April 1St.
Native Uproar and Strife
What does all this uproar mean? We have had a most unquiet night.
I have been out to ascertain the cause, and it seems that the various parties that passed through in the evening with such barbarous uproar were Bedawin from the Ghor, and from Jebel 'Ajlûn, east of the Jordan. They have been brought over by the Beits Jerrar and Tokin to aid them against 'Abd el Hâdy; and there has been a skirmish during the night, near Jeb'a, with the partisans of the latter from 'Arrâby. The people of Jenin, who are of the Jerrar party, say that 'Abd el Hâdy was beaten; but the bloody work is still going on, and the smaller villages are being deserted. If you look out along the paths down the mountains, you will see women and children hastening hither with their miscellaneous furniture on donkeys, mules, and camels. This place is safe only because 'Akil Aga, who refuses to join in this war, lies encamped out on Esdraelon, and our guard is one of his relatives. I once before had to pass this plain when the Arabs were up in arms, when my own horse was seized by a robber; and I shall long remember the cool way in which my guard (also a cousin of the aga) told that party of marauders that if they touched anything or person under his protection there would be no more kings (bread) for them on this side the Jordan. The same assurance will protect us today, but we shall have to make a long detour to get round the places where the people are actually fighting. They are divided among themselves. For example, one half of Seely — that village on the edge of the plain — is for 'Abd el Hàdy, and the other is for Bea Jerrar; and you can see the flash of their guns at this moment, as they fire at each other from their houses.
Cruelty to Women and Children
The women about us are terribly enraged against 'Abd el Hâdy. Some of his party not long ago attacked the villages in the district of Er Rohah, killed some of the people, burned their houses, and drove off their cattle and flocks. But what most excites their wrath is, that these wretches maltreated, and even killed women and children. This is an enormity which they loudly declare has never been known among them before; and, so far as my knowledge extends, they are correct. During the civil wars that desolated Lebanon in 1841 and in 1845, the women were not molested even in battle. I have repeatedly seen them on both sides running with water to their friends who were hard pressed with thirst, and I never knew any of them to be injured or insulted. The same deference to the women has always been shown in this region until the present outbreak, and hence the extreme exasperation of the different parties. If any of 'Abd el Hâdy's men fall into their hands, these women have vowed to roast them alive! This universal exasperation renders it more than ordinarily dangerous to travel through this district, and our wisest policy is to get beyond the range of their bloody quarrel as soon as possible. Hassein is hurrying the muleteers, and now summons us to mount and be off.
He is leading us directly back over our route of yesterday. Would it not be much nearer and more interesting to pass down the southern side of the plain, past Taanach and Megiddo?
Certainly it would; but the people are fighting with one another all along that line, and it would not be safe. We shall have a good view of these places and of many others by the longer route, and there are no antiquities at any of them to exaggerate our regret. Seely, where they are shooting each other, is surrounded by splendid groves of the “peaceful olive”; but neither the whispers of the groves nor the innocent cultivation of the soil, nor the kindly offices of the shepherd can subdue the innate ferocity of these barbarians. Alas! that such a country should be wasted by wild Arabs, and consumed by the fires of domestic war. But thus it has been for ages, and I fear it will continue thus for ages to come.
Great Battlefield
In fact this plain has always been a great battlefield. The Canaanites and Philistines, Jews and Egyptians, Chaldeans and Persians, Greeks and Romans, Moslems and Christians, of almost every age and nation, have encamped around Megiddo, because of its commanding position, its abundant supply of water, and its rich pastures. There Ahaziah, who fled from Jehu, died of his wounds; and there, also, the good king Josiah was defeated and slain by Pharaoh-necho. Under the name of Legio it is mentioned very often by the classic historians and geographers, and its modern name, Lejjûn, is merely the Arabic form of the same word. Of the many villages on the neighboring mountains of old Samaria, the only ones of much importance are Kefr Kûd, the Capercotia of the Greeks; 'Arraby, the original seat of the 'Abd el laxly family; and Em el Fahm, on this side of it. 'Arrâby is a large place, and capable of sending out a thousand guns, as they say in this country, and there is the center of the present war.
I greatly regret that we have not been able to pass through these hills to Samaria and Nablus.
We may yet visit these places from Jerusalem, if this feud quiets down as rapidly as they generally do. In the meanwhile, I will give you an account of them as we ride over this uninhabited plain.
Road to Samaria
I have traveled the route from Jenin to Samaria many times, but it is almost always disturbed by just such quarrels as the present. On leaving Jenin, the road follows the Wady Bel'amy for the first half hour, passing on the right an ancient ruin of the same name. This wady is full of fountains in winter, and very muddy, but hot as a furnace in summer. Rising out of this, over a long hill, you come down again to a considerable town called Kŭbatîeh. The hills about this place are covered with groves of flourishing olive-trees, and the net-work of vales and plains west of it is extremely pretty and fertile.
Dothan
In one of them is the site of Dothan, called now Tell Dothan. This tell was once inhabited, and at its base is a fountain where the brethren of Joseph may have watered their flocks. The neighborhood affords the very best pasturage; and this was the reason, no doubt, why they came to it from Nablûs (Gen. 37:14-1714And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. (Genesis 37:14‑17)). I am not aware that there still exist old cisterns about Dothan, but there are very few ancient sites where they are not found; and, I presume, a careful search would reveal the very pit (beer) into which Joseph was cast.
Highway to Egypt
It is in pleasing agreement with the narrative in Genesis to find that the great highway from Gilead to Egypt still passes near this place. The caravans come up the Ghor Beisan, pass by Zer'in and Lejjûn, enter the hill country of Samaria by the wady of Dothaim, and thence go on to Ramleh, Gaza, and Egypt. The large caravansary north of Beisan, called Khan el Ahmar, marks one important station on this route. It was along this road that those “Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to carry them down to Egypt,” to whom the poor lad Joseph was sold by his cruel and envious brethren. It is worthy of remark that these modern Ishmaelites would not now hesitate to make just such a purchase, and actually do in certain parts of the country; and it is also interesting to find balm connected with Gilead at that early day. Jeremiah, long after, exclaims, “Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there?” (Jer. 8:2222Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? (Jeremiah 8:22)).
Balm of Gilead
What was this balm?
Not known with any certainty. Josephus frequently mentions it, and says that the tree which bore it grew about Jericho, and there only. In this he must have been mistaken, or the balm or balsam he speaks of was of a different kind from that mentioned in the Bible; for that was gathered at Engedi, in Gilead, and at other places. Josephus also says that the queen of Sheba first brought the balsam-bearing tree into the country as a present to Solomon; which must also be a mistake of our historian, if he means that the balm-tree was unknown in Palestine until her visit. However, it is probable that the balm he describes as so very scarce and precious, was a different kind from that which the Midianites were taking to Egypt. I was shown in the jungle about the Fountain of Elisha, near Jericho, a rough thorn bush, like a crab et haw tree, which the monks said yielded balm; and I actually purchased some at the time, but without supposing it to be the Biblical article. The Hebrew word has been translated very variously. According to the Septuagint, it may mean any kind of resinous gum; the Latin has opobalsamum; the Arabic has snubar (pine), meaning apparently the pine-nuts, still an important article of traffic. Some suppose it was the gum or juice of the turpentine-tree, which still abounds in Gilead, and the resinous distillation from it is much celebrated by the Arabs for its healing virtues. Josephus says that this balm of Jericho was “an ointment, of all the most precious, which, upon any incision made in the wood with a sharp stone, distils out thence like a juice.” I suppose that the balm which Jacob sent to Joseph (Gen. 43:1111And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: (Genesis 43:11)), and that which Jeremiah refers to for its medicinal qualities (Jer. 8:2222Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? (Jeremiah 8:22)), were the same as that which our trading Ishmaelites were transporting to Egypt, and that it was some resinous extract from the forest-trees of Gilead.
