CHAPTER VIII.

 

OLIVET AND BETHANY.

 

NEXT in interest to Moriah and Zion, we turn toward the Mount of Olives. One morn­ing our guide appeared again with the horses before the Mediterranean Hotel, and when our little party were mounted, proceeded through the Jaffa Gate, down the vale of Hinnom, on the way to Olivet and Bethany. Though it was only the 5th of April, the rays of the sun fell fiercely upon us in this valley, where the perpetually ­burning fires of Gehenna used to remind the Jews of perdition. Here too stood Molech, the brazen idol heated within, where the fanatical among them used to sacrifice their children.*

At En‑rogel, the junction of the two valleys, we paused to look upon the place where Solomon once had his magnificent gardens, a spot now bar­ren and unsightly. A number of lepers' houses are crouched along the foot of the Mount of Offence, while just above on the Kedron is the poor village of Siloam. The base of the hills, and the bed of the valley, were alike destitute of

 

*2 Kings 23: 10.

 

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tree or verdure, while the gray rock around gave no intimation that such fertility was once there, as must have been within the gardens of Solomon.

In passing up the bed of the Kedron we dismounted at the pool of Siloam, and pen­etrating the dark interior beneath the broken arch obtained a cup‑full of the tepid water, of which every tourist loyally partook, but with many a grimace of countenance and shrug of the shoulder, for the wash‑women had given the water a strong flavor of soap‑suds that day. From “cool Siloam's shady rill," as the poet ex­presses it, we passed on below the southeast corner of the temple wall, and on the other side

 

132                                TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

of the Kedron dismounted again to visit the tombs of Zacharias, St. James, Absalom and Je­hoshaphat.* We found nothing very remarkable

 

* The tomb, or as it is usually called the pyramid of Zacharias, was erected, according to tradition, in memory of the Zacharias of Matt. 23: 35; 2 Chron. 24: 20. The pyramid resembles "Absalom's Pillar," only it is not as high, being about 29 feet. The tomb or grotto of St. James consists of several small under­ground chambers, cut out of the rock. The entrance is through a long narrow passage. Tradition says that St. James the Great was concealed here after the crucifixion of Christ, and ate no food until the resurrection, and that St. James was buried here, though another tradition says his sepulchre is on the Mount of Olives. The tomb or pillar of Absalom stands in a heap of rub­bish, and is about 47 feet high. It is called Absalom's Pillar from

 

OLIVET AND BETHANY.                                                      135

 

about these tombs; but noticed that one of them was cut out of the native rock, and we also noticed that on both sides of the valley, wher­ever there was room, tombs and graves had been located. When passing away we noticed a group of boys and young men, evidently of Jewish extraction, in the act of throwing stones against the tomb of Absalom, thus evincing their hatred and contempt for his character as of old.

The garden of Gethsemane was next visited, situated on the slope of Olivet, near the Kedron and opposite St. Stephen's Gate. The garden at present is enclosed with a high wall, the entrance to which is by a low doorway on the east side, so constructed that the visitor must stoop very low in order to enter it. This, we thought, a very remarkable and yet fitting expedient to teach all comers to that sacred spot the lesson of humility and reverence. The priests of the Latin Church, who have the garden in charge, have laid out the ground into neatly‑kept parterres of flowers, to which the ancient olive and cypress trees in the centre add dignity and grace. The attendants showed us polite attention, and upon

 

its supposed identity with that mentioned in 2 Sam. 18: 18. But there is no mention of it before A.D. 353, and the present is a comparatively modern structure, probably of the Greco-­Roman period.‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

 

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our departure presented each one of us with a choice bouquet of cut flowers.*

From Gethsemane we followed the main road towards Bethany and the Jordan, and as we turned the curve around the southern shoulder of Olivet, where the level stratum of limestone rock forms the road‑bed, we paused and reflected that Christ surely was near this spot when he wept over Jerusalem.+ At this point, in his approach from Bethany, the view of the temple and the city would suddenly burst upon his sight.

In continuing this route to Bethany, we found that a ravine on this side of Olivet caused a sharp curve of the road northward to a suitable crossing‑place, after which the way ran southward again so far that we could see the southern por­tion of Zion, but could not see the temple mount. At the extremity of this second spur of Olivet our guide pointed out several tombs or vaults, to which there were graded steps for descent, and said that this was the site of Bethphage, but of this assertion gave us no certain proof.

Shortly after we reached Bethany, and found it a small group of poor dwellings situated near

 

* For detailed description of size of garden, the walls, the olive trees and objects of interest, see Schaff's Dictionary of the Bible, p. 332.

+ Luke 19: 41.

 

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the base of one of the long low ridges on the eastern side of Olivet. Here are about twenty families without thrift or industry. The ruin of an old dwelling, built of coarse masonry, is named the house of Martha and Mary, while at another place is shown the tomb of Lazarus.* Here again we fell in with a large company of pilgrims belonging to the Greek Church, who were per­forming their usual shrine worship. In our turn we descended to the bottom of the “sepulchre,"

 

* The tomb of Lazarus has been shown in Bethany since the fourth century, when a church stood over it. The tomb is now shown northeast of the "castle of Lazarus," in a vault reached by twenty‑six steps. It is probably the site of a subterranean chapel of early date. The tomb was formerly shown in the church above.‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

 

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which we found to be a straight shaft sunk per­pendicularly to the depth of twenty‑five feet, having a spiral stone staircase within, upon which the pilgrims were ascending and descending, while panting for breath on account of the ex­cessive heat of the place. At the bottom we noticed only a tiny altar with the usual tinsel upon it, before which the pilgrims bowed and prayed and then hastily departed.

