the boats hove in
sight around a bend of the river. See! the Fanny Mason attempts to shoot
between two old piers! she strikes upon a rock! she broaches to! she is in
imminent danger! down comes the Uncle Sam upon her! now they are. free! the
Fanny Skinner follows safely, and all are moored in the cave below!"
As we came through the rapids, 'Akil stood upon the summit
of one of the abutments, in his green cloak, red tarbouch and boots, and flowing
white trousers, pointing out the channel with a spear.
Over his head and around him, a number of storks were flying disorderly.
What threatened to be its greatest danger, proved the preservation of the leading boat. We had swept upon a rock in mid-channel, when the Arab crew of the Uncle Sam unskilfully brought her within the influence of the current. She was immediately borne down upon us with great velocity; but striking us at a favourable angle, we slided off the ledge of rock, and floated down together. The Fanny Skinner, drawing less water, barely touched in passing.
The boats were securely moored for the night in a little.
cave on the right bank,
and were almost hidden among the tall grass and weeds which break the
force of the eddy current.
From a boat drawing only
eight inches water striking in mid-channel at this time of flood, I was
inclined to think that the river must be very shallow in the summer months,
particularly if much snow has not fallen among the mountains during the
preceding winter.
We found the tents
pitched on a small knoll, commanding a fine view of the river and the bridge.
Over the ruins of the latter were yet hovering a multitude of storks,
frightened from their reedy nests, on the tops of the ruined abutments, by the
strange sights and sounds. There were two entire and six partial abutments, and
the ruins of another, on each shore. The snowy crest of Mount
Hermon bore N. E. 1/2 N. The village of Semakh, lying in an E.
N. E. direction, was concealed by an intervening ridge.
Our course, since leaving
the lake, has varied from south to N. W. by N., -the general inclination has
been west; river, twenty-five to thirty yards wide; current, two and a half knots; water clear
and sweet. We passed two islands, one of them very small.
We were upon the edge of the Ghor. A little to the north, the Ardh el Hamma (the land of the bath) swept down from the left. The lake was concealed, although, in a direct line, quite near; and a lofty ridge overlooked us from the west. The soil here is a dark rich loam, luxuriantly clothed three feet deep with flowers, -the purple bloom of the thistle predominates, and the yellow of the marigold and pink oleander are occasionally relieved by the scarlet anemone. The rocks nowhere crop-out, but large boulders of sandstone and trap are scattered over the surface. Some flowers were gathered here, which equal any I have ever seen in delicacy of
form and tint. Among them, besides those I have named, were the Adonis or Pheasant's eye; the Briony, formerly used in medicine; the Scabiosa Stellata, in great luxuriance, and which is cultivated at home; and two kinds of clover, -one with a thorny head, which we have never seen before, and the other small but beautiful, with purple flowers.
From the eminence above,
our encampment beside the rapids looked charming. There were two American, one
Arab, and one Egyptian (Dr. Anderson's) tents, of different colours, -white and
green, and blue and crimson. In the soft and mellow light of the moon, the
scene was beautiful.
On this side is the land of Zebulon; that of the tribe of Gad lies upon the other.
The sheikh of Semakh holds a tract of land on a singular tenure. The condition is that he shall entertain all travellers who may call, with a supper, and barley for their horses. Our Bedawin determined to avail themselves of the privilege. Nothing could be more picturesque than their appearance as they forded the stream in single file, and galloped over the hill to Semakh. And what a supper they will have! A whole sheep, and buckets of rice!*
Our friends returned late at night, splashing the water, shouting, and making such a clatter that we sprang to our arms expecting an attack. Repeatedly afterwards during the night we were disturbed by Dr. Anderson's horse, which, since the moment he joined us at Turan, had kept the camp in constant alarm, getting loose at night and rushing franticly over the tent-cords, attacking some slumbering Arab steed, his bitter enemy.
Tuesday,
April 11. Very early this morning culled for
_________
*Usually, when the sheikh is not wealthy, the tents of the tribe take it in turn to entertain strangers.
our collection two
varieties of flowers we had not before seen. At 6 A. M., called all hands, and
prepared for starting. To avoid stopping in the middle of the day, we were
necessarily delayed for breakfast in the morning.
8.10 A. M., started, the boats down the river, the caravan by land. The current at first about 2 1/2 knots, but increasing as we descended, until at 8.20 we came to where the river, for more than three hundred yards, was one foaming rapid; the fishing-weirs and the ruins of another ancient bridge obstructing the passage. There were cultivated fields on both sides. Took everything out of the boats, sent the men overboard to swim alongside and guide them, and shot them successively down the first rapid. The water was fortunately very deep to the first fall, where it precipitated itself over a ledge of rocks. The river becoming :more shallow, we opened a channel by removing large stones, and as the current was now excessively rapid, we pulled well out into the stream, bows up, let go a grapnel and eased each boat down in succession. Below us were yet five successive falls, about eighteen feet in all, with rapids between, - a perfect breakdown in the bed of the river. It was very evident that the boats could not descend them.
On the right of the
river, opposite to the point where the weirs and the ruined bridge blocked up
the bed of the stream, was a canal or sluice, evidently made for the purpose of
feeding a mill, the ruins of which were visible a short distance below. This
canal, at its outlet from the river, was sufficiently broad and deep to admit
of the boats entering and proceeding for a short distance, when it became too
narrow to allow their further progress.
Bringing the boats thus far, we again took everything out of them, and cleared away the stones, bushes and other obstructions between the mill sluice and the river. A breach was then made in the bank of the sluice, and as
the water rushed down the shallow artificial channel, with infinite labour, our men, cheerfully assisted by a number of Arabs, bore them down the rocky slope and launched them in the bed of the river, -but not below all danger, for a sudden descent of six or seven feet was yet to be cleared, and some eighty yards of swift and shallow current to be passed before reaching an unobstructed channel.
1 P. M. We accomplished this difficult passage, after severe labour, up to our waists in the water for upwards of four hours. Hauled to the right bank to rest and wait for our arms, instruments, &c. We were surrounded by many strange Arabs, and had stationed one of our men by the blunderbuss on the bows of the Uncle Sam, and one each by the other boats, while the remainder proceeded to bring down the arms.
We lay just above an abrupt bend from S. to N. E. by E. The left bank, in the bend, is sixty feet high, and precipitous, of a chocolate and cream-coloured earth. The river continues to descend, lessened in rapidity, but still about five knots per hour. It breaks entirely across, just below. There were thick clusters of white and pink oleander in bloom along the banks, and some lily-plants which had passed their season and were fading away. Here we killed an animal having the form of a lobster, the head of a mouse, and the tail of a dog: the Arabs call it kelb el maya, or water-dog.
1.20 P. M., started again. 1.46, descended a cascade at an angle of 30°, at the rate of twelve knots, passing, immediately after, down a shoal rapid, where we struck, and hung, for a few moments, upon a rock. Stopped for the other boats, which were behind. The course of the river had been very circuitous, as reference to the chart will show.
