The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-10-07
The Sea Of GaliIee.

The sea lies. as nave already said, in
deep basin. The eastern shore rises abrupt,
In high rocky mountains, and the land to tht
eastward of these is barren and desolate
stretching away to the ruins OF Gadara, the
chief city of the ancient Gadarenes. The
lake is not large. Here again, as in so many
other instances, the traveller may be disap-
pointed. The word "sea' has led him tc
think of Gen$ t as u vast body of water
He IL scarcel >as pared for he littie'fake
over which bis we weeps at a single glance
But no Lake en- &c \ has shores so crowded
with hols ass0eistIo.es: and, therefore. there
as no other lake Or ocean where the observer
looks across the water into such Infinite dis.
tanees of thought and memory, JOY and sor-
rev. The lake is oval in form, lying ,iostl
and south. The Jordan enters it at the
northern and flows out of the southern ex-
tremty. Around the northern and north
western shor>s c!ustec che points ef deepest
interest. There We're ChoraZin and Berhsaida
and Capernaum. On the east was the land
of the Gadarenes. But the steepness of the
mountains forbade the location of any cities
there, except neGr the northern and southern
extremites of the lake. The western shore
must have been lined with cities and villages
The ruins which are found all along the
banks, aud especially the vacant tombs in
and populousness Of this coast. Iiberias is
not city cf the tme OF Christ, although it
can hardly be doubted that II occupies the
site OF some well known place Of that dav
The hot sptings which still flow near the city,
and which seem 10 have been It's orig nal at
traction, were probably then. as III later wears
the resort of invalids. End the large number
of rock -hewn sepulchres not far from the
springs, indicate the nearness of a place of
considerable Importance. The change Is
solemn and sad. On the southeastern side is
small village of mud hutS, bat nowhere
else on its whole circuit is there any coIec-
tion of human habitations: and Tiberias is
but ruin. In the time OF the crusades it
was n walled town, and the towers and walls
remain, shaken by earthquakes into mourn
ful ruin. Breaches admit friends and enc
mics through the old delenses at numerous
points, but there IS not much within to tempt
either class. No business Is done here and
on the evening of my arrival one SOLITARY
boat-a rudely-built open fishing boat-w;s
the only craft floating on the sen. :. Since that
time travellers report this boat as among the
things of the past. and there IS not even one
small representative left of the ancient ship
ping.
That boat was not 70 be neglected, and xe
engaged 1t tor u voyage. In the morning.
=
west coast to the outlet and bathed in tire
Jordan. The outflow of the river was exceed
ingly calm and placid. 4 few rods below,
however, it began Its plugging course among
rocks that constantly dispute It's swift career,
as if goes down into the depths of the sea OF
deatE. The water at the oullet was a little
less than five feet deep, the width. perhaps,
hundred and fifty. As | stood in the middle,
at the deepest point, the geAtle flow just
under my chin.
The lonesome beauty Of that spot can not
be exaggerated. VIII the time ever come
when 1t viii cease to be lonesome? Wild
fowls were floating on ihe water in calm Sc
.curity. No sound disturbed the Stiffness,
nothing marred the beauty of the scene.
Even the runs which crowned the neighbor-
ing ridges OF land seemed to have taken on
AN air of repOSe IN the soft sdnshinc and the
.storks that stood ON the runs were as motion
less as statues. {
The day was warm, the climate in April be-
ing as soft as our June. The crazy old beat
in which we had ventured the VOYAGE was
poorly furnished for rough weather on such a
sea and in such an atmosphere? But we
found to our cost that there are storms of
wind which come down on the sea in these
days as OF Old. Men change aad countries
change, but the WAYS Of nature remain. The
as it kissed the cheeks of Mary of Magdala
in the bloom of her youth, and the evening
tempest swept us away as it sGcpt the disci-
Piles of old when the Master slept and the 1
storm ragged, as if it knew of his slumbers. -
We put up the helm for home-our tent
home-outside the walls of Tiberias 8 All
around the sea there was no other home in.
habited by civilized man, except the little
group of tents, the temporary abiding-place
of pilgrims from distant Countries. . WS'
coasted the wesatsairn wesasirn shore, the wind from the
southwest gently pushing, US alosg, when
suddenly there came down the hillside :; fierce
blast from the -nerth-west, and our old. craft,
needless of helm; went away before it. How
she rolled How she pitched, and buried
her rough sides in the blue water! 1t was
useless to resist that wind The first attempt
snapped the weak oar that was our only de
pendence, and We resi- igned ourselves to fate
We plunged and rolled across the sea, toward
the land Of Gaaarenes. There is little mud
village inhabited by Arabs, on the southeast
side of the water. 1t bear. the name now OF
Vady Samak, the TaHey Of Fish We let
the boat go, and she struck just by this Will
age, the water, fortunately, being so deep
near shore that she ran within easy Jumping
distance OF the gravel beach Hence we
walked to the Jordan, made our way across
IT by the aid OF an Arab and his horse, and
then, in the dard night, walked up the west
shore of the sea to Tiberias.
That evening was serenely beautiful, and
rs | slept, with the water lisping on the stones
just on the outside of my tentcurtaIn, l
dreamed. Out Of the far past came forms of
exceeding beauty to visit my white tent in
the moonlight of Galilee. What words can
tell those dreams on that shore forever beat
en- with those waves of music?
shall not undertake to relate all the,inci-
dents of three days passed on the shore of
the sea. We needed the rcpose, for the trav-
el had been weary and laborious from. Jeru-
salem. -
In tli6 saddle again, however, at length,
and our horses heads turned toward the pass.
es of Lebanon. The tents are struck, the
campfire burns dimly, and in the middle of
the heap of Goals is the tin cup of coffee, the
cook, Hadjl Mohammed's provision for his
own co ntort, always the last article touched
on breaking up camp. Tie mules with their
loads are of an hour before US. and we yet
Hnser round the walls of Tiberias, linger
among the graves of the Hebrews, outside
the old city, 10th TO go away from the spot
where, somehow or other, we seemed to have
rested more peacefully than ever before on
TINS sad pilgrimage of lfe. The traveller
seldom fails to feel a certain affection for
every spot in which his tents are pitched for