The name "Bethany," as is well known, sig­nifies the House of Dates; but we saw only a few almond and fig trees in the gardens, and could not find a single palm tree remaining to confirm the ancient title of the village. It is now called El‑'Azariyeh, in allusion to the death and resurrection of Lazarus. The identity of the place is generally conceded, and its distance from Jerusalem, just two miles, and its relation to the Mount of Olives, fully confirm this view. Here indeed is Bethany, but how changed since the days when Jesus tarried here at the welcome home of the sisters of Lazarus!

 

"And this is Bethany; and here abode

The favored family whom Jesus loved;

To whose warm, humble welcome 'twas his wont,

Tracking the path that now I passed along,

Oft to retire from foes and wavering friends."

 

We now resumed the saddle again, and climbed

 

 

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the eastern slope, to the Church of the Ascen­sion, on the top of Olivet. From this point we obtained a fine view of the entire city, of Scopus and the valley of Jehoshaphat on the north, and of Bethlehem, the Frank Mountain and the hills of Judea on the south, and of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea on the east. The sun was now near his setting, and his departing rays shed a soft radiance over the landscape, and as we stood there, near the place where "Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed his disciples, and was parted from them and carried into heaven," we could not help thinking that the scene is worthy of even that great event.*

     Standing here on the day of his ascension, with one glance of his eye Jesus could see the place of his human birth and death. Bethlehem and Calvary are both in sight, and Zion and Moriah, the home of the ancient prophets, priests and kings, the temples and palaces of the holy city, all were there just before him, as if ready to lay their final, crowning tribute at his feet. While contemplating the earthly settings of this grand and solemn event, the words recorded by the beloved physician came up to our recollec­tions: "Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into

 

* Acts 1: 9.

 

140                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."*

We prepared to descend the western slope of Olivet by the path which runs furthest north­ward, now well worn by the water‑courses, and the passage of the pilgrims of the centuries, since the days when Jesus passed this way, and hast­ened past Gethsemane to our shelter for the night. As we passed into the gate of St. Stephen the full moon arose upon the summit of Olivet, and reminded us that this was indeed the anniversary week of the Saviour's passion, death, and glorious resurrection from the dead.

One evening, during the same week, we were invited to attend the celebration of the Passover in one of the Jewish dwellings on Mount Zion. The gentleman who acted as our escort was an acquaintance of the family, and had obtained per­mission previously for our visit. We set out from David's Street, near the bazaar, our friend preceding us with his lantern‑‑there are no street lights in Jerusalem‑-and penetrated that curious labyrinth of lanes and courts known as the Jewish Quarter. Our route was both angular and circuitous, sometimes leading up by steps from one plane to a higher, and anon descending by another flight to a lower level. The houses on

 

* Acts 1: 11

 

OLIVET AND BETHANY.                                                      141

 

either side were lighted up in honor of the feast, and the farther we went the greater evidence of festivity appeared. At last our escort stopped before a door at the left, and holding the lantern in one hand rapped upon the panels with the other. While thus waiting for a response we could not help thinking of Hunt's celebrated painting of a figure of our Saviour standing thus, lantern in hand, before the door of a vine‑clad cottage, with. the title engraved beneath, "Be­hold, I stand at the door and knock."

In response to the summons of our conductor the door was opened, and we were cordially re­ceived by the inmates; who were now prepared to begin the feast. Along one side of the large family‑room a row of seats had been extempo­rized for our accommodation, while on the other side the members of the household were about seating themselves at the little table, upon which were a dish of green herbs, a shoulder of roast lamb, some eighteen loaves of unleavened bread and a decanter of wine.

The ceremony began in an informal way, each member of the family first washing the hands, and then taking a sip of the wine. A bright lad, of some ten years, then read from a Hebrew serv­ice‑book as to the nature of the feast. After

 

* Revelation 3: 20.

 

142                                TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

this a bag containing a loaf of the unleavened bread was held upon the shoulder of the different participants in turn, and bitter herbs were dipped in a kind of sauce, and then passed to us visitors that we might taste of the mixture. As it would be discourteous to refuse, we did partake, under a severe mental protest, however, and afterward this protest was strengthened by a recollection of the nauseous taste, and the woody fibre of the plants used in the preparation of the dish. After this, another section of the service was read de­scribing the plagues of Egypt, the mere mention of which tainted the unleavened bread to such an extent that a little wine was poured into a dish with water, and set out of doors for purification.

After this came a season of pleasant inter­course, in which the old grandmother, and even the little babe in its mother's arms, united with great glee; the wine was passed around (not to visitors), the unleavened bread broken, and an­other long section of the Exodus read.

As the hour was late, and there seemed to be no near prospects of closing the feast, our party with many an obeisance and hearty salaam took leave, and returned by the same conduct, and lantern safely to the Mediterranean Hotel.

 

 

                                      CHAPTER IX.

 

TOUR TO MIZPEH AND GIBEON.

 

OUR party was favored in having horses in readiness whenever we wished to make excur­sions to the environs of Jerusalem, otherwise a great deal of time would have been consumed and much fatigue experienced. In going out to the tombs of the Judges, and Neby Samwil, we again took to the saddle. The morning was bright and clear, and the air bracing. Again we went out of the Jaffa Gate through an extempo­rized market, which some peasants had organized on the bank of the Hinnom.

On the skirts of this quondam market we noted several lepers from the lazar‑houses near En Rogel, blear‑eyed, scorbutic and muffled up in rags, clamoring and wailing for backshish. Be­yond this we passed along the row of shops, where mementos of olive wood are manufactured and sold by the German colonists, who have quite a large suburb here without the city walls, and are engaged in this trade for subsistence.

