The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-03-30
PALESTINE.
EathiHg i5t the Rirer Jordan aud the Dc0d
Sea-HOtc rhe Russian Pilgrims
Take Thejf. 4bIufi0ns


gle file, we hoped to come suddenly upon
the banks of the Jordan We listened
for the ripple of the waters and heard
, nothing but the hollow echo of the thick
falling hoofs as they struck tie clay
crust of the plains. At last our kawas
and sheik gave us little thrill of emo
tion by crying out that we were nearing
the river. | wondered what it was like,
its breadth, its color. 1t seemed 10 me
, then that had never read anywhere a
passage descriptive of the stream OF
course l had, and had forgotten it as one
forgets ninety-nine hundredths of ones
general reading. The trees grew large
and stood apart, stretching out wide
| branches that were full of glittcring gold
as we rode under them, for the sun was
rising over
THE MOUNTAINS OF MOAB.
1t was like a bit of park land, trimmed
and swept clean; a spot to camp in and
luxuriate in, and to love nature in with
a hard and loyal love. \ hedge of will
lows bordered the grove at the farther
side. Through it we caught glimpse
of rushing and sparkling waters; we
heard the joyous waves rs they danced
onward TO the sea under the fringe of
green, and the sound can only be com
pared to the sparkle of the ripping wa
ters. You can actually hear the waters
sparkle, if may say so. The glee, the
freshness the freedom and the life of that
trembling torrent / have never seen
elsewhere. This is the swift Jordan
rushing down to smother itself TO death
in the gummy waters of the deep Dead
sea! We were upon the sloPing shore at
the most famous ford of the river 1t
was about thirty yards to the opposite
bank. Willows grow close to the waters
edge and shut out the view of the very
first turn in the river, a few yards below
! the ford. Some ofthe pendant bows trail
in the water, and are caught again and
again by the tossing waves and dragged
along in the impetuous current but
/ they spring back moment later and
/ dash the5water from their leaves as they
once more begin conquetingwith the tide.
/ THE JORDAN
/ is about the color of new slate-a slate !
with the greenish gray cloud still cover
ing its surface. It's waters are obaque, |
thickened with clay, but delicious in /
temperature and very refreshing to a pill |
grim's palate. Is it wonder that the |
riversrushes like mill-race? From It's
source to its mouth, one hundred and /
thirty-six miles in bee line, it descends !
5000 feet. Its very name, "Narden," /
| in Hebrew signifies descent. 1t twists /
and turns until il has trebled the uatu- /
raj course from fountain to sea. 1t rises /
in its might and covers the plains, and /
drives back to flocks and herds that feed .
along the banks. You cannot bridge it; I
often you cannot ford TT. Thrice was it /
miraculously parted in the old miracu-
lous days that the prophets might pass
over IL dry shod. Not far from here st. /
Christopher stemmed the tide with the /
Christ child in his arms, and at this very .
spot the Savior of men was baptized by /
1t. John the Baptist after that fast Of .
forty days up in the wilderness yonder.
Out Of cloud came
THE MYSTICAL WHITE DOVE
aud hovered above these shores. If the .
waters of the Jordan were magical they /
could hardly exercise more potent |
spell. Somehow we got out of our
clothes, and with the fresh air of the
morning blowing upon US we passed .
into the cleansing food. There was life
in every drop of it-new life, new
strength, new hope. There can be no
doubt about it as q tonic the Jordan is
unrivalled. While we waded cautiously
near the shore, sitting down in the clay
bottom to get as much of the water with
as little of current IS possible, we were
startled by a crashing of underbrush
and thunder of feet. l thought of
Warburton, Kinglake, Dixon and all
those lucky fellows who are continually
having hair breadth escapes, and | was
glad for who would not willingly die
in the jordan Our frightened animals
were upon the point Of stampeding, and
we rose in the midst of the waves to re-
ceive the last tribe that had unexpected
come in from the wilderness. In mo-
ment our enthusiasm was blighted.
Out of the brush emerged the Russian
pilgrims in The widest excitement. Each
strove to be the first to plunge into the
stream. Many of them were already
half naked, and they speedily stripped,
put on a long, white garments kind of
shroud in which it is their wish to be
buried-and having
IMMERSED THEMSELVES IN THE JORDAN
and shouted aloud in barbaric delight,
they took off the shroud, rolled it care
fully up, and having placed it in their
luggage, they returned quite naked to
pass half an hour in the river. The
men were allotted one portion of the
bank, the women, another but there
was much indiscriminate bathing, and
not little that would dampen the re-
ligious ardor Of any pilgrim who had not
already been pretty thoroughly schooled
in Jerusalem. We were driven from the
Jordan by fellow enthusiasts 1t was
rather a trial TO our Polygot, who,
though thoroughly eastern in his tenn
perameat, has not yet outgrOwn the
natural modesty of his twentieth year.
| had long grown used to every state Of
nature in the latitude of languor, Iotos
and love. South sea nudities have
steeled my heart. You don't scare US
with any Russian pilgrim, though he were
as holy as at the hour of his birth We
wandered up the stream under arbors
os vine and tangies Of thorn; through
deep beds of fern and trailing creepers
in the midst of rich growth of timber,
exceedingly wild and picturesque.
WE PICNICKED
in a nook at the head of the river. Great
cliffs, steep and rugged, lowered above
us. The stream came tumbling out of
a gorge into the plain on its headlong
course TO the sea. Refreshed, stayed with