At 2.06, saw some of our caravan on a hill, in the dis-
tance. Wet
and weary, I walked along the difficult shore to look for the other boats,
when, seeing a cluster of Bedawin spears on the bank above, I went up to see to
whom they belonged. It was a party of nine strange Arabs, who were seated upon
the grass, their horses tethered near them. They examined my watch-guard and
uniform buttons very closely; and eagerly looked over my shoulder, uttering
many exclamations, when I wrote in my note-book. They repeatedly asked for
something which I could not understand, and as they began to be importunate, I
left them. Shortly after, while walking further up, I came upon their low,
black, camel's hair tent, almost concealed by a thicket of rank shrubbery.
At 2.40, came to two
mills, the buildings entire, but the wheels and machinery gone, with a sluice
which had formerly supplied them with water. As in the morning, we turned the
water from the upper part of the sluice into the river, carried the boats
along, and dragged them safely round these second series of rapids.
The soil is fertile, but
the country about here is wholly uncultivated. The surface of the plain is
about fifteen feet above the river, thence gradually ascending a short distance
to a low range of hills; beyond which, on each side, the prospect is closed in
by mountains.
At 4.45, stopped to rest,
after descending the eleventh rapid we had encountered. The velocity of the
current was so great that one of the seamen, who lost his hold (being obliged
to cling on outside), was nearly swept over the fall, and, with very great
difficulty, gained the shore. The mountains on the east coast of Lake Tiberias
were visible over the left bank. The summit of Mount Hermon
(the snowy summit could alone be seen) bore N. E. by N.
At 5 P. M., passed a ravine (wady) on the left, in a bend between high, precipitous banks of earth. We here
saw canes for the first time, growing thickly. On the right are lofty, perpendicular banks of earth and clay. The river winding with many turns, we opened, at 5.04, an extensive uncultivated plain on the right; a small, transverse; cultivated valley, between high banks, on the left; the wheat beginning to head. The river fifty-five yards wide and two and a half feet deep. Current, four knots; the water becoming muddy. We saw a partridge, an owl, a large hawk, some herons (hedda), and many storks, and caught a trout.
At 5.10, rounded a high, bold bluff, the river becoming
wider and deeper, with gravelly bottom. A solitary carob tree, resembling a
large apple tree, on the right. At 5.40, the river about sixty yards wide, and
current three knots, passed the village of 'Abeidiyeh, a large collection of
mud huts, on a commanding eminence on the right; -the people, men, women, and
children, with discordant cries, hurrying down the hill towards the river when
they saw us. It was too late to stop, for night was approaching, and we had
seen nothing of the caravan since we parted with them, at the ruined bridge,
this forenoon.
If the inhabitants intended to molest us, we swept by with too much rapidity for them to carry their designs into execution. 5.44, passed a small stream coming in on the right. 5.46, another small stream, same side, 150 yards below the first; some swallows and snipes flying about. 5.48, passed a bank of fullers' earth, twenty feet high, on the left; a beautiful bank on the right, clothed with luxuriant verdure; the rank grass here and there separated by patches of wild oats.
The mountain ranges forming the edges of the upper valley, as seen from time to time through gaps in the foliage of the river banks, were of a light brown colour, surmounted with white.
The water now became clearer, -was eight feet deep;
hard bottom; small trees in thickets under the banks, and advancing into the water-principally Turfa (tamarisk), the willow (Sifsaf ), and tangled vines beneath.
We frequently saw fish in the transparent water; while ducks, storks, and a multitude of other birds, rose from the reeds and osiers, or plunged into the thickets of oleander and tamarisk which fringe the banks,-beyond them are frequent groves of the wild pistachio.
Half a mile below 'Abeidiyeh the river became deeper, with a gentle descent,-current, three and a half knots. 6.15, passed a small island covered with grass: started up a flock of ducks and some storks; a small bay on the left, a path leading down to it from over the hills; canes and coarse tufted grass on the shores. 6.19, another inlet on the left; 6.21, one on the right. The left shore quite marshy, -high land back; the water again became clear, and of a light green colour, as when it left the lake; many birds flying about, particularly swallows.
At 8 P. M., reached the head of the falls and whirlpool of Buk'ah; and finding it too dark to proceed, hauled the boats to the right bank, and clambered up the steep hill to search for the camp. About one-third up, encountered a deep dyke, cut in the flank of the hill, which had evidently been used for purposes of irrigation. After following it for some distance, succeeded in fording it, and going to the top of the hill, had to climb in the dark, through briars and over stone walls, the ruins of the village of Delhemiyeh. A short distance beyond, met a Bedawin with a horse, who had been sent to look for us. Learned from him that the camp was half a mile below the whirlpool, and abreast of the lower rapids. Sent word to Mr. Aulick to secure the boats, and bring the men up as soon as they were relieved, and hastened on myself to procure the necessary guards, for our men were excessively fatigued, having been in the water without food since
breakfast. A few moments after, I met 'Akil, also looking for us. At my request, he sent some of his men to relieve ours, in charge of the boats.
The village of Delhemiyeh, as well as that of Buk'ah opposite, were destroyed, it is said, by the Bedawin, the wandering Arabs. Many of the villages on and near the river are inhabited by Egyptians, placed there by Ibrahim Pasha, to repress the incursions of the Bedawin - somewhat on our plan of the military occupation of Florida. Now that the strong arm of the Egyptian "bull-dog," as Stephens aptly terms him, is withdrawn, the fate of these villages is not surprising. The Bedawin in their incursions rob the fellahin of their produce and their crops. Miserable and unarmed, the latter abandon their villages and seek a more secure position, or trust to chance to supply themselves with food (for of raiment they seem to have no need,) until the summer brings the harvest and the robber. Once abandoned, their huts fall into as much ruin as they are susceptible of, which is nothing more than the washing away of the roofs by the winter rains.
Although I knew it to be important to note everything we
passed, and every aspect of the country, yet such was the acute responsibility
I felt for the lives placed in my charge, that nearly all my faculties were
absorbed in the management of the boats-hence the meagreness of these
observations. As some amends, I quote from the notes of the land party.
"Our route lay through an
extensive plain, luxuriant in vegetation, and presenting to view in
uncultivated spots, a richness of alluvial soil, the produce of which, with
proper agriculture, might nourish a vast population. On our route as we
advanced, and within half an hour (distance is measured by time in this
country) from the last halting-place, were four or five black tents, belonging
to those tribes of Arabs called fellahin, or agriculturists,
PROGRESS OF THE LAND PARTY. 183
as distinguished from the wandering warrior Arab, who considers such labour as ignoble and unmanly.
"Enclosing these huts was a low fence of brush, which served to confine the gambols of eight or ten young naked barbarians, who, together with a few sheep and a calf, were enjoying a romp in the sunshine, disregarding the heat. We declined the invitation to alight, but accepted a bowl of camel's milk, which proved extremely refreshing.