Continuing in a northwesterly direction we soon came to the tombs of the Judges. These

 

144                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

are located in the face of a cliff with exposure to the north, being about two miles from the city. The range of hills from these tombs eastward is named Scopus, from which a fine view of Jerusa­lem may be obtained, and where many armies have been encamped, during sieges or attacks, in the many wars which have been waged around the holy city. The tombs are simply a cavern cut into the soft rock, separated into different rooms, the walls of which are prepared with fifty‑nine receptacles for the dead. These crypts are entirely vacant, and the doors leading from one room to another are open. It is said that this is the most remarkable of the catacombs around Jerusalem, since the crypts are arranged in three stories, the upper stories with ledges in front to give convenient access, and to support the stones that close them; the whole so essentially Jewish that it might be of any age, if it were not

 

TOUR TO MIZPEH AND GIBEON.                                      145

 

for its distance from the town, and its architectural character. By the fine pediment, wrought out on the face of the cliff, many writers pronounce the tomb a piece of Greek architecture rather than Jewish.*

     Beyond this point we found that the ground sloped westward toward the vale of Hanina. The whole surface was covered with loose stones, with apparently little attempt at cultivation. As we proceeded, the lofty peak of Neby Samwil, our immediate point of destination, became more and more distinct, and at last, after a toilsome ascent

 

* The tombs of the Judges have been known to the Jews since the Middle Ages as the tombs of the Sanhedrin. The internal arrangements are peculiar. There are seven kokim at ground level on the north wall of the first chamber, and over these are arcosolia, each with two kokim at the bank. There

are two inner chambers on the east at different levels, containing kokim in two tiers; on the south a chamber with kokim and arcosolia above them, this chamber being also at a different level. Over the outward door is a richly rock‑cut Grecian pediment of debased style. Within the vestibule a very richly‑executed doorway leads into the main room, containing thirteen loculi in two tiers as above stated. Another door opens from this main room to a second room on the same story having nine repositories or loculi. In the northeast corner of the main room is a stairway leading down to a room beneath, the last mentioned and containing ten or twelve loculi, and in the southwest corner of the main room is a stairway leading down into an unfinished apartment. There are sixty loculi, while the Sanhedrin had seventy‑three members. See Survey of Palestine, vol. Jerusalem, p. 407, and City of the Great King, p. 186‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

 

TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.                                                                   145

 

of its rugged sides, we reached the miserable hamlet perched upon its summit.

As we halted at the edge of the town all the children came rushing upon us, calling out, "Backshish! backshish!" and actually fighting with each other for the privilege of holding our horses. As there were a great many more chil­dren than horses, the strife among them was very vigorous, in some cases resulting in blows, the girls apparently having the best of it.

After this warm reception we walked to the old tower, or mosque, named “the tomb of Sam­uel." It is at present in a ruinous condition, and we had no difficulty in entering it and ascending its flat roof and minaret, from which an extensive view is had of the surrounding country. The building was once a Latin church, Dr. Robinson thinks, built upon older foundations in the form of a Latin cross, and probably dates from the time of the Crusades.*

Of the beauty and extent of the view from

 

* The tradition which points to Neby Samwil as the birth­place, residence, and burial‑place of the prophet Samuel is without proper foundation. The church which now covers the reputed tomb was finished in 1157 A.D. Numerous Hebrew in­scriptions are written on the plaster of the walls, but they are quite modern. This site was recognized as the tomb of Samuel in the sixteenth century, but had been declared to be a false site by Benjamin of Tudela in the twelfth century.‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

 

TOUR TO MIZPEH AND GIBEON.                                          147

 

this place Dean Stanley says:  "Of all points of interest about Jerusalem none perhaps gains so much from an actual visit to Palestine, as the lofty peaked eminence which fills up the north­west corner of the table‑land, seen in every direc­tion, the highest elevation in the whole country south of Hermon, commanding a view far wider than that of Olivet, inasmuch as it includes the western plain and Mediterranean Sea on one side, as well as Olivet and Jerusalem in the distance, backed by the range of Moab." The old Crusad­ers came this way, by the pass of Beth‑horon, as they went up to capture the Holy Sepulchre and city. "It is a very fair and delicious place," says Mandeville, "and it is called Mount Joy, because it gives joy to pilgrims' hearts; for from that place men first see Jerusalem." Richard Coeur de Lion probably stood on Neby Samwil as he first beheld Jerusalem; when "he buried his face in his armor with the noble exclamation, 'Ah! Lord God, I pray that I may never see the holy city, if so be that I may not rescue it from the hands of thine enemies!”

     Not the least interesting object in sight of the observer on Neby Samwil is the broad mound near its base, on which is situated the little group of houses known as el Jib. This is the ancient Gibeon, without doubt, which figures so prom‑

 

148                                TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

inently in the historical books of the Old Testa­ment. And if so, then this Neby Samwil is surely ancient Mizpeh,* watch‑tower, and it is also the "high place" to which Samuel was about to re­pair from Gibeon when Saul appeared before him, and was by him anointed as future king of Israel. +

As we had many places to visit that day, we did not linger upon the windy tower any longer than was needful to take in the wide prospect, and then we went in search of the horses in order to depart to Gibeon. We found these patient animals in charge of the. victors, who were holding them by the bridle reins; but those who had been worsted in the fight were determined to have their share of the backshish, and so they seized upon the stirrups, the manes, and even the tails of the horses. Under such circumstances our departure was somewhat embarrassing; but scattering the little coins behind us we rushed through the throng, and, amid yells and angry gestures, went on toward Gibeon.

