CHAPTER XIX.

THE VALLEY OF THE HULEH.

THE morning of our departure from the plain of Gennesaret was bright and beautiful. Our tents formed a group of white mounds near the pretty little beach along the lake shore, having the dark basaltic bluff above 'Ain et-Tin for a background. Clumps of cane, nubk trees and blooming oleanders were scattered over the surface of the plain in wild and luxuriant growth, with here and there open glades between, in one of which our camp was situated.

Across the lake, from whence we had watched the last rays of the setting sun fade away the evening before, we now saw the spreading beams of the sunrise gilding the sides of the sombre hills, and peering over into the tranquil water below. Flocks of white pelicans, gray king-fishers and turtle-doves of varied plumage whirled past us on their way from Wady Hamam (“ravine of pigeons"), which bounds the plain on the south near Arbela and Hattin, to the fish shoals and cane-brake at Tabighah in quest of an early breakfast.

320 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

Taking the hint from these provident birds, and with an eye to the coming labors of the day, we entered the dining tent, and perched upon camp-stools around the table discussed the merits of the lake fish, which our cook had thoughtfully provided as the principal dish of our meal. We found the fish palatable, but the grain seemed rather coarse and the flavor rather negative. Canon Tristram has an interesting remark regarding the lake fish, affirming that of the ten species obtained by him here all were African or of a tropical genus which has never been found farther north than the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. Upon which he puts this significant question, "Do not these most interesting and unexpected discoveries point to some ancient geological epoch, when the long chain of fresh-water lakes extended from Hermon to the Zambesi, and the Jordan was an African river flowing into the Dead Sea, then a lake connected with the African lakes by the Red Sea, also a lake?"* This startling theory is more than matched by a French savant, M. Lortet, who claims to have found forty-two different kinds of fish in the lake, and who thinks that at one time the salinity of these waters equalled that of the Dead Sea. It has been suggested by some of M. Lortet's countrymen, who

* Land of Israel, p. 580.

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are getting famous in feats of engineering, that a canal could be cut from Haifa to Zerin, across the plain of Esdraelon, by which the valley of the Jordan could be filled with water, and the surface of this lake raised over 600 feet, while 1300 feet would be added to the depth of the Dead Sea, causing the water to flow through the Arabah to the Elanitic Gulf. What advantage would follow from this we cannot foresee; but all lovers of biblical sites would regret to hear that Jericho and Gennesaret had been submerged in order to bring the surface of these waters up to the sea level.

Having dispatched the fish breakfast and these associated water theories, we prepared ourselves for the forenoon ride to the valley of the Huleh. Our route led us past Khan Minieh, up the steep hillside, along a tortuous path bordered by loose basaltic rocks. An hour's travel brought us abreast a huge mass of scoria crowning a slight elevation, in appearance like the crater of an extinct volcano. From this elevation the high ridge of black rock runs down directly to the lake at 'Ain et-Tin, and seems to have been formed by volcanic agency at this point in some remote geological age. As we continued our course in a northwesterly direction, we passed through a region of high table-land, the surface of which

322 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

was literally covered with huge fragments of the basaltic stone, amid which our horses found great difficulty in getting a firm foothold. Having arrived at the summit at about nine o'clock, our guide ordered a halt, and turning in his saddle bade us take our parting view of the Lake of Galilee.

We were now in the neighborhood of Safed, and were favored with a prospect for which this “city set upon a hill" must ever be famous. Far away to the south we traced the route by which we had approached the sacred lake, indicated by the well-defined outlines of Tabor and the Horns of Hattin. And just below us, but sunk in its deep basin, its surface burnished by the sun's rays till it looked like a mirror of molten metal, was the remarkable sheet of water on whose shores we had been delighted to tarry for the past few days. We could dimly discern the city of Tiberias, the cliff of Arbela, and on the farther side the cliffs bordering wadies Fik and Semakh.

Soon after leaving this point, from whence the little streams which flow past Tabighah and Tell Hum take their rise, and which cannot be far distant from the ruins now affirmed to be Chorazin, we came to Khan Yusef. Here we found the ruins of a large stone structure, built in the form of a parallelogram, or hollow square, with a

THE VALLEY OF THE HULEH. 323

tower at one corner and a gateway on the north side. We rode through the ancient and lofty portal, and found ourselves within a spacious court, around which were the alcoves or rooms originally arranged for the accommodation of travellers. It would require but a slight expense to refit this khan for its intended use, as the walls are yet quite perfect.

The structure is evidently of Mohammedan origin, and must have been constructed at a comparatively recent period. The tradition which fixes the name also affirms that Joseph lived and died in the holy city of Safed, which is in the centre of this region. Of course, the well of Dothan, into which the cruel brethren cast the unsuspecting Joseph, is pointed out near by, though all Christian authorities fix its site south of Esdraelon. The "Bridge of the Daughters of Jacob," which spans the Jordan not far from this place, has the same authority for its name, viz., Mohammedan tradition.

