The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-02-28

hills upon which. our Savior preach
ed and where He drove the devils
into the swine. We rode up the val
lev of the Yarmuk. a stream almost
as large as the Jordan which loses
itself in the Jordan farther out We
climbed the foothills of Lebanon, and
AT about three thousand feet above
the surface of the Sea of Galile.
reached the rich plain OF Hauran. the
great bread basket of the BedOuins. Ii
crows wheat ard other grain, and the
land near the track was covered with
copies. golden daisies and wild rad
hollyhocks. We could see Bedouin
camps everywhere. They are made
of brown tents five or six feet high
and are so low that h people have
TO stoop to get in. Outside each little
settlement was an incloSure for tho
stock. and on the lands nearby cat
tie and camels We're grazing. AS We
travelled we could See great focks a.
black goats feeding Oh the sides OF
the Lebanon mountains. hey hung
to the cliffs, and looked much like
flies on the wall. There We're also
droves Of black cattle. and many
docks Of white sheep. each carrying 4
tail Of the size of a sofa pillow. which
hung down like an apron. half hiding
its legs.
The cars were crowded with Turks.
Syrians and Bedouins. but on the ad-
vice of a friend l gave the conduc-
tor a dollar, and in return had 4
compartment all to myself. Bak-
sheesh will do anything in Syria. AS
Shammas. my guide, puts it: The
franc is the wheel upon which tho
world goes round.
Steaming Over Holy Places
1t seems almOst sacriligious to
travel by rail in the footsteps OF the
Bible. The iron tracks now cover
the pathways OF the prophets. and
the ghosts Of the saints may be
reused by the shrek of the locomo-
tive. This road to Damascus, begin
ming with the branch line to Haifa.
skirts the edge Of Mount Carmel.
where Elijah lived III a cave and
where he contended with tbs 450
prophets of Raal and caused their de
struct+On. 1t goes up the plain OF
Esdrae!on. where the fair Jezebei
lived, and where Jehu Salloped to
Jezreel On his race for the throne.
1t takes YOU in plain sight OF Mount
Tabor, and under the hills OF Naza-
reth where the SAVERS boyhood and
young manhood were spent. 1t
crosses the SPOT where Jael was camp
no vher Sisera came and she lulled
him to sleep to drive the tent peg into
his forehead. and it then goes on ny
to Damascus over q route whiclI was
probably travelled BY Abraham, David
and Solomon, and by 81. Paul when he
was blinded BY the great light and
warned not to kick against the pricks.
The road to Jerusalem goes over
he nI~ins where the Israelites fought
with tire Phllistines, through h
country OF Samson, which I have al
ready described. and near the place
where DaVid with his little stone tho
great Goliath slew.
\ New Story of Cain and Abel.
The railway from Damascus TO
Rpjrnt shows Won Mount Harmon co
famed in the Psalms, and passes
numerous. places. which, according to
the Were the homes
and tonnbs Of the prophets. Take.
Tor instance, Suk Wadi EarOda, a lit
tie valley oasis made up of flat-roofed
mud houses. surrounded by orchards
n vineyards, on the way to Baalbek.
1t is mentioned by Josephus and is
referred to in st. Luke as the home
OF the tetrarch Lvsanias. h
Mohammedans say that Adam lived
IN the mountain which look down
upon it. and that it was near the oasis
itself that Cain became jealous OF
ABEL ana slew him. [ have always
thought that Abel was killed with q
cluD, although [ see now that the
Bible does not mention the weapon
used IN the murder. According to the
Moslem tradition had divided the
world into two sections and had given
one Of them to each of his boys. They
hau marked out their respective pos
sessions With stones. when a dispute
arose concerning the line.
cam claimed that Abel was inching
on nm, whereupon high words sprane
up and Cain threw a rock (which
struck b in the temple ana killed
him.
According TO the Mosiem tradition
cain was thereupon filed with 20
morse. He did not know what to do
WIN MS dead brother, and he took
the body on his back and carried 4
win nm over the world for 500
sears. At the end Of that time he
returned to this mountain uberc he
saw two birds lighting. At last one
hilled the other and it then washed
ana buried the one slain. Cain did