Elisa at Dothan
Elisha was residing in this Dothan on that memorable occasion when the king of Syria sent horses, and chariots, and a great host to take him: “and when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city”; and he cried out, “Alas, my master! how shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:13-2313And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. (2 Kings 6:13‑23)). The position appeared desperate. The tell was completely surrounded by the army, and escape seemed impossible. But “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” Well might he say to the terrified servant, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” And so it in reality is with the servants of God at all times; and they alone of all men have no reason to fear. However many or threatening their enemies, they that are with and for them are more numerous and more powerful. This narrative seems to draw aside for a moment the veil which conceals the spirit world, and affords us a hasty glimpse of those ministers of flaming fire which are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:1414Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)). At the prayer of Elisha the Syrian host were smitten with blindness, and then guided by the prophet himself into the midst of Samaria. I have traveled along the path which this blinded army must have followed for several hours, and such a march has no parallel in history. Indeed, this entire transaction is replete with instruction to all — of rebuke to proud enemies of God, and of delightful encouragement to those who put their trust in him.
Road to Samaria
But we must not enter Samaria with this Syrian army, but go back and travel the road more leisurely. From kŭbatîyeh we ascend a very rocky hill, and then pass down through a low plain to Santa, which is two hours from Jenin. In winter this plain is a lake many miles in circumference, but it dries up, and is sown with corn and vegetables in summer. The village of Santa is within a castle, on an isolated hill, at the southwest corner of this plain; and it is, and long has been, occupied by a rude, fanatical population, ever ready to insult travelers and to stir up rebellion against the government. Jeba is another large village, about an hour further on, strongly located on the brow of the mountain; and there the road to Samaria parts from that to Nablûs, inclining to the right along the base of the hill of Jeba. The whole route is beautifully and endlessly diversified with hill, and dale, and fertile plain, even now well cultivated and thickly settled. The villages stand out on every conspicuous position, and by the side of every gushing fountain. At the end of five hours from Jenin you are at the base of the “hill of Samaria.”
Hill of Samaria
The site of this celebrated capital is delightful, by universal consent. It is a very large, isolated hill, rising by successive terraces at least six hundred feet above the valleys which surround it. In shape it is oval, and the smaller and lower end unites it to the neighboring mountain on the east. There is no fountain on the hill, and during a siege the inhabitants must have depended entirely upon cisterns. Water, however, is abundant in the neighborhood. There is a good spring a short distance below to the southeast, and a brook from the mountains in the same direction, large enough to drive a mill; and in winter a fine mill-stream also flows past the north side of the hill. All these unite at the bottom of the plain northwest of the city, and, as I am told, form part of the river which, at the sea south of Caesarea, is called Abu Zabûra.
The view from the topmost terrace of Samaria over the rich plains and hills around it, and far away to the blue Mediterranean, is truly magnificent.
Remains of Samaria
The remains of the ancient city consist mainly of colonnades, which certainly date back to the time of the Herods, and perhaps many of the columns are much older. There is a group of sixteen standing in a recess low down on the northeast side of the hill, and a similar group of sixteen on the top, though these last are larger; and there are many lying prostrate. The grand colonnade, however, runs along the south side of the hill, down a broad terrace, which descends rapidly toward the present village. The number of columns, whole or broken, along this line is nearly one hundred, and many others lie scattered about on lower terraces. They are of various sizes, and quite irregularly arranged, but when perfect it must have been a splendid colonnade. The entire hill is coveted with rubbish, indicating the existence and repeated destruction of a large city. The modern village is on the southeastern slope, adjacent to the ruined Church of St. John. You have seen so many views of what these ruins are not, that I despair of giving an accurate idea of what they are. The church, however, is an interesting specimen of mediaeval architecture, which all look at with respect, and many with deep emotion. This is natural; though the tradition that associates the martyrdom of the Baptist with this spot is sufficiently doubtful, yet it augments the reverence with which one explores the vaults of this fine old ruin.
Nearly everything that is known about ancient Samaria is derived from the Bible and Josephus.
Sebastia
This latter historian mentions it very often, and from him we learn that it derived its present name, Sebastia (or Sebustia, as the Arabs call it), from Herod, and in honor of Augustus. Herod rebuilt it after sonic one of its many overthrows, and most of the columns now visible are supposed to be remains of his edifices; but, as it was celebrated a thousand years before his time, and was for centuries the capital of a kingdom, I think it not unlikely that he built with the ruins of castles and temples much older than himself. It is remarkable that this place took its original name, Samaria, from the man who owned the hill, and not from Omri, the king who built the city (1 Kings 16:2424And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. (1 Kings 16:24)). It continued to be the capital of the “Ten Tribes,” until they were carried captive into Assyria; and during the twenty-five centuries which have passed since that event its fortunes have been very various; often destroyed and again rebuilt, growing smaller by degrees, though not beautifully less, until it finally subsided into the insignificant village which now clings to the name and the site.
Inhabitants
Like many other visitors, I have uniformly found the inhabitants of Sebustia rude, insolent, and sometimes even dangerous. They seem never to have had a good character, if we form our opinion from the language of the prophets. Many of the wonderful passages in the lives of Elijah and Elisha are connected with Samaria and her idolatrous and bloody rulers.
Temple of Baal
I imagine that the level space on the topmost terrace of the hill, where are the sixteen large columns, marks the site of the great temple of Baal, which Jehu utterly “broke down,” after that treacherous slaughter of Baal’s priests and worshippers recorded in the 10th chapter of 2 Kings.
Naaman
It was to Samaria that Naaman the Damascene leper came to be healed — a very remarkable narrative, and very suggestive. This terrible disease still cleaves to Damascus, and is now, as it was then, incurable by man. It was this latter fact that alarmed the king of Israel in regard to the motive of Benhadad, “See how he seeketh a quarrel against me. Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man cloth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?” (2 Kings 5:77And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. (2 Kings 5:7)) exclaimed the perplexed king. One is tempted to inquire why this power of healing the leprosy, which so signally honored the God of Israel in the eyes of all nations, should have been so rarely exercised.
Lepers
There were other lepers at that very time in Samaria under the eye of Elisha, as we learn from the next chapter. Indeed Christ says there were many of them, and of the children of Israel too, and yet “none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:2727And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. (Luke 4:27)). It is obvious, however, that this reserve in putting forth divine power is in strict accordance with the entire economy of miraculous manifestation. Gehazi, for his cupidity, had this terrible disease laid upon him, with the fearful doom added, “that it should cleave unto his seed forever” (2 Kings 5:2727The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. (2 Kings 5:27)); and who can tell but that the victims of this horrid plague now seen about this city and at Nablûs, the present home of all the Samaritans, may be the heirs of this heritage of Gehazi?
The lepers mentioned in 2 Kings 7 seem to have been shut out of Samaria even when it was closely besieged by Benhadad. Is it common now to compel lepers to dwell outside of the city!
Not in all places, but they are everywhere regarded as unclean, shunned as dangerous, and obliged to live by themselves. Where there are considerable numbers of them, as at Jerusalem, there is a separate quarter to which they are confined, just at the gate, though within the walls of the city. At Samaria they were outside, and I have seen them thus cast out of the villages where they resided.
Doves’ Dung
What have you to say about that extraordinary article of food called “doves’ dung,”which was sold at a high price during that terrible siege of Benhadad? I believe that the Hebrew chirîyonim, or khir yonim, was a name for a coarse and cheap sort of food, a kind of bean, as some think, to which this whimsical title was given on account of some fancied resemblance between the two. Nor am I at all surprised at it, for the Arabs give the most quaint, obscure, and ridiculous names to their extraordinary edible mixtures. I would, therefore, not translate at all, but let the passage read thus, “A fourth part of a cab of khir yonim for five pieces of silver”; and be content with that, until we know what khir yonim really is.