The fact that such improbable traditions are attached by the Mohammedans to all the historic sites in Palestine is significant. The religion of nearly all the country people is Mohammedan, and it does but little for them in the way of enlightenment and culture. They generally hold, our guide informed us, that Abram, Jacob, Moses

324 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

and Jesus were of like faith with themselves. And they further imagine that these personages were all great giants, from eight to ten feet in height, and physically strong in proportion. One week later, while traversing the great Lebanon valley, we came upon the alleged tomb of Noah, which was three feet wide and ninety feet in length, from which we inferred that Noah must be a great saint in the Moslem calendar.

Beyond Khan Yusef the land slopes down toward the bed of the upper Jordan, now named the valley of the Huleh. In this region we passed

THE VALLEY OF THE HULEH. 325

over several plateaus, evidently covered with a fertile soil, part of which was under cultivation. In one place we passed a group of farmers at work, and were reminded of the history of Elisha. Twelve yoke of oxen were following each other in a line, each drawing a separate plough of the primitive pattern already described in the account of our tour to Hebron. From the Scripture narrative it appears that Abel-Meholah, the “meadow of the dance," where Elisha was at work, was somewhere in the Jordan valley. Elijah was on his way from Sinai to Damascus, and might have come upon Elisha somewhere near this place. Custom changes so little in the lapse of centuries in this strange land that these ploughmen may be the literal successors of Elisha. He "was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him."*

* 1 Kings 19:19.

326 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

He was at the rear of the line, and therefore his parley with Elijah would not hinder the other ploughmen who preceded him in their work. We again noted the truth of the statement that the farmers' little ploughs make no proper furrows, but merely "root up" the soil on either side, and so any number may follow one another, each making its own scratch along the surface of the earth, and when at the end of the field they can return along the same line, and thus back and forth until the whole is ploughed. It was well, therefore, that Elisha came last, for the ploughmen cannot pass one another, and his interview with Elijah was the more private and did not stop the others until they reached the end of the furrow. During our morning ride we had been in sight of the waters of Merom, Lake Huleh, a body of water not unlike the Lake of Galilee in shape, but of less depth and smaller dimensions.

Midday was upon us when we entered the Jordan valley once more, at a point where a mill-stream flows into the lake at its northwest extremity. The sun was now shining "in his strength," and our thirsty horses pressed into the water at the ford, drinking and splashing the swift-flowing current without regard to the convenience of the riders. The place is named 'Ain el-Mellaha, “The Salt," or, as other authorities affirm, "spring of

THE VALLEY OF THE HULEH. 327

the king," in allusion to Joshua's victory here over Jabin.* Our guide directed us to the scanty shade of a terebinth tree, standing well up against the hillside on the north bank of the stream, where he decided that we should have a brief rest and partake of luncheon.

Our resting-place overlooked the ford, and was in plain sight of a rude mill which stood above it, with its simple machinery in motion. A number of horses, camels and donkeys were disporting themselves in the running water, and a herd of buffaloes were wallowing in the deep water farther down, where a sort of lagoon is formed by the not-distant lake. The young herdsmen were sharing the luxury of a bath with their cattle, after which they sheltered themselves beneath a clump of alders on the bank, and regaled themselves with music from a reed flute, evidently of their own invention and manufacture.

The original name of the lake was the Hebrew Merom, or "High Lake," but in the days of the Crusades it was known by the present title “Huleh," depression. The latter title probably applied to the whole valley as a hollow among the hills, while Merom indicates the lake proper as "high" among the waters.

Dean Stanley gives the dimensions of the lake

* Joshua 11: 5.

328 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

as about seven miles long, and in its greatest width six miles wide. But Mr. Macgregor, who explored its banks in his canoe, states that according to his observation the size of the lake is not one-fourth of this area. A late writer gives the length as four miles and the breadth three and a half, having a depth of eleven feet in winter, the surface nearly on a level with the sea. It is of triangular shape, having the base at the north end, and the apex at the outlet on the south. On its western shore below 'Ain Mellaha are excellent wheat fields, though poorly cultivated, and on its north side are acres of marsh covered with Egyptian papyrus.

The heat was very intense during our afternoon journey northward along the border of the great marsh, with scarcely a breath of air to relieve the sultry, fever-laden atmosphere. On our left hand ran a range of treeless hills, under the shadow of which we crept along, seeking there a partial shelter from the scorching rays of the sun. Great herds of buffaloes wallowed in the marsh, content to have only their eyes and nostrils exposed to the swarms of flies and mosquitoes. I counted seventy-five in one herd, and we were scarcely out of sight of them during the whole afternoon.*

* St. Willibald, of the eighth century, writes : "Armenta mirabilia longo dorso, brevibus cruribus, magnis cornibus creati;

