Daily Kennebec journal., 1870-05-18

BEDOUINS.


was before the hotel door, and we were
ut breakfast. There was a commotion
| about the place. Rumors of war and
bloodshed were flying every where. The
lawess Bedouins in the valley OF the
Jordan and the deserts down by the Dead
Sea We're up in arms, and were going to
destroy all comers. Tney had had bat
tie with troop of Turkish cavalry and
defeated them; several men killed. They
had shut up the inhabitants of a village
and a Turkish garrison in an old fort near
Jericho, and were besieging them. They
had marched upon camp of our excur-
sionists by the Jordan, and pilgrims only
saved their lives by stealing away and fly
ing to Jerusalem under whip and spur in
the darkness of the night. 1t was report
ed that the consul had requested that no
more of our pilgrims should 60 to the Jor-
dan while. this state of thing lasted; and.
further, that he was unwilling that any
more should 60, at least without an unu-
sually strong military guard. Here was
trouble. But with the horses at the door,
and everybody aware of what they were
there for, what would you have done +?
| Acknowledged that you were afraid, and
backed shamefully out? Hardly. 1t would
not be human nature, where there were
so many women. You would have done
as we did: said you were not afraid of
million Bedouins-and made your viii
and proposed quietly to yourself to take
of the procession.
think we must all have determined
upon the same line of tactics; for it did
seem as if we never would go to Jericho.
| had notoriously slow horse; but some
how | could not keep him in the rear, to
save my neck. He was forever turning
up in the lead. In such cases trembled
a little, and got down to fix my saddle.
But it was not of any use. The others all
got down to fix their saddles too l never
saw such time with saddles. 1t was the
first time any of them had got out of order
in three weeks, and now they had all broken
down at once. tried walking, for exer-
cise-l had not had enough in Jerusalem,
searching for holy places. But it was a
failure. The whole mob were suffering
for exercise, and it was not fifteen min
utes till they were all on foot and had
the lead again. 1t was very dscouraging.
We had had glimpse, from mountain
top, of the Dead Sea, lying like blue
shield in the plain of the Jordan. and now
we were marching down a close, flaming,
rugged, desolate defile. where no living
creature could enjoy life, except, perhaps.
salamander. 1t was such dreary, re-
pulsive, horrible solitude 1t was the
wilderness" where John preached. with
camels hair about his loins-raiment
enough--but he never could have got his
locusts and wild honey here We were
moping along down through this dreadful
place, every man in the rear. Our guards
two gorgeous young Arab sheiks, with
- L.. scto do
gers on board-werc loating ahead.
''Bedouins,"
Every man shrunk up and disappeared
in his clothes like mud-turtle. My first
impulse was to dash forward and destroy
the BedOuins. My second was to dash
to the rear to see if there were any COM
ing in that direction. | acted on the latter
impulse. SO did all the others. If any
Bedouins had approached us, then. from
that point of the compass, they would have
paid dearly for their rashness We all re-
marked that, afterwards. There would
have been scenes of riot and bloodshed
there that no pen could describe. know
that, because each man told what he would
have done, individually; and such a
medley of strange and unheard-of inven-
tions of cruelty you could not conceive of.
One man said he had calmly made up his
mind to perish where he stood, if need be.
but never yield an inch he was going to
wait, with deadly patience, till he could
count the stripes upon the first Bedouin's
jacket, and then count them and let him
have it. Another was going to sit still till
the first lance reached within an inch of
his breast. and then dodge it and seize it.
| forbear to tell what he was going to do
to the Bedouin that owned it. 1t makes
my blood run cold to think of it. Another
was going to scalp such Bedouins as fell
to his share and take his bald-headed sons
of the desert home with him alive for
trophies But the wild-eyed pilgrim rhaps-
odist was silent. His orbs cleaned with
a deadly light, but his lips moved not
Anxiety grew, and he was questioned.
If he had got Bedouin. what would he
have done with him? He smiled a smile
of grim content and shook his head.
Would he have stabbed hime Another
shake Would he have quartered him
flayed him More shakes. Oh, horror!
what Would he have done9
Eat him y
Such was the awful sentence that thun-
dered from his lips.-Nark TWain.