"A miserable
collection of mud huts upon a most commanding site, called 'Abeidiyeh,
attracted our attention as we passed it. The wild and savage looking
inhabitants rushed from their hovels and clambered up their dirt heaps to see
the gallant sight-the swarthy Bedawin, the pale Franks, and the laden
camels. Still further on, we passed the ruins of two Arab
villages, one on each side of the Jordan, and upon elevations of corresponding
height, 'Delhemiyeh' and 'Bak'ah.'
"Below these villages, and close upon the Jordan's bank, where the river in places foamed over its rocky bed with the fury of a cataract, we pitched the camp. Here we were to await the arrival of the boats. At 2.30 we encamped, and at 5 they had not yet arrived. The sun set and night closed upon us, and yet no signs of them. We became uneasy, and were about mounting to go in search of them, when the captain made his appearance."
About 9 P. M., Emir Nasser, with his suite, came to the tent. After the customary cup of coffee he said that he would go with us to Bahr Lut (Dead Sea), or wherever else I wished, from pure affection, but that his followers would expect to be paid, and requested to know how many I required; how far they were to go, and what remuneration to receive. I replied that I was then too weary to discuss the matter, but would tell him in the
morning, and he retired.
Either from exposure, or fatigue, or the effect of the water, one of the seamen
was attacked with dysentery. I anxiously hoped that he would be better in the
morning, for each one was now worth a host.
Our encampment was a
romantic one. Above was the whirlpool; abreast, and winding
below, glancing in the moonlight, was the silvery sheen of the river; and high
up, on each side, were the ruined villages, whence the peaceful fellahin had
been driven by the predatory robber. The whooping of the owl above, the song of
the bulbul below, were drowned in the onward rush and deafening roar of the
tumultuous waters.
We were now approaching
the part of our route considered the most perilous, from the warlike character
of the nomadic tribes it was probable we should encounter. It therefore behoved
us to be vigilant; -and notwithstanding the land party had been nearly all day on
horseback, and the
boats' crews for a longer period in the water, the watches could not be
dispensed with; and one officer and two men, for two hours at a time, kept
guard around the camp, with the blunderbuss mounted for immediate use in front.
Every one lay down with
his cartridge-belt on, and his arms beside him. It was the dearest wish of my
heart to carry through this enterprise without bloodshed, or the loss of life;
but we had to be prepared for the worst. Average width of river to-day, forty
yards; depth from two and a half to six feet; descended nine rapids, three of
them terrific ones. General course, E. S. E.; passed one
island.
It was a bright moonlight night; the dew fell heavily, and the air was chilly. But neither the beauty of the night, the wild scene around, the bold hills, between which the river rushed and foamed, a cataract, nor moon-
light upon the ruined villages, nor tents pitched upon the shore, watch-fires blazing, and the Arab bard singing sadly to the sound of his rebabeh,* could, with all the spirit of romance, keep us long awake. With our hands upon our firelocks, we slept soundly; the crackle of the dry wood of the camp-fires, and the low sound of the Arab's song, mingling with our dreams; dreams, perchance, as pleasant as those of Jacob at Bethel; for, although our pillows were hard, and our beds the native earth, we were upon the brink of the sacred Jordan!
________
*The rebabeh is shaped like a miniature spade, with a short handle; the lowest and widest part, covered with sheepskin on both sides, is about one inch thick and five wide. The ghoss (bow) is simply a bent stick, with horse-hair for strings. This instrument is, perhaps, a coarser specimen of the nokhara khana, which is played before the gateways of palaces in Persia..
FROM
THE FALLS OF BUK'AH TO FOURTH CAMPING PLACE ON THE JORDAN.
WEDNESDAY, April 12. Went out at daybreak this morning to look at the whirlpool and rapids, above and below the camp. My ankle feeling sore, from a sprain yesterday, I returned for a horse, and rode nearly down to where the Yermak (ancient Hieromax) falls into the Jordan from the east, when I saw Sherif coming rapidly towards me, on his spirited mare, and calling out, in an angry tone, to some Arabs, who, I now perceived, were approaching under cover of the bank. They turned back, and when he joined me he said nothing about them, but kept close by me the remainder of the ride. He ordered these people about as if he were a sovereign. During the ride, he was of great service in assisting me to gather flowers, of which there was a profusion; among them were the "bisbas," a yellow, and the bughuk, a crimson flower. The last like the mullen, except that each flower grows on a separate stem, branching out at the top, some distance from the main stalk. It was seven feet high, a miniature tree in blossom. The banks were fringed with the laurestinus, the oleander, the willow, and the tamarisk; and farther inland, on the slope of the second terrace, grew a small species of oak and the cedar. The arbutus (strawberry tree) was mingled with the flowers of the plain. From the banks to the elevated ridges, on either side, the grass and the flowers presented a surface of luxuriance and beauty.
(186)
Picked up some specimens of quartz and trap. The chain of transverse hills through which the Jordan forces its way, is most probably that which separates the Ardh el Hamma from the vale of Jezrael.
The tribes through whose territories we had passed thus far, as given to me by 'Akil, were the Beshatewa, one hour above and below the bridge of Semakh, numbering two hundred fighting men; next, the 'Obeidiyeh, on both sides, one hour back from the river, mustering five hundred; and the Es Sukr, in whose territories we were now encamped, numbering three hundred warriors.
About three hours from this, on an eminence, at the foot of which flows the Yermak, was Um Keis (the mother of ruins), the ancient Gadara. This place, restored by Pompey the Great, is said to contain magnificent ruins, in an extraordinary state of preservation. In its wonderful tombs, it is believed that the demoniac of the Gospel dwelt, when our Lord performed a miracle; and in its hot baths is laid the strange scene of incantation in the life of Iamblicus, where he is said to have called up the spirits of Eros and Anteros.*
As the hot baths indicated the existence of volcanic characters, which might throw light upon the geological structure of that region, I gave Dr. Anderson an escort, and directed him to diverge from the line of march, visit Um Keis, and rejoin us at the appointed place of rendezvous at night.
The trap continued on both sides, with occasional interruptions of limestone, sandstone, and conglomerate.
Lake Tiberias was but four
hours distant, in a direct line; although we had been a day and a half on the river,
so tortuous is its course, and so interrupted is its channel. Before starting
this morning, I sent for the elder sherif
________
*Quarterly Review.
and 'Akil, and told them, and desired them to repeat to the Emir, that we did not ask for, and would neither buy nor receive, protection: -that we were willing to pay for guides and provisions, and for all services rendered in descending the river, as well as for all damage we might occasion to weirs or mill-dams,-but for nothing more; and that the Emir and his guides would not be required beyond the limits of their territory. They said that we were perfectly right; but as the Emir had travelled to Tubariyeh to welcome us, and, with his people, had since been very useful, suggested that a present should be made to him. This was reasonable; and the Emir received an aba and a koofeeyah. Among other things, we had provided ourselves in Acre with articles of Arab wearing apparel for occasions like the present. In this country, it is usual to pay the followers of a sheikh for services in money; but to the sheikh himself, a present is made. With much other judicious advice, the Rev. Mr. Smith had in Beirut cautioned me not to employ the Arabs of one tribe as guides through the territories of another.
