Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-21

go either by Jeddah or Damascus. they
will be poorer than ever and hungrier
when travellers pass by. We had a
lively tilt with their sheiks, who were
assisted by the soldiers, but we taught
them a lesson that they will not soon
forget.
About the time we left Egypt on
camels another caravan of sixteen
Beirut for journey the whole length
of Palestine to meet us in Akaba. They
brought provisions from Beirut picked
up oranges at Jaffa, charcoal at GAIA,
found their way through the wilder
ness under the care of men from Beer
sheba. and came into Akaba just fif-
teen minutes before We arrived from
Egypt These saved us from falling
and tricky Akabites and made the re-
mainder of the journey easy.
Peninsula Offers Surprises.
Among the surprises within the
Sinai peninsula was the matter Of the
heights. The three days to Elm were
practically along the sea, but In the
following six days we climbed through
winding valleys and ever steep passes
until at Sinai our tents were pitched
at a height of 800 feet above the level
of the sea Here it was cold enough
for overcoats and sweaters. The win
ter of 19O7-S was one or much snow
AS much as half meter of snow fell.
L
not drop OF rain had fallen about the
monastery at Sinai. but the monks We're
still hoping to have either rain Or snow.
or both Then it was a surprise to
leys for day after day, where the rise
| or fall was only a few feet in the
mile.
Another delightful surprise was a
rightly called the Pearl of Sinai. The
water which makes the oasis Is love-
| ly stream, large enough to turn many
millstones. 1t winds among the gran
lite cliffs for more than ten miies: CIV,
! ing life to twenty or thirty thousand
palm trees with some other fruits and
patches of grain. All the tribes of the
neninsula have shares In these trees
and water. and at the tlme or the oate
| harvest come for scores of miles to get
their shares and to settle Thousand
matters of business connected with
their nomadic life. Now and again the
| trees are attacked by locusts: ana tns
MOSQUITOES which are always found and
are unspeakably fierce. with good gov
eminent and proper care OF the water
the fertility of the oasis could De In.
/ creased many fold. but the use inaue "
- Nv the wandering Arabs is pitlable
one. ~, oh,a,,. 90 tho
.vodus the more / am inclined 10 DeIeVe
that it was In this oasis that the clllIoIeh
If Israel remained for eleven months
while they were being organized as
na+ion If was a beautiful camping place
and contains every thing that was heces-
sarv for the physical life of such a null
| tirude OF people as went out at the eX-
odns. We read and reread the Bioie &C
counts on the very spots of the lncioents
recorded and weighed much OF the evil
| dence. for there are many theories ana
controversies
Petra an Enchanting City.
after leaving Akaba we made our
way to Petra and spent another elght
DAYS in that enchanting city. Mr.. ray
| Tor succeeded in getting some new views
| by means of colored photography. Altar
| Petra we made our way north through
! Edom visiting Kerak. with'its great cru
sader castle. and into the plains of Ma
deba We spent a er-to-be-fOrgOtten
sabbath day on Mount Nebo, and read III !,
| RibIe account of the last years in the
life of Moses. 1t was a bright clear day,
| and the view was everything one could
desire We also climbed Mount Hor TO
get the view that Aaron had before his
death, but that day was a cloudy one and
| the view was unsatisfactory. After Nebo
| we visited the Amman. the ancient Phila-
delphia of the Syrian desert, and then
| set up our tents at the JabbOk, in one of
| the most beautiful camping places Of our
"trip. After crossing the Jordan and spend
| ing a Sunday beside the recently uncov-
cred ruins at ancient Jericho, we climbed
the hills of Jerusalem.
The recently uncovered ruins at Jericho,
| to which Mr.. Hoskins refers. have b&en
thoroughly searched by German archsol