THE VALLEY OF THE HULEH. 329

At intervals we came upon encampments of the Ghawarineh people, who own the buffaloes, and for the most part gain their subsistence from them. They seldom kill them for food, for they only eat a small quantity of meat, and that for the most part mutton; though, if a buffalo break a leg and they must kill it, they sometimes eat the flesh. At certain seasons of the year the people move their camps back to Kades, two miles distant among the high hills to the westward. This is the ancient Kedesh, in the tribe of Naphtali, originally appointed as one of the cities of refuge.* There are many ruins of buildings at Kades, but none yet discovered are of great importance. Our guide informed us that the people pass the winters in their rush tents with camel's-hair covering, subsisting for the most part on coarse bread, milk and curds, rice and other simple articles of food, obtained usually from Safed or Damascus.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at another stream of water, flowing into the marsh on its west side, named 'Ain Belala, where we pitched our camp for the night, and snatched a little time

omnes aunt unius coloris," i.e., " extraordinary cattle, furnished with long backs, short legs and great horns; all are of one color."

*Joshua 20: 7.

330 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

for making records of the day's observations. At this point the range of hills comes boldly out into the valley, and assumes quite a majestic appearance. The plain is here quite narrow, being hemmed in by the encroaching marsh, covered with a growth of papyrus and cane, through which the tough-skinned buffalo even cannot make his way. In this narrow plain our tents were pitched on the green sward, and we prepared for a good night's rest beneath their shelter.

During the early evening there was a strange rumbling along the side of the mountain overhanging us. Puffs of heated air eddied round the camp, and might have been taken by us as warnings of the approaching sirocco; but we were weary with travel, and early sought our tent beds without making any defence against the oncoming tempest. About ten o'clock the wind suddenly increased in violence. The storm came bellowing along the mountain side, and swooped down upon us with great force. Amid the roaring blast cries were heard for help, and upon going to the tent door we found our good neighbors and fellow travellers, the three English clergymen, without a shelter, and their clothing and valuables scattered about amid the debris of the overturned tent,

THE VALLEY OF THE HULEH. 331

With great ado, and after much talk and bluster, our twelve camp men re-erected the fallen tent. The weary, but now apprehensive, travellers gathered up their clothing and valuables and returned to their narrow beds. Just then a terrific blast came down the mountain side, and away went our tent, cords, centre-pole and all the appliances, and we were left under the open heavens, while a hot blast as from the mouth of a furnace swept over us. Upon lighting one of the camp lanterns it was found that four out of our five tents were prostrate.

Now ensued a scene of aimless effort and linguistic confusion. Men were straining at tent-cords, bracing the centre-poles, driving the tent-pins in the soft ground, while the wind and the gush of Arabic speech produced a perfect Babel. During a lull in the storm we once more entered the re-erected tent, when suddenly the wind charged upon us with renewed violence. I felt the tent moving again, and grasping the centre-pole quickly blew out the candle, and was flung directly across my bed, the heavy weight of the “pole" crushing it to the ground. It was one o'clock A.M. before the wind died away sufficiently to allow us to lie down in quietness, and it was but little sleep that we obtained throughout the whole night.

CHAPTER XX.

DAN AND BANIAS.

THE morning of April 17 dawned upon our company of weary pilgrims in the valley of the Huleh. Our night's experience with the sirocco was calculated to render us dissatisfied with the latest phase of tent and saddle life; but each one seemed to regard the matter in the light of an adventure common to this mode of travel, and so good humor and cheerfulness reigned supreme. The various aspects of the occurrence were jocularly canvassed at the breakfast table, and in good season we were all prepared for the journey of another day. A brief description of the nomadic life which, like the ancient patriarchs, we passed in the "promised land" may be of interest in connection with what has just been narrated. Allusions have already been made to the fact that a few tourists in the Holy Land have to secure the services of a large number of servants and horses, in order to pass through the country with safety and comfort. In our case there were only nine travellers on the long tour from Jeru-

DAN AND BANIAS. 333

salem, and yet we required twelve men and thirty animals to transport us.

The method of progress was as follows: When about breaking camp in the morning the horses, mules and donkeys were supplied with beans and barley mixed with chaff. This was placed in a sort of canvas bucket, known as the "nose-bag," the bale of which was fastened over the animal's head back of the ears. While the process of grooming, harnessing or saddling went forward, the animals munched this dry breakfast, glancing wearily meanwhile at the busy preparations going forward around them, their eyes just visible above the rim of their portable mangers. At the same time, in another part of the camp, where the kitchen tent was pitched, the cook was preparing coffee and broiling steaks or cutlets over a tin range, in which a charcoal fire was kindled; and at still another point two men were taking down the sleeping-tents and rolling them up in large packages ready for transportation. While the tourists were at breakfast the camp men (who had previously eaten at the kitchen tent) would load the tent-poles, the canvas, the huge chests of oranges and other provisions on the sumpter-mules; and while the travellers were strapping their water-proofs, etc., and getting into the saddles, the men would pull down the kitchen and

334 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

dining-tents, and in an incredibly short time be upon the road en route to the next station.

