February 14th.
“How calm, how beautiful comes on
The stilly hour when storms are gone;
When warring winds have died away,
And clouds beneath the glancing ray
Melt off, and leave the land and sea
Sleeping in bright tranquility:”
Sea Storms
Every vestige of yesterday's commotion has disappeared, and we are riding along this celebrated “coast of Tyre and Sidon,” with “the body of heaven in his clearness like a paved work of sapphire” overhead, and the Mediterranean, but now so agitated and angry, lying at our feet gentle and calm as infancy asleep. No wonder that Hebrew poets refer to sea and storm to illustrate the might and majesty of Jehovah.
Bible Allusions
Yes; and it was this very sea that kindled their inspiration—this Mediterranean, lashed into fury by such a storm as we have witnessed, that made the sweet singer of Israel exclaim, “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than ... the mighty waves of the sea. Thou stillest them” (Psa. 93:3-43The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. 4The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. (Psalm 93:3‑4)).
David, I suppose, was no sailor, never saw the ocean, and yet his sea-storm in Psalm 107 is unrivaled in beauty, fidelity, and spirit: “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.” (Psa. 107:23-3023They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 24These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. 25For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. 28Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. (Psalm 107:23‑30)). And how appropriate the closing reflection:
It is indeed simple, natural, devout. David had witnessed the beginning, middle, and end of just such a storm as has been raging on the Mediterranean for the last fifteen days, or he would not have written this very graphic picture; and yet this is not the wildest specimen which our sea can offer.
A Storm in 1840
During the last days of 1840, there was one far more terrific and destructive. The British and allied fleets were then riding at anchor in the roadstead at Beira, and the largest three—deckers were tossed about by the mighty billows like bits of cork. Many ships were thrown out on to the shore in that sort of contempt which means “there let him lie,” according to Byron. The snow also came down the mountains, at that time, nearly to the shore, while now there is none on these lower ranges, though they are a thousand feet high and more.
Acacia-Trees
Let me call your attention to this curious avenue of acacia-trees, the largest of the kind, I venture to say, that you have ever seen. They are certainly remarkable specimens of vegetable architecture. Their crooked stems and muscular arms bend and twist in all directions after a fashion altogether original. You may connect them in your memory with a circumstance which made no small stir in our good city of Sidon.
Discovery of Gold Coins
About three years ago, some workmen, digging over the ground of this garden on our left, found several copper pots, which contained a large quantity of ancient gold coin. The poor fellows concealed the discovery with the greatest care, but they were wild with excitement, and, besides, there were too many of them to keep such a secret. The governor of the city heard of it, apprehended all who had not fled, and compelled them to disgorge. He recovered two of the pots, placed them beside him, and required them to refill them with coin. In this way he obtained between two and three thousand, but it is certain that there remain hundreds, if not thousands, which he could not get. The French consul told me that the whole number was over eight thousand. They are all coins of Alexander and his father Philip, of the most pure gold, each one worth a little more than an English sovereign. As there is no mixture of coins later than Alexander, the deposit must have been made during his reign, or immediately after. I suspect it was royal treasure, which one of Alexander's officers concealed when he heard of his unexpected death in Babylon, intending to appropriate it to himself, but, being
ILLUSTRATION
apprehended, slain, or driven away by some of the revolutions which followed that event, the coin remained where he had hid it.
Philip and Alexander of Macedon
If we remember how much more valuable gold was then than now, the amount of this deposit will surprise us, nor does it seem likely that any private man in Sidon could have gathered what was probably at that time equivalent to forty thousand pounds, and all of this particular coin of Philip and Alexander. The latter appears as he is usually figured, and his face is too familiar to need explanation. Philip I had not seen before, and was particularly pleased to find him associated with the chariot and horses, of which he was so proud and so vain.
