Byeways in Palestine | Page 4

and provoked a good deal of merriment. Some of the neighbouring camps having herds of cattle, sent them to drink and to cool themselves in the river, as the heat of the day increased. Their drivers urged them in, and then enjoyed the fun of keeping them there by swimming round and round them. One cow was very nearly lost, however, being carried away rapidly and helplessly in the direction of the Dead Sea, but she was recovered. The Jericho people returned home, several of them charged with parting letters addressed to friends in Jerusalem; and we were left reposing, literally reposing, on the eastern bank,--the English chatting happily; the Arabs smoking or sleeping under shade of trees; pigeons cooing among the thick covert, and a Jordan nightingale soothing us occasionally, with sometimes a hawk or an eagle darting along the sky; while the world-renowned river rolled before our eyes.
"Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum."
The novelty of the scenes, and the brilliancy of the atmosphere, as well the vivacity of the recent transactions in "passing over Jordan," had their duly buoyant effect upon youthful persons,--who were, however, not forgetful of past events in these places belonging to sacred history.
The baggage went on; but, as the appointed halting-place was only about two hours distant, we remained enjoying ourselves as we were during most of the day.
Among our novel friends is an Arab hero named Gublan, as they pronounce it here, (but it is really the Turkish word Kaplan, meaning Tiger,) and his uncle, old 'Abdu'l 'Azeez. About three years before, Gublan had been attacked by Government soldiers at Jericho. He made a feigned retreat, and, leading them into the thickets of Neb'k trees, suddenly wheeled round and killed six of them. The humbled Government force retired, and the dead were buried, by having a mound of earth piled over them. Of course, such an incident was never reported to the Sublime Invincible Porte at Constantinople; but it was a curious coincidence, that this very morning, amid our circle before the tents, after breakfast and close to that mound, we had Gublan, 'Abdu'l 'Azeez, and the Turkish Aga of the present time, all peaceably smoking pipes together in our company.
Among our gentlemen we had a man of fortune and literary attainments, who had been in Algiers, and now amused himself with dispensing with servants or interpreters--speaking some Arabic. He brought but very light luggage. This he placed upon a donkey, and drove it himself--wearing Algerine town costume. The Bedaween, however, as I need scarcely say, did not mistake him for an Oriental.
Moving forward in the afternoon, we were passing over the Plains of Moab, "on this [east] side Jordan by Jericho"--where Balaam, son of Beor, saw, from the heights above, all Israel encamped, and cried out, "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar-trees beside the waters. . . . Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee," (Num. xxii. I, and xxiv. 5, 6, 9.) This territory is also called the Land of Moab, where the second covenant was made with the people by the ministry of Moses--the one "beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb."
Our ride was a gradual ascent; and after some time we were met by young 'Ali, the favourite son of the principal Shaikh Deab, (Wolf,) with a small but chosen escort, sent on by his father to welcome us. We saw a good deal of corn land, and people reaping their harvest. This belongs to two or three scattered villages about there, under the immediate protection of the Deab 'Adwan. The Arabs, however, in this part of the world, do condescend to countenance and even to profit by agriculture, for they buy slaves to sow and reap for them.
In two hours and a half from the Jordan we came to our halting-place, at a spot called Cuferain, ("two villages")--the Kiriathaim of Jer. xlviii. 23--at the foot of the mountain, with a strong stream of water rushing past us. No sign, however, of habitations: only, at a little distance to the south, were ruins of a village called Er Ram, (a very common name in Palestine; but this is not Ramoth-Gilead;) and at half an hour to the north was an inhabited village called Nimrin, from which the stream flowed to us.--See Jer. xlviii. 34: "The waters of Nimrin shall be desolate."
We had a refreshing breeze from the north which is justly counted a luxury in summer time. The shaikhs came and had coffee with me. They said that on the high summits we shall have cooler temperature