Not a breath of air was stirring as we slowly moved up the valley from 'Ain Belata. The sun was shining intensely bright, and the buffaloes, as usual, were lazily immersing themselves in the muddy water of the marsh. The rank growth of papyrus still continued, with no visible trace of the Jordan, which makes its way somewhere through the dense jungle. Mr. Macgregor attempted to force a passage through from the north with his canoe Rob Roy, in 1869, but failed. Upon going overland to 'Ain Mellaha he launched upon Lake Huleh, and explored a narrow channel upward, for some three miles, to a point near 'Ain Belata, where he entered a little lake half a mile in width, quite surrounded by the tall green papyrus except at the south, where he had entered. He was satisfied that this is the earliest flow of Jordan as one river after it dives into the barrier, which he describes as a dense hedge of a curious floating forest. If it were desired, an open water-way could be made by cutting out the spongy bed of fallen cane and living fibre for a half-mile or more, when the Jordan would be traceable from its source to its mouth.

During the morning's ride we passed the largest village of rush tents, with black goat-hair-

DAN AND BANYAS. 335

cloth covering, we had yet seen. Naked children were playing about the tent doors, one of which called out to us "Good morning"--a bit of English he kept repeating in great glee, having heard it, no doubt, from previous tourists who had passed that way. Near by a young woman was pounding wheat with a mallet on a large boulder; and we also saw several hand-mills, consisting of the upper and nether stones of circular form, with their flat surfaces in contact, in the former of which a wooden pin was inserted, to be used as a handle in turning. Two women usually sit, one on either side of the apparatus, the one turning the stone half way around, and the other then grasping the handle to complete the revolution. This is the "mill " often mentioned in the Bible.*

* Ecclesiastes 12: 4; Matthew 24; 41.

336 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

At nine o'clock we saw the supposed site of ancient Hazor, "enclosure" or "castle," the possession of King Jabin in the days of Joshua,* situated on a rocky eminence, overlooking Kades and Lake Huleh. We had now arrived at the northern limit of the great marsh, and, turning eastward, we followed the line of a crooked conduit, in which men were excavating, and from which they sought to irrigate the rice-fields lying just below. We soon came to their water supply in the river Hasbany: This stream is one of the sources of the Jordan, rising in a fine spring some twenty miles to the northward, from which it flows down to this point, where it becomes a mountain torrent, sweeping over its bed of boulders, and "dashing wild and free." Its banks are lined with oleanders, plane trees and agnus-castus, under the foliage of which it hides its current as it speeds on toward the great marsh below. We crossed the Hasbany on a fine old bridge, built of stone, with three massive arches, the structure having an inclined roadway, the highest part being at the western end.

A ride of three miles through a well-wooded country, with an undulating surface, brought us to Tell el Kady, the ancient site of Dan or Laish. The modern name signifies "the hill of the

* Joshua 11:1.

DAN AND BANIAS. 337

judge," and "judge" was the meaning of the word "Dan" among the Israelites. This was the northern limit of the possessions given to the sons of Jacob, as Beersheba was the boundary southward; hence the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba," intended as a description of the whole land.*

The tell, or mound, is of very singular appearance. It is an oblong hill, about twenty-five feet in perpendicular height, and is three hundred yards from north to south, and two hundred and fifty yards from east to west. On its western side a great source of the Jordan sends out a copious stream, almost a full-grown river at once, uniting its waters with those of another stream at the southwest side of the hill. A wonderful fountain, like a large bubbling basin, is here found. Pausing to rest beneath the shadow of an oak or terebinth tree, where the fluttering rags on the branches notified us of the proximity of a sheikh's grave, we sat down for luncheon beside the cool purling stream. It is an enchanting spot, and many events of Old Testament history centre there.

From the earliest times settlers must have been attracted to this place. Sheltered under the side of Mount Hermon, possessing a fountain from

* Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3: 20.

338 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

which the drainage of all this part of the mountain seems to find its exit, and having a fertile soil all around, it could not but be attractive to emigrants. Here the people of Laish could dwell at ease, secluded from the world, and separated from their own people at Sidon by the Lebanon mountains. The people of Dan afterward came up this valley on an exploring expedition, and, dispossessing the former occupants, seated themselves in this territory as their own. Their report that this was a “large land," "very good," “a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth,"* we can still see was correct. And here on this mound, beside the great fountain, they set up their capital, and, as they were far removed from Shiloh, they afterward set up their sanctuary here also. And though Samuel may have forbidden the continuance of this irregular worship in after times, yet it became a so-called "sacred place" when Jeroboam afterward erected a temple here, with the golden calf.+ On the southwest corner of the mound, it is said, the golden calf was set up; and as I wandered over this section, I could trace the remains of ancient walls, as of former fortifications or buildings. Just below the hill stood an old mill, now out of repair, and evidently for many years out of use.

* Judges 18: 9,10. + 2 Chronicles 13: 8.

