Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-03-07

We have a German judge for supper
| companion. He travels with a personal
| dragomsn and escort Our permission has
| been asked that Mr. Cook should onciate
! for him also. He is a pleasant, well-read
man whose society is agreeable. The top
sheet of our beds is basted to a heavy quilt
| bless mother, who has brought sheets, so
that we may throw off the incumbrance
and be lightly covered Our room is very
small, aud we have only "a minuscule basin
for two, but we are thankful 1t is only
recently that this hostelrv was built it
| provides lodgings but no food.
AprH Is-Of at : o'clock. We see the
Dead Sea before us, but it is two hours
away. We cross an interminable plain
with ravines furrowed by heavy rains at
first much grass, then shrubs only, finally
almost nothing. 1t is warm, but not too
much so our parasols are welcome Mother
continues to lead and my horse continues
to follow peacefully.
Well here we are. The Dead Sea ap
pears as a beautiful blue lake surrounded
on two sides by high hills the water is
clear, limpid. NY hand is my cup, | swallow
perhaps tablespoonful The bitter, pun.
gent taste Of the water tells the story. It
contains "a per cent of salty matters usual
sea water contains two per cent. In it is
more or less bitumen or petroleum, not
seen, but felt. The water runs on the fin
gers as if it were oily We sit on the peb-
bly, shore for an hour and drink in the
scene. On our left, east, Mount Nebo,
from which Moses saw the promised land /;
ON our right the hills of Juda at their
foot the tomb of Moses, discovered by the
Mussulmans Our men pick small, empty
shells, which my poor eyes cannot distin-
guish from the pebbles The Jordan and
fresh water brooks bring them alive they
die as soon as they reach the salt lake.
There is no mephitic air, no gloom. 1t is
like the Twin lakes of Colorado, 5000 feet
above sea level, in which | bathed a few
years ago Here we are 1900 feet below
sea level, and this low position is the wonder
when added to the heaviness of the water.
Many bathe and are not at all incommoded.
The invalid old man thinks best not TO-
Mother enjoys the scene with her usual ex-
uberance we are in a holloW, and gradu
ally feel As if / were in steam bathing
house, no breeze and a very hot sun, 81
am glad To resume my saddle
OF course you will read the encyclopedia
and hear all about the length, width his
tory Of the Dead Sea. | trust to your
knowledge aud Intelligence
We direct our animals towards the ford
Of the Jordan. The first view Of the river
Is very disappointing. 1t is pond Of dirty,
yellow water. apparently stagnant but
little higher the scene changes completely,
and the river Is a rushing torrent. The
ford Is just now too deep to be crossed un
less on horse. Today the Catholic Beth
lehemites have a grand picnic, and have
come with their wives and children for
their Easter holiday The groves along the
river teen with animals and human beings.
Men and boys bathe. Some fire across the
river at stones set up for targets On the
the east bank the river is bordered by al
most perpendicular cliffs on the west the
ground Is very low, and forms the Jordan
plain, overfowed when HermOn's melted
SHOWS swell the river The multitude de
tracts much from the sacredness of the
ideas connected with the spot-the baptism
Of Jesus, etc. but is in itself panorama
of moving scenes Catholic priests, monks,
sisters OF charity, mingle with natives in
their picturesque costumes. The Professor
finds quiet spot where he can muse, then
we lunch, sitting on our saddles, over car
pet brought with us. Mother filters Jor-
dams muddy waters Mr.. Sheik, Mr..
Dragoman, Mr. Muleteer, Mr.. Donkey boy
are all highly interested in the operation
probably they have never seen filter, and
who, but cranks would carry away water
to he had everywhere The Professor
does not care for Jordan water, but has
filled two bottles with Dead Sea pure water,
with which he will treat the readers of this
diary when opportunity comes. Our lady
allows her husband to take a nap with his
saddle for pillow. 1t is sweet to rest on
Jordan's banks then we wander through
the groves, pick plants which must be dipped
IN the stream to be sent to America The
shore is very muddy. Our learned leader
sinks down, down, and comes near pitching
into the water to please madame, who laughs
at his misfortunes, and proposes to draw
his caricature in such an imposing attitude.
Selim, Ahmed, David, have to clean the
boots.
Usually dragomen manage to have good
horses for themselves. The Professor has
watched carefully Sellms animal, aud final
ly exchanges steeds Hereafter he is in
clover. The new Bucephalus has a most
easy gait and feels the slightest touch of
the knee and bride. 1t is a pleasure to
ride such an animal give this as a warn
ing to future travellers the enjoyment of
IA trip like this is spoiled if you are badly
mounted. Mothers donkey becomes naugh-
ty wants to go to pasture and leave the
beaten track. Now we can run to her help
and be courteous once more.
For two hours we cross the Jordan plain,
reach the Cherith ravine, entirely dry here,
then cross the Jericho plain and before d
o'clock we are back to our hostelry. Our
| cook, who has been poor till now, gives us an
/ excellent dinner, and we should be perfect
| ly happy were not our lady overtired, and
somewhat cross in consequence. A violent
wind has arisen. 1t looks as if it were 60
/ ing TO rain, but it is only wind-storm
which soon passes away. The inhabitants
/ of Rlha, the most miserable Arab village
/ claim the honor of giving us a fantasia
| They are a dozen of men who clap hands
and sing. One of them dances and makes
all sorts of contOrtions with a naked sabre
| Then women do the same, the dancing one
with flowing dark blue gown, brandishes
the sabre, and comes to each one of us to
whisper unknown words. She is tattoed
and anything but beauty, yet foolish
| young fellow kisses her. She threatens TO
cut off his head. l do not admire his taste.
| Then comes a man acting as a bear, with a
| false head on his shoulders Everything is
coarse, barbarian. 1t might appear less so
| if we could understand the words sung.
of course we pay backshish. Mother
| has looked at everything from above, not
wishing to come in contact with the dirty
creatures Next morning when she has "a
| pitch battle with jumping friends called fleas,
! which abound in our sheets, she is mean
enough to declare brought them all when
| came in contact with the dancing charm
er. Fleas are one of our pleasures, and
mother seems TO be their special friend.
They kiss her ten times more than they do
me. | quietly take the sheet and shake it
out of the window, but the friends will
cling yet
april L5.-Splendid sun late rising we
leave at o'clock. We have bought painted
Jordan stones, a crown of thorns bid
| goodby 10 our Bedouins, who go TO pray at
the tomb of Moses We are thus left to
ourselves, but all danger seems to have dis
appeared, and in our suite are our cook on
| horseback, and our baggageman on foot be
hind the mule which carries our bags and
the provision chest We retrace our steps,
only climb instead of coming down For
three quarters of an hour it is up, up stone
steps, and it is hot, hot when we reach
| the heights a slight breeze is welcome, and
| for two hours and half we continue climb
ing the $500 feet which, scattered over 20
miles, form the difference of level between
| Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
Tired mother declines TO stop at the
Samaritan inn, and prefers to push on, so
we go, go, till we reach the Apostles fount-
| ain in four hours and five minutes, steady
| riding. Here we rest in coffee shop,
three walls of rough stones, a canvas COW
| ering the whole such concern that you
would not lodge your cattle in 1t; yet here
we are ON "a carpeted stone settee, and we
take syrup and water lunch, sip coffee
while surrounded by crowd. My neigh
bor is a teacher, Protestant Christian, from
Gilead village going to the ophthalmic
hospital to be treated. He gives me much
information about his work while he smokes
his nargileh, which costs, he says, three
fourths of a cent Il is decanter three,
fourths full of water Instead of stopper
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