Bible Allusions to Hid Treasures
There are frequent allusions to hid treasure in the Bible. Even in Job, the oldest book in the world, we read that the bitter in soul dig for death more earnestly than for hid treasures (Job 3:2121Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; (Job 3:21)). There is not another comparison within the whole compass of human actions so vivid as this. I have heard of diggers actually fainting when they have come upon even a single coin.
How They Are Dug for
They become positively frantic, dig all night with desperate earnestness, and continue to work till utterly exhausted. There are, at this hour, hundreds of persons thus engaged all over the country. Not a few spend their last farthing in these ruinous efforts. I heard a respectable man in Sidon declare that if he had been one of those fortunate diggers in this garden, he would have killed all the rest, and fled with the treasure out of the country. These operations are carried on with the utmost secrecy, accompanied with charms and incantations against the jan and other spirits which are said to keep guard over hid treasures. The belief in the existence of these guards, and of their dangerous character, is just as prevalent now as in the time of the Thousand Nights.
Chambers
Intelligent and respectable people have assured me that they have come upon slabs of stone, closing up doors to secret chambers, which no power on earth could remove, because the proper password or charm is lost. Others soberly assert that they have been driven away by terrible jan, who threatened them with instant death if they attempted to force the doors. They evidently believe what they say, and I suspect that their fears are not always imaginary. Persons are watching their midnight labor, and when anything is found they suddenly show themselves, dressed as ghouls or jan, and thus frighten them out of the pit, and out of their wits as well. The wild excitement, the gloomy darkness, and the firm faith in the existence of these creatures, render the workmen wholly incapable of detecting the artifice. The Arabs universally believe that the Western nations, particularly the Greeks and Mugharaby, possess certain daleel, or guides, by which they discover these treasures; and many of these vagabond Greeks cheat the ignorant and the credulous out of large sums by contracting to lead them to the proper spot to dig; and it is remarkable that they rarely point out a place entirely destitute of concealed chambers and other curious indications. These, I suppose, are detected by some peculiarity in the sounds when the surface is struck or stamped upon above them. At any rate, they are sufficiently successful to keep up their credit, although I never knew an instance where anything of value was obtained from the places indicated by these daleels. On the contrary, these deposits are always found by accident; and this is the more remarkable when it is remembered that multitudes are either secretly or openly searching for them all over the land. We shall be annoyed in all our rambles over ruins by the suspicion, almost universal among the people, that we are seeking “for hid treasures.” Hence they will watch us, follow us, and, whenever a private opportunity offers, will endeavor to enter into partnership with us in the search.
Solomon’s Illustration
Solomon has drawn a proverb from this practice: “If thou seekest her” (understanding) “as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:4-54If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:4‑5)). Alas! how few manifest any of this earnestness in seeking for, wisdom.
Our blessed Lord also founds one of his divine parables on this same custom: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matt. 13:4444Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)). Many such transactions are still negotiated in secret. It is extremely difficult, and even dangerous, to remove treasure thus discovered in another person's field; but, having purchased it, you can wait in safety, work in secret, and the coveted treasure is yours.
Hiding Treasure in Wars and Earthquakes
It is not difficult to account for this hid treasure. This country has always been subject to revolutions, invasions, and calamities of various kinds, and hence a feeling of insecurity hovers over the land like a dismal specter. The government robs, and so do the nobility and the clergy; Arabs rush in from the desert and plunder; warriors and conquerors from every part of the world sweep over the land, carrying everything away that falls into their hands. Then there are, and always have been, intestine commotions and wars, such as laid Lebanon in ruins in 1841 and again in 1845. At such times multitudes bury their gold and jewels, and in many cases the owners are killed, and no one knows where the treasure was concealed. Then, again, this country has ever been subject to earthquakes, which bury everything beneath her ruined cities.