NablûS. (Shechem)
From Samaria to Nablûs is two hours' easy riding, first south, over the shoulder of the mountain, and then eastward, up the lovely vale of Nablûs. Nothing in Palestine surpasses it in fertility and natural beauty, and this is mainly due to the fine mill-stream which flows through it. The whole country is thickly studded with villages, the plains clothed with grass or grain, and the rounded hills with orchards of olive, fig, pomegranate, and other trees. Coming from Samaria, the ascent to the city from the valley is quite steep, and it climbs up the side of Gerizim to a very considerable elevation; indeed the perpendicular cliffs of the mountains overhang the upper part of the city. Travelers generally seek out the Samaritan quarter, which is near the southwestern corner, and sufficiently elevated to afford a good view of the whole town. Nablûs is a queer old place. The streets are narrow, and vaulted over; and in the winter time it is difficult to pass along many of them on account of brooks which rush over the pavement with deafening roar. In this respect I know no city with which to compare it except Brusa; and, like that city, it has mulberry, orange, pomegranate, and other trees, mingled in with the houses, whose odoriferous flowers load the air with delicious perfume during the months of April and May. Here the bilbûl delights to sit and sing, and thousands of other birds unite to swell the chorus. The inhabitants maintain that theirs is the most musical vale in Palestine, and my experience does not enable me to contradict them.
Ebal and Gerizim
Imagine that the lofty range of mountains running north and south was cleft open to its base by some tremendous convulsion of nature, at right angles to its own line of extension, and the broad fissure thus made is the vale of Nablûs, as it appears to one coming up the plain of Mukhna from Jerusalem.
Mount Ebal is on the north, Gerizim on the south, and the city between. Near the eastern end, the vale is not more than sixty rods wide; and just there, I suppose, the tribes assembled to hear the “blessings and the cursings” read by the Levites. We have them in extenso in Deuteronomy 27-28; and in Joshua (Joshua 8) we are informed that it was actually done, and how. “Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin, stood on Gerizim; and Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, on Ebal”; while “all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark, and on that side before the priests which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord”: the whole nation of Israel, with the women and little ones, were there. And Joshua read all the words of the law — the blessings and the cursings; “there was not a word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel” (Josh. 8:3535There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them. (Joshua 8:35)). This was, beyond question or comparison, the most august assembly the sun has ever shone upon; and I never stand in the narrow plain, with Ebal and Gerizim rising on either hand to the sky, without involuntarily recalling and reproducing the scene. I have shouted to hear the echo, and then fancied how it must have been when the loud-voiced Levites proclaimed from the naked cliffs of Ebal, “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven image, an abomination unto Jehovah” (Deut. 27:1515Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. (Deuteronomy 27:15)). And then the tremendous AMEN! tenfold louder, from the mighty congregation, rising, and swelling, and re-echoing from Ebal to Gerizim, and from Gerizim to Ebal. AMEN! even so let him be accursed. No, there never was an assembly to compare with this.
Joshua’s Pillars
It was part of the command of the Lord, and of Moses to Joshua, that, having placed the “blessings and the cursings” on Gerizim and on Ebal, he should write the whole law upon pillars of stone which he should rear up at this place. Do you suppose that the whole five books of Moses were thus engraven upon stone?
Writing on Plaster
I suppose not; perhaps none of it was engraved on stone. A careful examination of Deuteronomy 27:4, 84Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. (Deuteronomy 27:4)
8And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly. (Deuteronomy 27:8), and Joshua 8:30-3230Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal, 31As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. (Joshua 8:30‑32), will lead to the opinion that the law was written upon or in the plaster with which these pillars were coated. This could easily be done; and such writing was common in ancient times. I have seen numerous specimens of it certainly more than two thousand years old, and still as distinct as when they were first inscribed on the plaster. There seems to have been an unnecessary amount of learning bestowed upon this matter, and difficulties imagined where none exist. Michaëlis, in his “Commentary on the Laws of Moses” (Michaëlis. Vol. 1. book 3), enters into a labored examination of the passage.
He gives and refutes various explanations, among others that of Kennicott, who supposes that the letters were cut out in black marble, the letters being raised, and the hollow intervals between them filled with white lime plaster. His own opinion, however, is, that Moses commanded Joshua to do as Sostratus, the architect of the Pharos, did, who cut his own name on the solid marble, then plastered it over, and grooved the name of the king of Egypt on the cement. Moses, in like manner, ordered the law to be cut in the solid stone, and then to be plastered over with hard cement, so that when this plaster fell off, in after ages, the engraven law would be discovered entire and perfectly legible! Now the main objection to 'these speculations is, that there is not the slightest foundation for them in the text. The direction there is perfectly plain, and needs none of these recondite devices to render it intelligible and reasonable. That the Egyptians were accustomed to engrave on stone in various ways is well known, and Moses must have been familiar with it; but he was also familiar with the mode which lie here commands to be followed, and he knew it to be sufficiently durable for all practical purposes. He therefore did not order such a Herculean labor as to grave the whole law in marble, but simply to write it on or in properly prepared cement. In this hot climate, where there is no frost to dissolve the cement, it will continue hard and unbroken for thousands of years — which is certainly long enough. The cement on Solomon's Pools remains in admirable preservation, though exposed to all the vicissitudes of the climate, and with no protection. The cement in the tombs about Sidon is still perfect, and the writing on them entire, though acted upon by the moist damp air always found in caverns, for perhaps two thousand years. What Joshua did, therefore, when he erected those great stones at Mount Ebal, was merely to write in the still soft cement with a stile, or, more likely, on the polished surface, when dry, with red paint, as in ancient tombs. If properly sheltered, and not broken away by violence, they would have remained to this day. But everything that could be destroyed, has been long since, and again and again overthrown, in the countless convulsions of this most rebellious neighborhood; and the hope expressed by Michaëlis, that these (imaginary) marble slabs, with the law engraven upon them, were still in existence, buried beneath the rubbish of Nablûs, and might one day be discovered, crumbles into dust along with the plaster upon which the commandments of the Lord were really written. Nor need we mourn over the loss. The printing-press preserves this same law to us far more securely than could any monument, though built of bronze or solid adamant.
Antiquity of Shechem
If Nablûs occupies the place of Shechem (and I suppose it does), it is one of the oldest cities in the world; nor is there anything improbable in this, for its natural advantages, great beauty, and abundant supply of water, mark out the site for a city. This latter fact, however, seems to prove that Shechem was net the Sychar mentioned in the 4th chapter of John. It is incredible that the “woman of Samaria” should have gone two miles away from these delicious fountains to draw water out of an immensely deep well. If we admit the identity of the present well of Jacob with that mentioned by John, there can be but little doubt that Sychar was a small Samaritan town not far from that spot; and there is a village north of it now called Aschâr. This is so like John's Sychar, that I feel inclined to adopt it. Of course, the “woman of Samaria” belonged to the country or people of Samaria, not to the city of that name, which is some eight miles to the northwest of it.
Well of Jacob
I see no good reason to question the identity of this well with that of the patriarch; nor do I intend to disturb the bones of Joseph, concerning which he expressed so much solicitude when about to die in Egypt (Gen. 50:2525And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. (Genesis 50:25)). The Moslems point out his tomb at the base of Ebal in this vicinity; and this agrees well enough with Joshua 24:3232And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. (Joshua 24:32), where it is said that “the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Manor.” Of course this “parcel of ground” must have been adjacent to the well; and tradition has located the sepulcher near enough to meet all the requirements of the history. Let his bones, therefore, rest in peace.
The Well Why Dug
There is, after all, a mystery about this well which is not easily cleared up. All though we know that the patriarchs were given to well-digging, yet it is strange that Jacob should be at the expense of such a work when there is a tine fountain a little west of it, and the whole vale of Nablûs abounds in them beyond almost any other part of Palestine. The well, however, is a very positive fact, and it must have been dug by somebody, notwithstanding this abundance of fountains, and why not by Jacob? He was as likely to need it as any one, and as competent to execute the work. As to the reason for it, we may suppose that the fountains within the valley of Shechem were so appropriated as not to be available for Jacob's large family and larger flocks. Even now the inhabitants would not allow the flocks and herds of such an opulent tent-dwelling tribe to frequent their pretty vale; and as there are no fountains in that part of the eastern plain, and the streams from those within the valley run westward, Jacob probably found it necessary to dig this deep well for his own use. It is now deserted, and the surrounding terrace of rude masonry broken down, so that there is nothing distinctive or striking about it.
