Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-03-28
TWO YANKEES ABROAD.
SECOND PART---PALESTINE
TENTING FROM JERUSALEM TO
NAZA RElTTT

april 4 I write this in Nazareth. where
we spend Sunday and rest, so in my tent.
home, not at my freside send a thought
to all those whom | love, to all those who
will read this My tent home is
just now pretty shaky concern, the wind
makes it flap on all sides, and a million aud
a-half OF flies invade it, but as we make
our bed, so must we lie, and have no right
TO complain.
As agreed, after six days Of preparation,
we left Jerusalem on Wednesday, April 90,
madame in her palanquin, monsieur on his
horse. which he has not vet baptized out
side the Jaifa gate. The agent Of Cook is
| there to see us off, also an American lady
with whom we have become acquainted, also
the Kawass of the U. S. consulate, also
/ David, madame's ex-donkey boy. whom
backshishes have endeared to us. The
French language and money predominate
in Palestine and Syria In half an hour
we reach the northern extremity Of the
| Mount Of Olives range, from which is the
second best view of Jerusalem. We stop
and bid adieu TO the celebrated city We
turn our faces towards Bethel which we
reach after four hours Of riding, up and
down hills, stony, little cultivated here
and there patches Of olive trees at one
place extensive orchards of fg trees al
together it is Il hard road to travel \ cold
northwest wind blows as if il were paid 10
do it, Expecting hot ride, | am lightly
clad, and would suffer did not Selim lend
me brand new cloak Of many colors. made
of wool and camels hair in which appear
so grand, so dignifed, that mother wants
me to buy a similar one. We pass through
region full of historical recolections,
Mob, Gebeah, Ramah Aharoth, Bereoth,
for which | would have TO look at the Bible
and the guide book. We lunch under diff
culties in an old dry reservoir, below a
wall, sheltered from the wind discuss pal.
anquin and donkeys Last Monday was
very hot and sultry, Tuesday very cold and
windy we have both taken colds and sown
the germs Of untold misery.
We resume our weary march up aud down
stony hills the palanquin gets many times
in trouble, madame ditto The natives are
busy with their summer ploughing: they
SOW lentils, peas, beans and some sort Of
oil seed plant whose name | cannot catch
| pick a few honeysuckles meet natives
looking like robbers, with long guns as
my horse is fresh aud easy, can 90 ahead.
take side rides, climb knobs. keeping in
sight Of the palanquin and its escort viz.
two men leading the front and back mules,
Il new donkey boy, who seems to he a pretty
poor specimen of manhood Selm, the
dragoman, beautiful in full costume OF
green jacket and yellow trousers, leathern
leggings, silk handkerchief over his fez.
and a muleteer, on a diminutive donkey
which seems made of steel, carries provis-
ions and water besides his master most Of
the time. Ahbed is a good, kind large
man, who gains madame's affection by his
attentions. Both he and Selim are not too
much for her.
At last at $50 O'Clock, we reach our
camp, and find our tents ready, our beds
made After seven and a half hours in
the saddle we find ourselves in Siniil. over
looking large plain above a poor village
whose dwellers crowd 10 look at us but it
is good policy TO keep them off, they have
free fingers. Our establishment is composed
of three tents a large fourteen rope tent
lined with fanciful Eastern patches of
white, yellow, green and red, top more
blue bottom more yellow; over it fly
two folding iron bedsteads with canvas bot
toms two carpet arm chairs, two stools, two
tables, rugs mating on the floor our bag
gage occupies it the next tent, smaller. Is
our dining tent two big chests contain all
that is necessary for the table table, two
stools complete its furniture at night Sc
EVraa aWnl laAg Fh.. IL. = L.
third tent is our cooking department Mr.
Cook is distinguished artist who has serv-
ed ever so many lords, and indeed during
our Jericho trip, we appreciated his merit
In all We have ten men aud nineteen ami
mails to supply us with food, bedding and
transportation. We carry even the char
coal used by the cook in his camp stove
We have read much about camp life and its
luXuries, the ceanest of clean linen among
others. 1t is so when we start, but soon we
have TO order fresh towels, fresh napkins.
or we might have had the same TO the end
of the journey.
The wind remains strong and cold the
professor signs over his broken ther-
mometer; the lady admires her breath,
which forms a little cloud, and she INDUCES
in a fit of despondency which makes her
husband send her To - Siniil, where she is
Immediately God strikes him for his mpa-
tience, and sends him such fit of cough
ing that he lays himself down to sleep at
S:30 o'clock humbled discomfited, demor-
allied. During the night it rains Mother
has put shawls all round the tent, where
the wind can penetrate. The dogs bark,
the donkeys bray, the watchmen whistle
to each other, pater sleeps the sleep of the
just, and hears nothing till o'clock By
his side he keeps his horse whip one end
is of lead and could kill a man it is his
only weapon, but what strength is "a good
conscience. He is all serenity when he gets
up at $50 o'clock, while mother has run
the most awful dangers
april n. 1t is as cold as ever. While
Mrs Martha is at work, Mr.. Serene dis
tributes ten cents in half pennies to a lot of
children, buys six onions for penny, feasts
on them for his breakfast At 7:30 O'Clock
we are off, down hill, 10y bad path, then
up a fertile valley green with fields of
wheat and we reach what was once Shiloh
An old man creeps out of some ruins and
offers us bouquets of wild flowers Read
up Shiloh where the ark rested for 32S
years, where Joshua divided the land,
where Samuel was brought up and lived.
Today only stones are left The situation
is grand we are surrounded with an am
phitheatre of hills.
We leave the spot with regret, and pick
our way down a most picturesque gorge in
which flocks and herds pasture a shepherd,
modern David, chants from a rocky projec-
tion four others, squatting along the path,
are stolid as only Arabs know how 10 be.
We follow a fertile valley; / count thirty
ploughs driven by as many pairs of small
cattle. Sewers have funnel with a very
long tube, and let the seed fall in the drill
Just made by the plough. 1t is a mere
scratching of the surface. have not seen
a harrow yet The olive trees are magnif-
cent, as fine as any have ever seen. be-
gin to believe in a land flowing with milk
and honey Mother has been all the morn
ing on her donkey, We stop for lunch in
an olive field, away from the road, but
where the carrion is the crows will fly we
are the carrion, the native children, women
and boys are the crows. A young woman
dressed in green, red and yellow, with un-
combed hair, makes us many graceful faces
learn too late that she is a widow. would
have courted her. Two pretty little girls
bring back TO us our own girlies when they
were young These wear a simple chemise
or gown and are not over clean their good
looks make mother lavish towards them
Sir, my face is my fortune, " is true every
where
We have crossed fearfully bad hill, we
are in the plain of Samaria. In an hour
Ahbed and reach Jacobs well, where Je-
sus had his interview with the Samaritan
woman. AS l 90 often ahead Selim sends
Ahbed and his little donkey after me- partly
to show me the way, partly to cover his re-
sponsibility should anything happen but
have not yet seen the shadow of danger; a
few dark looks, fierce eyebrows, sullen
faces a great many more pleasant salutes
with my most limited Arabic stock of words
and phrases. If / could speak it | would
have many pleasant chats. Jacobs well is
dry to-day. sometimas after conious rains