Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1850-11-12
The Dead Sea and the Jordan.


weeds, rode through few low lhorny
bushes, and reached the margin Of the
lake. There was hard pebbly strand,
Strewed here and there with drift wood :;
bare trunks Of trees withered and dry,
covered with a coating of salt; small
Jumps of some bitumous substance were
scattered over the beach; we afterwards
found several other pieces floating on the
water itself was clear and limpid, and the
sun was reflected from its surface with a
dazzling glare; viewed from the point,
she Bahr Lutho, as the Arabs call it, lost
nothing of its gloomy aspect. Git, on
our left hand, by the dark range of Noah,
continuation of the craggy heights we
had just Quilted formed the barrier on the
right, their black bitumous cliffs raising
abruptly from the lake, which stretched
far before us into the distance, till its
leaden hues were blent with the hay
blue of the horizon--waste, water, crag,
monotonous blue sky, the sole components
Of the cherries landscape.
Heated and fatigued, we prepared for a
general battle; al least our private party,
for the pilgrims determined to reserve
their energies for the sacred Jordan--the
Lake of Sodom being held by them in
horror and abomination, utterly unadapted to
the ends of cleanliness or comfort, as we
afterwards ascertainea TO our cost. The
bad odor in which The lake was held did
not, however, deter US, and having called
a halt, we plunged like young duck into
the liquid element-Paulo CLICKING like
an old hen on the bank. We plunged
Disastrous was the plunge. Rapidly
enough head after head popped up from
the execrable waters-hair matted, eyes
smarting, and tongues burning the intense
sulphurous bitter sadness of the detestable
LIQUID in which we were immersed; wa
ter, it was not, nor bilumen, nor salt, nor
sulphur, but disgusting compound of all
four-a hogshead of it would serve as an
emetic for all Asia Minor, and leave some
gallons to spare against the next epidemic.
You could neither sink in it nor swim in
it. Talk Of fly in molasses, or wasp
in barrel of tar can find no parallel
for bath IN the Dead Sea. | brought
home bottle of it, and sickened some
scores of my acquaintance. But the suf-
ferings of my companions were ;rifle TO
what felt; cut and MANNED in conse-
quence of my superior horsemanship, l
Jumped into the water as raw as beef
steak, and jumped out of it as if / were
alive; however, let me be just to this a.
bominable mixture-ifI smarted for it,
nv wounds were effectually cauterized
and completely skinned over; the cure
was perfect to miracle. We dressed
with the comfortable sensation of men
who had been we'll coated over with NUT
ton suet-stig, greasy, and extremely out
of sorts, with a tingling, creeping feel over
the skin--and remounting, turned our
steps to the fords of the Jordan, Cross
ing the plain towards the right, we reached
the banks of the river, which burrows, in
its sinuous course, far below the level Of
the plain-the dense thicket of bushes,
shrubs, and trees that out of lis waters, in
many places scarcely out-topping the
bank. The stream is very rapid and the
water muddy. Leaving the the river to
follow its meanderings, we arrived by a
shorter path at the celebrated fords, where
tradition tells us the host of Israel trod
tryshod through the depths, as the flood
retired before the ark of God; nor is il
improbable that here John the Baptist
was baptsing, and that here our blessed
Lord, as he came out of the waters, recei-
we'd the public seal Of his mirisiry, when
"the Holy Ghost in bodily shape like a
dove came upon him, and voice from
heaven which said, Thou art my beloved
Son; in thee am well pleased"
AT this part of the river the banks are
low, and nearly on level with the
stream; here, also, the river is compare
lively broad and shaded by trees, which
grow in great abundance along its margin;
near the bank the water is shallow, but
the current exceedingly rapid; on both
sides the stream is bOrdered by dense
thicket, with few open intervals A.; the
Jordan willow is found in great luxnri-
ance. The fords Of the Jordan being the
grand termination of our expedition, our
pilgrims, who had taken a devotinal whet
at Mar Saba, now prepared, with infinite
gusto, for a solemn ablution in the sacred
river. The Arabs had driven our horses
into the water, and were swimming with
them in great glee; we, too, got ready
for bath, anxious to wash off the nasti-
ness of the Dead Sea. Scarcely were
we denuded of our scanty clothing, when,
10 our dismay, we found ourselves sur;
knded by a body of pilgrims, who had
xpectedly debouched from the bushes.
formly arrayed in white. Not having
~ idea that il was customary to dress