Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-04-28
FRED HILL IN
@ 80
THE HOLY LAND
SCENES OF THE r1ASTES'S LIFE
VISITED
Disgraceful Conditions of the
Country Under the Rule of the
Turk-Difficulties of Travel
How the Fireman Runs by the
Side of the Engine and Throws
Sand ON the Track.

For minister to see the Holy Land
in the space of eight days-or rather
to spend eight days away from Cairo,
visiting the Land Of the Bible during
that time, is rather a pity. But when
he has just eight days at his disposal,
then he must make the best or the
worst of it. So it was that, leaving
Mrs. Hill and Miss Mason in Cairo,
guarded over by our faithful drago-
mas, Mahomet, I journeyed toward
Palestine. Reaching Port Said in the
afternoon, was taken out to the
Kossier of the Khedival Line, bound
for Jaffa. The steamer is small and
was crowded. I was extremely for
tunate in my cabin companion who is
young minister of the church of
England. He is not too clerical, is
broad minded enough to recognize
other forms of church government,
and above all, he is jolly-can tell a
good story and appreciate a joke
even when it is on him. So it was
that we became quite friendly and
after sizing each other up, decided to
join forces for hasty tour about Jer-
usalem. At six O'Clock we sailed out
Of the harbor of Port Said. The
evening was perfect, the sea smooth
and the moon just past the full. There
was something lacking however to
make all ideal. I'll let you guess once
as to what that was Cairo was too
far away at any rate. Well we were
quite able or eft" as my English
friend would say, so we enjoyed three
hours of dinner, stories and after din
ner jokes in the DINING salon. Later
we turned in upon the hardest hunks
ever built by man. Early next morn
ing we arrived off Jaffa where we
were to be landed in small boats. At
six O'Clock the sea was comparatively
smooth, at seven the waves were run
ming so high that small boats could
not live in them. There is no harbor
at Jaffa, just open sea with sweep OF
Inc UI0 NCulU0IIdlCdlI i1O1I olOA .
Most of the passengers desired to land
here but not one could. So at eight
O'Clock we sailed away for Haifa. The
sea cut up high jinks and slowly, one
by one the good pilgrims succumbed
and either went below or dropped
and faded on the deck. just here let
me say that no longer wonder that
Jonah preferred the whale to boat
on this sea. The whale could land
him. the boat could not. The Medi-
terranean can produce more strange
feelings in greater variety of COM
binations, than any body of water on
the face of the earth, as least SO the
captain said. At one o'clock we reach
ed Haifa when we came to anchor
nearly two miles from shore. The
sea was not smooth but we were as
sured that we could land without diff
ficulty. Quite soon the gang way was
surrounded by a great number of
small boats which were filed with
turbaned, tunic clad, wild-mannered
lot of Syrians who preceded to yell
like nadmen and to seize our baggage
and throw it overheard, into the boats.
We we're HCookites' so followed that
Mans guide. We were soon sent off
toward the shore with the rain falling
: in torrents and everybody in despond-
emf spirits. We had intended to go
back to the boat in the evening and
proceed to Beyrout and take the trip
to Damascus from that port, but final
Iy decided that SO long as we could
not take the Jerusalem trip from Jaffa,
we could take four days tour in
Gailee, You must understand that
the sea ports for the Holy Land are
Jaffa, ancient Joppa, Haifa and Bey-
rout. From Jaffa one goes thru Jul
daea, from Haifa thru Galilee and
from Beyrout to Damascus and the
north. No railways connect these
various points and generally the only
through service is by horse Or mule
back. Well we had lunch and decided
Ito live once more-tho, honest Injun.
T wasn't really sea sick. Then we de-
cided to visit Mt. Carmel, the haunt
Of many of the old prophets and es-
pecially of Elijah and Elisha. The
mountain range is over twenty miles
long and is dreary waste. But at
the sea end, there is Carmelite mon
astery built over the traditional site
of Elijah's cave. Before go farther,
let me say that during this description
7 shall try to give due credence to
tradition SO far as it deals with places.
Tho many of the scenes mentioned IN
the Bible cannot possibly be accurate
" located, we know that we are near
the very sacred places and unless
actual proof or preponderance OF
evidence points to another place, |
fIhall try to accept what am told.