Safed After an Earthquake
On the first day of 1837, Safed was thus dashed to the ground in a moment, house upon house down the steep mountain side, and many entire families were cut off. Some were known to have had money, and it was a shocking spectacle to see hardened wretches prowling about under the ruins, amid putrefying carcases, in search of these treasures. The whole population from the surrounding villages, undeterred by the awful judgment which had laid their own buildings in heaps, and buried many of their families alive, rushed into Safed to dig out the entombed riches of the Jews; nor was the search in vain. The same shocking spectacle is witnessed in times of plague or cholera. People hide their money to keep it from those miscreants who take advantage of the general consternation to break into houses and rob. We need not be surprised, therefore, to find that this country abounds, and ever has abounded, in hid treasure. No custom can be found among any people so firmly rooted as this, of searching for hid treasure, without some real foundation for it. Lay this aside as a rule, which may be safely applied on all occasions and to all questions.
Cemetery of MûGharet Tubloon
Let us turn now to something more interesting than this search after hid treasure. Yonder on our left is Mûgharet Tubloon, one of Sidon's most ancient cemeteries. The Phoenicians took immense trouble to secure their dead from being disturbed, but in vain, as we shall see. They first cut away the rock at Tubloon, so as to make a large surface perfectly level. This has long been the general threshing-floor for those who farm this beautiful plain; beneath it, however, are countless chambers for the dead—vast catacombs, in fact, arranged after a very peculiar fashion. A square shaft was sunk through the rock, ten, twenty, or thirty feet, according to the taste or ability of the maker. From this, doors at different depths opened into halls and rooms, around the sides of which were cut the niches for the dead. To make assurance doubly sure, some niches were sunk in the floor of the chambers, the sarcophagi there deposited, and then the whole was leveled off, and a hard stone flooring laid on above. But even these have been discovered and rifled during the long ages of earnest search for treasure.
Two years ago, on the morning of January 20th, our city was startled oat of her ordinary quietude by the report that an extraordinary sarcophagus had been uncovered, which had a long inscription in an unknown character on the lid. All Sidon flocked to see it, and I among the rest, but with expectations very moderate. I had been disappointed too frequently to place much confidence on native reports. Judge, therefore, of my surprise and delight to find that this unknown character was Phoenician.
ILLUSTRATION
I at once became as deeply excited as the gold-digger or treasure-hunter, for I had searched in vain, during twenty years, for a single word in this character.
The lid of this sarcophagus is wholly peculiar; and the upper end of it is wrought into a human figure, with a countenance and costume every way remarkable. It is somewhat colossal, and the features are large and prominent. The forehead is rather low; the eyes almond-shaped, hut full and protruding; the nose broad and flat; the lips very thick, like the Ethiopian or Negro; the chin quite short; and the ears too large and conspicuous for beauty. A sweet smile is spread over the countenance, and the features are expressive, and not at all disagreeable. The whole execution is decidedly superior to anything of the kind in this country. It seems to be the figure of a female (though this is not certain); perhaps it may stand for the ideal of Sidon's far-famed goddess, Ashtaroth. Something depends from the chin, like a beard; but I suppose it belongs to the head-dress, which closely resembles that frequently seen on ancient Egyptian mummy-cases. On each shoulder sits a bird, probably a dove; and the tout ensemble is striking and impressive. The lid, and consequently the figure upon it, is too wide for symmetrical beauty. It is four feet broad, and only about seven in length. The material is blue-black basalt, intensely hard, and takes and keeps an excellent polish.
The Inscription
The inscription is in twenty-two long lines; and the letters, though never cut deep, are in perfect preservation, and as easily read as the day they were engraven. There is nothing like it in the whole compass of Phoenician remains. I sent a copy of it to Chevalier Bunsen, who immediately transmitted it to Professor Dietrich, then engaged in editing a new edition of Gesenius's learned work on the Phoenician language and antiquities. This gentleman published a translation, with an elaborate critique upon it. Other copies were sent to France, England, and America; and the learned of every laud have tried their skill upon it.