A half hour's ride brought us to the peculiar‑

 

* Neby Samwil was regarded by the Crusaders as the site of ancient Shiloh. In later times it was supposed to be the site of Ramathaim Zophim. Robinson, Porter, and others regard it as the site of Mizpeh, which Conder treats as merely a conjecture.­Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

+ 1 Samuel 9:19; 10: 1.

 

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shaped hill on which ancient Gibeon was situated, and where the little village el-Jib now stands as its successor.*  In descending the steep side of Neby Samwil, we had the rounded summit of Gibeon constantly before us and could note the horizontal terraces which girt it about on the south, and the pleasant pasture which lie along its slopes.

Passing over a part of the great mound we came to the miserable village perched against the hillside, with dwellings built of stone, set down without any regard to order or convenience. The inhabitants were squalid and wretched‑looking people, and seemed to rival their neighbors on Mizpeh in their utter disregard of cleanliness,

and in their eagerness for the ever‑expected backshish. The usual number of dogs made their onset upon us as we approached, and by their loud barking warned the other inhabitants, who

 

* The peasantry say that the ancient site of Gibeon stood on the southern or higher part of this hill. The hill is about 200 feet high, naturally a strong site, well supplied with water and covered with vines and olives. Eight springs issue from the sides of the hill. The most famous of these springs issues in a rock‑cut chamber about 30 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 7 feet high. The water is clear and abundant. Close to this spring is a rock‑cut chamber finished in rough masonry, which is regarded as sacred, and above the spring cave is a paved platform for prayer. The spring is one of the most sacred and venerated in Palestine.‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

 

152                                  TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

came to the doorways to gaze at us, and demand a present. Just below the village we found a fine spring of water, which issues from a rocky cavern and collects in a large pond near by. Not far from this point, we rode over a fallen stone fence into an olive orchard, where our guide hastened to prepare the luncheon, while the other attendants brought water from the spring.

     Ancient towns were commonly located upon a hill near a spring or other water supply, so as to secure the inhabitants against enemies, and fur­nish them with water in case of a siege. Gibeon furnishes both these requirements, and conse­quently was the site of a Canaanitish town before the conquest under Joshua. The fear of this great conqueror, whose victories at Jericho and Ai had been told throughout the land, led the Gibeonites to adopt the expedient of wearing old clothes and carrying mouldy bread when they appeared before him, in order that they might deceive him with the pretext that they were from a "far country," and so make a league with him.* Their penalty, to be "hewers of wood and drawers of water," they could readily fulfill, for both wood and water must always have been abundant in Gibeon. The place will, ever be famous also in connection with Joshua's battle with "the five

 

* Joshua 9.

 

TOUR TO MIZPEH AND GIBEON.                                          153

 

kings," when he commanded the sun to stand still upon Gibeon and the moon in the valley of Ajalon.*

            Gibeon was the scene of the magnificent cere­monial with which Solomon inaugurated his reign, when he offered the thousand burnt offerings here.+ The sacrifice of a thousand victims was an act of royal magnificence suited to the greatness of Sol­onion, and scarcely outdone by Xerxes, who offered a thousand oxen at Troy, as Herodotus relates. Here also Solomon had his famous dream, and offered his model prayer that he might have wisdom as a ruler. We found a mound of burnt clay on the top of Gibeon, it may be at Solomon's altar, unless indeed he sacrificed upon Neby Samwil.

Upon our return from a ramble over Gibeon we set out again for Jerusalem. Our route now lay to the eastward, along the old road which came up from the plain of Sharon by Wady Suleiman, and intersected the Damascus road near “Gibeah of Saul." As usual we found only a bridle path, instead of a highway, where our horses had to select a safe place for their feet, among the loose stones which had fallen in the track.

     We only paused to note the location of  “Gibeah of Saul" in passing, and to notice the site of an‑

 

* Joshua 10: 12.                                          + 1 Kings 3: 4.

 

154                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

cient Nob, which is situated at the foot of Gibeah, as el Jib is related to Neby Samwil. As we passed Nob the tragic scene in the life of David, when as a fugitive from the court of Saul he came here, and in his extremity of hunger ate of the “shew bread" with his men, came up afresh to our minds.*

We were now on the great Damascus road and proceeding southward toward Jerusalem. An­cient Anathoth lay on the height of ground to the eastward, and was in plain sight from the ridge of Scopus, which we had now reached again. Here and there fields of growing wheat were seen, and at intervals orchards, of olive and almond trees grew by the wayside.

When we were about half a mile from the city we dismounted to view the tombs of the Kings.+ Like the tombs of the Judges they were

 

* 1 Samuel 21: 6.

+ The so‑called tombs of the Kings are known to the natives as Kabur es Salatan or "tombs of the Sultana," Modern Jews call them the tomb of Kalba Shebuya, a mythical rich man. Robinson identified them as the tomb of Helena. Three pyramids were visible east of the north road in the fourth century, and noticed by Euaebius. The rolling stone at the door described by Pausanias in the second century is still there. De Sauley found a sarcophagus in this tomb with an Aramaic inscription roughly cut and approaching square Hebrew in form. He read in the first line "Queen Sara," which it has been conjectured was the native name of Queen Helena, and the body found

 

TOUR TO MIZPEH AND GIBEON.                                                 155

 

originally excavated in the face of a cliff, but in this instance the earth and stone apparently had been removed, in order to expose the face of the rock sufficiently for the purpose designed.

