Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-15
nt NOTES OF TRAVEL IN THE OLD WORLD.
Written tor the Natioaal La,elyelcer ly d Csdser
Of Washington. y4Sr,g
LETTERS FROM yERu salem.

eeden made more certain by the aid of Little aek.i.
followed the example Of other pilgrims, and got the
Arabs TO- cut US some vslkipg sticks and knock down
some huFrs, both Of which hope see aourshpg
in Washington one Of these s .sss.-t spans
Fronths Gsdays pp To- tbe summit q Mount lebanon.
nearly tso hours very clipbins. Hr not
long before supset when wstreached the highest part of
Che ridge Or horses we're pretty WI tired dqEn. and
ourselves rather the Of the wear having walked
most Of the way from Aheden,D The altitude Of this part
the mountain estimated to be about six thousand
feet AS yet there no snow visible any part Of it.
The air MAS sharp and clear, but not cold
Tired as we rsre aer our hard days joprhey could
not but stop while to enjoy the view TWAS really one
those splendid sights which traveller whose life
spent among the beauties Of nature s to en-
joy but twice in the course Of exstenes On the
one hand the valley Of Aheden, through which we had
been ascending for nearly two days. stretched down till
appeared to minge with the mists Of the at the
shores Of Tripo on the other the nagnfcsnt plain Of
Bukaa, bounded the distance by the mountains Of
Lebanon t the base Of which, sparkling in the Of
the setting sun distinctly visible the mnare Of the
mosque and the ruins Of Baalbek while far down in the
valley Of Bukaa to the right We faced the plain
geamsd the bright waters Of the Ltany and across the
deep gorges feet cast the shadows Of lofty
peaks of Lebanon vast and impressive scene, within
single sweep of the eye sterile, waste andaesoate but
sublime in its weird simplicity 1t brought to mind with
vvidness Of reality those grand pictures Of prmeva
scenery drawn in the sacred writings and the lapse Of
ages seemed but the lapse Of years passed dream
like returning after absenceto some long known
haunt youth for the words Of the sacred book the
first impressed upon the memory, were herea sublime
realty.ua 1aog1iU rGaa2I liz "a sb1eI sao5 Ill 20
As wedescended towards the plain Of Bukaa drrng
bovao al old
my usual luck fell to- myalot took notion not to be
driven down. he walked up all possible occasions.
InyainI hurled missiles at his head; in vain begged
him not to be foolish in vain Iredto make him under
stand that he was only doubling the distance he would
eventually be compeledto turn back again tras all to no
purpose Up again to thetop Of hewsuld
after the most perseverag resistance, half way down.
tast he away full spsedoserrocksthat seemed
quite naccessble bad long saspcot the horse Of
sentimental of mind and convinced that he
only wanted to enjoy another view of the sunsets but 1t
late the sun haddisappeared andit Sasfastget
ting dark So darted after him, and the chase became
quite exciting Never skipped goat with agility
than that sided old horseo 1t fully half hour
before could catch him. and it then dark that
found myself lost Neither mnleeers guides to-
be seen shouted fi could shout longer, but there
was no answer. At last, after tumblng sliding, and
jumping down precipices till il seemedas had reached
the siopng-o place of the world heard the voices of
my friends below 1t evident must spend the night
here for Baalbek still six hours distant The guides
and mueteers nowhere be seem and consoled
ourselves with the notion that they had run of with
baggage Affer wandering about In the dark for
time to the ruins of village, without living
soul about it, In the hoowa little below the ruins
encamped forEthe night missing Arabs having at
length made their appearance There is aoavehere said
lNoc oIndo
of large band of those mountain robbers who nfes the
conntrya OF ate, however, thsy have not found their
business prohsable and they only commit occasional de-
preAtonsa Our ragoman said he could ito fightany
gang ofrobbers in Syria single handed such was the ter
rorin which he held He certainly carried pistols
and knives enough about his person 10 laa good many
but at all dangerous to be shot atby Yusuf for
him shoota good many timesaad never knew him
hit any thing ThecAve Was avery place for robbers
pleasantly situated with large trees in front and 6ne
spring Of water within hundred yards At present IL is
place Of resort for goats and travellers We
lit frenearthe entrances erected our tent under
fine old chestnut trees and slept soundly in spite
of the coid which very keen. Next morning there
was snow visible the tops Of the mountains al vas
fusnf having threatened to whip all the Arabs again
or he had already whipped them two or three mes got
them to work early hour and, BY the force Of much
talk and desperate fourishing of the stiok they we're
NIL ready with their mules as had finished
Pm sing on rapidly for Baalbe we we're soon
made sensible ofthe deceptive nature of distances from
very high point of view On the preceding evening from
the smmit Of Mount Lebanon the plain Of kaa, reach
ing the ruins of Baabe appeared to commence at the
place of encampmen md to continue withnn almost
unbroken urface to the base of the AnLehanon range
but it seemed If scarcely more than half
way down The road from the ruined village Is through
very rocky and brokenrcgon studded over with patches
of scaib-oak bushes. and altogether uncutvated The
only signs ofhabtaton afev miserable huts
rudc built stones the back part being against
hnor mound Of earth and the front barely high enough
to admit of doorway These lwretched novels are in
habitedb bya swarthy of Arabs, who
live on the flesh and milk of goats many ocks Of which
we browning among the rocks In fact goats sheep
dogs men, women md children seem to live together
upon terms of perfect equality They the most
civilized people had yet seen and had good
many ON the road from Trpoli al sSs1 r--ets s4e I.
II, was evident that but few travellers in our style Of
costume had been in the habit Of passing from the ap
parent astonshme which appearance created Some
women at one of the hus laughed 50 immoderaely that
We we're induced to ask them, through dragoman,
what was the occasion of their mrth Why said theyy
We never saw people before with saucepanson their heads
for tufhanss Do the Christians all saucepons The
shape Of eur trousers also afforded much rnerrment
DON'T yousburst whenyon sit down fthey asked and
sally Of wit was 90 irresistible at could hear
their shouts long after passed. Following
for sessn hours down the COURSE of small stream we
at length reached in rood earnest the plain of Bukaa