Translation of the Phoenician Inscription
A somewhat free rendering of this curious record, after the French version, runs thus:– “In the month Bul, in the fourteenth (14) of my reign, king Ashmunazer, the king of the Sidonians, son of Tabnith, king of the Sidonians, king Ashmunazer, king of the Sidonians, spake, saying, I am snatched away before my time, like the flowing of a river. Then I have made a house for my funeral resting-place, and am lying in this sarcophagus, and in this sepulcher, the place which I have built. My prohibition to every royal person, and to every man, not to open my sepulcher, and not to seek with me treasures—for there are no treasures with me—nor to take away the sarcophagus of my funeral couch, nor to transfer me with my funeral couch upon the couch of another. And if men command to do so, listen not to their opinion; because every royal person, and every man who shall open this funeral couch, or who shall take away the sarcophagus of this funeral couch, or who shall transfer me with the funeral couch, he shall have no funeral with the dead, nor be buried in a sepulcher, nor leave behind them son or posterity; and the holy gods, with the king that shall rule over them, shall cut off that royal person, and that man who has opened my couch, or who has abstracted this sarcophagus; and so also the posterity of that royal person or of that man, whoever he be, nor shall his root be planted downward nor his fruit spring upward; and he shall be accursed among those living under the sun, because I am to be pitied,—snatched away before my time, like a flowing river. Then I have made this edifice for my funeral resting-place; for I am Ashmunazer, king of the Sidonians, son of Tabnith, king of the Sidonians, grandson of Ashmunazer, king of the Sidonians; and my mother, Immiastoreth, priestess of Astarte, our sovereign queen, daughter of king Ashmunazer, king of the Sidonians. It is we who have built this temple of the gods ... . in Sidon by the sea, and the heavenly powers have rendered Astarte favorable. And it is we who have erected the temple to Esmuno, and the sanctuary of Ene Dalil in the mountain. The heavenly powers have established me on the throne. And it is we who have built the temples to the gods of the Sidonians in Sidon by the sea (or maritime Sidon); the temple of Baal-Sidon, and the temple of Astarte, the glory of Baal, lord of kings, who bestowed on us Dor and Joppa, and ample corn-lands which are at the root of Dan. Extending the power which I have founded, they added them to the bounds of the land, establishing them to the Sidonians forever.
“My prohibition upon every royal person, and upon every man who shall open upon me, or uncover me, or shall transfer me with this funeral couch, or take away the sarcophagus of my funeral couch; lest the holy gods desert them, and cut off that royal person, or that man, whoever he may be, and their posterity forever.”
Probable Date
The renderings of different savants in Europe and America vary largely; but the list of great names on the tablet cannot be questioned: Baal and Ashtaroth, the gods of the Zidonians in the days of Joshua; Dor, and Joppa, and Dan, cities and territories which Ashmunazer seems to have conquered. If this be correct, then we may find in these historic facts some hint to guide to the probable age of Ashmunazer. When was there a king of Sidon so powerful as to subdue Dor, and Joppa, and Dan? I know not; but it is plain, from the narrative of the conquest of Laish by the Danites, recorded in Judges, 18th chapter, that it then belonged to Sidon. That it ever did after that, remains to be proved. The manner in which it is described on our tablet is very accurate: “Ample corn-lands at the root of Dan.” The Huleh spreads out from the very root of Dan (Tell el Kady), the richest grain-field that I am acquainted with in any country.
Poor Ashmunazer seems to have had the utmost horror of being disturbed, and multiplied his maledictions upon whomsoever should do it. These imprecations will scarcely be visited upon Louis Napoleon, or the officers of the French corvette La Sérieuse, on board of which the sarcophagus was carried to France; for it had been opened by some former rifler of tombs, probably in search of treasure, notwithstanding the declaration of the king that there were none with him. It is curious to notice this anxiety so early in man's history, proving that the custom of digging “for hid treasures,” as Job has it, and rifling the tombs of kings for the same purpose, is extremely ancient.
Phœnician Letters Resemble Ours
Another thing interested me very much in this tablet. Many of the letters so closely resemble those of our own alphabet that one can scarcely be mistaken in tracing oars up through the Romaic and the Greek to that of Phœnicia; and this accords with and confirms the ancient tradition in regard to the origin of the Greek alphabet.