DAN AND BANIAS. 339

Floods of water rush past its idle wheel, and yet it moves not-an apt illustration of the lack of industry and application on the part of the inhabitants of this favored land. There are many features of interest about Tell el Kady, but nothing to excel this great fountain. It is said to be the largest spring in Syria, and is perhaps the largest single fountain in the world. The stream is called by Josephus the Lesser Jordan, is twice as large as the fountain at Banias, and three times as large as the Hasbany, which, though the most distant source of the Jordan, is scarcely anything more than a surface-water stream, while this is a massive volume of water springing out of the earth at one bound.*

* There are two large streams at Tell el Kady. The largest spring is called 'Ain el Leddan, and is the one referred to as bursting forth on the west side of the mound, and forming a pool around which are heaped blocks of basaltic rocks. A copious stream runs from this spring and pool. Another stream issues from the southwest side of the mound, perhaps from the same chief source, and soon unites with the former stream, and the two form the el Leddan, or as Josephus called it the Little Jordan. The stream from the spring alone contains twice as much water as the stream from the spring at Banias, with which it does not unite in any one stream however, but in several. While the spring at Tell el Kady is much larger than the spring at Banias, the Banias stream receives water from several other springs, so that the two streams soon after leaving their sources seem to be about equal in volume. As the Banias stream is longer than the Leddan, it is usually considered the source of the Jordan. For the Hasbany stream is scarcely half the size

340 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

As we were reclining under the oak and terebinth, beside the glassy pool, a farmer came that way, carrying his rude plough, made of two saplings, with a wedge-shaped iron point at the foot. He was a worthy successor to the possessions of ancient "Dan." His swarthy complexion, dark eye and prying conduct reminded us of what was said of his ancestor-"Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the heels of the horse, so that his rider shall fall backward;" or again, "He shall leap from Bashan," i.e., from the slopes of Hermon, where he is couched watching for his prey.

When Mr. Macgregor was attempting to penetrate the marsh, from a point near Tell el Kady, he was set upon by the natives, and pursued from curve to curve around the winding banks of the Jordan, and at last was fired at by one of these worthies, when he surrendered himself, was carried canoe and all to a hut, and kept a prisoner until his escort, hearing of his misfortune, came to his rescue. Our own experience afterward, at Banias, confirmed us in the conviction that the modern inhabitants make good the description of the Daaites, as given above.

of the river at its junction with the Jordan. See Conder's Tent Life, Prof. Socin, and Survey of Western Palestine, vol. i. pp. 96, 105.--Ed. Am. S.S. Union.

DAN AND BANIAS. 341

An hour's ride to the eastward, by a path winding through clumps of oleander and scrub oak, brought us to the town formerly named Panias, now Banias, the Caesarea Philippi of the New Testament. The men hastened to pitch our camp in a fine grove of olive trees, about one hundred yards distant from the river's bank, and the singular interest of the place led us immediately to follow the stream to its source, in the great fountain a short distance above.

Banias stands on a triangular terrace, which rises some five hundred feet above the plain beneath, and abuts on the southwestern spur of Mount Hermon. Just where the terrace joins the spur of the mountain, at its innermost angle, is a cliff of white and pink stone, about eighty feet in height, having carved niches in its ragged

342 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

front--the marks of an ancient occupation. The fountains stream out of a vast pile of loose stones, about fifty yards distant from the foot of the cliff, and immediately unite in a torrent of limpid water, which goes rushing and roaring past the village, under the ancient arched bridge, down the wady. Were it not for its greater rival at Tell el Kady, this fountain would be a marvel indeed. The scenery all around this place is wild and mountainous, and the ancient ruined castle, perched on the height one thousand feet above, adds not a little to the picturesque-ness and beauty of the scene. The modern village is situated a short distance from the fountain, and is only a poor mountain hamlet, with dwellings of stone, rudely constructed, not very inviting, nor over cleanly in appearance. Here we saw round huts or booths, built of green branches of trees, and perched upon the house-tops, in which the inhabitants sleep in summer time, in order to escape the fleas with which their houses are infested, or, as others affirm, to escape the serpents and scorpions which abound here.

It was our misfortune to have a difficulty with these troublesome people, who were already handsomely paid for the camping-ground and for the provisions they had furnished us. Our chief dragoman being greatly annoyed by a dog, which

DAN AND BANIAS. 343

persisted in hanging about the tents, picked up a tent mallet, and, poising it, threw it with such precision that he struck the animal in the head, and instantly killed it. Word was carried to the village. The sheikh's son immediately made his appearance, attended by a group of apparent desperadoes, and the protracted quarrel began in due form. All the evening and far into the night the angry dispute continued. We were all warned not to leave the camp, as there might be parties lurking around for personal plunder. Even in going to the river bank just at twilight I was intercepted by a party of men, who menaced me with their fists, and muttered vengeful Arabic at me, which fortunately I could not understand. Careful watch was kept over the camp that night, but no further outbreak occurred until early morning, the hour appointed by our guide for settlement, when the delegation returned. The hour seemed propitious for negotiations, and settlement was made in full for six francs-about one dollar and twenty cents of United States currency.