The "Uncle Sam” foundered, notwithstanding all our exertions to keep her afloat. Built of wood, she was less elastic than our metallic boats, and the thumps upon the rocks which only indented the last, shattered her. Thus ended all our hopes of transporting the tents from place to place along the Dead Sea, and thereby protect the party from the dews of night. In every evil, however, there is an antidote, and we now had conclusive proof of the superior qualities of metallic boats for such service. Frame boats, constructed even in the strongest manner, would sooner or later have shared the fate of the " Uncle Sam."
Having reconnoitred in the morning from where the boats lay to the Yermak, we went immediately after
breakfast to endeavour to
bring the former down. With a lofty hill, the terminus of a
lateral range on each side, there was no possibility of conveying them round
the falls, and we had, therefore, to shoot them. The current
was too strong to use the grapnel.
At 10.15 A. M., cast off and shot down the first rapid, and stopped to examine more closely a desperate-looking cascade of eleven feet. In the middle of the channel was a shoot at an angle of about sixty degrees, with a bold, bluff, threatening rock at its foot, exactly in the passage. It would therefore be necessary to turn almost at a sharp angle in descending, to avoid being dashed to pieces. This rock was on the outer edge of the whirlpool, which, a caldron of foam, swept round and round in circling eddies. Yet below were two fierce rapids, each about 150 yards in length, with the points of black rocks peering above the white and agitated surface. Below them again, within a mile, were two other rapids - longer, but more shelving and less difficult.
Fortunately a large bush was growing upon the left bank, about five feet up, where the wash of the water from above had formed a kind of promontory. By swimming across some distance up the stream, one of the men carried over the end of a rope and made it fast around the roots of the bush. The great doubt was whether the hold of the roots would be sufficient to withstand the strain, but there was no alternative. In order not to risk the men, I employed some of the most vigorous Arabs in the camp to swim by the side of the boats, and guide them, if possible, clear of danger. Landing the men, therefore, and tracking the Fanny Mason up stream, we shot her across, and gathering in the slack of the rope, let her drop to the brink of the cascade, where she fairly trembled and bent in the fierce strength of the sweeping current. It was a moment of intense anxiety.
The sailors had now clambered along the banks
and stood at intervals below, ready to assist us if thrown from the boat and
swept towards them. One man, with me in the boat, stood by the line; a number
of naked Arabs were upon the rocks and in the foaming water gesticulating
wildly, their shouts mingling with the noise of the boisterous rapids, and
their dusky forms contrasting strangely with the effervescing flood, and four
on each side, in the water, were clinging to the boat, ready to guide her clear
of the threatening rock if possible.
The Fanny Mason, in the meanwhile, swayed from side to side of the mad torrent, like a frightened steed, straining the line which held her. Watching the moment when her bows were brought in the right direction, I gave the signal to let go the rope. There was a rush, a plunge, an upward leap, and the rock was cleared, the pool was passed, and, half full of water, with breathless velocity, we were swept safely down the rapid. Such screaming and shouting! the Arabs seemed to exult more than ourselves. It was in seeming only, they were glad; but we were grateful. Two of the Arabs lost their hold and were carried far below us, but were rescued with a slight injury to one of them.
It was exactly twelve o'clock when we cleared the cascade. Mr. Aulick soon followed in the "Fanny Skinner," and by his skill and coolness passed down in perfect safety.
Stopping
sufficiently long to give the men and the Arabs who had assisted us some warm
coffee, we started again at .45 P. M., and at one o'clock had completed the
descent of the third rapid to-day. Hard work for all hands.
At 1.45, passed down the fourth fall and a shelving rapid of one third of a mile. Hauled over to the right bank, just above a shelving rapid, with a yet more ugly
sheer at an abrupt angle, and waited for the "Fanny Skinner." Sent for the arms, and gave directions for the caravan to proceed to Jisr el Mejamia (bridge of place of meeting), about three miles distant by land, but much farther, and far more difficult, by the river. It was represented by our friends as the only place where the caravan and boats could meet that night, and where, in the opinion of Sherif, yet greater difficulties awaited us.
Gathered some geological specimens, and afterwards, as our awnings, sails, &c., had been left in the camp to lighten the boats, and the sun was beginning to warm up, I took shelter under an oleander bush in full bloom. But its fragrance above (for the oleander is here fragrant) scarce compensated for the annoyance of the insects beneath it. Soon, from sheer fatigue, I fell asleep, and was awakened by the sun shining full upon me. We here saw some wire-grass for the first time. The water had a sweet taste.
At 2.30, the caravan
passed about a mile off, a camel being detached towards us with our arms. When
it came up, as all the arms had been packed away, I imprudently consented to
let them be carried back to the caravan, taking out only a few weapons that
were convenient. At 3.15, saw the caravan again, creeping along the crest of
the high hills to the southward, in an extended and picturesque
line. There is no road; -in other words, no camel or mule
track.
At 3.50, the "Fanny
Skinner" came down, and we descended the fourth rapid, rounding back from
W. S. W. to S. E. by S. in a distance of ninety yards. 4 P. M., shot the
equally circuitous but less difficult rapid below.
At 4.20, passed the mouth o£ the Yermak (Hieromax), forty yards wide, with moderate current, its centre bearing E. 1/2 S. 4.22, passed an island twelve feet high, covered with grass and weeds. 4.48, a small island-
river very rapid-abreast
of this island was the most perilous part of our passage, owing to great
velocity of current, about twelve miles an hour, and some sunken rocks, one of
which we escaped by about two inches.
At 4.32, stopped to
examine a bend of the river. 4.45, rounded the bend, a bold, precipitous cliff on the left, a flat
peninsula on the right, covered with luxuriant grass and weeds-some resembling
the cheat, and others the timothy. At 4.55, a very steep and
tumultuous rapid. On hands and knees I climbed an almost perpendicular
hill-side to examine for a passage. The hill-side and summit were thickly
clothed with grass and flowers, which rendered it very slippery to climb.
The hill was about three
hundred feet high, and the view from the summit wild and peculiar. The high
alluvial terraces on each side were everywhere shaped by the action of the
winter rains into a number of conical hills, some of them pyramidal and
cuniform, presenting the appearance of a giant encampment, so perfectly
tent-like were their shapes. This singular configuration
extends southward as far as the eye can reach. At intervals I
caught a glimpse of the river in its graceful meanderings, sometimes glittering
like a spear-head through an opening in the foliage of its banks, and again,
clasping some little island with its shining arms, or, far away, snapping with
.the fierceness and white foam of a torrent by some projecting point.
Fortunately there were some bushes on the right bank, which determined me to attempt the descent. Bearing the boats as far down as we could hold them against the current, we fastened the end of a rope to a bush and lowered them down to near its.end; then sheering in shore, fastened the rope to another bush, lowered away, and dropped through one of the most frightful rapids we had yet encountered. It was near sunset when both
boats had accomplished the passage, and it became necessary in so wild a country to make every exertion to reach our friends, for we had but one carbine and three pistols with us.