Phœnician Letters Also Resemble Hebrew
Still more interesting is the fact that the characters on this stone are so like the old Hebrew as to establish their close relationship, if not their actual identity. If this be so, then we have on this tablet of Ashmunazer the very alphabet that God employed to preserve and transmit to us the priceless gift of his divine law. It further appears that the language of the two peoples, as well as their alphabet, were identical. And this, too, accords with our most ancient history. In all the incidental notices of intercourse between the patriarchs and their descendants and the inhabitants of Palestine, this fact is assumed or necessarily implied. It is only in Egypt that they heard a language which they could not understand (as David has it in the 81St Psalm), and conversed through an interpreter,—a character and office never mentioned in Palestine. It is, perhaps, not necessary to suppose that either borrowed from the other, but that both inherited from their common ancestor. At any rate, it is scarcely possible that the Phoenicians could borrow their language and literature from the Hebrews. They were the more ancient people, and had attained a high civilization while the patriarchs still abode in tents and tended cattle.
Temples
In regard to the temples mentioned by Ashmunazer, I have the idea that Baal-Sidōn was that which once covered the old mazar, or shrine now called Sidōne, a short distance southeast of the upper castle of the city. The Ene Dahl on the mountain may have been this temple of Mŭnterah on the bold promontory above the Sanîk. The position, and the apparent signification of both names would point to it. There are also traces of more than one temple at Tubloon itself,—one over the spot where the sarcophagus was found, and. another farther south.
But here is one of Sidon's antiquities by the road side, which claims a passing notice. Those two mighty emperors, Septimius Severus and Pertinax Arabicus, sought to immortalize their august names by graving into this granite column the important fact that they mended this road. And this brings us to the little river Sanik, somewhat swollen by the heavy rains. I will tell you something about this river when we get settled in our tent this evening. In the meanwhile, notice its exit from the mountains a mile to the east of us, through that fine gorge, with a village in its mouth, called, by some strange whim, Durb es Sîn, or “road to China,” to translate according to sound. That ruined temple on the promontory above is Mûnterah, commanding the noble prospect I spoke of the other day. There are many tombs in the rock thereabouts, and one so large that it is still used occasionally as a church. In my rambles I once bolted into it, horse and all, and was surprised to find myself before an altar with a crucifix, an old picture of the Virgin, and a greasy earthen lamp. I subsequently learned that it was dedicated to Mary, and on a certain day of the year a great feast is celebrated at it to her honor. That large village with white domes, a little farther south, is called Gâzzîyeh, which Maundrell spells Korie. William of Tyre, and other Crusaders, make equally shrewd approximations to the reality. Those domes cover the shrines of reputed prophets, or holy men,—a sort of patron saints very common in this region. Each village has one or more; and, besides these, every conspicuous hill-top has a willy or mazar, beneath a spreading oak, to which people pay religions visits, and thither they go up to worship and to discharge vows.
High Places
All sects in the country, without exception, have a predilection for these “high places,” strong as that of the Jews in ancient times. The most pious and zealous kings could not remove the high places from Israel; and most of them or more shade-trees planted near them; and so they have to this day. The customs are identical. There is one of these high places, with its grove of venerable oaks, on the very summit of Lebanon, east of Jezzîn.
Grove on Top of Lebanon
It is of an oval shape, corresponding to the top of the mountain, and the grove was planted regularly around its outer edge. When I stood within this mystic circle of mighty oaks, and looked over the vast plain of Cœle-Syria, northeast to the temple of Baalbek, and then southwest to ancient Tyre, I fancied that this had been a connecting point between the two great temples of Baal and Belus. The first rays of the “god of day” would glance from the gilded dome in Baalbek to this high place, and thence into the grand portal of Belus at Tyre. Many of these mazars, whose history no one knows, have probably come down from remote antiquity, through all the mutations of dynasties and religions, unchanged to the present hour. We can believe this the more readily, because they are now frequented by the oldest communities in the country, and those most opposed to each other. For example, Neby Seijûd, which you see crowning you southern peak of Lebanon, is resorted to by Jews, wild Arabs of the desert, Moslems, Metāwelies, and Christians. We have, therefore, in these places not only sites of the very highest antiquity, but living examples and monuments of man's most ancient superstitions; and if this does not add to our veneration, it will much increase the interest with which we examine them. If it does not soften our condemnation, it may at least lessen our surprise.
