Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-29

Large gaps the form of amphitheatre are cut in the
solid rock from which the immense blocks Of stone in the
Castle taken The ground bottom of the quarres
is covered with detached blocks away trimmed and
ready for transportation 1t is strange sight to see
these pieces there, just they were left ages past
fresh from the hands of the One block of
is of immense length 1t is said to be larger and longer
than any found in the ruins of Baalbek think our
dragoman said the length was sxty-seven feet The
Arabs have another legend connected with this stone
rather harder to credit than the story of the column
They say that the Sultan when he was building the castle
of Baalbek found all the in his kndom unable to
move this stone, 50 great was its weight. woman,
standing near, and seeing all their efforts unavang said
" Upon my soul nice set of fellows you are not to be
able carry little stone Little - quoth they sdo
you call this little 2" To be sure do said the woman
ga mere nothing. you were you could carry it"
/" Hear her 7! said they. sWhy one would think you
could carry yourself the way you talk" Carry it
Of course can" said she whereupon she laid hold Of
the stone lifted up her back and trotted all the way
with it to Baabek where she laid it down by the castle
wall Now" said she to the Sultan who was super
intending the work. "gye ten thousand piastres for
carrying this stone here. MAY Ibe kicked like dog if
do said the Sultan, in rage. Whit have all my
disgraced and then pay slave of awoman for doing it
Get thee away, wretch - g Oh no p said the woman is
that the way you talk ~ Whereuponsh seized the Sultan
by the back Of the neck and pitched him headong into
neighboring ditch, giving him kick he went BY
my soul" quoth she, 'tmen are forgetting their place
nowadays. They getting mpertnent and conceit-
ed popnjays" With tht she seized hold Of the stone
again. tumbled it over ON her back and trotted all the
way back with it to the parry where the workmen
stlooking one anothe silent establishment There
said the woman, pitchitg the stone down; told you
so! You had better 81 and help the Sultan out Of
the ditch. He's fouidering about there like mud
turtle" Saying which, she slapped the chief workman
heels head becase he staring at her. and
of dancing the Raas since which time the stone has
manned just she left The Arabs pointed it out us
and said there was D doubt about the truth of the story
for the stone was 1.-THE very spot That they be-
ieyed every word oft themselves was quite evdent and
we, of course beleted as much as we could. ss
Passing some anient tombs the left we descended
into rocky valley called Wady Ain Thebeh or the valley
of the we'll Herr there camels feeding near
by the fountain They had come over from Damascus
with packs mehandse for Baabek and picturesque
they looked aiyng down in circle with their masters
sitting the mined fountain smoking, that fain had to
stop and mak sketch of them Soon after we came to
the village ohebeh miserable collection of huts with
the white dome of mosque in the centre About this
point struck off to the left from the plain of Bakaa
and shortly to the valley of Nebusheet from which
we climbed up very rocky path, hardly practicable for
our horses, to the village of Nebusheet In this village
there is mosque containing large tomb called by the
inhabitants the Tomb Of the Prophet Nebusheet There
none others but the followers Of Nubusheet live in the
village, and they known Meitmdleh. They rever-
the tomb Of their prophet the Mahomeans do at
Mecca but it is only in secret among themselves that
they dare to ayow their belief When among the Turks
they pray like Turks and profess TO acknowledge the
superior power of Mahomet but they looked upon
generally heretcs and are not admitted to all the pri
vileges of the Mahometan faith For instance, they
cannot go to Mecca enter the Mosque of Omar at Je
rusalem In the valley beyond Nebusheet there is rapid
stream of good water, from which the village is supplied
The labor required carry the water up the rocky path
a distance Of nearly mile, must be prodigous. The
Arab know very well that it is harder work than
smoking the chbouk they attend to the smoking and
make the women and children carry the water. We
met in the pass some thirty forty and children
with scarce any thing but rags on them, bearing great
earhen pitchers their heads and yet they toed up the
rocks singing merry, if theirs vas happy life as
any, and perhaps it About the same number were
going down. being thus continually engaged in the hard
est possible labor while the were sitting up in the
village, smoking or doing nothing thought that in
"StNN
sheet thirsty to keep the other half supplied with water
The stream below is called the river Of surgoya and
pretty strong stream for its size, driving several mills
At one Of these mills stopped lunch The hoppers
were going at great rate and peeped in to how
the grinding done. The miller turban and |
had so much dust in his beard that be looked like an old
Pasha Marhabba,n said he, which means how dye |
do, or good morning, something Of the kind ''Mar
habba" said ], and crep in through the low doorway
Now, had seen some few mills in my time, but
such mill this. The whole machinery consisted Of
hopper Of rough stone, with hole through it. in which
was wedged round shaft of wood, At the bottom Of the
shaft paddles against which the dashed
At one side, turning the shaft and with the shaft the
hopper. bag Of wheat Was, hung the hopper to
which wasastened piece Of stick that over the stone
md by its vibration jerked out the wheat The miller
seeing my wonder thought it arose from inability my
part to understand the completely of this machinery and
with great good nature he explained the whole process In
Arabic pointing with much satisfaction at each part and
showing by whrling motion of the that It was
the going round Of the hopper that ground the wheat
This idea Of the wonderful in which the wheat
reduced to meal had such hold upon his imagination
that ne jumped on the hopper to stop it, in order that
might see for myself But the stone weuldn stop inn
and It only after being tilted his back
once or twice that the worthy miller succeeded in getting
himself braced against post to stop the mill Then
he took up handful Of the meal and showed hat il
was really ground by that hopper which no made
st clearer to my mind by copous dissertation In Arabic
on gristmils as general thing Tahib" said he, |
signifying good" Tahib," said i, and crept out
through the same hole that entered, very much pleased