After shooting two more
slight rapids, we came, at 6.15, in sight of Jisr Mejamia (bridge of the place
of meeting), above which we landed on the right shore, and ascended the cliff
to examine the fall and rapid immediately below.
A ruined khan crowned the
crest of the hill, at the foot of which large masses of volcanic rock or tufa
were lying about, as if shaken from the solid mass by the spasm of an
earthquake. The khan had evidently been a solid structure and destroyed by some
convulsion, so scattered were the thick and ponderous masses of
masonry. The bridge gracefully spans the river at this
point. It has one large and three smaller Saracenic arches
below, and six smaller ones above them, four on the east and two on the west
side. The river, deep, narrow, and impetuous; flows through
the larger arch and immediately branches the left arm rushing down a nearly
perpendicular fall of about eight feet, and scarce a boat's length ahead encounters
the bold rock of the eastern bank, which deflects it sharply to the
right. The right branch, winding by an island in the centre,
and spreading over a great space, is shallow and breaks over a number of rocks.
Above and below the bridge and in the bed of the river are huge blocks of trap and conglomerate; and almost immediately opposite is a great fissure exposing perpendicular layers of basalt, the structure distinct, black, and porous. Upon the left bank, which is about sixty feet above the river, a short distance up, were twenty or thirty black Bedawin tents, with a. number of camels grazing around, -the men seated in groups-the women, the drudges of each tribe, passing to and fro, busied appa-
rently in culinary preparations, and near them some children playing. We decided to try the right branch, for we dreaded these ugly leaps.
In some instances during the day the rapids had been perfect cataracts, down which the boats plunged with such velocity as to drive them over the rocks below, upon which they would otherwise have rested, from the shallowness of the water.
At 6.24, resumed the oars, shot through the main arch and down about two hundred yards of the descent to the right, when it becoming too dark, hauled to the bank and made fast for the night. Took everything out of the boats and proceeded with the crews to the camp, about a quarter of a mile below. Our main course had been S. S. W., but the river was very serpentine. We descended three very threatening and four less difficult rapids. The only tributary passed was the Yermak, coming in from the east, as wide and as deep nearly as the Jordan. The current was very rapid, averaging eight miles per hour.
Our tents were pitched upon a small promontory, commanding a fine view of the ruined khan and the bridge, with the river dashing and foaming through its arch. Directly in front, the river, filled with fragmentary rocks, is quite wide, and, separating into several channels, forms some small sedgy islands, where snipe were flitting about, and discordant frogs were croaking.
The bridge is on the road
from Nabulus, through Beisan, to Damascus. The second place, now in ruins, was
the Bethsean of the Bible and Scythopolis of the Greeks. Saul and his three
sons, after the defeat of Mount Gilboa, threw themselves upon their swords, and
their bodies were exposed from the walls of this town.
"Mejamia” means "place of meeting." Can this be the place called by Jacob, "Mahanaim" (place of meet ing), where the angels of God met him?
At noon to-day the thermometer stood at 90° in the shade. The elder sherif (who by way of distinction we call the sherif) and'Akil frequently visited us in our tent. The former was our counsellor, sagacious and prudent; the latter was the bold warrior and the admirable scout. On the march, it was said that he contrived to get a sight of the boats when no one else could. We never tired of the company of this graceful savage. Altogether, he was the most perfect specimen of manhood we had seen. Looking at his fine face, almost effeminate in its regularity of feature, who would imagine that he had been the stern leader of revolt, and that his laughing, careless eye had ever glanced from his stronghold on the hill upon the Pasha's troops in the plain, meditating slaughter in their ranks and booty from the routed Turk; or searched the ravines and the hill-sides, the wady and the valley, for the lurking fellahin and their herds? That arm which, in its easy and graceful position, seemed almost nerveless, had wielded the scimitar with fatal strength; and he, seemingly so mild, had successfully led a small but desperate band against the authority of the sultan, and forced the governor of Acre to treat with him, and purchase the security of the district with a high office and the crimson pelisse of honour.
'Akil did not excel in physical qualities alone; his intelligence was far above mediocrity; and although a barbarian, he had much of the manners and feelings of a gentleman. Indeed, we had never seen manners more courtly, or an address more winning, than his. Sherif was the Nestor, and 'Akil the Achilles, of our camp.
When 'Akil was this evening asked why he did not settle down on some of the fertile lands in his district, and no longer live on pillage, his reply was, " Would you have me disgrace myself, and till the ground like one of the fellahin?"
When I told him that many of our most eminent men were tillers of the ground, his smile was more of a contemptuous one than we had ever seen upon his handsome features. This genuine barbarian owned a small pistol, which he has been known to give loaded to his children for a plaything.
We were all fatigued, and retired early to our hard but welcome beds. . The moon was almost at her full, and the same wild scene of Arabs' tents, tethered horses, and watch-fires, with the strange, monotonous, song of the Bedawin bard, formed a repetition of last night's romance. Early in the evening, Dr. Anderson returned.* In the
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*The following is an extract from Dr. Anderson's notes of his visit to the ruins of Gadara: —
"At 9.15 A. M., left to visit Um
Keis. Trap exposed at the banks of the
Jordan. Ascended the plain on the east side, in a
south-easterly direction at first. Crossed the Sheriat el
Mandur, by a bridge in good preservation, called Jisr el
Ahmar. The sides of the stream rocky and water-worn -trap,
with basaltic fissures. Water running with rapid current. Occasionally
cascades.
" 10.15. Apparently in the middle of the great
plain. The view down the Ghor is
uninterrupted. Atmosphere very clear. Hermon seen on right of
the north end of the Ghor.
" 10.50. Had crossed the great
plain (terrace). The southern extremity of the Ghor bears S.
30° W. The shores of the Dead Sea faintly visible. The surface
of the plain a brown, loamy soil. Vegetation very rank.
" 11.02. Halfway up the bluff, on the east side of the Jordan, limestone and trap.
" 11.15. On the plain, near the summit. View of Lake Tiberias and town.
" 11.19. Saw on right of road two fallen columns, formed of a conglomerate rock.
11.30. On right of Wady el 'Arab, many Butm trees (Pistacia terebinthus).
" The guides brought me here, frequent specimens of esculent roots, having, the most of them, a not unpleasant taste. One of these is the root of a plant resembling the burdock, which they called rejateh. It tastes something like a young and very tender radish, without its pungency.
forenoon, the weather was warm; towards noon it
clouded up and looked like rain, but in the evening, cleared away and was
pleasant.
We are in the land of Issachar, that of Gad still
opposite.
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There is another,
resembling this, called the harfish, tasting a little like the green stalks of
young celery, but more juicy and less aromatic.
"11.53. Fairly on the
summit-plain, which extends horizontally for miles around. The
rock is trap, the soil good. Our course was here, E. 15°
N. Cultivated fields of barley.
"11.56. Um Keis in sight, east of us, a mile or more
distant.
44 12.10. The road runs east;
then, 12.12, E. S. E. for seven minutes; then east again.
"12.20. A number of broken and fallen columns on the
right of the road. Some of conglomerate, some of trap.
" Before us, a descent of no
great depth, and the ruins on the slope east of it.
