 Chapter 4 of A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt and Italy, Part 2 by Ida L. Pfeiffer Excursion The two brothers, Baron Charles and Frederick von Busseck and Herr Sattler, the talented artist, resolved to make an excursion to Brusse, and, as I had expressed a similar wish, they were obliging enough to invite me to make a forth in their party. But when it came to the point, I had almost become a resolute. I was asked by someone if I was a good writer, for if you were not, said my questioner, it would be far better for you not to accompany them, as Brusse is four German miles distant from Gemleck, and the road is bad, so that the gentlemen must ride briskly if they wish to reach the town before sundown, starting as they would at half-past two in the afternoon. The general hour of landing at Gemleck. In the event of your being unable to keep up with the rest, you would put them to great inconvenience, or they will be compelled to leave you behind on the road. I had never mounted a horse, and felt almost inclined to confess the fact, but my curiosity to see Brusse, the beautiful town at the foot of Olympus, gained the day, and I boldly declared that I had no doubt I should be able to keep pace with my companions. On the thirteenth of May we left Constantinople at half-past six in the morning, on board a little steamer of forty horsepower. Passing the princes and dog-islands, we swept across the Sea of Marmora towards the snow-crowned Olympus, until, after a voyage of seven hours, we reached Gemleck. Gemleck, distant thirty sea-miles from Constantinople, is a miserable place, but nevertheless does some trade as the harbor of Bithynia. The agent of the Danube Navigation Company was a civil enough to procure us good horses, and a genuine stalwart and fierce-looking turkle-man for a guide. This man wore in his girdle several pistols and a dagger, a long crooked scimitar hung at his side, and, instead of shoes and slippers, large boots decked his feet, bordered at the top by a wide strip of white cloth, on which there were depicted blue flowers and other ornaments. His head was graced by a handsome turban. At half-past two o'clock the horses arrived. I swung myself boldly upon my rossinante, called on my good angel to defend me, and away we started, slowly at first, over stock and stone. My joy was boundless when I found that I could sit steadily upon my horse, but shortly afterwards, when we broke into a trot, I began to feel particularly uncomfortable, as I could not get on at all with the stirrup, which was continually slipping to my heel, while sometimes my foot slid out of it altogether, and I ran the risk of losing my balance. Oh, what would I not have given to have asked advice of any one? But, unfortunately, I could not do so without at once betraying my ignorance of horsemanship. I therefore took care to bring up the rear under the pretense that my horse was shy, and would not go well unless it saw the others before it. My real reason was that I wished to hide my maneuvers from the gentlemen for every moment I expected to fall. Frequently I clutched at the saddle with both hands as I swayed from side to side. I looked forward in terror to the gallop, but to my surprise found that I could manage this pace better than the trot. My courage bought its reward, for I reached the goal of our journey thoroughly shaken but without mishap. During the time that we traveled at a foot pace, I had found leisure to contemplate the scenery around us. For half the entire distance we ride from one valley into another, as often as a hill is reached there is a limited prospect before the traveler, who has, however, only to turn his head, and he enjoys a beautiful view over the sea of Marmora. After a ride of two and a half hours we arrived at a little con, where we rested for half an hour. Proceeding thence a short distance we reached the last of the hills, and the great valley, at the end of which Brissa is seen leaning against Olympus, lay stretched before our eager eyes, while behind us we could still distinguish, far beyond Hillendale, the distant sea, skirting the horizon. Yet beautiful as this landscape undoubtedly is, I had seen it surpassed in Switzerland. The immense valley which lies spread out before Brissa is uncultivated, deserted, and unwatered. No carpet of luxuriant verdure, no rushing river, no pretty village gives an air of life to this magnificent and yet monotonous region, and no giant mountains covered with eternal snow look down upon the plain beneath. Pictures like these I had frequently found in Switzerland, in the Tyrol, and also near Salzburg. Here I saw indeed separate beauties, but no harmonious whole. Olympus is a fine, majestic mountain, forming an extended barrier, but its height can scarcely exceed six thousand feet, and during the present month it is totally despoiled of its surface of glittering snow. Brissa, with its innumerable minarets, is the only point of relief to which the eye continually recurs, because there is nothing beyond to attract it. A little brook crossed by a very high stone bridge, but so shallow already in the middle of May as hardly to cover our horses hooves, and towards Brissa, a miserable village, with a few plantations of olives and mulberry trees, are the only objects to be discovered throughout the whole wide expanse. Wherever I found the olive tree, here, near Trieste, and in Sicily, it was alike ugly. The stem is gnarled, and the leaves are narrow and of a dingy green color. The mulberry tree, with its luxuriant bright green foliage, forms an agreeable contrast to the olive. The silk produced in this neighborhood is peculiarly fine in quality, and the stuffs from Brissa are renowned far and wide. We reached the town in safety before sunset. It is one of the most disagreeable circumstances that can happen to the traveler to arrive at an oriental