Jotham or Gerizim
The ancient city of Shechem, I suppose, stood where Nablûs does now, and it is easy to comprehend how Jotham could stand above it, and deliver his cutting allegory in the hearing of the people, and then “run away” before they could take him (Judg. 9:7-217And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. 8The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. 9But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 10And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. 11But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 12Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. 13And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. 15And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 16Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 17(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 18And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) 19If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. 21And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. (Judges 9:7‑21)). Several lofty precipices of Gerizim literally overhang the city, any one of which would answer his purpose. Nor would it be' difficult to be heard, as everybody knows who has listened to the public crier of villages on Lebanon. In the stillness of evening, after the people have returned home from their distant fields, he ascends the mountain side above the place, or to the roof of some prominent house, and there “lifts up his voice and cries,” as Jotham did; and he gives forth his proclamation with such distinctness that all can hear and understand it.
Distinct Talking
Indeed the people in these mountainous countries are able, from long practice, so to pitch their voices as to be heard distinctly at distances almost incredible. They talk with persons across enormous wadies, and give the most minute directions, which are perfectly understood; and in doing this they seem to speak very little louder than their usual tone of conversation. Jotham, therefore, might easily be heard by the greater part of the inhabitants of Shechem.
The Trees
The costume of his allegory is simple and natural, and the allusions are to the very trees which most abound at Nablus — the olive, the fig, the vine, and the bramble.
The Samaritans (and their patrons) claim for the site of their temple above Nablûs two very important Biblical events: that here, and not at Jerusalem, Melchizedek met Abraham; and that on Gerizim, and not Noriah, the patriarch offered his son Isaac; and if I understand Mr. Stanley aright, he concurs in the justness of these pretensions.
Is Gerizim Moriah?
He does, and even devotes a long note of several pages to substantiate the claims; but this is not the most successful effort of that pleasant traveler and very clever writer. Mr. Stanley is a gentleman who yields cheerfully to the paramount authority of the Bible on all points where its indications are clear and decisive; and it seems to me that the positive assertion that Melchizedek was king of Salem makes it certain that Abraham did not meet him in Gerizim. Sheehan was never called Salem, nor was there ever any place on Gerizim that bore this name. There was a Shalîm east of it, toward Jordan, and Jerome, after Theodotus, supposed that Melchizedek reigned there; but even this does not favor the cause of the Samaritans. The philological argument drawn from Ar-Gerizim has no appreciable weight in the case. And as to the probable route which Abraham would follow in returning from Dan to Hebron, I must dissent entirely from the opinion of Mr. Stanley.
Abraham’s Route From Dan
Abraham would naturally return on the western side of the lakes Huleh and Tiberias. I have been round the eastern side of both, and affirm that he could not have selected that road, encumbered as he was with a large company of rescued prisoners and their baggage. Nor could he have followed the valley of the Jordan. No one who has ever traversed that impracticable ghor will believe that this great company took that path; and, after wandering over these regions in all directions, I am quite sure that the way by which Abraham led back the people of Sodom was along the ordinary road from Galilee to Jerusalem. This, it is true, would bring him near Nablûs; and if there were the remotest evidence that Melchizedek reigned there, the meeting might have taken place on Gerizim, as the Samaritans affirm; but there is no such evidence, and this route would bring Abraham to Jerusalem, where the king of Sodom would most naturally meet him. Mr. Stanley supposes that the king of Sodom went round the eastern shore of the Dead Sea; but that is quite impracticable, unless one makes a long detour through the interior. On the whole, I have not a doubt but that Abraham met Melchizedek at Jerusalem, and having restored the goods and the captives to the king of Sodom, he returned by way of Bethlehem to his home on the plain of Mamre.
Salem
I cannot avoid the impression that the author of the “Hebrews” believed that the Salem of which the “priest of the most high God” (Heb. 7:11For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; (Hebrews 7:1)) was king was Jerusalem; and in the 76th Psalm the Holy City is expressly called Salem. Add to this, that Josephus positively asserts that Jerusalem was founded by Melchizedek, and we have a chain of evidence which cannot be broken by the weight of a hundred Samaritan traditions detailed with so much confidence by “our friend Jacob Shelaby” of Nablus, sheikh of all the holy Samaritans, and so forth.
I cannot comprehend the motive for this partiality on behalf of Gerizim, nor by what authority Mr. Stanley asserts that the original sanctuary of the most high God was on that mountain, and not at Jerusalem. This is contrary to all the Biblical indications, so far as I can understand them. Salvation was of the Jews, not of the Samaritans; the spiritual worship of the Father was in Jerusalem, not on Gerizim; and from the days of Sanballat, and before, so far as we know, devout worshippers of Jehovah regarded the temple on Gerizim with abhorrence. Now, if this had been the original shrine, why was not this most important fact urged by Sanballat and his friends in their angry disputes with Nehemiah and Zerubbabel? and if Melchizedek reigned in Shechem, and Abraham offered up Isaac on Gerizim, why do we hear nothing of these things to strengthen their cause?
Mount Moriah
In regard to the question about the true site of that most wonderful act of Abraham, I believe it was on Mount Moriah, where the altar of burnt sacrifice was erected by Solomon, and near the spot where the greater sacrifice of an infinitely greater Son was finally offered; and it would take a vast amount of contrary evidence to force me to abandon this idea. Mr. Stanley's geographical argument is more than feeble. It is almost absurd to maintain that Abraham could come on his loaded ass from Beersheba to Nablûs in the time specified. On the third day he arrived early enough to leave the servants “afar off,” and walk with Isaac bearing the sacrificial wood to the mountain which God had shown him — there build the altar, arrange the wood, bind his son, and stretch forth his hand to slay him; and there was time, too, to take and offer up the ram in Isaac's place. That all this could have been done at Nablus on the third day of their journey is incredible. It has always appeared to me, since I first traveled over the country myself, that even Jerusalem was too far off from Beersheba for the tenor of the narrative, but Nablûs is two days' ride further north!
Mr. Stanley’s Vagaries
Nor will the suggestion of Mr. Stanley, that Abraham came up through Philistia and then turned into the mountain, bear examination. The supposition is entirely gratuitous, and at variance with all the lines of patriarchal travel through the country, nor does it render the achievement of the journey in three days any more feasible. If Mr. Stanley had traveled over those interminable plains of Philistia and Sharon, as I have, he would not select this route for Abraham on his sad errand. Let us rejoice in being permitted to rest with entire confidence in the correctness of our received tradition, that the priest of the most high God reigned in Jerusalem, and that Abraham made the typical sacrifice of his son on Moriah, and not on Gerizim.
Temple on Mount Gerizim
In regard to the famous temple of the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim, little need be said in addition to the information addressed to the eye by the plan of the existing foundations. The main edifice (I.) was nearly a square, being two hundred and forty-one feet from east to west, and two hundred and fifty-five from north to south. In the center of the court was an octagon (II.),
ILLUSTRATION
and near it a small but beautifully-rounded tank or cistern (XIV.) On the corners were square rooms (III.), and the one on the northeast (IV.) is covered with a white dome, and is used as an oratory. (V.) is a passage up from a lower platform on the northeast. (VI.) entrance to the grand court. (VII.) an open terrace, a few feet lower than the main court. (VIII.) used apparently as a cemetery. (IX.) a room about eighteen feet lower than No. (VII.) (X.) portico or passage to the room (IX.) (XI.) shapeless ruins. (XII.) now unoccupied, perhaps originally a yard or outer court. (XIII.) a room in ruins, object of it doubtful.
The walls are about six feet thick, and from seven to fifteen feet high. There are no ornamental carvings on any of the stones, but they are well cut, and beveled after the Jewish or Phoenician manner. On the north there is a lower terrace of the mountain, covered with ruins, as of a village; and west of the main edifice as a smooth plat, now used by the Samaritans for their tents, when they go there to celebrate their feasts.
