The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-05-11
Scenes in the East.

.
/; | EETrRNLD day or two since from an cxcur
SION, with captain Hill, TO the Dead Sea and the
Jordan. The country around is so infested with
the Bedouins that it is Indispensable necessary
for all who visit these localities to hire the escort
Of Bcdouin chief and few Of hi, men Five
chleiS "ccupy the district, and they serve travel
lerS alternately. They have Il fixed price from
winch they never dcyatc, 100 pastcr5 Tor about
q from zach person for the chief and 30 piascrs
from all for the men 1t is Il regular black mail
system TO which all who have any regard to their
own safety must submit st thcapponted nor
n!ng our chief presented himself n our door
mounted on a splendid Arabian. lie was fine.
.hletlc, bIackbcorled fellow, with a red mantle
over his head, black cloth robe secured bv a
sash around his body, aud red Turkish boots on
his feet ard was armed with a Damascus gun, n
pair Of pistols and an enormous Bcdouin spear
1 Four Of his men followed on foot each armed
with heavy run and dressed with mantle. tunic
and sandals Among them was a full bloolcd ne
gro who had been adopted into the tribe
| Starting at m early hour, we passed round
the base Of Ohvet and after ride Of II mile o.
yer cultivated tract we reached the village of
bethany. Here | dsinountcd few minutes. to
! VISIT the Tomb Of Lazarus, who was raised from
the dead. Entering small door in the side of a
NIL made my way down some twenty steps cut
INTO the rock, and then creeping through snail
aperture, found myself in the socalled Tomb
which is simply chamber some ci.ht feet square
cNcayated from the solid rock After leaving
Bethany, the soil gradually lost i,s ycrduc. and
became more AMI more anil and barren till AT last
ITS strrilitN and drcarlncss was almost frrhtful -
a more blasted scene Cf desolation il was impos
.Ibe to conceive. The whole surface consisted of
iriablc rock, covered with yellow sl.lphureou,
pf nd L..
winter torrents into deep ragged ravincs. i
stuntcd, sape.s shrub occasionally strprylcl u.
bove the ground to mock its nakcdncss No.
where was human dwelling visible. anI no.
where human figure The meridian sun rour
cd down It's hcrCCst beams, and the nrn,i ..,i
glare reflected from all around was almost insup-
portable Nhis scene continued unchanged for
three hours, when making a long descent We ap-
preached the shore of the Dead Sea A dim
~ickIy mist hung over It's blue waters, and slight
bituminous smell infected the air The ground
was covered long way from the waters edge by
n thick selne crust and was destitute Of every
green thing save n few canes and osicrs AnX
ous to test the famous density Of the sea, we
were soon founicrirg on its surflce, and our will
dcSt iances were more than realized Mo wade
far without toppling over was impossible, and
smim with ease we could not, because it required
continual effort to keep our arms from striking out
of water. But We could IL or stand upright
without any other eXcrtion than that necessary to
keep our equilibrium. The wafer though very
clear was most uauScous to the taste, and caused
a tngllng sensation wherever it touched the ho.
dy. We dressed, feeling a ii we were coated
with brlny slime, and fastened on 20 the Jordan,
about four miles distant, for puritication, Our
course lay over baked sandy plain, down upon
which The sun was streaming as 1t were flood of
hre; long green Inc "l trees and bushes soon
t"'d Us that we were near ihe sacred river, and
dash'"S on we were speedily on It's banks. The
iNer at thIr point Is about twenty-five yards IN
breadth am at all seasons Is deep turbd and I'M
petuouS IT was not long before Frank Bedoun,
nero, and dog, were splashnc together IN It's
swift current lis refreshing effect upon rs you
cannot reializei but our luxury was prcmaturcly
cut short by word from the Bedouin chief that We
must hurry away To avoid an attack from hos
tile troe over the river. After ha-ty lunch we
again mounted. and bri,L 'ide Of two hours and
half over barren waste brought Us to oJcrcho.
This village Is but squa'is group Of shap,less
stone hoyei+, but IT, vtn.ty Is watDrcl By beau
tiul I'ttle nvuict, which mparts fertility and yer
dure To the Suil ON tins stream We pitched our
tent Tor the night and al an carly hour the next
morning we turned INTO the highway between
jericho and Jerusalem. This road Is u, much in
tested win robbers as IN scripture days; but