town after evening has closed in. He finds the gates locked, and may clamor for admittance in vain. In order to gain our inn, we were obliged to ride through the greater part of the town. I had here an opportunity of observing that it is just as unsightly as the interior of Constantinople. The streets are narrow, and the houses built of wood, plaster, and some even of stone, but all wear an aspect of poverty, and at the same time of singularity. The gables projecting so much that they occupy half the width of the street, and render it completely dark, while they increase its narrowness. The inn, too, at which we put up, looked far from inviting when viewed from the outside, so that we had some dark misgivings respecting the quality of the accommodation that awaited us. But in proportion as the outside had looked unpropitious, were we agreeably surprised on entering. A neat and roomy courtyard, with a basin of pure sparkling water in the midst, surrounded by mulberry trees, was the first thing we beheld. Round this courtyard were two stories of clean but simply furnished rooms. The fair was good, and we were even regaled with a bottle of excellent wine from the lower regions of Olympus. May 14. Next morning we visited the town and its environs, under the guidance and protection of a Carus. The town itself is of great extent, and is reported to contain above ten thousand houses, inhabited exclusively by Turks. The population of the suburbs, which comprise nearly four thousand houses, is a mixed one of Christians, Jews, Greeks, etc. The town numbers three hundred and sixty mosques, but the greater portion of them are so insignificant, and in such a dilapidated condition, that we scarcely observed them. Strangers are here permitted to enter the mosques in a company of a Kavass. We visited some of the principal, among which the Ulla Darkami may decidedly be reckoned. The cupola of this mosque is a considered a masterpiece, and rests upon graceful columns. It is open at the top, thus diffusing a chastened light and a clear atmosphere throughout the building. Immediately beneath this cupola stands a large marble basin, in which small fishes swim merrily about. The mosque of Sultan Mohammed I, and of Sultan Idiram Bojassid, must also be noticed on account of their splendid architecture. The latter, too, for the fine view which is then subtained. In the mosque of Murad I, visitors are still shown weapons and garments which once belonged to that Sultan. I saw none of the magnificent regal buildings mentioned by some writers. The imperial kiosk is so simple in its appearance, that if we had not climbed the hill on which it stands for the sake of the view, it would not have been worth the trouble of the walk. A stone bridge, roved in through its entire length, crosses the bed of the river, which has very steep banks, but contains very little water. A double row of small cottages, in which silk weavers live and ply their trade, lines this bridge, which I was surprised to see here as its architecture seemed rather to appertain to my own country than to the east. During my whole journey I did not see a second bridge of this kind, either in Syria or Egypt. The streets are all very dull and deserted, a fact which is rather remarkable in a town of one hundred thousand inhabitants. In most of the streets more dogs than men are to be seen. Not only in Constantinople, but in almost every oriental town, vast numbers of these creatures run about in a wild state. Here, as everywhere, some degree of bustle is to be found in the bazaars, particularly in those which are covered in. Beautiful and durable silkstuffs, the most valuable of which are kept in warehouses under lock and key, form the chief article of traffic. In the public bazaar we found nothing exposed for sale except provisions. Among these I remarked some small, very unplatable cherries. Asia Minor is the fatherland of this fruit, but I did not find it in any degree of perfection, either here or at Smyrna. Brusa is particularly rich in cold springs. Clear is crystal, which burst forth from Mount Olympus. The town is intersected in all directions by subterranean canals. In many streets the ripple of the waters below can be distinctly heard, and every house is provided with wells and stone basins of the limpid element. In some of the bazaars we find a similar arrangement. On a nearer approach the appearance of Mount Olympus is not nearly so grand as when viewed from a distance. The mountain is surrounded by several small hills, which detract from the general effect. The baths, distant about a mile from the town, are prettily and healthfully situated, and moreover abundantly supplied with mineral water. Many strangers resort thither to recruit their weakened frames. The finest among these baths is called Jenny Kaplich. A lofty, circular hall contains a great swimming bath of marble, above which rises a splendid cupola. A number of refracting glasses, six hundred they told me, diffuse a magic light around. Our journey back to Constantinople was not accomplished entirely without mishap. One of the gentlemen fell from his horse and broke his watch. The saddles and bridles of hired horses are here generally in such bad condition that there is every moment something to buckle or cobble up. We were riding at a pretty round pace when suddenly the girth spursed and the saddle and rider tumbled off together. I arrived without accident at my destination, although I had frequently been in danger of falling from my horse without its being necessary that the girth should break. The gentlemen were satisfied with my performance, for I had never lagged behind, nor had they once been detained on my account. It was not until we were safely on board the ship that I told them how venturesome I had been and what terror I had undergone. End of Section 8 Section 9 of A Visit to the Holy Land