That these tombs were as elaborate as they were extensive, and were fitted up in royal style, is evident from the remains of fine sculpture still traceable upon the face of the cliff. Over the centre of the portal are carved large clusters of grapes between garlands of flowers, intermin­gled with Corinthian capitals and other decora­tions, below which is tracery‑work of flowers and fruits extending quite across the portal and hanging down along the sides. This is said to be the finest specimen of sculpture existing in or around Jerusalem.

With lamps in hand, furnished by our provi­dent guide, we stooped down and entered the low doorway, and found ourselves in an ante‑chamber 18½ by 19 feet in its dimensions. At the south side of this chamber we found the entrances to two other rooms, which we explored successively and noted the crypts arranged along their sides. These rooms were about 12 feet square, and in

 

along with the sarcophagus may also have been her own. A number of Roman coins were also found, all earlier than the time of Titus, and a sculptured head of Hadrian was found near the tombs ‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

 

156                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

every part gave evidence of their originally elegant construction. We next entered a third room, nearly 13 feet square, finer than any that we had seen, having three crypts on each of three sides. Beyond this was a fourth room, in size nearly equal to the others, with like receptacles for the dead. Fragments of marble lay about, indicating the fact that the interior had been originally lined with this costly material. Over each crypt was a small triangular excavation, in which a lamp could be conveniently placed during the process of entombment.

As to the antiquity of these tombs we have no certain data. Tradition affirms that they were constructed for the kings of Judah, but Josephus intimates that they were built by Helena of Adi­abene in connection with the family of the Herods. In either case they have come down from a re­mote antiquity, and, as their appearance indicates, were intended as the resting‑places for the mem­bers of a royal household.

As we emerged into the light of day our atten­tion was directed to the apparatus used in closing the cavern. This was a most curiously‑fitted stone door, which could only be opened by means of a lever moving it along a grooved passage, and was secured in its place by another slab, also set. in a groove, placed at right angles to the door;

 

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the whole arrangement was carefully concealed by a huge flagstone. The stone door was in size and shape not unlike a large grindstone, with the orifice for the lever in the centre, and the groove so prepared that this stone could be rolled along it upon its circumference. We were forcibly reminded of the question of the devoted women who came early to the tomb of Jesus, and said, "Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great." Was not the tomb of the rich man, Joseph, fur­nished with this kind of a groove with a circular stone to fit it, thus to be rolled in front of the entrance and sealed when the tomb was to be closed, and to be rolled away again when the sepulchre was to be opened?

     While meditating upon this matter we resumed

 

* Mark 16: 3, 4.

 

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the saddle and rode forward to Jeremiah's Grotto, which lies only a few hundred yards from the Damascus Gate. It is a huge natural cavern, nearly round, some forty paces in diameter, and perhaps thirty feet high in the middle. The roof of  this cavern was anciently connected with the hill named Bezetha, now within the city walls, and its wide, yawning front has been formed by the cutting of a wide avenue between it and the north wall of the city. Some locate the site of Calvary near this grotto. An old Mohammedan has charge of this curiosity, and has his dwelling and a garden in front of the cavern, with a fence surrounding it; this arrangement enables him to collect an extortionate fee for entrance.

Close by this place, and at a point near the Damascus Gate, we were admitted by a low door­way, almost concealed by a bank of earth, into a much larger cavern known as Solomon's Quarries. The low, square door is directly under the city wall, and is only opened by the initiated for the gratification of persevering tourists. After we had passed through the door we were compelled to crawl upon hands and knees for quite a dis­tance, when we found ourselves on the edge of a vast incline dipping under the hill Bezetha. Our lamps having been lighted we stood upright, and by their flickering light began to peer out into

 

TOUR TO MIZPEH AND GIBEON.                                      159

 

the vast abyss before us. Our guide led the way down the slope, and we followed full of wonder. We were in an immense cave, not unlike Jeremiah's Grotto in appearance but vastly larger in dimensions. We went on and on, apparently in a southeasterly direction, our lights failing to reveal either side of the cavern to our sight, and scarcely sufficing to indicate the great altitude of the ceiling. At last we came to a kind of drip­ping spring, beyond which our guide positively refused to advance, protesting that he would not be responsible for any injury which might befall us if we persisted in our attempt to reach the limits of these vast excavations. Leaving him to listen to the gloomy “drip, drip" of the falling water, we proceeded, penetrating into lower and yet lower levels, until we came to an abrupt ascent, along the rugged edges of which we clambered, peering into the crevices until satisfied that we had now arrived at the southern extrem­ity of this truly wonderful place. The quarry marks were more abundant here, the yellow, chalky limestone having been worked out in rough blocks, some of which had never been removed from the quarry.

     Above us, we knew, were the houses and streets of the city, but we had no means of locating our position on the surface; yet we felt                                                                                                    


 

160                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

sure that we were near the Via Dolorosa. Is it not probable that the materials for the ancient temple were actually quarried here from the roof and sides of a natural cavern, and raised by a shaft to the surface of the temple enclosure? We made our way back again to our guide, who seemed to rejoice that we had escaped unharmed, and gaining the entrance once more we returned to our lodgings weary with the fatiguing labors of the day, but gratified nevertheless with all its experiences.

A few moments of leisure enabled us to visit the Jaffa Gate to inspect the "Needle's Eye," which we found to be a small door hung upon hinges in one of the great gates, to admit foot passengers after the hour of closing. It would be difficult indeed for a camel to pass through this aperture, though not impossible. The Scrip­ture reference was well elucidated by the actual sight.*

 

* Matthew 19: 24..

                                              CHAPTER X.

 

TOUR TO THE DEAD SEA AND THE JORDAN.

