Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1839-06-01
THE TOMB OF AARON.

THE TOMB OF AARON.
We extract from Stephens Incidents Of Trav-
els through the Holy Land, the following inter
es,ing description Of the Tomb Of Aaron:
On the very "top Of tho mount" (Hor) rover
enced alike by Hussulmen and Christians, 10
the tomb Of Aaron. The building IS about 'h'rty
feet square, containing single chamber; IN irony
Of the door is a tombstone, in form like the OBJ
long slabs in cur churchya rds, but larger and
higher: the top rather larger than the bottom anu
covered with a ragged pail Of faded red cotton IN
IN sercds and patches. At its head stood high
round stoae, on which the Missulman offers MS
sacrticcs The stone was backened with smoke !;
stains of blood and fragments Of burnt brush
,-ere s,;ll about il: all was ready but the victims
md when saw tho reality of the preparation
I WAS very we'll satisfied I" nave avoided the ne
ccssitv Of conforming to tho Mussuman custom
A few ostrich eggs, the usual ornahents o'
mosnne were suspended from the ceiiing' a"n
the rest of the chamber was perfectly bare. Al
,.r oo;nu out and from the very top OF the TOMB
.urveyinp again and again tho desoate ana dfeary
acme that pre- scented itself on every SIDE, Always
terminating with the distant view of inc Deah oea'
returned within; and examining once more me
tomb and tho altar, walked carefully aro""o ''o
chamber There no light except what came
from tho door aud in cropping in the extreme cor
ner ON one side, my foot descended into an ape',
ture in the floor. ! put ii down carefully, ana
found q step, then another, evidently a staircase
leading to "A chamber below. wen. down tiii my
head was on the level OF The h1os' Du' cou.a sI
no,hinp. all was dark and called to Paul to strike
"a lipht. Most provokngiy he had no materials
Win him. He generally carried flint and stool
for lighting his pipe with; nut no" when n'os'
wanted il, he had none. l went back TO the STAR
case and descended to the bottom OF the steps, al
,.mn,ed to mako out what the place might be;
hn, !, was utterly impossible. could not see even
tho steps OH which stood. came Out ana maze
p.n search in all his pockets for the steel ana ti'nf
nv cnriosi,y increased with the difficulty of graf
;fving il: and in a little while, when the thing
aa.ned TO be utterly ImPossibie,with ms no' "h-
cxnIored. Pera Mount yiIor, and the Dead Sea, ap
peared to lose half their interest. ran up ana
down the steps, inside and out, abused rau', ana
.,ruck stones together in the hope OF elciing a
= spark: but all to no purpose. was III agony u
acsoair. when found myself graspng convu'sive-
y the handle OF my pistol; ngnt o, "% co,,on
rae, Law at the foot Of the sacrifcal altar, hred
. n;.toi in to it gave one puff, and the whole mass
WI, n a blaze Each seized burning brand,
md va descended. At the foot of the steps at the
othor end an iron grating, open IN the mida'e' anu
behind the grating tomb cut ~ me n'se" iooN,
Guarded and rev erenced the tomb OF Aaron
tore assuuder the rusty grating. and thsusting IN
nv arm to tho shoulders, touched the haioweo
.not The rocks and mountains we're echong
the discharge of my pistol, like pea's OF crash'ng
thunder; and while, with the burning brand IN one
hand was thrusting the other through tho graf
inc. the deafenng reverberatons seemed to re-
buko me for an act Of sacrilege, and l rushed up
the steps like guilty aud fear-s,ruek criminal
Suddenly heard from the foot Of tho 'a"nnta,n.a
quick and irregular discharge of firearms, which
again resounded in loud echoes, through the noun
,s;ns. 1t was far from my desire that the b,g't-
tod Mu,sulman should come upon me, and find me
-, IN, =.ol still smoking in my hand, and the
rru,b Still burning IN ti,7 :asssb Of the prophet;
ID tearing off piece Of the ragged pail, we hur-
I'D from the place and dashed down the mountain
on tho opposite side with aspecd and feck'essness
.hs, only fear could give.