After the declaration of peace we made another visit to the vicinity of the fountain, and attempted to decipher the mutilated Greek inscription graven in the shell-shaped niche in the face of the cliff, which as some think reads, “The Priest of the

344 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

God Pan." If so, this is evidently a relic of the old Greek shrine of Pan, from which the place derives its name, Pan being the Grecian representative of the Syrian god Baal. Quite an extensive cave exists in the cliff near by, which in connection with the fountain made this a suitable spot for the shrine of the sylvan deity.

Of this Josephus writes in connection with his statement that Herod built him a most beautiful temple near the place called Panium, but his description is unlike the present appearance of the place. "This is a very fine cave in a mountain, under which there is a great cavity in the earth, and the cavern is abrupt and prodigiously deep and full of a still water; over it hangs a vast mountain, and under the caverns arise the springs of Jordan. Herod adorned this place, which was already a very remarkable one, still further by the erection of this temple, which was dedicated to Caesar."

This temple is said to have been erected by Herod the Great in the year 20 B.C., while the one at Samaria, surrounded by the consecrated approach, was completed shortly afterward. He built Herodium, on the Frank Mountain near Bethlehem, from B.C. 20 to 10, Caesarea on the coast nearly within the same period, and consecrated the temple by which he replaced the

DAN AND BANIAS. 345

humble building of Ezra at Jerusalem, in the year B.C.14. He was a great builder as well as warrior, and left traces of the magnificence as well as cruelty of his reign in every part of the land.

No remains of the temple are now seen near the fountain, but south of the village we came upon the ruins of three large towers. Climbing to the top of one of these crumbling piles of masonry, we noticed the remains of a large arched bridge adjacent; but it did not seem to be as ancient as the one spanning the fountain torrent near our camping-ground. "Here," it has been said, "are the ruins of the once-famed frontier city Caesarea-Philippi. Here were the villas of the Roman settlers, and in their midst stood the public theatre, where Titus on his return from the capture of Jerusalem held a great festival, and

346 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

compelled the captive Jews to act as gladiators and fight with wild beasts in the public arena."

Josephus, who is our authority for many particulars in the lives of the Herods, affirms that Philip, who afterward succeeded to the town and districts around, proved that Lake Phiala, situated some four hours distant to the southeast upon the mountain heights, was the source whence this fountain is supplied in an occult manner. Philip “had chaff thrown into Phiala, and it was found at Panium, where the ancients thought the fountain-head of the river was, whither it had been therefore carried."* It is hardly necessary to add that it has been proved by modern scientists that no connection exists between Phiala and the fountain at Banias, and at present there is not a drop of water in the cavern at the latter place, the stream now issuing from a pile of loose stones at quite a distance from the cliff, as already stated. Notwithstanding the alleged experiment of Philip, Banias is now regarded as the most eastern source of the Jordan; and though the former architectural grandeur of the place is now fallen into hopeless ruin and decay, yet the natural beauty remains. Dean Stanley calls it the Syrian Tivoli, and Canon Tristram, with his usual regard to natural beauty, writes: "Everywhere

* Wars: Book III. 10: 7.

DAN AND BANIAS. 347

there is a wild medley of cascades, mulberry trees, fig trees, dashing torrents, festoons of vines, bubbling fountains, reeds and ruins, and the mingled music of birds and waters."

But above all it must be remembered that Jesus came into the town of Caesarea-Philippi with his disciples before he took with him Peter and James and John into the high mountain apart and was transfigured before them. This, at least, was the northernmost limit of our Lord's travels. It was not unsuitable that here, upon the spur which runs like a graded way to the snow-clad heights of majestic Hermon, the glory of the Master should be revealed to the wondering disciples. Here, at the source of that sacred stream which is inseparably associated with the history and poetry of the two dispensations, it was fitting that the divinity of our Lord should be first openly announced, from whence it might spread through all lands in coming time, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Our travel in the Holy Land was now completed. True we were yet to see Damascus, Baalbec, the Lebanon mountains and Beyrout, whence we were to sail for Asia Minor, Constantinople and Greece. It was to be our privilege also to visit many of the sites of cities famous in classic annals, and consecrated by the labors of the apostles and fathers

348 TENT AND SADDLE LIFE.

in the Christian Church. But the land of the patriarchs, judges, kings and prophets we were now to leave behind us. And as we passed up the heights of Hermon we cast a parting glance over the wide valley of the Jordan, and took our final leave of the "Promised Land," which Moses longed to enter, but only saw from a distance; since hallowed by the Saviour's feet, now “trodden under foot of the Gentiles," awaiting the dawn of a brighter and better day.

INDEX.

