Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1843-08-31
Respectfully. yoaI:, sr,v.,,
cs.r...lo.n. Anss.i ss'S, isas.

HenUEGEUlIIa
II THOMAS sEwALL4
ch.rlesiou 4, August 9ssh, 1913.
Cnno, (EoYPT.) r. i
Monday, January 23d. 1913.
; The hour for our departure has come L0ua-
x I. n.donin sheik Or Chiefs II the DIOR with I
~ Wild suite the camels gTowi ike hungry /
l,ans 1ndef The borden Of our baggage and our
party, All life. sing Away 70 The desert avail
away.n
.,e;eient 10 clear al Of Cairo from the ho:iz9n /
mi ! lev Of the rninarels and the pyramids /
our leais are piiched aad or hfsi night Of gena-
5ae old TcxiansenI life sets in. While the SET
van,, prepare the evening meal, our party are
,yaf;ously engaged some in reading Laporce,
I.yndSay. or Robinson; Others in writing their
,Irsi in pfessions, and others ia musng Of AbTa-
ham Al the mouth u his tent and the sssil Of INC
Angels, or some other Of hose Patriarehai .sies
mai are intxrwoyen wish our earliest memories.
The caravan consists Of fifteen esmels, besides
I those belonging 10 an elderly French physician
who has Joined our party there are ten or nj
teen Arabs, and four OF Ne with Two servants,
one an Arab, the other Greek, both Of whom
we au. me janior members Of the party, fat
, tered ourselves that we had each secured the
finest camel, and al once ptoceeded 70 name
Ihem; the result was the following itustfious
catalogue Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Hagef and
IshmaeI. For my own hrst selected Israel,
moi after Jacob, for that old patriarch was never
4 special faxourile Of mine; but after the
.4ribcs,v whose gathering when they LEFT their
BONDAGE Is thought by some 10 have taken place
neAr The very spot where we are now encamped
Afterward INDUCED myifegard, which has al
ways been rather unoahodox, for another char
ac.er, and named him Esan: there the matter
sAlI rests, though a few sublime passages that
read in the book Of job to-day almost induced
me 10 adopt that noble hefo's name.
TUESDAY, Jan. 2lib Our tents were struck
al an early hour this morning, out eamels re-
loaded, and our Journey resumed. We nave
reached nothing yeI like the sand Of the desert )
he soil, II 4 mar be called such, is hard scarce
ly receiving 10 many places an impression from
the camelS' feet NJF have we experienced the
climate Of the desert yet the sky has been over
cast. strong N. e. wind has prevailed through
,he day. SO cold that we have been Obliged TO
walk for warmth. The surface Of the country
has been sometimes broken, then undulalofy,
then il has arisen abruptly into hills, men
sireiched1&way into extended plains but has
Invariably exhibiteda total barrenness Of yege-
ta;ion, excepting coarse weed, which the cain.
els browSed rs they passed along. We passed
to-day an extensive petri6ed forest The earn
nor ntiles was covered With the finest specimens
frequently trunks OF trees sixty feet IN length
Law upon The ground, as solid rock as was evel
oaarried. When this forest Aoufished. and
when or how il was reduced 10 its present st&te
remains curious and unsettled question.
IJanuary 25th.l The face OF the country To-
day bears evidences Of having once been the oed
Of 4 sea or lake, in its shape, il may as
the expression; The quantity Of shells imbedded
in H. and the appearance OF the stones that cove
il: they are rounded aud polished. elan. 26sh
Nepassed through most CARROTS ravrne io-day
IL Width was perhaps three hundred feet. th'
haf.t 49, haAEl Lad -an1le nfe
once the bed Of river, but il is difficult even Il
speculate now upon that subject, because thu
face Of the country has evidently been subject !,
such changes. Violent rains fall here durfnt
J some sessons Of the year, and they have yer,
= consideTably lowered The common level Of th'
country. This is apparent from the presence O
low hills in the midst Of plains, which have beer
protected from its effects 4by roofs Of natural
rock. The appearance Of this gorge. ar rayine
was at times grand and picturesque. 10 its sud-
Z den turns, for example on one side was deposit.
ed 4 level mound. and on the Other rose the
rugged concave mountain that had resisted the
current and changed It's course. It's face was
formed Of horizontal strata Of rock, FIVE or six
feet in Depth retfeaiing as they assembled. resem-
Sling the seais Of gigantic iheairei while the
opposite mound correspondence the stage As
the noble scene lowered around Us, fancy easily
imagined that we were amid The temples Of come
powerful race who had passed away. After en-
camping this evening, l climbed with one Of my
companions 10 The top Of the mountains on orr
right. The view commanded the whole broad
Valley below, and following j, Eastward with
our eyes, what should appear but he Red Sea IL
SELF Eve: SINCE wei left Egypt, the exqde Of Is
rael has been the subject Of my thoughts, hui now
il is more interesting than ever. There are DIFF
fefenl opinions as 10 the route pursued by the
Tribes, and the point at which they touched the
sea some say that they passed the sea al Suez,
abou: days journey above this, and others that
they crossed al The mouth OF rhis Valley in which
We are now eneamped. There Is this 10 say a
gainst the former opinion and in favor Of the
laueE There would have been no mifacles in
crossing al Suez, forsouf samels waded over al
low Tide. and the land is not "tsngled" there.
but open; whereas here the country is hemmef
in by mountains; this VALLEY is the only posi-
Die thoroughlare; II IS broad al It's upper end,
and contracts like a tunnel as il deseends TO-
ward the sea; once within its towering walls
there was no escape bot forward into the sea, or
back into the arms Of their pursuefs. Besides
this, the Arabs. though ignorant entirely Of the
event itself, have received, name for the Val !
ley from their fathers, which 10 say the least Is
very earious-"The Valley Of the Wanderiag.ss
and opposite 10 IL Hiae miles across is pro-
montory called sPharoahs Baths" Nothing |
coudsuike the eye As in such perfect keeping /
with The acconnt Of Scripture, as The scene thar |
was before ne. I believed that was locking |
upon the earth that had been tfodden By the |
thousands Of israeli guided BY the "cloud BY |
day. aud the "piaF Of FIRE by night - .hatihese !
mountains echoed back the shonts { Pha-oah's. |
unFestrning host. and that upon those waves |
was performed that grand miracle which stands /
as monument OF hope 10 The good cf avery eye.