"12.26. Um
Keis. No inhabitants-no habitable buildings.
"The remains of Gadara
occupy an eminence, with an inconsiderable valley on the west side, and a
steeper and deeper one on the north. The ground southwardly inclines, with some
undulations, towards the Wady el 'Arab.
" The descent on the north is determined by the Wddy
el Yarmak. The ruins comprise a spacious area, covered with many broken
columns, &c., a large theatre, a smaller inclosure, and a necropolis.
"The walls may be traced very distinctly on the west side of the great area, and less obviously on the east. The main part of the miscellaneous ruins lies north of the theatre. With some difficulty, I could refer the fragments to distinct buildings, and distinguish passages, which may have been determined by lanes or streets.
"The columns are
principally of Hauran basalt, rudely sculptured, a few still standing on their
original pedestals; some are of a calcareous conglomerate, brought from the
neighbouring hills. Towards the N. E., I observed a few
sarcophagi. The ruins here are so buried in weeds and
brambles, that it is not easy to make them out.
"The theatre has the form of a half-oval, the longer semi-axis running nearly east and west, -opening on the west. The short diameter, or breadth of the edifice, measured inside of the inclosure, is about eighty feet; including the inclosure, about 120 feet.
"The long semi-diameter, reckoning from the rear of the seats to the
Thursday, April 13. Hearing that Muhammed Pasha, military governor of the district of Nabulus, was encamped in the Valley of Esdraelon (Jezrael?), a short distance from Beisan,.I sent Lieutenant Dale, this morning, to call upon him. I considered this a becoming mark of respect;
___________
middle, of the open part, is little short of the interior breadth. Fifteen steps, or seats, separated at the fifth by one much higher than the others, ascend from the arena to the platform of the including walls.
"At the upper edge of
each step is a cornice of several inches in breadth. Every part of this
building appears to have been constructed of the. Hauran basalt, which, though
porous, is of a very firm texture. The seats are interrupted by five passages,
converging towards the centre of the open space below. Beside these adits are
the remains of two others, corresponding with the western base.
"Exterior to the
seats are three concentric walls, furnishing a covered corridor of eighteen or
twenty feet width within, and an outer opening occupied by staircases ascending
to the upper gallery on a level with the hinder seats. The
lower lobbies are arched, where necessary, with circular arches formed of large
blocks. On the walls of these passages I observed frequently
single letters of the Roman alphabet, with several stones marked with Arabic
numerals, and not unfrequently stars, crosses, and other symbolic characters of
different creeds and times.
“I was told that the warm springs were about an hour and a half distant, towards the N. E. The necessity of returning before night obliged me reluctantly to give up the idea of going to them. They have been described by Irby and Mangles, Seetzen and Buckingham.
"From the brow of the hill there is a fine view of nearly the entire lake of Tiberias, including the valley of the Hieromax in the foreground, and Mount Hermon in the distance.
"4.40 P. M. We descended into the Ghor by the path we had taken in going up; but, in crossing the plain, struck a course south of the morning track, towards a point where we expected to find the camp. The trap was again traceable in fragments, gradually diminishing in size until within a half hour's ride of the Jordan. On the eastern cliff, south, if I remember, of the Wady el 'Arab, I was shown the village of Sidum'ad, where a few fellahin, by the payment of an annual tribute, still maintained themselves against the encroachments of the nomad tribes. Along the higher hills, far inwardly, might be seen two or three clusters of black tents, belonging to the Bedawin of Es Seru. Down the Ghor, as far as the eye could reach, a forest of weeds and thistles draw from the teeming soil a sustenance that
for, except Said Bey, the Turkish officers have
been very civil to us.
Although it threatened rain yesterday, this
morning's sky was cloudless. After much labour we succeeded in getting the
boats down the rapids uninjured, except a few indentations in the bilge, and
got on board the arms and instruments. At 9.30, started at the
same time with the caravan. As we would to-day reach the
utmost limits of cultivation, and approach the lower Ghor - a perfect desert,
traversed by warlike tribes, - Sherif warned me to be
prepared. I therefore mounted the blunderbuss on the bows of the Fanny
Mason. Formidable it must have looked, with its gaping mouth,
pointed down stream, and threatening slugs and bullets to all opponents.
At 10.40, came to an ugly rapid, a long, thatched but on the right bank. Notwithstanding all our efforts, the Fanny Mason struck and broached to, broadside on, against the rocks beneath the surface, and was thrown upon her bilge, taking in a quantity of water. For some moments, I feared that she would go to pieces; but, all hands jumping overboard, her combined strength and buoyancy carried her safely over. On the first heights of the Ghor, to the eastward, is the village Sidum'ad; and the village Jum'ah, on the western bank. At 9.40, passed the village of Kaukab el Hauma, visible to the west, on a lofty height, which presents trap-rock with
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might have fed the half of Palestine. It was
too plain that we had reached a land where property was a crime.
"6. The descent from the upper terrace of the Ghor to the present val ley of the Jordan is here a gradual one. Very near the stream a more sudden change of level is apparent, but there was nothing to prevent our coming down to the bridge El Mejami'ah at a gallop. On both sides of the river the polygonal structure of the rock is very remarkable, and we passed for several hundred yards over the uncovered heads of enormous vertical prisms of columnar basalt. The upper surface was excessively rough and uneven."
fissures. 10.12, a rapid. At 11.02, we heard a small tributary falling in, from S. E. by E., but, owing to the thicket, could not see it. A village in sight on a hill far to S. E.
There are evidently two terraces to the Jordan, and through the lowest one, the river runs its labyrinthine course. From the stream, above the immediate banks, there is, on each side, a singular terrace of low hills, like truncated cones; the upper terrace of which I have spoken; which is but the bluff terminus of an extended table-land, reaching quite to the base of the mountains of Hauran on the east, and the high hills on the western side. Their peculiarity of form is attributable, perhaps, to the washing of rain through a long series of years. The hill-sides presented the appearance of chalk, without the slightest vestige of vegetation, and were absolutely blinding, from the reverberated sunlight.
At times we would be perfectly becalmed, the trees and bushes which lined the banks intercepting the light air that came down from the mountains; -when, even at this early season, the heat would be intense; and the birds, ceasing to sing, hid themselves among the foliage, from which even the noise we made could not startle them.
There is nothing more vivid than the impression made by such scenes-the stillness of an untrodden wilderness, when " the slightest sound makes an onslaught upon silence," -a silence rarely broken, except by the noise of the far-distant rapid, which comes upon the ear like the wind when it sweeps the dry leaves of autumn before it.
On one of these occasions, when the stream was shadowed by the graceful oleander, the low, drooping willow and the fern-like tamarisk, and a stillness audible prevailed, we were swept sharply round the base of a high barren bluff, towards the opposite shore, when it became
necessary to pull out again into the channel. In so doing, the water-worn banks distinctly echoed the steady beat of the oars in the rullocks; but it was soon after lost in the hoarse murmur of the rapid we were approaching, which went surging over the shallows in its burly, blustering course.