View From Gerizim
For vastness and variety, the prospect from this temple is not surpassed by any in Palestine, unless it be the view from Tabor, and many visitors think this from Gerizim the most interesting.
It was doubtless to this mountain, with its ruined temple, that our Savior pointed when he enunciated that cardinal truth in religion, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. God is a spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:21,2421Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (John 4:21)
24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)). Josephus tells us that this temple was destroyed about a hundred and twenty-nine years before the birth of Christ; but the site of it has been the place where the Samaritans have continued to “worship the Father” from that day to this, not in spirit nor in truth, it is to be feared, but in form and fanaticism, according to the traditions of their elders.
The Samaritan Remnant
There are not now two hundred Samaritans, all told, in the world. They themselves mention one hundred and fifty as the correct census. They are a strange people, clinging to their law, and to the sepulchers of their fathers, with invincible tenacity.
The Ms. Pentateuch
Their chief priest will show you, with any amount of sham reverence, their ancient copy of the Pentateuch; but though, like all other travelers, I have given my bŭksheesh for the privilege of turning over its time-stained pages, I have no faith in their legends in regard to it, estimate its real value at a very low figure, and leave to others the minute description of this curious relic of antiquity.
But it is time we should return from our long digression, and give some attention to this great plain through which we are led by our indefatigable guide and protector.
Esdraelon
The central parts of Esdraelon seem to be entirely destitute of water, and this is the reason, I suppose, why it was never thickly inhabited.
That may have been one reason; another is, that it is hot in summer, and unhealthy. As to water, I believe that it could be obtained in any quantity by digging, as in all other great plains of this country. But it is by no means certain that the central parts were always sparsely inhabited. There are traces of many mud villages in it, and some of these have names, and a traditional history among the Arabs. There is a Lûd far down to the left, which was probably settled by a colony from the Lûd which is near Jaffa; and perhaps Jaffa, or Japhia, yonder on the hillside below Nazareth, and Beit Lahm, in the woods further west, were also colonized from the celebrated cities of the same name in the south of Palestine.
Esdraelon is far from being a dead level, the western half having a decided dip toward the sea, while its different parts roll up in long swells like gigantic waves, terminating in Jebel ed Dûhy in the center, and the rocky ridges of Zer'in, and Em Gabileh toward the south. I have seen nothing to compare it with except some of our rolling prairies in the West, and these lack Tabor, and Little Hermon, and Gilboa, and Carmel, and a hundred other natural beauties and historic memories with which this is everywhere surrounded and glorified.
French Engineering Project
The French engineer who proposed to dig a ship canal from the Bay of Acre, fill up the ghor, and thus open a channel to the Gulf of Akabah, must have been profoundly ignorant of the topography with which he was dealing. The “cutting” for this canal along the bed of the Kishon would gradually deepen, until, at the watershed of the valley of Jezreel, it would be several hundred feet. This gigantic difficulty overcome, the sea must rush in with volume sufficient to fill up the ghor from near Jisr Benat Yacobe to the Gulf of Akabah, burying Tiberias six hundred feet deep, and all below it deeper still, until, over the Dead Sea, it would be more than thirteen hundred feet; and even then there would be required enormous excavation at the south end before the connection with the gulf could be effected! We may safely conclude that, if there is no other way to unite the Red Sea and the Mediterranean than this, the thing will never be done, and Tiberias, Gennesaret, and the splendid valley of the Jordan are safe from this desolating inundation.
Castle of FûLeh
What is the name of this ruined castle which we are approaching?
Fûleh, and west of it is 'Afûleh, both now deserted, though both were inhabited twenty-five years ago, when I first passed this way. Fûleh was occupied by the French in the time of Bonaparte, and about it were fought many skirmishes with the Turks and Arabs. Many years ago, I spent a night at Sejera, in the oak woods north of Tabor, and found several old men there who remembered the battle of Kleber, and the wild rout of the Turks at the close of it, when Bonaparte, with a troop of horse, came galloping up from Acre to the scene of action. These people of Sejera spoke in the most exaggerated terms of the desperate daring of these French cavaliers, a party of whom was stationed at their village. This castle of Fûleh was circular, with a high wall and a deep ditch. There was no water inside, but directly below it small fountains ooze out of the ground in sufficient quantity for the demands of the garrison, which could not have been large. The Bedawin now resort to them with their flocks and camels, and it was to secure this privilege that they sacked and destroyed the castle; and by the same process the whole of Esdraelon will soon be abandoned to them. Their system of desolation is worked out after this fashion: They pitch their tents in the vicinity of a village, and in such numbers as to bid defiance to the inhabitants. Of course, their camels and flocks roam over the unfenced plain, and devour a large part of the grain while growing; and when it is ripe, they either steal it or compel the farmers to present them a heavy percentage as the price of their protection.
Plundering Arabs
From the village itself, chickens, eggs, sheep, cows, and even horses disappear, and can never be recovered. Many of the inhabitants soon move off to escape from these annoyances, and the village being thereby weakened, the Arabs provoke a quarrel; some one is wounded or killed, and then the place is sacked and burned. The end aimed at is now reached, and the land belongs henceforth to the lawless Ishmaelite. In ten years more there will not be an inhabited village in Esdraelon, unless this wretched work is checked; and even now it is unsafe to traverse this noble plain in any direction, and everybody goes armed, and prepared to repel force by force.
But a small portion of the plain is under cultivation, and there are scarcely any traces of antiquity upon it.
That is true, particularly in the center and western part of it; and there never were any very substantial buildings in those farming villages, I suppose. The houses appear to have been made of unburnt brick, and, of course, it is useless to look for them in our day. From the nature of the country and its relative position, it was always subject to invasion, as the great highway for armies, the battlefield of contending nations.
The Towns Were on the Border of the Plain
The plain, therefore, was mainly cultivated by those who resided in towns upon its border; and there you will find ruins, as at Ksalis, Debûrieh, Nain, En-dor, Beisan, Solam, Zer'in, Jenîn, Lejjun, Tell Caimon, and many other sites. At this place directly ahead of us, now called El Mezrah, there are many sarcophagi of a most antique fashion, yet there is no other trace of an extinct city near it; and the soil among the sarcophagi is plowed and sowed like the rest of the plain. There are also other sites where nothing but the tombs of those who lived there remain to tell the story of their inhabitants.
Lower End of Esdraelon
Our guide, I see, is turning to the south, and intends to take us through Wady Kŭsab, midway between Tell el Mutsellim and Tell Caimon; and now, before we enter this wady and bid adieu to Esdraelon, let us take a survey of the lower end of it. It has become perfectly level, and I can tell you from experience that in wet seasons it is extremely muddy; and then the Kishon causes great danger to the muleteers. Rarely, indeed, do they get over it without some of their animals sticking fast in its oozy bottom. You observe that the hills of Samaria bend round to the base of Carmel, while those of Galilee do the same on the opposite side, leaving a vale between them for the Kishon only a few rods wide. The great tell, which, from our position, seems to close up the entrance entirely, is called Kŭssîs (mound of the priest), a name probably commemorative of the slaughter of Baal's priests near its base.
Woods
The hills of Galilee are clothed, down to the bank of the river, with a forest of oak, terebinth, mock-orange, and other trees and bushes. Hour after hour you wander delighted through these lovely woods, over hills and through wadies quite up to the Bŭttauf; and the same kind of grove reappears on the south of Carmel, and still forms the “ingens sylva” of the Roman geographers.
View Down the Kishon
If you look down the Kishon, you can see a huge double tell at the further end of the narrow vale. It is now called Harothîeh, and marks the site, I doubt not, of the old Harosheth of the Gentiles. The present village of that name is in a recess of the hills, a short distance to the east of the tell.