 

THE time had now arrived when we were to leave Jerusalem, for the long tour northward, by the way of the Dead Sea and the Jordan. Glad­ly would we have remained longer to verify our first impressions of all the interesting places in and around the holy city; but the guides had the preparations completed and the itinerary arranged.

On the morning of Tuesday, April 8, we were early astir, and eagerly observing the incidents of street life, and the locations

of greatest inter­est, that we might retain a more vivid recollection of all the places we had already visited. While standing thus expectant on the balcony of the hotel overlooking David's Street, we were grat­ified with the sight of a primitive procession, composed of country people, on their way to the Mosque of Omar. The company was composed of about fifty persons, all poorly clad, but with some gaudy‑colored sashes and turbans sprinkled among them, with the intent of presenting a festive or military appearance. They had several dingy banners in sight, and all made a ludicrous attempt

 

162                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

at keeping step on the rough, slippery pavement to the music of the cymbal and tom‑tom.

We were interested most of all in the figure of a young man, who led the straggling procession and performed the office of dancer as well as he was able on such precarious footing. He was a strange‑looking youth, perhaps twenty years of age, of tall and spare figure, with long yellow hair streaming out from under his high turban, and a wild, wandering look in his eyes. His countenance was grave, and his shuffling step, emphasized from time to time by the stroke of his tall spear‑handle upon the pavement, indi­cated that he was engaged in a religious solem­nity. We were at once reminded of the dancing of King David when he brought the ark to Zion. Not unlike this young man must he have ap­peared when, girded with a linen ephod, he danced before the Lord with all his might, and, in reply to the taunt of the proud Michal, said, "It was before the Lord, which chose me . . . ruler . . . over Israel; therefore will I play be­fore the Lord. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight."* How little change, we thought, has three thousand years wrought in the customs of this city of the great king!

 

* 2 Samuel 6:14‑22.

 

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Many final tasks had to be performed upon our departure from Jerusalem. Trinkets of olive wood, photographs, and a few necessaries of cloth­ing had to be laid in. We went to bid adieu to our obliging consul, Colonel Wilson, and deposit with him our letters for home. Then we repaired to the group of horses drawn up near the tower of David, and made choice of the animals we were to ride, each one fully convinced that he had been allotted the most undesirable steed‑-a conviction which was daily strengthened as we advanced on our journey. The sun was well up over the Mount of Olives when our party, now enlarged by the addition of three English clergy­men and two Americans, swept past the Damascus Gate, crossed the Kedron once more, and fell into the main road to Jericho. At the angle in the road where Jesus beheld the city and wept over it we paused again, to take our parting view, and bid farewell to the earthly Jerusalem. We were soon beyond Bethany, going down the steep cliffs toward Jordan. Our route now lay over precipices, along the sides of which rough paths have been worn by the feet of passing animals. The face of these seamed and furrowed masses of dry, yellow‑colored limestone is desolate enough surely to satisfy the Abyssinian monks who have haunted these caves for ages past.

 

164                                TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

The whole forenoon was occupied in scrambling down from one terrace and cliff to another. The sun smote the yellow surface with a blinding glare, and we were glad to secure the shade of turbans and umbrellas, while we held on to the saddle‑pommels with a firm grip as our horses picked their way through the ragged notches of the rocks.

The ruins of an old khan nearly midway in the descent are supposed to mark the site of the par­able of the good Samaritan. Even to this day one going down from Jerusalem to Jericho may fall among thieves. There is no law or order, we are told, in this part of Palestine, no protection to citizens or travellers except what they provide for themselves. The natives around the coasts of the Dead Sea consist of small tribes, generally at war with each other and waiting for convenient opportunities for plunder.

Our guides had taken pains to secure us a safe escort in the persons of two sheikhs, who make a business of conducting tourists through their ter­ritory upon the payment of large backshish. They were warlike men, of swarthy skin, savage glance and sinister expression. Of course they were our friends now, on account of the dear backshish, and they were even our intimate brothers. They would ride familiarly by our side,

 

TOUR TO THE DEAD SEA AND THE JORDAN.                                                   165

 

turn the bilious pupils of their wary eyes upon us, and playfully handle the pistols, swords, dirks, lances, long guns, etc., etc., with which they were decorated.

     The sheikhs were mounted upon splendid horses, trained to the saddle and obedient to the riders' very nod. One of them was a fiery, coal, black steed, with heavy, flowing mane and tail, his bridle decorated with scarlet tassels at the ears, and long leather fringe across the front and at the throat‑latch. The saddle was low in the pommel, with strong girth and back‑strap and long pendants streaming from the saddle‑cloth on either side. Thus equipped and accoutred, the sheikhs would occasionally deploy from us, and ride proudly on in advance as if in quest of foe­ men worthy of their steel.

     Well toward midday we were startled at the sight of an armed Arab horseman, coming over the crest of a hill at full gallop, with his long lance set as if prepared for a hostile engagement. Our sheikh put the spurs to his black charger, and dashed off to meet the stranger. The two riders continued their course straight as an arrow, with unslackened speed until within a few yards of meeting, when one of them put up his hand by way of salute, and both instantly reined in their steeds in a way that nearly threw them

 

166                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

back upon their haunches. Then followed hand-­shakings and other demonstrations of friendship as their horses walked quietly onward side by side, as if to accommodate their riders during conversation. Presently the stranger set spurs to his steed, and disappeared down the slope of the Wady Kelt.*

We were now approaching a cluster of low buildings plastered over with mud, named by the Mohammedans Neby Hasa, that is, the tomb of Moses.+ Though the Bible declares that Moses died in the land of Moab, and was mysteriously buried in a valley there, and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day, yet the followers of

 

