San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-09-15

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Our afternoon's march over the bleak,
treelsss and brown mountains Of the
wilderness was inexpressibly tiresome
until We came In sight Of the Dead
sea. u lay 2,000 feet below us-s mir
ror Of silver, cot among the violet
mountains Of Moab. More PERCEPTIONS
descents over rocks and sand brought
us, by shutdown, to the two towers Of
the most unique monastery ON the
globe. The famous convent Of Mar
Saba 10 worth 'urney to Palestine.
For thirteen centuries that wonderful
structure has hung against the walls Of
the deep, awful gorge Of the Kidron.
Il Is . colossal swallows nest Of stone,
built to the height Of 300 feet against
the precipice, and inhabited by sixty
monks OF the Greek church genuine
Manicheans, and followers Of ST. Saba
and st. John Of Damascus. No wom-
ans foot has ever entered the convent
walls. Instead Of womens society
they make love to the birds, who come
and feed of the monks hands. Every
evening they toss meat down TO the
wild jackals in the gorge below. At
sunset climed over the extraordinary
building-was shown in the rather
handsome church, and into the chapel
or cave Of st. Nicholas, which contains
the CHASTITY skulls Of the monks who
were slaughtered by Ohosroes and his
Persian soldiers--and gaxed down into
the awful ravine beneath the convent
walls. Some monks in black gowns
were perched a. watchmen on the lofty
towers; others wandered over the stone
pavem6nts in sort Of aimless vacuity.
What an attempt TO live in an exhausted
receiverl
The monks gave us hospitable vel
come, sold us canes and woodwork,
and furnished Us lodgings on the divans
of two large stone parlors. One Of the
religious duties Of the brotherhood IL
to keep vigils, and through the night
bells were ringing and changing TO call
them to their devotions. The vermin
in the lodging-rooms have learned to
keep up their vigils also; and as the
result our party-with one exception
had sleepless night. I have such
talent for sleeping, and like Pat apay
attention TO it" 30 closely, that I was
able to defy even the flies and musqui-
toes of Mar Saba. By daylight the
next morning we heard the great iron
door Of the convent clang behind us
like the gate of Bunyan's Doubling
castle" and for Ave hours we made
toilsome descent Of the desolate cliffs
to the shore of the Dead sea. That
much miligned sea had weird and
wonderful beauty.
We took q bath in its cool clear waters,
and detected no difference from bath
at Coney island. except that the water
has such density that we hoated on II
like pine shingles. No fish from the
salt ocean can live in it; but it is very
attractive to the eye on hot MONDAY.
A scorching ride we had across the bar
rem plain on the sacred Jordan which
disappointed me sadly. At the place
where the Israelities and Our Lord was
baptized it was about 100 feet wide; it
flows rapidly, and in turbid currect
of light stone color. In size and APP
pearence it is the perfect counterpart
Of the Muskingum, few miles above
GAINESVILLE. It's useless waters ought to
be turned off to irrigate it's barren
valley, which might be changed into q
garden. For beauty the Jordan will
not compare with Eijah's brook Che
rith, whose bright, sparkling stream
went flowing past our lodging-place ct
Jericho. We lodged over night in
Greek convent very SMALL, and rode
next morning to see the ruins OF the
town made famous by Soshus, Elijah,
Raccheus, and the restoration of Barti-
meus to sight. Squalid Arabs haunt
tho oooro1 c,,ok