Roads and Routes
This little brook is called Meshûn; and here the road to Hasbeiya takes off to the southeast, over those swelling hills on our left. After crossing the River Zahrany, it winds up a conical hill nine hundred feet high, to Khan Mohammed Ali, where is a fountain with a Greek inscription. Farther on are rock-tombs, and other indications of an ancient city, near the present village of Zifty. An ancient road continues due east past Deîr Zahrany and Tell Hŭbbush to the Jermŭk,—a beautiful vale which leads down to the Litany, at the ford called Tamra, seven and a half hours from Sidon. The modern road, however, passes south of this, through the long wady Kaffir to Nebatîyeh, and thence to the bridge Khŭrdîleh, below the great castle of Shŭkîf, which is about eight hours from Sidon. Beyond the Litany the road divides to various parts of Ijon,—Wady et Teim between the two Lebanons, to the Hûleh and the Hauran. In those days when Sidon possessed Dan and the fertile plains of Merom, this was an important highway, and was well kept, furnished with cisterns of water, and paved in places which required it. I trust we may be able to visit Shall on our return. It is the Castle of Bellefort or Beaufort of the Crusaders, and commands a magnificent panorama of mountains, plains, rivers, and lakes.
Our present path has brought us to a second mile-stone, with a Latin inscription, which we need not stop to copy, as it is a fragment which reveals nothing worth remembering. That pretty river before us is the flowery Zahrany, with a broken bridge of three arches embosomed in a wilderness of oleanders. We shall have something to say about this river also in the evening. In the meanwhile, we will examine that Tell, which rises like a huge hay-stack on the very margin of the sea. It is called Tell el Burak, from those very ancient cisterns east of it, in which was collected the water from fountains that rise out of the plain above it.
Cursing and Praying
What is that man quarreling about with his companion? Shall I translate this last explosion of his wrath? “May God curse your grandfather, and the father of your great-grandfather! Can't you give a man time to pray? I want to pray.”
Preposterous!
Which—the swearing, or the praying?
Both.
Both together are certainly preposterous enough; and yet this scene and language are so familiar that I should not have noticed them if you had not called my attention that way.
But what makes the man so pertinaciously resolved to pray at this hour and place?
Perhaps he has made a vow to say his prayers at this time of day, wherever he may be, and if he fails he must do penance or pay a piaster, which is worse. Alas! religion in the East has always been joined in fellowship with many strange and monstrous things. This man may have been prompted to get off his donkey and pray merely because it is now the 'asr—the regular hour for afternoon prayer; and this little river furnishes water for the necessary ablutions.
Plowing in Winter
I am surprised to see the plain covered with men plowing and sowing at this late season.
This is common and will continue all winter. It has always been so, I suppose. Solomon says,”The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold,”—
ILLUSTRATION
Our farmers do actually plow in the severest weather. I have often seen them shivering with cold, and contending with wind and rain, quite enough to discourage those who are not sluggards. But time has become precious and critical, and he who expects to reap must sow, no matter how tempestuous the weather. “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap” (Eccl. 11:44He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)).
Deficient Implements
This hard necessity of winter-work is mainly owing to the wretched implements used, and to a strange deficiency in agricultural science and skill. If the farmers had good plows and adequate teams, they might break up and prepare their ground in fair weather, and then, when sufficient rain had fallen, they would sow the whole crop in a few days. But these men, with their frail plows and tiny oxen, must wait until the ground is saturated and softened, however late in the season that may be. Then they cannot sow and plow in more than half an acre per day, and few average so much, and hence the work is dragged along for months. They know nothing about the harrow, and merely plow under the seed, and leave it to take its chance. Job, however, speaks of the harrow; and, if our translation be correct, it is one of the oldest agricultural implements in the world (Job 39:1010Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? (Job 39:10)).