At 11.20, passed an island about a quarter of a mile long, with many trees upon it. A singular gap in the mountains to the southward.
Heretofore the course of the river had varied to every quarter of the compass, but to-day it preserved a more southerly direction. The prevailing growth upon the banks were the ghurrah (like the aspen), the turfa (tamarisk), sifsaf (willow), and difleh (oleander). The principal flowers had been the bisbas (yellow), and the baghuk (a crimson one).
At 11.25, Castle Kaukab (star), the Belvoir of the crusaders, bore W. by N. Soon after reached Zor el Basha, the territories of the tribe el Gaurineh (Emir Nassir's), occupying two hours on the banks of the river, and numbering three hundred fighting men. 11.40, stopped to take observations for the latitude.
There were many wild pigeons flying about, some of them very large. At 12.09, started again; passed two successive but slight rapids, with many trees in the stream. 12.30, stopped to rest in a grove of tamarisk; the weather becoming warmer every day. We were changing our climate in a twofold manner, by descent and by progress southward. We found here the " derukma," a pleasant tasted vegetable, with flat seeds growing at the extremities of the branches. The seeds are the parts eaten. We also found the ghumsilan, a root resembling a parsnep, of a pale-brown colour; it is not edible;,and sufan, a dry, brown fungus, adhering to a tree.
2 P. M. Started again, the river becoming serpentine--
course, all round the compass. A great many Arabs on
the shore, who ran after us, shouting
loudly. They were the subjects of the Emir. Some
Arab women on a high hill to the left. The river thirty-five
yards wide, six
feet deep,
gravelly bottom; current, five knots. 2.18, four Arabs in
sight; current strong but unobstructed. 2.39, remarkably
smooth but rapid descent. 2.41, river very serpentine, five
feet deep; a beautiful strip of variegated sands and marls; passed a wady, or
dry ravine, on the right. 2.46, course S. W. to W. by N.,
thick canes and thistles; water appeared to have fallen two feet within the
last day or two; steady descent. 2.58, the land ahead worn
into small mounds; we saw a beautiful landbird-brown body, white wings tipped
with black, and a white ring round the neck, and at root of
tail. Large rolled stones on the banks, alternating with clay
and sand.
For the last hour, we had seen no
rocks. At 3.15, a small rapid, the river running from left to
right, across the valley. On the right, a round point with an
Arab encampment upon it, the population in an uproar; men, women, and children
shouting, and running down to the landing-place; passed a small island just
below.
At 3.15, a long reach in the river; the first straight line we have seen in its entire course, thus far. Passed the territory of the tribe Es Sukr el Ghor, 500 fighting men. There were large ghurrah trees on each side. They are like the aspen, and are said to bear a juicy, sweet-flavoured fruit. There were many birds on shore, and several fish-hawk (hedda) flying about. At 6.10, a cluster of small islands; and at 6.30, a number of short turns in the river. Saw 'Akil, our tutelary genius, on the summit of a high bank. Brought-to for the night, and secured the boats. The banks were high and precipitous, but guarded in some measure from the erosive
action of the swift
current by the gnarled roots of the trees and the thicket growth along the
bluff. Just above and below this spot, which was selected for our
camping-ground, the river describes a series of frantic curvilinears, and
returns in a contrary direction to its main course, thus forming a peninsula;
and the isthmus, now rapidly wearing away on both sides, bids fair speedily to
become an island. The boats were secured to the right bank,
thirty feet below the summit. We have descended to-day three
large and seven small rapids; general course, S. by E. We
passed one small stream coming in from south-east, and four small
islands. The river averaged forty-five yards width, four feet
deep, and five knots current.
We were yet in Galilee, in the land of Issachar; opposite was Gilead, the land of Gad. The caravan started with us this morning, 'Akil and his scouts acting as guides. As far as the eye could reach, the plain extended before them; the course of the river distinctly distinguishable in some of its mazes and graceful sinuosities, and again hidden by some bold bluff or conical hill, at the base of which it turned abruptly, and left them in doubt whether it flowed north, east, south, or west.
They first passed some cultivated patches of wheat and barley, even at this early season looking ripe, and nearly ready for the harvest. Who would reap them? Not a human being was in the scope of vision; nor tent, nor hut, nor sight of human dwelling. There was no sound, save the rush of the river and the noise of the wind, as it swept over the nodding grain-a yellow sea! where light seemed chasing shadows as the breeze passed over. And yet, the hands that planted would come to reap them in the season, if not anticipated by the spoiler. The wheat and the barley would fall before the sickle, and the hands of the gleaner be busy in the steps of the reaper; the
tents would be spread by the river-side, and the young and the old, the strong and the feeble, the youth and the young girl, would be abroad in those silent fields. And when the sheaves are bound with the wither, and the unmuzzled ox has trodden out the golden grain, or the threshing sledge has been trailed round the slippery croft, and the light wind has winnowed the uptossed wheat, then, all their wealth close reaped and gleaned, once more, upon their waste, unsheltered fields, will settle silence and the desert heat.
The first hour of their
journey, which was through a most beautiful tract of alluvial, the country was
entirely destitute of cultivation; nothing but a rank luxuriance of thistles
and wild grass indicating the natural productiveness of the soil. The variety
of thorns and thistles was remarkable.
Along the banks of the
river ran a singular terrace of low hills, in shape like truncated cones, which
extended quite to the base of the mountains.
From thistles and wild
grass, they advanced into utter barrenness and desolation; the soil presenting
the appearance of chalk, without the slightest vegetation. Around, and quite
near, were large flocks of storks, walking with exceeding vanity, and in no
manner alarmed or disconcerted; some even stood on one leg, in quiet
contemplation of the unusual spectacle which the caravan presented.
At one time, they stopped to rest; and, seated in the wilderness, the fierce sun beat upon their heads, and glittered on the barrels of their guns, until they became painful to sight and touch. Not a tree, nor a shelter from the heat, in that vast plain! but up from the parched and blasted earth went streaming, like visible air, the waving, heated atmosphere; and the whole extent of land, to the deep-rooted hills in the purple distance, was quivering with the heat.
Starting afresh, a short ride brought them once more near the banks of the river, down to which they turned their horses. It was almost impossible to restrain the thirsty brutes. At the sight and sound of the flowing river, they dashed down the slope, plunged through the thicket, and, standing mid-leg in the stream, thrust in their heads to the very eyes, and drank till their whole frame shook with the action.
The day was considerably advanced when they came in sight of an encampment of black tents. Diverging from their line of march, they ascended the steep bank to an elevated plain, upon which the encampment stood. Several of the tribe came to meet them, bearing the tufted spear, which indicates the sheikh himself or some of his sons. Dismounting, they entered the tent pointed out to them, where mats were spread, and coffee and pipes in readiness, indicating an expectation of their arrival.