Haro — ThîEh — Harosheth
On that bold promontory of Carmel directly facing us is the Mŭkhrakah, where the great sacrifice was offered by Elijah. The shapeless ruins of El Mansûra are on a lower terrace to the southeast of it, and similar ruins are below on the north side of the mountain. The great Wady Milhh passes southward round the end of Carmel; and through it, I believe, ran the ancient Roman road to Tantûra and Cæsarea. The large tell on this side of it is Caiman, often mentioned by ancient geographers and itineraries. This lower end of Esdraelon is not more than six miles wide, and most of it is too flat and wet for cultivation; but the Arabs delight in it, particularly in winter, and it is even now dotted over with their black tabernacles. Overgrown as it is with tall thistles and long grass, it is the favorite haunt of the gazelle; and there goes a family of them hounding gaily toward Sheikh Bureîkh on the western margin of the plain. The solemn stork, too, frequents the more marshy parts of it, and adds much to the interest of this rather monotonous scene.
Ancient Sites N.W. of the Plain
Around this northwestern side of Esdraelon are clustered a number of interesting sites, which we may notice in passing. That large tell with a village upon it is Jibbata; and directly north of it, half an hour, is Semmûnia, on an immense tell, partly hid in a recess of the mountain. In the plain between the two, Josephus fought one of his battles with the Romans. Semmûnia is entirely deserted, but there is an excellent fountain of water at the southwest base of the tell; and the traveler along that road in summer will be thankful to know where he can slake his thirst and fill his “bottle.” Two miles west of Semmûnia is Jeîda, on an old site full of rock tombs and surrounded with oak glades and rich vales of the most exquisite loveliness. West of this are Kŭskŭs and Tell'aum; and in the woods north of it are Zebda, Belt Lahm, and Em el 'Amed, all ancient, and some of them historical.
Beauty of the Region Deserted
Beautiful as paradise, yet that whole region is deserted; as “in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the inhabitants of the villages cease, the highways are unoccupied, and the travelers walk through by-ways” (Judg. 5:6-76In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways. 7The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. (Judges 5:6‑7)); and so we are doing at this moment, and for the same reason. The present state of the country is no novelty.
We are now passing through the scene of Barak's great battle with Sisera; and this same neighborhood witnessed another contest more remarkable and vastly more important and impressive than the overthrow of that oppressor of Israel.
Elijah and Jezebel
It occurred during the reign of that wicked king Ahab, and his more, wicked queen Jezebel; and the scene shifts from Esdraelon to Carmel, and from mountain to plain, in rapid succession. Elijah the Tishbite is the principal actor. Jezebel had successfully employed the power and patronage of the government to corrupt the faith of Israel, and the whole kingdom was overrun with the priests of Baal, that abomination of the Zidonians, while his idolatrous temples reared their insulting heads in every part of the land. To effect this apostasy, Jezebel had waged a bloody persecution against the prophets of the Lord. The Tishbite thus states the case, in reply to the question, “What doest thou here, Elijah? I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts,” said he; “for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away” (1 Kings 19:9-109And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (1 Kings 19:9‑10)).
To arrest this ruinous revolt, the Lord interposed by a series of awful judgments and stupendous miracles.
The Drought
At the prayer of the prophet he shut up the “heavens for three years and six months, so that there was neither rain nor dew” during all these years (1 Kings 17:11And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. (1 Kings 17:1)). Near the close of this dreadful drought the king said to Obadiah, the governor of his house, “Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks; peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself” (1 Kings 18:5-65And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 6So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. (1 Kings 18:5‑6)). The latter went westward from Jezreel to the marshy grounds near Carmel, at the bottom of Esdraelon; and there Elijah met him, and said, “Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here” (1 Kings 18:88And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. (1 Kings 18:8)). The good man was terrified at the thought of carrying such a message to the enraged king. “As the Lord thy God liveth,” said he, “there is no nation or kingdom whither my Lord hath not sent to seek thee” (1 Kings 18:1010As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. (1 Kings 18:10)). Elijah replied, “As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today.” Ahab seems to have been near at hand, for he quickly obeyed the summons; and when he saw Elijah he exclaimed, in anger, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” (1 Kings 18:15-1715And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to day. 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? (1 Kings 18:15‑17)). “I have not troubled Israel,” was the reply of the Tishbite; “but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now, therefore, send and gather me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of the groves, four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table” (1 Kings 18:18-1918And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. 19Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. (1 Kings 18:18‑19)). The wicked but weak-minded king sank before the daring servant of God, his more wicked and resolute wife not being by his side.
The Contest on Carmel
He hastily gathered the people to a remarkable and well-known spot on the eastern end of Carmel, where sacrifice had been offered to Jehovah in ancient times. But never before was there such a meeting as this, never such a momentous question to be discussed, such a mighty controversy to be settled. Elijah came unto all the people and said, “If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:2121And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. (1 Kings 18:21)).
But the people, conscience-smitten, yet afraid of the king, answered him not a word. Then the prophet, to compel a choice, proposed the test of sacrifice, “and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.” The irresolute multitude ventured to approve; the king could not resist; the priests dared not refuse. Quickly the victims are upon the altars, and the priests call upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us! But there was no voice, nor any that answered.” Then Elijah mocked then: “Cry aloud, for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.” The poor priests, goaded to madness by this scorching irony, leaped in frantic despair upon the altar, crying aloud, “O Baal, hear us! and they cut themselves with knives and lancets after their manner, till the blood gushed out upon them.” But in vain. “There was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.” Thus they continued until the time of the evening sacrifice. Then Elijah “repaired the altar of Jehovah, which was broken down,” placing twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob. A trench was dug round it, the wood arranged, the sacrifice upon it, and all was ready for the great decision; but, to make the trial doubly convincing, barrel after barrel of water was poured on, until it ran round about the altar and filled the trench. Then comes the solemn invocation: “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I thy servant have done all these things at thy word. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” The whole multitude fell on their faces, crying out, “Jehovah, he is the God! Jehovah, he is the God!” And Elijah said to the people.
Slaughter of Baal’s Prophets
“Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” They did so, and brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there, near the base of that high Tell Kŭssîs which you see in the mouth of the valley. Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” Elijah himself returned to the top of Carmel, cast himself upon the ground, put his face between his knees, and prayed — prayed earnestly for the rain; but it came not until his servant had gone up to the top and looked out on the Mediterranean seven times. Then the little cloud, as large as a man's hand, was seen to rise out of the sea, and Elijah sent word to the king, “Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
The Rain
“In the meanwhile the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.” Thus the long drought of three years and a half was brought to a close. But the work of the prophet on this most eventful day was not yet ended.” Ahab rode and went home to Jezreel; and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” This is the last, most strange, and most unexpected act of this great drama; and perhaps there is no one day's work in the whole history of man more wonderful than this.
El MansûRah
Have you any confidence in the tradition which fixes the site of these scenes at the place called El Mŭkhrakah, near the ruined village of El Mansûrah?
I have, and for many reasons. From the very nature of the case, it is nearly incredible that such a site should have been lost or forgotten. The narrative itself locates the scene on Carmel, and, by necessary implication, on the southeastern end of it, looking off toward Jezreel. Within these narrow limits there is not much room for uncertainty or mistake. Again, it is clear from the 30th (1 Kings 18:3030And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. (1 Kings 18:30)) verse that the place was sacred to the worship of Jehovah before the days of Elijah.
There had been an altar there, which some one, most likely Jezebel, had caused to be thrown down; and after these stupendous miracles, it is not to be believed that the scene of them would be forgotten. They took place before all the people; and not in some far-off desert, difficult of access and rarely visited, but in the most conspicuous portion of a densely inhabited country, and one which has never ceased to be inhabited from that day to this. Accordingly, I believe it can be proved that the tradition of this site has never died out of the country.
Notice by Tacitus.
I have little doubt that this was the spot of the oracle on Carmel mentioned by Tacitus in his history of Vespasian, p. 410. His description is very remarkable: “Between Syria and Judaea stands a mountain known by the name of Mount Carmel, on the top of which a god is worshipped under no other title than that of the place, and, according to the ancient usage, without a temple, or even a statue.
Vespasian at El MŭKhrakah
An altar is erected in the open air, and there adoration is made to the presiding deity. On this spot Vespasian offered a sacrifice,” and so on.
Let us carefully consider this bit of history.
