The Washington critic., 1888-04-21
JOITlNGS IN JUDEA.
A Young American Seaman'S SOjOum
at Jerusalem.
HIS RIDE TO BETHLEHEM
Arabian Stccds--Au Old Salts
"Mazeppa''--The Church OF
the Nativity.
By X. W. STEPHENSON. U. S. n.
VIII.

Our fourth day in the Holy Land
was rendered memorable by visit to
the birthplace Of our Saviour. The
distance of this sacred locality from
Jerusalem is about six miles, and is
usually traversed on horseback.
Arrangements having been completed
the night before with an Arab sheik
for the supply of horses there was
nothing for us to do on awaking ex-
cepting to discuss horse pilotage and
breakfast and make our way to the
appointed place outside the Jaifa
Gate.
At a. m. we passed out and there,
snre enough, were the horses. But
Shades OF " Bucephalus." Such
horses They just stood there quiet
and reminded me of starvation. You
could count all the ribs in their
bodies and their faces presented such
n picture Of sorrow that it made me
think they we're sorry for not having
Chcwed up their halters before they
most deplorable condition. the sad
dies being in nearly all cases fastened
around the horses body by means of
pieces of old coir rope. They were,
in good round Shakspearean Ian
guage veritable horses OF "shreds
and patches" ] do not, generally
speaking, know much about horses,
but always, up to that time, had
notion that horse was noble
animal. Those that had
hitherto seen supported that fancy,
but these proved exceptions. They
were decidedly inimical to any such
idea. had often read in books of
travel dealing with Palestine Of the
extreme difficulty experienced by pill
grims in the management of their
horses and therefore / expected to see
some of the fiery, untamed steeds OF
Arabia. But it was a vain dclusion |
had INDUCED in. ''Mahomet," in
come from?" Sadness could be traced
on every lineament of my countenance
when lie. replied: "My goody frendt,
from Araby."
4 Alas and is It thus see
MI Thy boasted prideS oh Steed OF Arabyf
Thy dioopng oye doth tell tale Of woe
nds tea WITH Strings thy thy Sde @ but
A,s. aropc;
kThy sweet, sad face without one ray OF hopo
Astride thy back q "tarpot" sits upright,
I oh, dire disgrace oh, save me such sight !
{, II was gone-my ideal of an Arabian
horse, / mean. If these are your
! Arabian horses j soliloquized, avaunt
forever all Arabian ideals. Let my
\ imagination fly to the wild and de-
y serted Pampas, and there remain
+ stay until there comes forth coursing
across the plains, with dilated nostrils
snorting fire, the wild and free mus
tang.
The possibility of some of the
horses /" pegging out before we
reached Bethlehem seemed so certain
that many of the boys wished to
I know whether the sheik had made
proper provision for their burial. OF
course the sheik waxed wroth at this,
English, what we took him for. He
also wanted to "bet his boots'' that
the horses were as sound as q bell,
and that they had been ridden to
Bethlehem hundreds of times before,
and that ii was next to impossible to
wind them. AS was afterward shown
we ought not TO have judged the poor
animals by their looks for they proved
quite equal to all that was demanded
of them. Once their heads were
pointed to Bethlehem, to Bethlehem
they kept going and quickly, too.
Had they. been gifted with the power
of speech they would, like Othello,
no doubt, have said: "There is my
|. journeys end and very sea mark of
my utmost sail.
tilV SAILORS AS EQUEsTRtANs.
"Sheer clear Luff Brazil in yen
spanker Back yer mainyard Take
thoroughfoot out of yourself y Such
were the expressions INDUCED in by
our forty blue jacketsas they cantered
away, nourishing their canes, ant
K 4 backing themselves as being fully
competent to distance any Jockey who
"a ever drew rein. Leaving Jerusalem /
mile orso behind we entered the plaii
plainly see the little town of Bethle
hem, which is conspicuously situated
on the brow of hill. Now was The
time to observe the gallant horsemer
as they charged along at an almos
break-neck pace, stopping, however
al intervals TO tightenup their saddle
girths, which seemed TO be continually
! Slaekening.
Instead of Il party OF pilgrims, ;
spectator would have thought the ult
hunting days of the Rhine had re
Viyed and that we were q party o
huntsmen bound on an expedition
4 after wild boars. To see the old salt
clutching the rope reins--tiller rope
4 they called them---and hanging oil
like grim death to an atheist woulC
have been most amusing sight 70
i many people at home, There was M
fear of any accident 50 long as tn
4 \ saddle held fast; but as the girth
~ talsed were the shakiest imaginable
TTi1is looked rather doubtful.
vi a NAUTICAL MAZEPPA.
Ia The first one to fall was sport q
"A some sixty summers, who the nigh
~ )before had expressed his intention {
u 1astonish us when he "boarded
"a L4hoss" He had been going alon
a tgallantly for about q quarter Of u
y Hour, when all Of n sudden he san
"a Iout "Watch me lie on me hoss'
~ hack like Mirsepper and without
Il llashin'." The eyes OF all were tlnne
|4 lat once upon the daring adventurel
~ lie knew that he was the cynosur
~ of all present and felt proud Of II
IA 1--WE thought TO ourselves this mate
~ / lole has evidently been circus ride
in his time, and We are now going I
n have q treat. We watched him as h
"slued" himself around-face to th
stern of the horse-thc horse tro
M ting along all the time. We gay
W him cheer as he gallant
W kissed his hand to us preparatory I
III lying down. We watched him will
IA intense interest rs he clutched tn
W Ipeins and fell back fore and aft Bu