Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-01-24

Ilhle I'd ClehT our correspondence, look at
our trunks and decide which TO leave be-
hind, for it is worth a small fortune TO
transport much property and Mrs Purse
growls terribly. Besides, since we left the
Nile our lady has complained much and
needs long rest
shall make a short syory of our trip
from Cairo TO Jaffa:
l. Railroad, 81 miles TO Ismalia on the
Suez canal, half way between Suez and
Port Said, in six hours: abominable rail.
road, excellent for dyspepsia.
z. small canal steamer, 4S miles to Port
SAID in five hours, very tedioua; il is dark
and we see nothing
3. Two nights and two days in Port
Said, full Of boats going through the canal,
a very animated scene Before il a big
1000 tons steamer bound for Australia
whose steering apparatus has got out Of or
der she came very near being wrecked on
the long stone jetty which protects the en-
trance to the canal
!. We embark on an Austrian steamer
running between Alexandria and Beyrout
| She has room for 30 passengers, and we are
81 or more. Mater gets berth with three
other ladies', four in cabin! Pater gets
shelved with pillow on an elevated omni
bus sofa which runs round the stern; Mr.
Cook, who has given up his berth To our
lady, sleeps on deck in two armchairs his
son and his secretary find sheltered cor
ner among the piles Of baggage, thus giving
us the example Of self denial aud resigna.
ton. night of misery but in lG hours
we are IN Jaita, and past mseries are easi
" forgotten. Luckily the sea is Smpara-
lively smooth, for when it is rough landing
Is often impossible aud travellers are obliged
TO go TO Beyrout, which possesses a pro
tecting bay besides, Beyrout is too inpor
tant 10 be left behind 80 one is sure to get
landed somewhere. Serious accidents are
rare, discomfort the rule
Now the past is cleared and can resume
my daily gossip. | wish you were all here
J would adorn you with a bunch Of orange
iiowers, give you luxurious bed without
dirty mosquito MEETINGS, make YOU visit
classes of dark-eyed girls, the oldest of
whom would claim your admiration, If not
Tor their beauty at least for their youth
aud altogether yon would admit that you
might he worse off than in Jalfa Joppa
An incident: At Port Said at table sat
next to AN elderly lady, who turned out to
be a Scotch lady who had lived many years
IN France. On the last day she brings a
cargo Of New Testaments, Hebrew, mod
ern Greek, English, Italian French she
has taken me for an lsraelte her mission
is to spread the Holy Scriptures Although
amazed to be taken for a jew, / find that
we have many common friends we talk of
her work, and finally carry away the He
brew and Greek copies She boasts that
she has distributed 81, 900 Testaments
There is much cant IN all that business and
much money Is thrown away The lady
was formerly in atiiuence, but now she is
supported by some ladies vino have formed
a society My ancestors never had a drop
Of Jewish blood in their veins. aud ndig-
nantly decline to be taken for jew
And Jesus was Jew, and Paul was a
jew, aud all of them were Jews, Joseph
Noses, Daniel, whom | have so often pre-
sented as models to my auditors Human
consistency, thou art a jewel
March ~, p. m.-Donkey ride through
Jaffa, accompanied by much preliminary
fuss by our lady finally | have to dismiss
the native donkey boy and get one of Cooks
men. son Of an American
We visit what is called the house of ST
mon the tanner, now a small mosque Out
side Is a well and tank dating from 81
mons time, outside also flight of steps
leading 10 the roof or platform over the
building Simon may have lived here or
near by; the sea may have altered its
shore in fact later we are shown Solo
mons port half mile inland II true.
what is now the seashore, was, 2OOO years
ago, covered 10y water. but the general
view is the same. 1t is folly TO believe
everything, but little credulity adds much
to the travellers enjoyment Legends
abound Noah built his ark in JafTa, so
called from Japhet We visit Greek con
vent Latin or Catholic convent, and
girls school kept 10y Greeks All schools
are supported 10y gifts. As soon as you
visit one Of them the work Of the pupils is
exhibited, laces, embroideries, knitting
useless trash but you feel morally obliged
to buy aud get rid Of the universal beg.
ging
We climb to the highest point of the hill
over the city, admire to our hearts content
the landscape, land and sea, then strike /.
through narrow lanes, along orchards full |
Of lemons, oranges fruit and flowers. Our
guide picks them freely, we are scented I.
and decorated
Our leader has long talk with William /.
Ally, the American youth, who is anxious |
10 promote himself in Cook service Now
he earns Slj month dragoman or
guide earns from $500 to $500 year. His /
ambition Is to become a dTagoman. He |
speaks English fluently but not grammat-
ically, speaks Arabic as a native, and some |
German. Il promised to recommend him |
and later did so)
March JD-At A. NJ so, at 3 o'clock |
64 at 10 O'Clock parasol is welcome in |
the sun | have ordered donkey and a .
boy for . O'Clock, bat natives have no |
watches and it is much later when | start |
alone for the nearest river or brook, which |
runs from the hills of Ephraim tn the sea I
Nahr el Anjeh is perennial, fed by springs |
We follow the sandy seashore for two .
miles then pass through the plain of Sha
ron, find some springs around which are /
herds of cattle and hocks of sheep with .
their Arab shepherds At the end of an
hour and half we reach u group of Arab |
mills for which the brook supplies the mo-
tive power. Three small buildings contain
ten grinding stones, turning on what seems
primitive rock hewn hollow to receive
the grinders the water rushes under each .
one and forms number of small water
falls The spot is picturesque; a small vii
lage of natives is spread under dozen
palm trees women, children, idle men, are
squatted in groups: cattle are in the water
up to their bellies their keepers are
lazily stretched under some vet leafless
trees to one of which my donkey is tied
When | salute by carrying nv hand to my
forehead, my good morning is returned.
no one interferes with me. The
boys who attend the grinding stones look at
me but do not beg The women who have
brought their wheat, barley or lentils to the
mill hardly notice me, taste the flour;
the bran is ground with the rest, very fine.
The grain falls from above by small aper-
ture and gets under the stone by hole in
It's centre. Everything is primitive. In
summer Jaffa people come to these mills for
picnics near the babbling waters
| left the hotel almost empty, find it
crowded with a new batch of arrivals from
Egypt. A Russian steamer has also brought
100 pilgrims
To morrow we leave for Jerusalem, 40
niles by good road and carriage.
The Flag of the Old Brigade.
From the Burlington Free Press