Identified With Scene of Elijah’s Contest
1. As to the precise place. The historian tells us that after their sacrifice Vespasian went to Caesarea. Now I have already given my reasons for believing that the great Roman road down the coast from the north passes round, the southeastern end of Carmel. This conclusion I had reached long before I thought of its bearing on the point before us. But whether it did or not, the road from the interior did certainly follow this route to Caesarea, and Vespasian marched along it. This would bring him directly beneath this Mŭkhrakah.
2. The place is simply designated as “the spot.” There was no temple, no image — only an altar in the open air; and this was according to the ancient custom of the place. All this is precisely what we should expect at the seat of Elijah's wonderful miracle, and in striking agreement with what we now actually find there. There is no temple, and no evidence that there ever was one. There is only a “spot” on a natural platform of naked rock, surrounded by a low wall, which, from appearance, may have been there in the days of Elijah, or even before. Within this uncovered enclosure is the sacred spot, without a mark, without a title, as Tacitus has it.
3. It is mentioned by pilgrims in subsequent ages, briefly, according to their custom, yet in such a way as to leave no doubt that the site was still kept in remembrance. One of the “stations” of ancient pilgrimage derived its name from it.
4. It is still well known and reverenced by all the inhabitants of this neighborhood, Jews, Christians, Moslems, Druses, and Bedawin, and as the site of these miracles of Elijah. My guide to it, a Druse, approached it with great reverence, and even awe; and this present veneration of all sects tallies admirably with the history of Tacitus. It was then in the hands of heathen priests or of corrupt Samaritans, but was so celebrated that pilgrims and worshippers of all nations resorted to it. This is natural, and in agreement with even the present customs of this country. Very many shrines of the Moslems, and other races, owe all their sanctity to events recorded only in Biblical history. In this particular case it is highly probable that those mingled people who were transported hither from Assyria, “who feared the Lord and served Baal,” would immediately appropriate to the uses of their superstitions this most celebrated “spot.” Their descendants may have held possession of it when Vespasian passed this way, and the fame of its oracle induced even him, the master of the Roman world, to consult it.
5. The name Mŭkhrakah, signifying the place that was burned, or the place of burning, is so far confirmatory of the tradition. Such native and significant names do not fasten upon any spot without an adequate reason, and there is, in almost every case, some foundation in truth for them. In this instance it is the very name we should expect, and is applied to the spot most likely of all to be the true one.
6. Lastly, there is no other place with opposing claims. It has no rival. This is remarkable in a country where there are so many conflicting traditions in regard to almost every celebrated site. But not only is there nothing to contradict its claims or disturb its title, but the closest scrutiny into the history, even to the most minute incidents and implications, will corroborate and confirm them. Why, therefore, should there be a doubt about the matter? I confess, with hearty good-will, that I am troubled with none.
Mr. Van de Velde, who visited this place in company with Dr. Kalley, was the first in our day, so far as I know, who has published a description of the Mŭkhrakah, and his account is sufficiently accurate.
Water for the Sacrifice
I cannot agree with him, however, that the water poured upon the sacrifice was procured from the fountain he mentions. That fountain was nearly dry when I saw it, nor do I think it could hold out through the dry season even of one ordinary summer. How, then, could it last through three years and a half of total absence of rain? Nor are there any marks of antiquity about it. The water was obtained, as I suppose, from those permanent sources of the Kishon at the base of Carmel which I have before mentioned. It is even doubtful whether any of these, except the great one of Saadîeh, could stand such a protracted drought; and the distance even to that is not so great as to create any difficulty. Perhaps there might have been water in the marshes about Tell Thora, east of Tell Kŭssîs. The path from the place of sacrifice brought me to the Kishon at this great tell; and, from the nature of the mountain, the priests must have been brought down the same track. They were, therefore, in all probability, actually put to death near it; and, naturally enough, the act would fasten its name to the tell as the most conspicuous permanent object in the neighborhood. If Elijah returned to the place of sacrifice after the slaughter of the priests, his servants would have to go but a short distance to obtain an extensive view of the sea, both towards Cæsarea and also over the plain of Acre to the northwest. I suppose that both Elijah and Ahab did return to the Mŭkhrakah — Ahab to partake of the feast prepared and spread somewhere near at hand, which always formed part of these sacrifices, and Elijah to pray for rain. This is implied by the words of the prophet to the king” Get thee up, eat and drink”; and again, “Get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.”
Way to MŭKhrakah
The best way to reach the Mŭkhrakah is to go from Haifa, along the base of Carmel, past Tell Harothîeh, to Tell Kŭssîs, and then ascend the mountain by some ruins on a bold swell of Carmel, which my guide said bore the name also of El Mansûrah, the same as on the southeastern end of the mountain. But without a guide it is next to impossible to find the spot, so dense is the jungle of thorn-bushes on that part of Carmel. I once undertook to reach it from the southwest, got lost, and finally had to procure a guide from Idjzîm, and then scramble across frightful gorges and up steep precipices, to the no small danger and fatigue of both horse and rider.
How large a portion of these wonderful actions are we to suppose took place on the day of the sacrifice?
The whole of them after the people assembled to the return of the king to Jezreel.
This reminds me of the feat performed by the prophet at the winding up of this wonderful drama: “The hand of the Lord was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” This has always appeared to me most extraordinary conduct for a man of his age, character, and office.
Elijah Running Before Ahab
And yet, when rightly understood, it was beautiful, and full of important instruction. Elijah, as God's minister, had overwhelmed the king with shame and confusion in the presence of his subjects. The natural tendency of this would be to lower him in their eyes, and lessen their respect for his authority. It was not the intention, however, to weaken the government nor to encourage rebellion. The prophet was therefore divinely directed to give a testimony of respect and honor to the king as public and striking as from necessity had been the opposition and rebuke to his idolatry. The mode of doing honor to Ahab by running before his chariot was in accordance with the customs of the East, even to this day. I was reminded of this incident more than twenty years ago at Jaffa, when Mohammed Aly came to that city with a large army to quell the rebellion of Palestine. The camp was on the sand hills south of the city, while Mohammed Aly stopped inside the walls. The officers were constantly going and coming, preceded by runners, who always kept just ahead of the horses, no matter how furiously they were ridden; and, in order to run with the greater ease, they not only “girded their loins” very tightly, but also tucked up their loose garments under the girdle, lest they should be incommoded by them. Thus, no doubt, did Elijah. The distance from the base of Carmel across the plain to Jezreel is not less than twelve miles; and the race was probably accomplished in two hours, in the face of a tremendous storm of rain and wind. It was necessary that the “hand of the Lord should be upon” the prophet, or he would not have been able to achieve it.
Meeting of Elijah and Ahab
It is easy to fancy the place of meeting between Elijah and the angry king of Israel. The prophet was returning from Sarepta along the common highway which led up this wady of Kishon to Megiddo, and had reached that immediate neighborhood where the permanent fountains of the river begin. There he found Obadiah, with part of the “beasts,” seeking grass to keep them alive. It is evident that Ahab himself was not far off. Probably he had gone out on that marshy part of the plain near Tell Thora, hoping also to meet with grass. The only other part of this region where grass could be sought at the end of such a drought would be down the Wady Jezreel, east of the city, around the great fountain now called 'Ain Jalûd. But the narrative does not countenance the idea that Ahab was at such a distance from Carmel. The place of meeting was therefore at the southeast end of this mountain, not far from Tell Kŭssîs.
Extent of the Drought
Are we to suppose that the drought extended over all this country?