PAGE

Abraham with Isaac, 202

Absalom's tomb, 132, 135

African fish in Galilee, 321

Ai, Location of, 197

'Ain Barideh 296

'Ain Belata, 329

'Ain Duk 190

'Ain el Mellaba 326

'Ain es Sultan, 181, 192

'Ain et Tin, Fountain of, 316

'Ain Feshkba 187

Ajalon, Valley of, 41

American legation, 121

Anathoth, Distant view of, 154

Anderson, Lieut., at Nablus, 217

Andromeda, Story of, 15

Antiquities at Banias, 345

Capernaum 310

Samaria 229

Tiberias 289

Antonia, Tower of, 71

Apples of Sodom, 181

Aqueduct at Tabighah, 307

Baca, Valley of, 200, 203

Banias, Ruins at, 341, 345

Baptism in the Jordan, 175

Bathing in the Dead Sea, 171

Jordan River, 172

Beersheba 102, 337

Bees making boney, 107

Beit el Khulil, 96, 106

Ben Hur, source of legend, 276

Bethany, 136

Bethel 196

Bethesda, note, 69

Beth-boron, View of, 41

Bethlehem, 108

Church of Nativity, 109

inn and manger, 50

view eastward, 113

Bethphage 136

Betheaida in Galilee, 307

Julias 287

Birds of Palestine, 184, 266, 319

Boat in Galilee, 294, 309

Booth on house-top, 342

Bread like a stone, 271

Buffalo in the Huleh, 328

Calvary, 127

Camp at Gennesaret, 319

at Jericho, 183

life, 332

Canal from Haifa to Zarin, 321

Capernaum, Tell Hum, 311

Fountain of, 316

Carmel, Mount, 246, 260

Carpenter at Nazareth, 264

Cascades at Banias, 347

Cave at Banias, 344

of the Nativity, Bethlehem, 110

Caesarea, on the coast, 344

Philippi, 341

Chamber, Upper, of the Last

Supper, 120

Chinnereth, Lake of, 286

Chorazin 262, 312

Christ, Ascension of, 139

asleep upon pillow, 295

at Sea of Galilee, 317

at the garden and Calvary, 127, 135

at the well in Samaria, 210

birth at Bethlehem, 110

weeping over Jerusalem, 136, 163

youth at Nazaretb, 264

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 122

Coffee served by a smithy, 197

Colonization of Palestine, 19

Colonnade at Samaria, 228

Corner stone of temple wall, 66

Crusaders at Ramleh, 39

Dalmanutha 297

Dan, 336

Dancing at Jerusalem and

Shiloh 161, 209

350 INDEX. PAGE

David's street, 121

tomb, traditional, 120

Dead Sea, 168, 186

Deborah's victory, 244

Deir Diwan, 195

Dining under difficulties, 49

Dorcas, Tomb of, 24

Dothan 233

Dress of men and women, 263

Earthquake at Tiberias, 282

Ebal 212

El Aksa, Mosque of, 66

El Karey, Visit from, 214

El Kubab 40

El Lisan 188

Elijah at Wady Kelt, 190

Emmaus, Kulonieh, 51

En Rogel, Well of, 66, 130

Encounter with Arabs, 343

Endor 245

Eriha, Village of, 177, 191

Erinna, the monk of Mount

Tabor, 275

Esdraelon, Plain of, 240, 260

Eshcol, Vineyards of, 104

Etam, Site of, 107

Farmers at Dan, 340

Miseries of, 242

Farm-houses secluded, 28, 94

Fevers at Tabighah, 315

Fish abundant in Galilee, 308, 320

Fishermen at Tiberias, 294, 309

Fishermen's tents and traps, 309

Flowers at Nazareth, 266

among Judean hills, 91

Food of the people, 329

Fountain at Banias, 342

at Dan, 239

at Nazareth, 257

at Shiloh, 209

of Elisha, 181, 192

of the Virgin, at Jerusalem, 70

Sealed, 86

Frank Mountain, 114

Gate of the glen, 41

Gazelle, 194

Gennesaret, Plain of, 298

Gerizim, View from, 213

German colony, 20

Gethsemane, Garden of, 58, 135

PAGE

Ghawarineh, Tribe of, 177

Gibeah of Saul 153

Gibson 147

Gideon's army, 245

Gilboa, Mountains of, 244, 260

Gilead 186

Gilgal, Eriha, 177

Girl surprised at the khan, 49

Girls, Hard lot of, 225

Golden Gate, Jerusalem, 69

Grain field trampled on, 92

Grasshoppers, 280

Haifa, Port of, 259

Hand-mills, 335

Hanina, Valley of, 51

Harem esh Sherif, 61

Hasbany River, 336

Hazor, Site of, 336

Hebron, City of, 96

Hospice of; 101

Mosque of, 98

Hermits at Mt. Quarantania, 189

Hermon, Mount, 347

Herod Antipas 287

the Great, buildings, etc., 344

Herodium at Frank Mountain, 114

Hezekiah, Pool of 121

Hill-top at Nazareth, 259

Hinnom, Valley of, 79, 130

Hoffman, Rev. C., Colony of, 20

Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, 122

Ceremonies at, 127

