The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-25

lonely deserted valley we avoided n
meeting. we do not often take such
risks for fear Of prejudicng other
business that we have at Damascus
and seeing that we had not a single
mishap or encounter with officials we
are heartily glad that we tried and
very proud of our success.
PRECAUTIONS.
The preparations involved before
starting and all along the line Of the
road would interest you. We werc
twenty living creatures in. alive
three, boy to help cook, four sad
die horses, -four mules, two donkeys,
four muleteers anu two dogs. / count
them all because in a region destitute
of food and water the wants of every
creature had to be considered We
carried tents bedding, provisions rub-
ber clothing for rain. medicines ann
munition and even nails and horse
shoes. Bread was unobtainable for
days and awful stuff when found No
milk at this season. no eggs and sew
to cook and food for animals for a
three days journey. Water at times
was plentiful and again we nearly per-
ished of thirst. once our animals
went twenty-three hours without a
drink and this in heat almost suffo-
eating. At most places there are only
foul wells whose waters looked more
like that of a sewer than of fountain.
The imagery Of the Bible grows on one
constantly and so much was the real
suffering involved and so great the
necessity of planning all our move
ments with reference to springs and
brooks that l shall never again drink
uf cool pure water without "A conscious
heartfelt thanksgiving for it.
The dangers were those OF fever,
evil results Of bad and foul water and
heat or sunstrokes. There were days
when / am sure ] averaged two gal
Ions of water and still remained
thirsty. At ring on my saddle hung
n water bottle which was filled at
every opportunity and just as Cer-
tainly emDtied by the way We were
everywhere on the lookout for robbers.
keeping our baggage train in sight by
day and mounting guard over tents
and animals by night. Our own sad
die horses We're fitted nightly with
hobbies that locked on the forefeet.
We never gave word to any one as to
our movements. not even to our own
muleteers. avoiding the danger OF hav-
ing robbers precede us in order to ''tie
up the roads" for us We traVersed
naples trackless regions and where
we needed and secured guides they
would journey only to the confines Of
their own lands and then return. To
ask questions by the way was only to
invite deception and be sent along the
wrong road. our three guns gave us
protection and brought down enough
game-partridges. wild pigeons and
hares-to keep us fairly supplied with
meat. | had n 120-yard shot at a
gazell" with my Winchester and am
sure / struck him though not in a
part to kill him.
SCENES ON THE WAY.
My own journey began at >, and Il
quarter of an hour after leaving home
Mt. HernOn came into sight and was
hardly ever hidden from us during the
whole trip. Leaving our own field at
Meshghara, where once dwelt the
Hivites, l was soon over the hills of
Naphtali and into the country of Dan
Fording two of the sources of the
Tordas, we passed through Caeserea
Philppl and spent the SABBATH in an
out-station of the Sdon field Each Of
us took some service during the 0ay,
and on Monday began the real journey
beyond. An hour after breakfast we
N nj
ture and wound our way among Beda-
win flocks and tents and ancient ruins
wondering at the scores of craters
marking volcanoes long extinct, catch
ing distant glimpses of Galilee and the
land of Moab. The second night out
we pitched at Golan, in Jewish times
city of refuge, now a wretChed Mos
lem town surrounded by mountain-like
dungheaps but abounding in ruins
which are everywhere covered with
Jewish and Christian emblems wrought
in the almost imperishabe black bas-
set. The well from which the village
drinks is a finely walled one but pol
luted beyond description. We paid %
cents for two oil tins OF water from a
fountain one-half an hour away That
/ night there was a wedding, and they
| danced on the dungheaps by the light
! of the moon and filled all the air with
| such foul smelling dust that we wished
We were far away. The Jews have two
! colonies near by but these Wretched
| people have supplied the government
/ with lying petitions and have sue
/ ceeded in driving them from their
homes and the Bedawin have rooted
| up the orchards of mulberry and fruit
/ trees undOing in wantOnness the fruits
/ of honest toll. The Rothchilds are
| promoters of this colony, and We hope
/ that the Jews may ultimately recover
! their lands and return.
INTERESTING RUINS.
! our next point was Abila, one of the
| Decapolis, an interesting ruin. Then
! Gadara-just southeast of and several
! hundred feet above the Sea of GaIilee
ruins of d Roman city with a wealth
| of sarcophagi, tombs, a well-preserved
/ theater and a street of columns nearly
I all of black baSalt extending for near