I think not. Probably only over the kingdom of Israel, on whose account it was sent. It, however, involved the plain of Sarepta, but that lies within the proper territorial limits of Israel. In order to understand how it was possible to keep any part of this kingdom from being absolutely depopulated, we may remember, that although all the crops fail even when there is a drought of only a few months in spring, and that in a single dry summer all the ordinary fountains cease, yet there are others, such as 'Ain Jalûd, in the valley of Jezreel, and some of the sources of the Kishon at the base of Carmel, which have never been known to dry up entirely. Moreover, there is no reason to suppose that the drought extended to Hermon and Lebanon, and hence the great fountains of the Jordan would keep the lakes and the river full and strong, and water could be brought from these sources of supply on camels and mules, and by other means of transportation. It is certain, too, that a portion of the people would remove to the vicinity of these supplies, and to more distant neighborhoods. As to provisions, the Mediterranean was on their western border, and corn from Egypt could be brought in any quantity, as is still done in seasons of scarcity. By these and other means a remnant would be preserved. But we are not to lessen the calamity too much in out account of these resources. The wandering of the king in search of grass; his angry salutation to the prophet; the dying destitution of the widow at Sarepta, all show the fearful extent and severity of the famine. And now we are about to leave this interesting region for one almost a desert.
It may be desert, but it is very green and inviting; and what a beautiful brook comes babbling down the wady!
Wady KŭSab
If it derived its name, Kŭsab, from the abundance of cane on its banks, they seem all to have disappeared; but here are splendid oleanders in their place, and I see that the guide has halted for our noonday rest and lunch under a pyramid of these flowery bushes. We shall not be detained long, I daresay, in this solitary place. Hassein is evidently uneasy, and looks suspiciously at those horsemen coming down the wady. They are acquaintances, however, I perceive; and, while they discuss Arab politics, we will discuss bread and cheese, chicken and ham.
As I expected. These men advise us to be moving, and to keep close together until we reach the next village, after which there is no danger; and so we are off. It is well we improved the time, or we might have had a long ride on an empty stomach.
These hills are entirely naked, and mostly barren, or, rather, uncultivated, for I see nothing to prevent their being planted with orchards and vineyards.
Mount Carmel
Nothing but insecurity, and the ferocity of the people in this region. As we advance, you perceive that the wady splits into many branches. We take this one on the west, and our track opens on to beautiful views of Carmel in the north. That village about three miles to the west of us is called Um Ezzêinat, and the one south of it Rehanîeh. The name of the district is Belad er Rohah, and it includes the southeastern border of Carmel down to Caesarea. As we are taking leave of Carmel, let us while away the time spent in climbing these tedious hills with a few facts and remarks in regard to that celebrated mountain. It is steep and lofty only at the northwest corner, and on that face which overlooks the plains of Acre and Esdraelon. The ascent is comparatively easy from the sea, and it sinks down gradually to the south into the wooded hills of Samaria and the rich plain of Caesarea. There are, however, deep ravines, in some of which I became entangled on my way from Tantûra to the Mŭkhrakah, and had no small trouble to extricate myself from their perplexing sinuosities and abrupt precipices. There is no special “excellency” in Carmel at present, whatever may be said of Sharon (Isa. 35:22It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. (Isaiah 35:2)). Its name, Kerm el, signifies “vineyard of God”; and we read that Uzziah, who loved husbandry, had vine-dressers in Carmel (2 Chron. 26:1010Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. (2 Chronicles 26:10)). These vineyards have all disappeared, and, in fact, so have the forests, which were celebrated in ancient song.
Scripture Allusions Jeremiah
It is a glorious mountain, however — one to swear by, according to Jeremiah: “As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come” (Jer. 46:1818As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come. (Jeremiah 46:18)).
Amos
My experience would not have prompted me to place the “top of Carmel” third in such a series of hiding-places, but yet I can fully appreciate the comparison. Ascending it from the south, we followed a wild gorge, through which my guide thought we could get up, and therefore led us on into the most frightful chasms, overhung by trees, bushes, and dark creepers, until it became absolutely impracticable, and we were obliged to find our way back again. And even after we reached the summit, it was so rough and broken, and the thorn-bushes so thick-set and sharp, that our clothes were torn and our hands and faces severely lacerated; nor could I see my guide ten steps ahead of me.
Micah
It was a noble pasture-field, however, and in reference to this characteristic Micah utters this sweet prayer: “Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood in the midst of Carmel” (Micah 7:1414Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. (Micah 7:14)). From these and other hints we may believe that Carmel was not very thickly inhabited. There are now some ten or eleven small villages on and around it, occupied by Moslems and Druses; and, besides these, I have the names of eight ruins, none of which, however, are large or historical. Carmel was a habitation of shepherds (Amos 1:22And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. (Amos 1:2)), and it is implied that its pastures were not liable to wither. This may in part be occasioned by the heavy dews which its great elevation, so near the sea, causes to distil nightly upon its thirsty head. I found it quite green and flowery in midsummer. Our road now begins to descend toward the southwest, and the village to which we are coming is called Dalia er Rohah, to distinguish it from another of the same name on the top of Carmel, settled by Druses from Lebanon.
Deceitful Brooks
This is a singular brook which we are following down the wady. Back yonder I thought of watering my horse, but, supposing the stream would become larger, I omitted it, and here it has vanished altogether, like one of Job's (Job 6:15-1915My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; 16Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: 17What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. 18The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish. 19The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them. (Job 6:15‑19)) deceitful friends — I mean brooks.
The phenomena of streams in this country aptly illustrate the character of his false friends. In winter, when there is no need of them, they are full, and strong, and loud in their bustling professions and promises; but in the heat of summer, when they are wanted, they disappoint your hope. You think your fields will be irrigated, and yourself and your flocks refreshed by them, when, lo! they deal deceitfully and pass away. Nearly all the streams of this country, “what time they wax warm,” thus vanish, go to nothing, and perish.
Like Job’s Friends
Such were Job's friends. There is another illustration equally pertinent. You meet a clear, sparkling brook, and, so long as you follow it among the cool mountains, it holds cheerful converse with you by its merry gambols over the rocks; but as soon as you reach the plain, “where it is hot,” it begins to dwindle, grow sad and discouraged, and finally fails altogether. Those which suggested the comparison of Job probably flowed down from the high lands of Gilead and Basilan, and came to nothing in the neighboring desert; for it is added that the “troops of Teman looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them, and were confounded because they had hoped.” It was on those high mountains only that Job could become familiar with the winter phenomena, where the streams are “blackish by reason of the ice”; for not only are Lebanon and Hermon covered with snow in winter, and the brooks there frozen, but the same is true also of the higher parts of the Hauran, and of the mountains to the south of it, where Job is supposed to have resided. We shall follow this Wady Dalia, called also Shukkah, for an hour at least; and, owing to some peculiarity in the strata, the water repeatedly sinks away and then reappears lower down. The pastures on either side are extremely rich; and, when I passed along it in February, it was all glowing and blushing with an infinite number and variety of flowers, sending up incense to the skies, and offering their honeyed cups to millions of bees. I saw here a flower altogether new to me. The stem resembles a strong rank pea; but the flowers hang in pendent clusters like hops. The upper part is a light bronze color, dashed with purple; the rest, pure white. I could get no name for it.
Sindiany
We now leave this Wady Delia, and go over the hill southward for half an hour to Sŭbbarîn, near the head of another valley, which bears the name of Sindiany, from a village of that name further down toward Caesarea. Perhaps both wady and village are so called from the oak woods with which the whole country is clothed. I shall not soon forget the ride on that lovely evening of February when I first passed this way. The setting sun glowed and trembled among the tree-tops, and, streaming down aslope, filled the valley with transparent gold and living emerald full up to the brim and running over. It seemed like fairy-land, and I no longer questioned the unequaled charms of Caesarea and her surroundings. From our present position we can gaze through this glorious vista of oak glades, and along many a solemn aisle, leading every way far into the deep forests. I was taken by surprise, having anticipated nothing but a barren desert, when I met with rural beauty unsurpassed by anything in this country. The scene now is changed: the fields are white for the harvest, the flowers have faded and fallen, and the grass is sear and dead. But the same round hills are here, and the grand old oaks, with their robes of fadeless green. It never can be less than lovely while they remain. But our guide beckons us onward, and with reason, for there is yet another hour to Sindiany; and this neighborhood has a villanous reputation.
“Every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile.”
However, my experience enables me to trust the people of Sindiany; and there is a charming camp-ground just north of the village. Take notice of this fountain of Sŭbbarîn. We shall meet it tomorrow where one would least expect it.