This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Chapter 5 of A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt and Italy Part 1 by Ida L. Pfeiffer The extremely unfavorable reports I heard from Beirut and Palestine caused me to defer my departure from day to day. When I applied to my consul for a Furman, Turkish passport, I was strongly advised not to travel to the Holy Land. The disturbances on Mount Lebanon and the plague were, they assured me, enemies too powerful to be encountered except in cases of the most urgent necessity. A priest who had arrived from Beirut about two months previously affirmed positively that, in consequence of the serious disturbances, even he, known though he was far and wide as a physician, had not dared to venture more than a mile from the town without exposing himself to the greatest danger. He advised me to stay in Constantinople until the end of September and then to travel to Jerusalem with the Greek caravan. This, he said, was the only method to reach that city in safety. One day I met a pilgrim in a church who came from Palestine. On my asking his advice he not only confirmed the priest's report, but even added that one of his companions had been murdered whilst journeying homeward, and that he himself had been despoiled of his goods and had only escaped death through the special interposition of providence. I did not at all believe the reservations of this man. He related all his adventures with such a barren Manchausian heir, assumed probably to excite admiration. I continued my investigations on this subject until I was at length fortunate enough to find someone who told an entirely different tale. From this I felt assured, at least of the fact, that it would be almost impossible to learn the true state of the case here in Constantinople, and at length made up my mind to avail myself of the earliest opportunity of proceeding as far as Beirut, where there was a chance of my getting at the truth. I was advised to perform this journey in male attire, but I did not think it advisable to do so, as my short spare figure would have seemed to belong to a youth and my face to an old man. Moreover, as I had no beard, my disguise would instantly have been seen through, and I should have been exposed to much annoyance. I therefore preferred retaining this simple costume, consisting of a kind of blouse and wide Turkish trousers which I then wore. The further I travelled the more I became persuaded how rightly I had acted in not concealing my sex. Everywhere I was treated with respect and kindness and consideration were frequently shown me merely because I was a woman. On May seventeenth I embarked on board a steamboat belonging to the Austrian Lloyd. It was called the Archduke John. It was with a feeling of painful emotion that I stood on the deck, gazing with an air of abstraction at the preparations for the long voyage which were actively going on around me. Once more I was alone among a crowd of people, with nothing to depend on but my trust in provenance. No friendly, sympathetic being accompanied me on board. All was strange. The people, the climate, country, language, the manners and customs, all strange. But a glance upward at the unchanging stars and the thought came into my soul, trust in God and thou art not alone. And the feeling of despondency passed away, and soon I could once more contemplate with pleasure and interest all that was going on around me. Near me stood a poor mother who could not bear to part with her son. Time after time she folded him in her arms and kissed and blessed him. Poor mother, will thou see him again, or will the cold ground be a barrier between you till this life is past? Peace be with you both. A whole tribe of people came noisily toward us. They were friends of the crew, who bounced about the ship from stem to stern, canvassing its merits in comparison with French and English vessels. Suddenly there was a great crowding on the swinging ladder of chests, boxes, and baskets. Men were pushing and crushing backwards and forwards. Turks, Greeks, and others quarreled and jostled each other for the best places on the upper deck, and in a few moments the whole large expanse wore the appearance of a bivouac. Matts and mattresses were everywhere spread forth, provisions were piled up in heaps, and culinary utensils placed in order beside them. And before these preparations had been half completed, the Turks began washing their faces, hands, and feet, and unfolding their carpets to perform their devotions. In one corner of the ship I even noticed that a little low tent had been erected. It was so closely locked that for a long time I could not discern whether human beings or merchandise lay concealed within. No movement of the interior was to be perceived, and it was not until some days afterwards that I was informed by a Turk what the tent really contained. A shake from the Syrian coast had purchased two girls at Constantinople, and was endeavouring to conceal them from the gaze of the curious. I was for nine days on the same vessel with these poor creatures, and during the whole time had not an opportunity of seeing either of them. At the debarkation, too, they were so closely muffled that it was impossible to discover whether they were white or black. At six o'clock the bell was rung to warn all strangers to go ashore, and now I could discover who were really to be the companions of my journey. I had flattered myself that I should find several francs on board who might be bound to the same destination as myself. But this hope waxed fainter and fainter every moment, as one European after another left the ship, until at length I found myself alone among the strange oriental nations. The anchor was now weighed and we moved slowly out of the harbor. I offered up a short but fervent prayer for protection on my long and dangerous voyage, and