"Pottle-bellied children," with hair unkempt and streaming in a scalp-lock (the rest of the head close-shaven), naked as cherubim in a church picture, were rolling on the grass and performing other gambols peculiar to that tender age. Soon after, the old men and the Badawiyeh (female Bedawin), their palms and fingernails tinged with henna, and their cheeks and lips tattooed purple by the kholl powder, came forth to look upon and wonder at the Franks. Some of the young girls would have been pretty, were it not for the disfiguring tattoo, which gave the lips an appearance almost revolting, from its resemblance to the livid hue of death. Some of the young men of the tribe were cast in as soft and delicate a mould as manhood is susceptible of, without leaning to effeminacy. The brother of the Emir was a perfect Antinous, with Hyperian locks and Apollonian limbs, who, however, thought more of his personal beauty than became a brave, and the brother of a warlike sheikh.
The encampment consisted of some thirty or forty of those peculiarly constructed tents, made of coarse cloth of goats' hair. They were supported by a row of poles in the centre (for they are not shaped like the ordinary tent), the sides slightly inclined and hauled out by ropes which are pinned to the ground. In shape they resemble somewhat an oblong shed, and are, generally speaking, miserable substitutes for a shelter or dwelling.
The little cup (for they
had but one, apparently) having been artistically cleansed by the thumb of the
attendant Ganymede, and presented to each in turn (the Franks, as guests,
having the precedence), the coffee it contained being a concentrated essence of
that luxury, pipes were offered, and then having, as usual, submitted to be
stared at, and their arms handled about and inspected as if they were at
muster, water was brought and poured upon their hands from a very equivocal
water jar, after which followed the repast. A large wooden bowl of pilau
(boiled rice, liberally larded with rancid butter) constituted this pastoral
banquet; the enjoyment of which could not be attained through the medium of
fork or spoon, but demanded a kind bf scientific conversion of the hands and
fingers into these civilized conveniences.
An hour's ride thence brought them to the end of the plain, or tabular summit of the low range of sand-hills upon which the encampment they had visited was situated. Here descending the precipitous hill to the plain or terrace below, they came once more upon the banks of the Jordan. Numerous black tents occupied the green and richly cultivated plain, or were scattered here and there, close to the river bluff, half hidden by the pale green willow and the deeper shadow of the tamarisk. Here they pitched the tents and waited for the boats -the whole population crowding round them in speechless admiration of all that transpired.
Camp E. by N. from Beisan, which was two hours distant.
With the interpreter, Mr. Ameuny, and the Arab escort, Mr. Dale had started at an early hour to call upon Muhammed Pasha. The banks of the Jordan, he reports, are divided into two regular steps or terraces, one on each side, before reaching the mountains: 1st, a flat through which the river winds, and 2d, an elevated plain. After passing a deep ravine, he came upon the Emir's wheat fields, which covered the sloping plain to Beisan ; the soil a rich marl.
Following the wady (ravine) towards Beisan, he came to quite a large stream, issuing directly from the base of a hill, with a solitary palm-tree near it; the first tree of any kind he saw on the elevated plain. The flat, however, was covered with trees. This spring forms an oasis, and is called Ain és Sauda, the black spring.
Instead of passing through the ruins of Beisan, he went north, about a mile distant from them. He then came in sight of a magnificent valley, filled with the Pasha's tents, and a thousand horses, all picketed out to graze.
Muhammed Pasha, a fat Osmanlie, received him frankly and kindly. He said he was about to move his command (one thousand Turkish cavalry), for the purpose of chastising a band of bad Arabs to the southward, but had delayed his march on our account, for fear of exasperating them to some attack upon us. He gave him coffee, pipes, and oranges, and insisted upon sending ten horsemen to accompany the expedition through the dangerous territory.
It was a magnificent sight, the camp and war-horses spread over this beautiful plain of Jezrael, a branch of Esdraelon.
After a long talk about European affairs, is which the
interpreter endeavoured, quite in vain, to explain to him the beauties of republicanism, Mr. Dale took his departure, and rode through the ancient city of Scythopolis, or Beisan. There were acres of building-stone, old walls, a theatre, &c., in good preservation. A few columns still stood in the valleys. Most of the present buildings appeared to be Saracenic, mills and khans. On the summit was a large fortress-looking building, the court now converted into a cow-yard by the Arabs, who have formed a village round it. He then descended to the plains, passing through two or three collections of black tents, the possessions of the Emir Nassir.
I regretted that the Pasha had sent the horsemen, for their presence would tend more, perhaps, to endanger than to aid us; but, as it was meant in kindness, it would have seemed rude to send them immediately back, particularly as the march of the Turkish detachment had been delayed on our account. But the presence of the horsemen increased my anxiety: the sight of them might exasperate the Arabs, and I had no faith in their courage or fidelity.
The Emir insisted upon our dining with him this evening,
and would take no denial. It was decided that a part should go, and a part
remain to guard the camp. At 6, the former set out to partake of the wild
Arab's hospitality in his black tent. These tents, as I have said, are nothing
but strips of black cloth, made of goats' hair, put up hut-fashion, and opening
in front. This cloth is coarse and porous, but is said to swell when wet, and
thus become impervious to the rain.
When we arrived at their encampment, an Arab woman screamed out and wept bitterly at the sight of 'Akil. In him she recognised the murderer of her husband, in a foray the previous year. If 'Akil felt remorse, as he certainly must have done, he possessed too much
of the stoicism of the savage to let i t become apparent.
Great was the Emir's delight at our visit, and more particularly at the honour of receiving a lineal descendant of the Prophet in his tent. He exhibited his flocks of sheep, his cows (the first we had seen on the Jordan), his goats, his camels, and little dirty objects which he called his children. There was the children's pet, a beautiful young camel, three months old, white as drifted snow, with hair soft and fleece-like as wool.
At sunset, a young man
wearing a white turban, probably a mullah (or teacher), spread his sheep-skin
jacket upon the ground, and stood up and called the faithful to prayer. The
Sherif and four others formed a line behind the mullah, who led the
recitations. While going through their prostrations, like a file of soldiers,
the others were talking as usual.
To add to the scene, the file of horsemen sent by the Pasha, on their way to our camp, arrived in time to partake of our dinner, just then brought in. It consisted of an enormous wooden bowl, filled with a stew of mutton and rice for the Arabs, and a smaller one for ourselves. The sheep had been killed and dressed immediately in front of the tent. All ate with their hands, -the Arabs gathering up small balls of unctuous rice, and fairly cramming it into their mouths. The ogre prince was the most voracious of all, and, instead of Guzzawy, should be called Guzzle-away. Hungry as we were, it was impossible to eat; for, although a separate bowl was placed before us, we had seen the poor sheep killed, and had misgivings of the cleanliness of the cook. The most we could do, was to affect to eat.
It was a wild sight after dark, to see groups of these ragged Ghuarineh seated, in front of the encampment, around a blazing fire.
It was a soft, clear night, and the dew fell heavily in the mid-watch; and the bulbul sang a low, plaintive song in the myrtle thicket, and the sentinels walked to and fro upon the bank, which was wearing away beneath them.
“Hark! their heedless
feet from under,
Drop the crumbling banks
for ever;
Like echoes to a distant
thunder,
They fall into the gushing river."
"Some gentle thing has heard their tr