Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-11-17
From Sears Pictorial Family Magazine.
TRAVELS In THE HOLY LAND.--NO. I
BY HARRIET MARTINEAu.

IL twas on Sunday, March 26lh, that We were
TO enter the Holy Land. had been too much
sngrossed by the objects which interested US at
every step in Egypt and Arabia, TO think much
Of this beforehand; and when came forth from
eur tent IN the dawn Of that morning. there was
enough Of novelty in The scene around me TO
make me feel that we were about 10 enter upon
q new country, and new set Of interests; and
became eager to know at what hour we we're
20 pass the boundary which separated the desert
from the Holy Land-the homo Of the old laiIh
from that Of the new. We had followed the
track Of Moses from the spot where his mother
placed his buIrush cradle to that on which he
died; for 10 the east we should this morning see
the mountains overhapging the Dead Sea; and
among them the summit Of Nebo, whence he
looked abroad over the Land Of Promise; and
now we were to.enter upon the country of Je-
sus-certain to walk in his very footsteps, and
sec what he saw-peihaps this very day. |
never remember feeling such an interest in ove-
ry wild.hower, in the outlines Of all the hills,
and the track Of all the water. courses.
We had left the stony desert behind US, and
were encamped in d nook Of the hills where tho
ground wasgreen, and weeds grew thick. There
was grass under my bed in the tent; and when
came out this morning, the dew was heavy on
the daisies and buuercups and Towering mallows
whichgrew abundantly yon the turf. After break.
fast, while the camels were loading walked in
the early sunshine on strip Of sand overlooking
the valley, impressng on my memory every fea-
ture of the landscape, and impatient Of the ri.
sing ground to the north, which prevented my
seeing whore we were going. 1t was about ten
O'Clock when we passed the boundary. Ii was
1nnn0asihla tall tho hnt vii in
a mile or two we felt thar we were indeed III the
native land of Christ, and probably on his very
track. He mighthave been here. His relations
lived at Hebron; and during the first thirty years
of his life he had probably visited them, after
meeting Them at the feasts at Jerusalem. He
might have walked over the hills which swelled
higher and higher as we advanced, and rested
beside some Of the wells which yawned beside
our track. At any rate, the trees and flowers
which we saw must have been familiar to his
eyes; the Ihorny acacia which began here to rise
aud spread from the slunted shrub Of the desert
TO the dimensions Of q tree; the scarlet anemone
with US precious garden lower-which here
strewed tho ground for acres round; the cycla.
men, which pushed forth its tufts Of white and
lilac blossoms from under many stone and BUSH;
and the poppy, mallow, hemlock, and wild oats,
which grew as thickly as in any English hedge.
did not know before that these weeds were as
commsn here as with US; and never before did
tho sight OF them give me so much pleasure. 1t
would have been pleasant ntanywheret meet these
familiar weeds so far from home; butthe delight
to-day was to think that He and his disciples were
as much accustomed 10 them as ourselves, and
thaIa walk in the early spring was, in the pure
country, much The same thing to them as 10 US.
But we soon came upon traces which showed
that the exPanse Of pure country here was small
in those days, compared with what 1t is now
The towns must have been more thicky set here
than in any country was ever in. Patches and
masses Of ruins showed themselves on every
hand, SO near each other as 10 indicate that the
land must have been Peopled to degree now
nowhere known. The first p.owing we had seen
for many weeks was striking sightsOus; mere
scratching of the soil at the foot of the hills: bu
close by lay heap of building stones, the re-
mains of town or village. Presently we saw
rude pOw, with a single camel at work; and a
hand was a long foundation wall, laid in far
distant century. On height further on, wor,
the remains Of large ancient building, with Two
broken pillars standing, marking the site of sh<
Aroer Of Scripture. Then, though there were
water'courSes about every hill, wells began tc
abound; substantial, deep wells, built with rim
with holes in it, TO receive the covering stone
such wells as tell oil settlement beside them
We stopped early this day-parily because il
was Sunday, and partly because ou: Arab guards
who know nothing of our Sunday, found con.
venient place among the hills, somewhat shelter.
ed from the cold wnd and here, very few
miles from the boundary, the gentlemen of the
party discovered that we had sat down in. the
midst OF what was once large town, though the
place appeared mere stony tract, like many
that we had passed. In the morning early,
went cut to see for myself, and was astonished
al the extent of the ruins which | should moi
have observed while merely riding by. could
trace the lines Of foundation walls Ior half o
mile, and bulIdlngstones, overgrown with grass
lay IN hlllocks Tor aconsiderable distance round
The many caverns in the limestone rocks, now
used as beds for the goats, we're found to be the
vaults Of large buildings now gone to ruins. In
few minutes, we traced three temples, or 9th.
er such buildings, by their overthrown pillars.
Our eyes being now opened, we this day saw
moro and more remains, till we were convinced
shat all the way from the boundry to Hebron, the
land was thick set with towns, and swarmns
with inhabitants in the days of its glory-thG
days when the Teacher went up and down in it
medhaIng the changes which must make it wha
have seen it now. Its hills and streams, it
skies and flowers, are to-day what they were be
fore his eyes, but where he saw towns on eve
ry height and villages in every nook, there i.
now hardly left one stone upon another.
group of black Bedouin tents on hillside, a cam
81 ortwo browsing here, and flock Of goat
there,are all that relieve the utter solitude wher
'hete was then an innumerable throng of men
as we advanced, on the Monday, the soil be
came flcher' and field was joined to field, so ths
we Osgan 70 look for the landmarks which ar
mere USED instead of fences, to bound field prop
eny' I'VE entered upon thickets and shrubbe
nes' where white roses, the cyclamen convol
Yulus, and fragrant harris ahoHndAI c. ~