The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-11-24


Sheshem, Sgohar or Nablus, is at
present rendered moro disagreeable to
lineer over than many others Nsblus
being beset by leprOus beggars, not
under the Jerusalem regulation Of
sitting in one place aud not approach
ing you, merely soliciting charity IN
doIeful gurgling tones, sometimes
rendered very hideoHs By the loss Of
organs of spaech At Nablus, they
pursue the traveller with most persist
ent energy, and display their revolt
ing disease, IN order TO ezt0rt money
by the anxiety to be rid OF them
After passing for three hours over
reddish soil. and honey eOmbed lime
etone (occasioned By some portions
/ being more easily acted On by water
1 than other parts), we lunehed under s
noted large hVe~oak at SaWieh, and
/ then deviated from the road half
an hour to the east for the purpose
/ of visiting Shiloh. Nothing remark
able nov indicates this resting place
of the Ark. of the Covenant, except
the proximity Of an old mosque.
( From this point to our eneampnent
I at the Fountain Of the Robbers, We
I saw number Of flowers without
! leaves, resembling the crocus, and q
most astonishing amount of white
helieeo, shading themselves under
the grass or weed tufts, sometimes to
the number of fifty or more in q
place.
While conveTsiDg about the i2okals.
which here rendered might hideous,
our dragoman informed us that few
weeks before our leaving Damascus.
twelve or fourteen bears attacked q
number of children near town, killing
several; thus reminding us of Elisha
and the children who Knocked him at
Bethel; showing that there is less
change, as regards the wild animals of
the country, than would take place 10
twenty seven hundred years, IN
countries where deserts and nomadie
tribes are wanting.
There are very few ferns ia this
dry country, but from among the
rocks of the Robbers Fountain We
collected the maiden. hair fern. Be
/ fore we left camp, a number of
women came with bundles of eoiIed
linen on their heads and sticks
shaped like small cricket bats 10
their girdles to do up their washing.
Instead of rubbing. they select .
smooth fiat rock, and beat the cloth
ing with these sticks, having previ-
ously soaked them in water.
After deviating from the road to see
Bethel and think of Jacob, (althoueh
the collection of mud huts rather mars
the reminiscence), we came in sight Of
/ church erected on a mountain top.
over the tomb of Samuel, passed near
Gibeab, and caught the first sight of
that for which we had SO aaxiously
longed, Jerusalem and the Mount oil
Olives. Before entering the city we
alighted at the Tombs of the Kings,
sometimes called after Helena, but not
the mother Of Constantine, and light
ing tapers, examined about 8 half a
! dozen sepulcEral chambers, carrying
off a sample of the rock as geological
and antiquarian Renaissance.
| Leaving the description of Jeru-
salem for a future letter, the next
subjects of interest are.
THE JORDAN AND DEAD SEA.
Making three days extra ride.
for the purpose of seeing. these and
intervening points, We rode over the
Mount Of Olives. locality dear to
our Savior, and came to Betaany..the
our Lord. The site of the house of
Martha and Mary is shown; and the
| tomb of Lazarus. or a sepulchral
cave, which cannot be far from the
| locality, and may be the exact spot, is
reached By 3 fight Of descending steps.
On this part of our trip we are &C.
companied by the son of Sheik, and
a guard, as is customary. One tribe
| of Arabs, claiming jurisdiction over
this route, receives about seven or
eight dollars from a party, and in
| sures protection By sending a relative
! of the Sheik. or seme one in au-
| thorlty. Some persons, who attempted
recently to break through this sys.
tenn Of tribute-paying, went alone, and
! had everything, including nearly all
the clothing they wore, taken from
them, and, after being scourged, were
sent home.
The Sheik's heir apparent seemed
disposed to be sociable, and carried
his sword, foWling piece and Eussar-
like jacket with a good deal of grace,
as he pranced before as on his young
| mare. Before parting | presented
him with bowie knife and belt, and
endeaYored through the dragoman to
make him understand where thew
were made. The dragoman pro.
nounced it impossible; but I believe
he acquired some idea thus: said /:
Tell him great part of the distance
is water; but if it were all land, and
we travelled on horseback as far as We
usually do each day here, il would re-
qulre ten moons to reach my house,
where this knife was made / wished
to converse on many subjects, but the
dragoman said, as the Sheiks can
neither read nor write, and have few
ideas, except those connected with
riding, hunting aud stock. raising, it
was useless. at parting. the Bedouin
was quite warm In his demonstration
of friendly feeling.
Under his safe conduct, We had a
very pleasant visit to the Jordan,
Dead Sea, the region about Mar Saba
and Bethlehem. The first night we
encamped az Elisha's Fountain, as
fine stream of pure water as any We
saw, and next morning, passing
| through Jericho, now q mere ruin, we
wound through focks and herds,
bushes and grazing privileges to the
banks of the ever memorable j ordau,
at the Pilgrims Ford. Here we plung-
| GQ OURSELVES AubU AlG ooCECQ bbkC6ug
with the heart felt wish that their
reminiscence might exer evert salu.
tary influence of spiritual publication:
and like the numerous pilgrims whom
we met upon the road, especially of
Russian nationality, we carried off as
relics canes, reeds, willow tWigs and
the like, besides a bottle of water
from the stream.
Another hours ride brought us to
the Dead Sea, and there we tested the
extraordinarily saline. though beauti-
fully clear, water, and took a sample
of il, as well as of the salt which the
Arabs make from it. The locality, IN
the bright morning sun. with at least
two flies and two ravens to enliven It.
was not so bleak as expected from the
description of some writer, notwlth-
standing the white aflorescence on
the soil and absence of vegetation. A
mile or two back the heritage, weeds
and shrubs are sufficiently abundant.
A remarkable rock prevails during
several hours travel towards Jerusa-
lems afssr passing what might De
termed the second terrace of deposit,
washed 10 many places into awful
chasms Of deDudation. The rock Is
termed By Murray, q caIcareous
bitumen. ] had called it highly
L L-E-