* "The Wady Kelt is a deep narrow gorge, flanked by precip­itous cliffs, above which rise white chalk hills, presenting a tangled network of narrow water‑worn torrent beds, with knife­edged ridges between. The slopes are very steep, and numerous conical peaks and rounded knolls project along the ridges." Where the wady crosses the plain of the Jordan, it becomes a broad water‑course covered with water‑worn boulders and shingle, running between banks 20 to 30 feet high and 150 to 300 feet apart. The Wady Kelt has been suggested as identical with the brook Cherith, where Elijah was fed by ravens. See Survey of Palestine, vol. iii. p. 168.‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

+ Neby Musa is a deserted mosque, with a short minaret. There is a cenotaph shown in the mosque as the tomb of Moses. The place was built 668 A.H., and the minaret in 880 A.H.=1502 A.D. The spot is visited yearly in April by a great crowd of Mohammedan pilgrims, accompanied by half‑naked fanatical dervishes, who parade the streets of Jerusalem all the previous morning shouting, "La ilaha ill Allah!''‑Ed. Am. S. S. Union

 

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the false prophet have located his grave here on the west side of the Jordan. We had seen many of the pilgrims on their way to the festival now in progress here, both on the road from He­bron and also in coming down from Bethany. Many of the men were on foot, but the women and children were seated in panniers on the backs of donkeys.

     Our route lay a little southward of this place, now filled with the stir and bustle of constantly-arriving pilgrims, and on the height of ground just beyond we dismounted for luncheon. We were now on the lowest of the mountain terraces overlooking the Dead Sea. The surroundings were dismal in the extreme. Not a tree, shrub, or scarcely a blade of grass enlivened the pros­pect. Under the fierce rays of the sun, we sat down upon the raw earth around the rug and cloth where the attendants had laid out the bread, cold meats, eggs and oranges. On the flat roof of the one‑story mosque opposite, a long line of men were performing their devotions, with their faces turned toward Mecca. They went through their bowings, kneelings and prostrations with a regularity and monotony that was painful to witness. Just then the sound of the tom‑tom was heard, a gun was fired, and a great procession

 

* Denteronomy 34: 6.

 

168                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

of pilgrims, with banners flying, marched into the place, and were received with much ado by those who had arrived before them. The whole scene was in keeping with the barren environs. The strange customs of nations were represented there as well as the blight of nature.

Within an hour of the time of our arrival we were again in the saddle, hastening on towards the blue expanse of waters spread out at our feet, which at this distance did not appear at all like a sea of death, but rather like a beautiful lake in some northern state in America. Upon reaching the plain of the Jordan we passed through a strip of dry jungle, and emerged upon a shelving beach, composed of salt, sand, and some sort of alkali, where there was not a sign of indigenous vegetation. Wrecks of trees lay strewn upon the surface, encrusted in salt, their ragged broken limbs presenting an appearance like the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel's vision. The heat was not as intense here as we had anticipated. A breeze from the southeast had sprung up, and brought with it the welcome shadow of a passing cloud, and thus relieved the usual pressure of the atmosphere. Without delay we prepared for a bath, anxious to test the old theory that nothing can sink beneath these waters. Mr. H., to whom the reader has been

 

TOUR TO THE DEAD SEA AND THE JORDAN.      171

 

introduced at Ramleh, declared his doubts of all these declarations of the ancients, and was the first to plunge into the waters to confirm his stout denial. He obtained more than he had bargained for, inasmuch as he pushed out a little too far from shore, and the heavy surf raised by the wind quickly submerged him.  He came back to terra firms gasping and weeping, and certainly the tears he shed that day were very salt and bitter. The rest of the party fared but little better. The specific gravity and levitating power of the water were evidently very great, but, on account of the heavy waves which beat upon the body like sheets of lead, we could get no fair opportunity to test it. Added to this was the discomfort experienced in breathing. The water was so salt, bitter and pungent that it affected the nostrils to such a degree as almost to produce strangulation, while the smarting of the eyes and each little abrasion of the skin produced not only discomfort, but positive suffering. Notwithstand­ing all, we tried the experiment of floating, and found that head and feet could scarcely be submerged, the heavy part of the body alone settling under the surface, yet not sufficiently to necessitate the action of the limbs to prevent sinking. In the use of the towel after the bath we found the body covered with a pitchy sub‑

 

172                                                          TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

stance, which left an unpleasant sensation for us after dressing.

After this novel experience we mounted again, and hastened across the plain toward the Jordan. The surface was generally level, with here and there a shallow wady, and the whole was without vegetation. The deep sand deposit was mingled with salt, gypsum, sulphur and other ingredients, and hindered the progress of our already wearied horses. At four o'clock we came upon the steep terrace which borders the rushing river at the usual ford and bathing‑place of the pilgrims. Here we dismounted and proceeded to bathe, as all dutiful pilgrims have done for ages immemo­rial, and were the more eager to do so in order to wash away the unpleasant traces of our late bath in the Dead Sea. We found the water shal­low near the shore, but the " shingle" was so sharp that we could hardly stand up against the rushing flood. The fall of the Jordan, as is well known, is very great; hence its name, "The De­scender," and hence the mystery of the miracle by which the Israelites crossed it when swollen by the spring freshets.