Manner of Plowing
We have another Biblical illustration before us. In 1 Kings 19:1919So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing 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), we read that Elijah found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. We are not to suppose that he had a team of twelve yoke of oxen before him. If you count these here at work, you find seven separate plows following one after another as closely as possible; and I have seen more than a dozen of them thus at work. To understand the reason of this, several things must be taken into account. First, that the arable lands of nearly all villages are cultivated in common; then, that Arab farmers delight to work together in companies, partly for mutual protection, and in part from their love of gossip; and, as they sow no more ground than they can plow during the day, one sower will answer for the entire company.
Their little plows make no proper furrow, but merely root up and throw the soil on either side, and so any number may follow one another, each making its own scratch along the back 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 plowed.
Elisha’s Twelve Yoke of Oxen
It was well that Elisha came the last of the twelve, for the act of Elijah would have stopped all that were in advance of him. They cannot pass one another. Such brief hints let us far into the interior of ancient manners and customs. We may fairly conclude that Elisha's plow and oxen were much like those in this field; that the people worked in companies as they do now, and probably for the same reasons. These reasons suggest painful thoughts about insecurity, and oppression, and robbery; about the tenure of land, the mode of raising taxes and collecting rents, and I know not what besides. Why are lands now worked in common? Because they belong not to the farmers, but to feudal lords, or to government, which claims a certain part of the produce. In short, a vast concatenation of causes and effects, reaching up to the remotest ages of Biblical antiquity, is suggested by the manner in which these simple plowmen perform their labor.
Proofs of Misrule and Danger
To return to our Tell. It once formed the acropolis of a city whose shapeless remains are scattered over the plain. I have often seen these mounds near fountains, which they were probably designed to command. Water is of the utmost importance to the inhabitants of all towns in Syria, and their fountains must be protected at any cost. All these things, however, speak unmistakably of misrule and danger, even far beyond anything known to the present generation. Bad as the times are, the former were worse. It was infinitely worse when every hill-top was covered with a castle armed for defense, and when every farmer was at the same time a soldier This little river Burikîyeh drains the Wady Kaffir, and during heavy rains is sometimes troublesome to travelers. The Romans found it so, if we may judge from these heavy abutments of a bridge built by them, but broken by the violence of the brook long ages ago. The next stream is called el 'Akabîyeh, and is spanned by a natural bridge at its mouth. I have ridden over it, though it is not more than three feet wide in the narrowest part. The road crosses higher up. This Wady el 'Akabîyeh runs far into the interior, across the district of Shûmar into that of Shŭkîf. I once followed it to Nsar, en route to Safed. This Nsar was once a large town, and about it are many rock-tombs and other indications of antiquity. The country in that direction is wild and uncultivated. The inhabitants are Metāwelies, and great growers of tobacco.
One of St. Helen's towers stands on that projecting headland. It is also called 'Akabîyeh, probably from this brook. And there, by the seaside, is our tent, pitched under the tall tamarisks of 'Ain el Kŭnterah. Near it is an apology for an inn, from which we can get barley for our horses, and eggs and lebn for ourselves; and, what is better, there is much to interest us hereabouts, for Sarepta's ruins cover the whole plain for more than a mile to the south of our campground; but we will postpone the examination of them till tomorrow.
Sunset and the Sings of the Times
The sun is sinking quietly to rest in the sea, beneath a glowing canopy of crimson, gold, and blue, and there will be fair weather for many days to come. Such signals never deceive, and we can discern the face of the sky as well as the Jews, and the signs of the times far better than did that wicked and adulterous generation, that did not know the day of their merciful visitation.