Byeways in Palestine | Page 5

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
than in Jerusalem, which is very probable.
After dinner I sat at my tent-door, by the rivulet side, looking
southwards over the Dead Sea, and to the west over the line of the
promised land of Canaan, which I had never before had an opportunity
of seeing in that manner, although the well-known verse had been often
repeated in England--
"Oh could I stand where Moses stood, And view the landscape o'er,
Not Death's cold stream nor Jordan's flood Should fright me from the
shore."
I then read over to myself in Arabic, the Psalms for the evening
service--namely, liii., liv., and lv.
About sunset there was an alarm that a lad who had accompanied us as
a servant from Jerusalem was missing ever since we left the Jordan.
Horse-men were sent in every direction in search of him. It was
afterwards discovered that he had returned to Jericho.
At about a hundred yards south of us was a valley called Se'eer, (its
brook, however, comes down from the north)--abounding in fine rosy
oleander shrubs.
During the night the water near us seemed alive with croaking frogs.
Last night we had the sand-flies to keep us awake.
Friday, 11th.--Thermometer 66 degrees before sunrise. My earliest
looks were towards Canaan, "that goodly land"--"the hills, from which
cometh my help." How keen must have been the feeling of his state of
exile when David was driven to this side the river!

Before breakfast I bathed in the Se'eer, among bushes of oleander and
the strong-scented ghar--a purple-spiked flower always found adjoining
to or in water-beds. Then read my Arabic Psalms as usual.
Before starting, young 'Ali and his party asked us all for presents, and
got none. We gave answer unanimously that we meant to give presents
to his father when we should see him. Strange how depraved the Arab
mind becomes on this matter of asking for gifts wherever European
travellers are found!--so different from the customs of ancient times,
and it is not found in districts off the common tracks of resort.
Our road lay up the hills, constantly growing more steep and
precipitous, and occasionally winding between large rocks, which were
often overgrown with honeysuckle in full luxuriance. The Arabs
scrambled like wild animals over the rocks, and brought down very
long streamers of honeysuckle, Luwayeh, as they call it, which they
wound round and round the necks of our horses, and generally got
piastres for doing so. About two-thirds of the distance up the ascent we
rested, in order to relieve the animals, or to sketch views, or enjoy the
glorious scenery that lay extended below us--comprising the Dead Sea,
the line of the river trees, Jericho, the woods of Elisha's Fountain, and
the hills towards Jerusalem. The Bedaween have eyes like eagles; and
some avouched that they could see the Mount of Olives, and the
minaret upon its summit. They indicated to us the positions of Es-Salt
and of Heshban.
We had now almost attained a botanical region resembling that of the
Jerusalem elevation, instead of the Indian vegetation upon the Jordan
plain; only there was ret'm (the juniper of 1 Kings xix. 4) to be found,
with pods in seed at that season; but we had also our long accustomed
terebinth and arbutus, with honeysuckle and pink ground-convolvulus.
The rocks were variegated with streaks of pink, purple, orange, and
yellow, as at Khatroon, on the Jerusalem road. Partridges were clucking
among the bushes; and the bells on the necks of our mules lulled us
with their sweet chime, as the animals strolled browsing around in the
gay sunshine.
When we moved forward once more, it was along paths of short

zigzags between cliffs, so that our procession was constantly broken
into small pieces. At length we lost sight of the Ghor and the Dead Sea;
and after some time traversing miles of red and white cistus, red
everlasting, and fragrant thyme and sage, with occasional
terebinth-trees festooned with honeysuckle, we came upon a district
covered with millions, or billions, or probably trillions, of locusts, not
fully grown, and only taking short flights; but they greatly annoyed our
horses. My choice Arab, being at that time ridden by my servant, fairly
bolted away with fright for a considerable distance.
At length we halted at a small spring oozing from the soil of the field.
The place was called Hheker Zaboot--a pretty place, and cuckoos on
the trees around