The water was of a yellow, muddy color, not, like the Dead Sea, of a beautiful blue; but it was sweet and pure, and thus a fitting emblem of the sacrament of Christian baptism.  Upon

 

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regaining the shore and our garments we loitered upon the upper bank among the tamarisk, agnus cactus, white poplar and other trees, mingled with which was a heavy growth of cane and reeds. Of the latter I cut three fine specimens, one of which still remains in my collection, a cherished memorial. It is about twelve feet in length, with but little taper, graceful and pliant, moved by each breath of air, with a soft feathery plume at the top one foot in length. It is, with­out doubt, the “reed shaken by the wind" to which the Saviour alluded when discoursing of John the Baptist.*

     In these waters, perhaps at this very spot, our Lord was baptized of John, thus, as he said, “fulfilling all righteousness." Crowds of anx-

 

* Matthew 11: 7.

 

176                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

ious souls then thronged these banks, coveting the application of the cleansing water, as a token that their sins were forgiven. And in after ages what multitudes have come hither to bathe in these sacred waters and tarry upon these shaded banks, where even now the bulbul and the thrush in their sweet song answer back to the murmur and ceaseless chatter of the restless current rip­pling over its shingly bed.

The breadth of the river is not great, now, at its ordinary height, not above four or five rods in width; but earlier. in the

season, when the "swellings " take place, and Jordan is in his strength, what a mighty flood then pours down this deep gorge to the sea of death! Thus it doubtless was when the Israelites first crossed it, under Joshua, to enter the “promised land." But Jehovah, who brought them hither from Egypt, made a way for them to pass over in safety, as he will make a way for his saints to pass over the Jordan of death safe into the true land of promise, where he will give his people rest in "the land that is very far off." Watts and Stennett have associated this river with thoughts of solemn import in their imperishable verses, in which they draw a beautiful parallel between the Israelites, waiting on yonder shore, and the dying Christian.

 

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"On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,

   And cast a wishful eye

To Canaan's fair and happy land,

Where my possessions lie.

 

" Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood

Stand dressed in living green;

So to the Jews old Canaan stood,

While Jordan rolled between."

 

Pleasant as it was to linger at the ford, we were presently warned by our guide that it was time for us to resume our journey toward the camp. Our course now lay almost due westward across the plain, here some six miles in width. We were now on the track of the ancient Israel­ites as they marched toward Gilgal and Jericho. At the farther side of the plain, and directly con­fronting us, stood the great landmark of the whole region, named Mount Quarantania. This massive wall of rock, which lifts its majestic front twelve hundred feet in the air, with its sides gilded by the rays of the declining sun, presented a truly grand appearance. Its name indicates that it was the scene of the Saviour's trial when, for forty days, he fasted in the wilder­ness and endured the temptation. When we had crossed about two‑thirds of the distance from the river to the mountain we came to a poor hamlet named Eriha. The miserable dwellings of the Ghawarineh tribe, to which our valiant sheikhs

 

178                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

belonged, are here grouped around an ancient castle, below which were a few unfenced plots of cultivated ground and some enclosures of fruit trees. This spot is supposed to mark ancient Gilgal,* the first place consecrated to religious worship by the Israelites after entering the prom­ised land.+ This tribe does not bear a very good reputation, and the inhabitants whom we saw were not at all prepossessing in appearance, and we did not tarry long in their territory.

From this point onward we followed the course of the wady Kelt, whose stream‑bed was now

 

* Jericho has occupied more than one, and perhaps three different sites at different periods of its history. Old Jericho of Joshua's time was destroyed. Its site is generally placed at Tell es Sultan, near 'Ain es Sultan, or the spring of the Sultan, popularly called" Elisha's Fountain." This is about one and a half miles northwest of.the modern hamlet Erika. The Jericho of the New Testament period, and which Christ visited, is identified by the Palestine Survey with el Aleik, about one and a half miles west of Erika, and the same distance west of south of "Elisha's Fountain." The Jericho of the crusading period is identified with Erika. a miserable mud hamlet surrounded by a thorny briar (Zizyphus spins Christi, the Christ thorn). Gilgal of the Jordan valley was located by Thomson and others near the modern hamlet Erika, but the Palestine Survey, with apparently greater precision, identifies it with a mound or ruin one and a half miles east of Erika, and called Jiljulieh. It is on the direct road from Hajlah to 'Ain es Sultan, and about four and a half miles from the Jordan. Ed. Am. S. S. Union.

+ Joshua 5 :10.

 

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filled with clear running water, along the margin of which we found a luxuriant growth of nubk trees and wild shrubbery. From the branches of one of these shrubs we obtained a number of specimens of the apples of Sodom, which, according to the legend, are fair as to outward appear­ance, but within are full of ashes. The fruit, if such it may be called, is not unlike a wild plum in appearance. It has a bright yellow skin, at­tractive to the eye indeed, but when broken open not even a seed or a grain of ashes is visible. It is an apt symbol of the utter emptiness of mere outward pretension.

Turning northward from the Kelt, we soon came to the bank of another purling stream, arid at its source found our tents pitched, beside 'Ain es Sultan, or Elisha's Fountain, and the attend­ants waiting to receive us. We were now under the foot of Mount Quarantania, and the shadows of its mighty presence warned us of approaching darkness. After we had partaken of our evening meal we sat in the tent door, listening to the cheer­ful croaking of the frogs at the fountain, and looking for the familiar stars as they came out one by one with their welcome light to cheer us. The adventures of the day were rehearsed, with zest, the mules and horses meanwhile munching the barley and beans from their nose‑bags; while the

 

182                                 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

 

sound of the gurgling waters near by invited to slumber. A little later, as we were reclining upon our couches within the tent, preparatory to retiring for the night, one of our company suddenly started up, with the exclamation that he saw the figure of a man crouched in the doorway as if about to effect a stealthy entrance. Soon after a gun was discharged in the camp, which, we found upon inquiry, was simply a device of our guide to warn the natives that we were on