Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-05-29
CANPING OUT N PALESTINE.


Er"
2S 1909. Il There are no fences in
Palestine, no farmhouses, no roads.
The traveller who wishes to see the
country as It really is of the two or
three highways, must have tents,
amply proyisioned, and be willing to.
undergo hardshlps.
Horseback or donkeyback Is, except
walking. the only method OF transp0r-
talon practicable. A bride path on
a farm in the 0EaFks or amid the
scrubbiest Of the white oak region is
superior 70 the best road through
Judea, Samaria and Galilee. A rapid
walk Is the fastest gait which the
horses eau be made to take, Al
together tent life in Palestine is an
experience wholly unlike that in any
other country, and travelling across
country here is entirely unique.
AS preparatory to our journey north
ward the class took a horseback ride
to Mar Saba, a wild rayine three hours
from Jerusalem where is situated a
Greek Catholic monastery amid
picturesque scenery and sharp rocks,
This Journey was totry our horses and
ourselves. Several horses were ruled
out after the Mar Saba day-among
them the one ridden by High Church
man which had an unpleasant habit
OF standing on his front legs and
his hind legs stretched toward
the sky and the animal which
carried the Scribe, which de.
veloped a peculiar propensity to walk
on its knees.
So when the Monday morning Of de-
parture came new horses were provid-
cd in place of these and other deficient
or o~verzealous animals. The new
horse for the Scribe was an antique as
we're the entire number except the
magnificent iron grey Arabian steed Of
the Dragoman. The Arabic name Of
the Scribe's beast was Delight Of my
Soul,n but he re-canonized it as
Johnny Jones in memory Of Eugene
Fields touching little tale Listen to
my tale Of woe" For Delight of my
Soul had a tail Of unusual pretensions
as to length, thickness and activity.
In Palestine horses tails often are 50
long that they drag the ground. The
sheep have fat tails upon which they
live in the winter season when there
is no grass, and the men wear trous-
ers that bag behind just like the tail
Of the sheep. Whether the trousers
were modelled by the tailor after look
ing at the sheep or whether the sheep
grew its peculiar tail after gazing
upon the trousers we cannot say.
Their similarity is striking. To re-
turn TO the horses. The caravan was
hobhled at night by tying each horses
right foreleg ard left hind leg to a
rope stretched from two stakes In the
ground. An American horse thus
fastened would be found the next
morning with at least four broken
legs.
Scarcely had Mount Scopus, a half
hours ride from Jerusalem, been
reached, when the class was oyertaken
by a rain storm. Though we had been
in Palestine during the period Of the
"atter rains" there had been no rains.
We were anxious to try the temper Of
a real rain, and we had opportunity,
Rain comes On slight p~royocation and
without warning IN this land. We
had scarcely time to dismount from
our horses, find our m~ackintoshes and
don them before the storm burst.
Through the rain We rode for two
days, not a continual rain, but almost
such. Ell Birch, a town Of LOCO peo-
pie, was the first stopping place. Here
Mary and Joseph, returning from
Jerusalem after the feast, missed
Jesus and went back to find Him in
the temple. Bethel is a few minutes dis
tant, with its miserable novels con-
shutting a typical moslem town.
The road-so called-goes over cob
hled stones, up and down rugged hill
sides, and descends into a narrow,
lonely dehle, not appropriately call
ed "the robbers valley The ruins
Of an old Khan are here where travel.
ems could formerly find entertainment.
Just as the sun was setting over be-
y0nd the hill Of Shiloh we came to our
first camping ground. To our sur
prise cur tents, six for eight people,
bore the stars and stripes beside the
Turkish star and crescent The
clouds had disappeared, the sun gave
a fine light upon the scene, and Camp
Sinjil, named from the nearby village
Of Sinjll, was voted a success. Turkish
patrolmen guarded the camp and at :
O'Clock we sat down in this wild place
to 4 dinner in six courses. The hard
ships Of eamplife were reduced to a
minimum by iron bedsteads, carpets,
camp stools, washstands and = the
six-oourse dinner.
WE MUST NEEDS 90 THROUGH
sAMARtA.
Our road nOrthward led through
the territory Of Benjamin and then,
through the valleys and mountains OF
Ephraim. The second day brought
US a windstOrm to supplement the
rain. But this daunted no spirits
we had an abundance Of qulnine and,
though the Chief Musician lost the
hotel labels from his dress-suit case,
there was no more serious mishap.
But the stormy day was well spent If
only in such wayconld be secured the
magnificent picture which in the late
afternoon we obtained at the base Of
the twin mountains, Ebal and Geri-
zim. W. had been pelted by big rain
drops and bunetted by the wind and
needed encouragement Of some kind.
IRON NABULUs TO JENIS.
Through the valley Of shecem and
on TO the northward we came the next
morning TO the Mount or Hill Of sa-
maria crowned by massive ruins Of
structures dating to the time Of
Herod. This city on the hill Is in the
/ center Of a fine and heaufffuf basin