The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-09-26


the road, perhaps three or five miles
apart, were barracks where Turkish SOL
diers were stationed to guard the high
way. Palestine is full of robbers. The
Bedouins, or wandering Arabs, are pro-
fessionals. The Turkish soldiers and
officials are worst of all.
We rode on through country bar
rem of everything except scriptural as
sociations, though rich indeed in them.
Our last halt for resting the horses was
made in valley at the foot of the last
mountains prior to reaching Jerusalem.
The remaining distance was about FIVE
miles, but the climb was a severe one,
and it is always thought best to rest.
On all sides we could SEQ historical spots
of which l shall have occasion to speak
again. Away to the right, was Ain Kar-
i'm. the home of Zacharius and Eliza
beth, and consequently the birth place
of John the Baptist. The village was
quite decent one from the point where
we surveyed it, but perhaps it was the
distance that lent the enchantment to
the view. Two blthplaces are shown.
one under the rich altar of convent,
and the other in grotto fully quar-
ter of mile away. The only satisfac-
tory theory which has been advocated
for counteracting this discrepancy is
that Elizabeth divided the time between
the two places, in order to multiply the
number of sacred sites and thereby in
crease the piety of future generations
We toiled slowly up the long zig-zag
ascent and were ct length at the sum-
NIT. Surely now the Holy City would
loom up grandly, for had an idea that
Jerusalem was built in the crater of
some extinct volcano, and that when
perched on any side Of the basins rim /
could see every pinnacle, dome and
pavement stone. Alas for the fraility
of human anticipations! The Mount Of
Olives could be seen on the east, with
Scopus rs tie northern terminus of the
range; but Jerusalem itself kept persis-
tently out of sight. And so it did until
We were almost under its very walls,
The truth is that the elevation of the
hills about the Holy City is SO slight,
and so many objects intervene, that the
view is altogether INSTRUCTED.
As the mountains are round about
Jerusalem" The comparison is not
founded upon any very striking SEM
blance, and yet it is fact that the
ground is elevated little on all sides
of Jerusalem. Even the summit of the
Mount of Olives is only about twenty
feet higher than the highest point Of
Zion.
To the right we saw the convent of
the Cross, substantial establishment
down in the valley, kept by some we'll
fed Greek priests. Here is pointed out
the exact site where grew the tree from
which the cross was made! Maundfel
rather flippantly sums up the claims
OF this tradition by parody on the
story of the house that Jack built !:
Here is the earth that nourished the
root that bore the tree that yielded the
timber that made the cross. Under
the high altar you are shown an actual
hole in the ground where the stump of
the tree stood, and it meets with not q
few visitants, SO much verier stocks than
itself as to fall down and worship it.
Jerusalem is hardly q disappointment,
because 1 had my ideas rather low down.
Many of the streets in remote quarters
are abominably filthy, in them and I
would not advise anyone to venture
about in them without o clothspin on
his nose. Dead cats, rats and dogs are
plentiful. I even ran across one or two
dead donkeys just outside one of the
city gates. There are many sacred (?)
pools which have stagnated from dis.
use, and would be rooted ont by the
health board Of any we'll regulated city.
Walking is difficult, as the narrow streets
are paved with ugly coblestones, which
have become very slippery and are e.
ceedingly hard on shoe-leather. Night
y made hideous by the bowling Of hun
dreds Of hairless, scsbby dogs that seem
% have nothing else TO do. Tho bray