Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-24
VI.

Special Correspondence of the Nashville Union and
American.
DAMASCUS, -, 1S7O.-The summer
resort of the swedish Romans is on OF
neat the boundary line of Palestine. When
C@sares is left, Syria proper is entered.
Above this town is an old and very large
castle called Subribah. This is well
worth a visit. The dragomen always say
it is impossible to get to it, but there is
nothing of the kind about it. The route
is very practicable. The castle is 1000
feet above the level of the water, and
placed on the back bone of a very poor
hill5if the protusiOn of the said bone is
any sign. On three sides are gorges so
deep and dark that the eye has &c take a
q running start to see to the bottom. How
the large stones of which the walls and
towers are made and were carried to their
present places may be guessed at, and
dere is a halt. All is conjecture as to
who got up the idea of the castle and
why he carried it out Some say that
the Damascenes wanted to put too many
fingers in the pies which the productive
valley underlying the Fort furnished.
Others say that the half animal,
half man, god Pan used to make this
his habitatiOn, but he was too jolly
and too much of a luxurious living old
soul to take the trouble of going up so
high when Phebus warned him that it
was time for disreputable people to be in
bed. Pan, furthermore, was fond of So
ciety and could not hope to have much of
IT in this castle. Whoever did build and
inhabit it would have no fear of being
called to account for such little discrep-
ancies as disturbed flOcks both animal and
human. Father Time is about half
through with his work of destruction,
about one-half remaining in a pretty fair
condition, no one knows how many years.
The view is one of more than ordinary
beauty and is the very thing for far
sighted people.
The road, if the path can be called by
that name, now amuses itself by playing
up and down mountains and through
gorges until hoary old HermOn is assembled.
Hermon was wearing his night-cap-a
display of lacking modesty for which l
was not all obliged, as it caused me
almost 10 freeze. In addition to this,
his bad clothing would drop a huge
quantity of tears, with rather short
intervals, by way of grief, l sup
pose, on account of the old mountains
age and declining prospects. Another ad-
ditiOn is, our guide did not know the road
as well as we did, hence several unneces-
gary detOurs were made without the CON-
pensation of single sight. In these
mountains there live very industrious
tribe called Druses. These fellows are
fond of the ''spice of life, y for they not
only plow the ground or scratch it, and
build rather good houses, but earn an hon.
est shilling by now and then running their
hands into the pockets of helpless travel
lers, and inviting the flOcks of the people
in the low lands to come up in the noun
tains and breathe fresh air. Our good
looks and dashing style saved us from
harm. In civilized society swells are very
correctly at a discount, but they are the
cocks of the walk in wild countries.
While passing along peacefully and noise
lessly, we were suddenly aroused by
clash of arms.> My excitement having
: cooled down enough for me to see straight,
the trouble was found 10 have come from
two of the servants who, enraged at not
beings able to manguvre arms with
The Druses, had set to work to
have a little fun among themselves.
This amusement was soon stopped, but
the fellows would continue to look
threatening and sour at each other. My
nerves had been undGiy disturbed. Her
mon being big mountain, Of course has
long side, which took us O long time to
measure. Before we did so, however, we
found that there is no joke about his dews
for they fell so heavily as tdATequire
Macintosh coats as protection against
them. Not long after the mountain is
descended the headwaters of one of the
streams of which Capt Noaman was so
proud are reached-the Pharphar. The
common sense of "playipg for what is on
the board" must haYe influenced this mill
tsIy man. how to form an estimate FROM
appearances any of US would have turned
up our noses when told to battle in the
muddy, Shiny water of the lower Jordan
instead of the bright, clear liquid of the
river of Damascus. 1t seems that the an
clients, as well as ourselves, made the mis-
take of betting or good looks. The half
Jay ground between GEsarea a BaniOs-
the modern name--is the delicious little
mud wall town with the sweetly
sounding name of Kef Hauwar.
Here the Father Of all fox
hunters and quadrupeds in general is said
to have quit the walks of wild beasts.
The hard and ferocious animal destroyer
IGNORED Eef Hauwar by dying near it.
This is the total of its honors. The re
mains Of beautiful tower stand in the
village. These are supposed to contain
the ashes of the hero. Next morning
Hermon, at whose base we camped, had
considerably enlarged his article of night
wear, but had checked up his dews. The
road now passes over few low hills and
then enters an immense plain entirely
desert, except where fortified by the
waters of the Pharphsr Along the road
IRE few villages, full brothers to- those
we had been accustomed to Seeing. On
this plain mirage is seen. l was astOnished
at seeing great lakes before and behind
me. The books said nothing of such
things being in front, and was sure of
having passed nothing OF the kind unless
i had been Iodding, which was as Ger,
tainly not the case as four aces are OF
winning. My thinking-box-for here,
thanks TO some strange fortune,
l could think - was switched
until at last the idea that the lakes were 6
sham and the creations ofmirage, was dug
ont of the ruhbish AhOut noon orr ewes