Horses at Jaffa, 20, 22

Houses at Nazareth, 262

Huleh, Lake of, 228, 334

Hulhul 94

Hymns about Jordan, 177

Inscriptions at Banias, 343

Irrigation from the Hasbauy, 336

Jabbok 194

Jackals, 182, 201

Jacob's ladder, 198

well, note, 210-218

Jaffa described, 13, 17, 18

Jehoshaphat, Valley of, 131

Jenin, Village of, 234

Jeremiah's grotto, 158

Jericho, Site of, 185, 190

Jeroboam's calf worship, 338

Jerome's grotto at Bethlehem, 111

Jerusalem, Arrival at, 53

INDEX 351 PAGE

Jerusalem, Population of, 54

Streets of, 57

Jesus at Nazareth, 268

never at Tiberias, 289

Jezebel and Ahab, 247

Jezebel, 242

Jordan described, 172, 176

Length of, 293

plain, 194

Source of 337

Joseph's tomb, 211

Josepbus describes Banias, 344

Gennesaret 299

Jericho 190

Samaria 230

Tiberias, 288

Joshua at Ai 192, 197

reading the law at Shechem, 212

Judea, Hill country of, 52, 85

Judges, Tomb of the, 144

Judith and Holofernes, 232

Kades in Galilee, 329

Keble's lines on Jordan, 293

Kelt, Brook of, Cherith, 166,178,190

Kerak, outlet of Galilee, 292

Khan described, 48

Minieh, 302

of Good Samaritan, 164

Yusef, 322

Khurbet en Nusara, 105

Kirjath jearim, 45, 47

Kishon River, 240

Kulonieh described, 51

Kustul 50

Lake of Galilee, 304

Last view of, 322

Names of, 286

Sacred associations of, 317

View of, 285

Lapping water 226

Law, Place of reading, 212

Lazarus, Tomb of, 137

Lepers and dwellings, 130, 143

Lord's Supper, Place of, 120

Lydda viewed from Ramleh, 34

Maccabees, Home of, 42

Macgregor attacked, 340

Magdala 297

Maimonides, Tomb of, 293

Mar Elias, Monastery, 80

PAGE

Mary's kitchen at Nazareth, 256

Merom, Waters of, 327

Mill in operation, 327

Miracle of loaves and fishes, 296

Mishna composed at Tiberias, 283

Moab, Hills of, 194

Mohammedan superstitions, 167

Montefiore's garden, 20

Moriah, Sights on, 64

Mosque el AksA, 66

Mound at Dan, 337

Mount of Beatitudes, 277

Mudauwarah, Fountain of, 300

Nablus, Village of, 214, 221, 226

Nain, Village of, 250

Nativity, Church of, Bethlehem, 109

Nazareth, 255, 268

Reflections on leaving, 267

Neby Samwil 145

Needle's eye in gate, 160

Nob, 154

Oak at Dan, 337

Oak of Abraham, 101

Oleanders, 296, 301

Olives, Mount of, 61, 134, 139

Omar, Mosque of, 63, 65

Orange orchards at Jaffa, 24

Pan, the Syrian Baal, 344

Papyrus, 328, 334

Partridges, 201

Passover attended, 140

Peter's vision at Jaffa, 16

Phiala, Lake of, 346

Pbilistia, Coast of, 9

Ploughing of Elisha, 325

Ploughs and ploughing, 93

Precipitation, Mount of, 252, 257

Procession in David's Street, 161

Quarantania, Mount of

Temptation, 177, 189

Rabbis at Tiberias, 283, 293

Rachel's Tomb, note, 81

Ramet el Khulil 96

Ramleh, History of, 39

Tower of, 33

Reed flute, 327

shaken by the wind, 175

Rephaim, Plain of, 79

352 INDEX PAGE

Road, Old Roman, 193

Roads lacking in Palestine, 80

Rob Roy on the Jordan, 340

Robbers' caverns, 298

Rock, Sacred, on Mount

Moriah, 64

Roses of Sharon, 28

Round fountain at Gennesaret, 300

Ruin at Shiloh, 206

Safed, city on hill, 279, 322

Samaria, Hill of, 227, 231

Samaritan, The Good, 164

Samaritans' synagogue, 213, 222

Sanur, Bethulia 232

Scopus 144, 154

Sharon, Plain of, 28

Rose of, 34

Shechem, Ancient, 223

Sheikhs as guides, 164

Shepherds and sheep, 90

Shepherds' fields, Bethlehem, 113

Shiloh, 204, 209

Shunem 248

Siloam 131

Village of, 130

Simon the tanner's house, 14

Singing of girls at 'Ain Duk, 192

Sinjil 203

Sirocco, in plain of Huleh, 330

Sodom and Gomorrah, 188

Solomon's pools, 86, 107

porch, 68

stables, 66

quarries, 158

Songs of native girls, 191

Sower, Parable of, 315

Stone at the Sepulchre, 156

Stones, Foundation of temple, 67

St. Stephen's gate, View from, 58

PAGE

Sycamore tree at Jericho, 190

Tabighah, Bethsaida, 305, 316

Tabor, Mount, 250, 271

Tell Hum, Capernaum, 310

Temple at Banias, 344

at Jerusalem, 72

Terebinth tree, 207, 209

Thief, penitent, Home of, 42