Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-08-30
ON TOP OF SINAI.


ON TOP OF SINAI.
The Awful. stately Grandeur Of the Mount
ain Of Moses.
1t does not seem high, because it was
yet half hidden from our view by the
intervening hill. As soon as this hill
was mastered the plain of Err Raha. or
plain of Assemblage. came into full
view, with the Sinai range at its south
ern extreme. The combination was
satisfying convincing. Here was the
one great feature the want of which
prevented Mount Serbal from contest
ing for the hOnors of Sinai. There Is
no plain in the vicinity of Serial ex-
tensive enough to accommodate an as
semblage as large as Moses led. But
here is q vast plateau of sufficient ex-
tent. and. as We shall presently see
when We view it from Mount Sinai
summit. so located that Moses could
overlook it all when he read the Law.
This must be the ''true Sinia''-the
very mountain upon which the glory
OF the Lord rested In the sight Of the
people. When facing its awful. stately
grandeur, felt as if had come to the
end of the world. How many pilgrims
had come from all parts of the earth
to this very spot to reverence, to sacri-
flee, and to worship!
dismOunted to contemplate the
sublime panorama, and Elihuel, my
camel driver, sat down beside me. He
hardly seemed to understand my
actions. and at last interrupted my
reverie by exclaiming, as he pointed
to the lofty group: ''Jebel Mouse
Tayeebr' ('.MOuntain of Moses
goodr) He also reverenced it, for he
was Mohammedan.
What impresses the American travel
or most sensibly here is the fact that
although mountains abound. and
stream-beds are more plenty than in
our own White hills. cascade or q
waterfall is never heard. When the
rains fall, the water rolls down these
bare, rough diagonals uninterrupted.
and empties into the wadies. which in
turn impetuously roll the torrents into
the sea with great speed, before the
parched earth has time to absorb more
than mere surface supply.
What surprise, then, when arrived
at the highest ridge of the vast plateau
of Ell Raha, to see bright oasis full of
trees laden with the rich blossoms of
spring, backed by the strange, con-
trasting, gloomy walls of the Convent
of Saint Catherine. No location could
be more charming-in the narrowing
valley, nestled at the feet of the close
ly protecting mountains. Upon the
highest ramparts are set both the cam
non and the cross. 1t was both castle
and convent We were approaching.
More than once the inmates have been
obliged to defend themselves against
the marauder. At one time every
monk was massacre. Since then more
care has been exercised. We were
obliged to prove our friendship before
we could gain aduittance. We could
not even encamp in the neighborhOod
until our credentials were examined
and approved.
Arriving at the convent wall we sent
up shout to the top. In the course
of time the voice of monk sent down
a squeaky response. To point near
the top of the wall a tiny structure
shaped like dog-kennel is attached.
From this small rope was let down,
to which we attach our firman, or let
ter of introduction, obtained at the
branch institution at Suez. This was
hauled up slowly and soon answered
by a great noise in the aerial kennel!
Then thick cable was lowered to us
and we were asked to Get in and
come up" But the low gate in the
wall was swung open at that moment.
and we chose to enter the convent by
it rather than 60 up by cable.
When we arrived at the quarters of
the superior we saw that the cable was
not let down hand over hand, but that
a clumsy windlass, worked and turned
by Bedouin serfs. was the power be-
hind the throne. The combination is
believed to be the FIRST passenger ele-
vatOr in the world.
1t seems as though no semblance of
humanity should remain in a place
made sacred by so many holy associa-
tons, but the convent is inhabited by
about sixty monks varying in grades
of sanctity. Nine Of them yielded to
our camera. A beardless youth af-
fOrded US considerable amusement.
Repeatedly he came to me, with tears
in his eyes, and begged for some recipe
to make his beard grow. He said that
he would not be allowed to read chapel
service until he had a beard; that
nearly all the monks but him had
beards.-EdUard l.. Wilson, in Cent
ury.
A Joke on Prof. Hermann.
II once had a singular experience"
4