The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-07-13
APPROACH TOsSINAT.

. wider and wider. with a gentle ascent, and
: became full of shrubs aud tufts of herbs,
; shut in on each side by lofty granite ridges
with rugged, shattered peaks, a thousand
feet high, while the face of Hurcb rose di-
rectly brfnre us. Both myscompanions
and myselfinvoluntariIy cxcIaimed, "iIere
Eisroom enough for large encampmcnl." ..
Reaching The top Of the ascent, or wateE.
shed, fnc.brnad plain lay before. us SO:
ping down gently towards the S. S. Z. en-
closed by rugged and venerable mountains
Of dark granite, stern, naked, spintpreti
peaks and, ridges ofindescribable GRANDEUR;
and terminaled at the distance Of more than
IA mile by the bold and awful from, Of Horeb
rising rerpendic cuIarI =, infrowning maies-
ty.alromsfwelve toz fifteen. bundled feet in
height. 1t wasa scene ofsalemn grandeur
wholly Enaex prcted, and such as we had
lnever seen%and the associations which at
tthc momcn, r,lshetEapon Our minds were
almost Overwhelming. As we went on,
new points Of Interest were continually
opening to our view.> q.
On thezlclt of lInrcba deep and narrow
valley runs ups. S. z. bftween lofty walls
Of rock, as fin continuation of The S. +.
corner ofthe plain. In this valley, at the
dislaRce of near mile from~lhe plain,
stands the convent; and the deep veriure
ofils fruit'trees and expresses is seen as
the2trarellerapproacbrs-a oasis of beau.
ly amid scenes of the sternest desofatinn.
Atthe 5. w. corner Of the plafR thea
cliffs also retreat, and form q recess or
open place extending from the Westward
for some distance: From shs refessTAf'fffff,ee s5Tf IRE
Wrst Iitt:slto 81 fI0rfb, called lLcia, parallel To
that in which the convent sands: and in il
is lie deserted convent cl.Arba in, with
garden of olive and other fruit trees, not
visible from tho plain. AlIrrd garden lies
at tie mouth Of el-Lca, and fourth far
iher wcstin the recess just mentioned.-
The whole plains called Wady cr.Rahall:
and the valley Of the convent is known to
the Arabs as Waddy She'eib-ihat is, the
valley Of Jethro.
u Still advancing, the front of ffToreb rose
| like wall bcturc us; and ono can approach
| quite to the foot and touch the mount.
/ Directly before its base is The deep bed Of
torrent, by which, in the rainy season,
The waters Of el Lca and the mountains
around the recess pass down eastward
across the plain, forming the. commence.
Encnt of Wa!y esh-Shcikh, which then is
sues by an opening through the cliffs Of
| the eastern m0untrln-a fine broad valley,
ail'nrdng the only easy access to the plain
anI the covenant.
/ As we crossed the plain, our feelings
were strongly affected al finding here 81
unexpectedly spot so entirely adapted to
the scriptural account Of The giving Of tie
! law. No travcIlartlas described this plain
nor even mentioned il, except in slight
and general manner; probably, because the
| must have reached the convent BY another
roue, without passing over ii; and perhaps
too because neither the highest puiut Of
Sinai, (now Ca lied Jabel MuSa nor the
still ioflicr, summit of>Sl. Calharinr, is risi.
BILE from any part of it. The extreme diff
licully and even danger Of the ascent, was
we'll rewarded by the. prospect that now
. lay before us. The whole plain er.lahah
Law spread out beneath our feet, with the
adjacent Wadys and mountains while
Wady csh.Sheikh on the right, and the re-
cess on The left, both connected with and
opening broadIy from er-Rahah, presented
an arena which serves only to double that
Of The plain. e.
Our conviction was strengthened that
here or on some Que Of the djacent cliffs,
was the spot where the Lord ",lescended
in fire." and proclaimed the law. Here
lay the plain where the whole congrcga-
tiun micht be assembled-here was the