The record-union., 1893-04-08

Oaza. Frequently we rode over regions
paved with broken bits of pottery. Many
very old types could be distinguished.
mus these remnants of ancient domestic
life come to the surface like stranded
spars, to tell the tale OF some old Philis-
tine town otherwise forever and COM
pletely buried-underneath the enveloping
sands. The sight was pathetic, so like
the human was this striving OF the mani
mate tor Immortality against his enemy,
more dreadful than time.
Gradually vegetation began to assert its
sway. First, tufts of stunted grass, then
a lone tree with all its branches blown
landward by the stiff sea breezes, SO that
III looked like a maiden with flowing hair
running against nor'wester. Others of
the same type we met. Some, on one
SIDE, entirely branchless, while on the
other, like the long arm of a crane, the
branches extended twenty feet. But at
last, as the trees began to recover from
their detormity and the sands to yield TO
vegetation, GAIA, the southern goal of
our pilgrimage, came into view.
The present town is situated in the
midst OF fruitful plain, interspersed
with trees, on a broad plateau elevated
about 100 feet above the surrounding
country. Slender minarets and graceful
palms arise above the struggling, low,
white buildings. Calm and beautiful it
appeared in the distance. Between thick
hedges of prickly pear and ugly cactus we
cantered along until we began to ascend
the plateau on which the town is situated,
a problem Just then presented itself.
Having made long detour we were evil
GENTLY coming into town by another road
than that taken by our servants, who had
been sent on in advance. Not being ia
mlIiar with the town we had decided upon
no common place of meeting. The ques-
worthy Phillipo? He was a small man,
and 1t was no easy task finding him in
Turkish town with 10000 Moslem inhab-
ltantS, especially as our combined knowl-
edge of Arabic was limited to where
and how much" and ''good-by." The
only thing 10 do was to visit the various
khans of the place. which we did with
the result that we knew more about them
and the dirty streets of GAIA than about
the whereabouts of our ,much-desired
cook. We had started early in the morn
ing, and as Ii was already in the after
noon we discovered by mere chance that
we had SIX well-developed appetites in
the party. The pursuit OF khans proved
failure, and so we began to inquire for
"Englisi." The officlous natives directed
us from one part of the town to another.
where we found verything-dirt, dom
keys, fowls, camels and children, all
mixed up together, but no English
Still we continued to converse on the
one theme. At last in one mans face this
appeared to strike a familiar chord, and
he accordingly started of, with our party
Ming after. Through a narrow postern
gate, which was unbarred after much
pounding, and across several back yards
and 10, the smiling Phillipo rose up like
an apparitlon before US. We were soon
welcomed by the English missionary,
MIR. Huber. and in five minutes were at
home. n German, sent out by the Eng
llsh Missionary Board, this apostle of FL
Isham has come to occupy unique DO
sition in this tanatical Mohamlnedan city.
Not only does he enjoy the confidence of
the cltlZens OF the town, but the wild
Bedouins of the country for miles about
refer their cases of dispute to him as a
final court of appeal, and, when they
make their deadly wars upon each other.
with him they deposit their valuabies.
IL they do not return he needs no messen-
ger to report the result Of the foray. At
almost any time some one of these gray
bearded old sheiks is a guest OF their
good ''chalil' friend.
Before sunset we took a walk out to
Samson's Hill, half a mile from the town.
There tradition declares that this muscu-
lar hero OF lsrael's antiquity deposited
the gate OF the town, whose mosques and
gardens we saw across the little valley.
Tradition, with its usual good taste, Sc
Iected beautiful site, and for this we felt
very thankful. The Moslems, TOO, with
their usual love for all spots sacred,
whatever be the Sanctifying cause, have
erected shrine on the brow of the hill.
which Is a tavorite resort of pious GAIA
ties.
The evening we spent at the home of
the medical missionary, DR.. Elliot. A
grand field and grand work is open TO
ral irrin 81;
land of physical and moral suffering. AS
talked with sweet-taced English girl.
DR.. Elliots assistant, l was better able to
understand the real pleasure that this life
of mercy and practical self-sacritice
brings. Patients come hither from every
land and every religion of the Orient,
with every conceivable i'll, and all receive
treatment, whether they have anything
to pay therefor or no. The faith OF the
natives in Frank skill is often amusing:
provoking when they expose themselves
with lmpunity on the supreme confidence
that the doctor will fix them up all right.
From the doctor we learned that the
wretched sanitary conditions which pre-
vail are not, as sometimes imagined
without their fatal effects upon the peo-
pie. The death rate, especially among
children, is very high. Only the very
strongest survive. Typhoid fever and
dropsy are among the most dangerous
maladles. Their conception as 10 the
cause of the latter is exceeding naive.
Many mother when she comes in with
her three-year-old child can not under
stand how it contracted the disease. for
she asserts that water has never touched
her child. Usually it does not require
much credulity to believe.
On the divans i'll the missionary's main
reception room we tasted the comfort
which Western civilization has brought
to this land, where the proverb that
cleanliness is next TO godliness'' has not
been heard for so many centuries. Early
the next morning our old friend, the sun.
sent shining messengers to call us, and
we quietly slipped out, mentally-since
1t was more conducive to his slumbers-
giving thanks TO our good host, and were
soon riding through the morning mists
with old GAIA at our backs.
Our Mukari, the cross-eyed, hasheesh
smoking son of Ismael. was particularly
subdued, and did not even say "Bymbye
bymbye" as usual as we cantered past
him. In answer to our INQUIRIES phil
lipo informed US, with merry twinkle
in his eye, that on the preceding after
noon the Arab, who is not over Darticu-
lar in his observance of the strict laws
against eating and all similar pleasures
enJoined by the holy Koran during the
sacred month of Rhamadan, had been
caught smoking before the sun went
down. Religious and civil laws are not
in the Moslem world. The
soldiers accordingly conducted him to
the dungeon, which translated into Eng
lish might be termed the GAIA Jail. There
he was TO wait until slow moving oriental
justice could devise a punishment to
meet such heinous crime. Fortunately
for US some one reported that he was
with party of Franks, and so at last
they let him go, after administering the
thorough logging which is so necessary
for the Arab character, and constant
concomitant of Turkish executive iustice
The willy Greek also took this occasion to
hint that we could well learn from this