with a calmed and strengthened spirit I could once more turn my attention towards my fellow passengers, who, having concluded their devotions, were sitting at their frugal meal. During the whole time they remained on the steamer these people subsisted on cold provisions, such as cheese, bread, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, olives, walnuts, a great number of onions, and dried mishmush, a kind of small apricot, which, instead of being boiled, is soaked in water for a few hours. In a sailing vessel it is usual to bring a small stove and some wood in order to cook pilau, beans, fowls, and to boil coffee, etc. This, of course, is not allowed on a steamboat. The beauty of the evening kept me on deck, and I looked with a regretful feeling towards the imperial city, until the increasing distance and the soft veil of evening combined to hide it from my view. Though at intervals the graceful minarets were still dimly discernible through the mists. But who shall describe my feelings of joy when I discovered a European among the passengers? Now I was no longer alone. In the first moments we even seemed fellow countrymen, for the barriers that divide Europeans into different nations fall as they enter a new quarter of the globe. We did not ask each other, are you from England, France, Italy? We inquired, whither are you going? And on its appearing that this gentleman intended proceeding, like myself, to Jerusalem, we at once found so much to talk about concerning the journey that neither of us thought for a moment of inquiring to what country the other belonged. We conversed in the universal French language and were perfectly satisfied when we found we could understand each other. It was not until the following day that I discovered the gentleman to be an Englishman and learned that his name was Bartlett. In Constantinople we had both met with the same fate. He had been, like myself, unable to obtain any certain intelligence, either at his consuls or from the inhabitants, as to the feasibility of a journey to Jerusalem, and so he was going to seek further information at Beirut. We arranged that we would perform the journey from Beirut to Jerusalem in company, if indeed we found it possible to penetrate among the savage tribe of Druzes and Maronites. So now I no longer stood unprotected in the wide world. I had found a companion as far as Jerusalem, the goal of my journey, which I could now hope to reach. I was well satisfied with the arrangements on board. I had made up my mind, though not without sundry misgivings, to take a second-class berth, and on entering the steamer of the Austrian Lloyd I discovered to my surprise how much may be affected by order and good management. Here the men and the women were separately lodged. Wash, hand-basins were not wanting. We fared well and could not be cheated when we paid for our board, as the accounts were managed by the first mate. On the remaining steamers belonging to this company I found the arrangements equally good. Crossing the Sea of Marmora we passed the seven towers, leaving the Prince's Islands behind us on the left. Early on the following day, May 18th, we reached the little town of Gallipoli, situate on an eminence near the Hell's Pond. A few fragments of ruins in the last stage of dilapidation caused us to think of the ages that have fled, as we speed rapidly on. We waited here a quarter of an hour to increase the motley assemblage on deck by some new arrivals. For the next twenty miles, as far as said Baha'i, the sea is confined within such narrow bounds that one could almost fancy it was a channel dug to unite the Sea of Marmora with the archipelago. It is very appropriately called the Strait of the Dardanelles. On the left we have always the mainland of Asia, and on the right a tongue of land belonging to Europe and terminating at said Baha'i. The shores on both sides are desert and bare. It is a great contrast to former times, a contrast which every educated traveller must feel as he travels hither from the Bosphorus. What stirring scenes were once enacted here? Of what deeds of daring, chronicled in history, were not these regions the scene? Every moment brought us nearer to the classic ground. Alas, that we were not permitted to land on any of the Greek islands, past which we flew so closely. I was obliged perforce to content myself with thinking of the past, of the history of ancient Greece, without viewing the sites where the great deeds had been done. The two castles of the Dardanelles, Seneca Lisi and Kilidil Bahir, that on the Asiatic shore looking like a ruin, while its European neighbor were the appearance of a fortress, let a steam pass unchallenged. And how shall I describe the emotions I felt as we approached the plains of Troy? I was constantly on deck, lest I should lose any portion of the view, and scarcely dared to breathe when at length the long-wished foreplane came in sight. Here it is, then, that this famous city is supposed to have stood. Yonder mounds, per chance, cover the resting place of Achilles, Petroclus, Iax, Hector, and many other heroes who have served their country as faithfully as these, though their names do not live in the page of history. How gladly would I have trodden the plain, there to muse on the legends which in my youth had already awakened in me such deep and awestruck interest, and had first aroused the wish to visit these lands, a desire now partially fulfilled. But we flew by with relentless rapidity. The whole region is deserted and bare. It seems as if nature and mankind were mourning together for the days gone by. The inhabitants may indeed weep, for they will never again be what they once were. In the course of the day we passed several islands. In the foreground towered the peak of the Hydra. Shortly afterwards, Cemethrace rose from the waves, and we sailed close by the island of Tenedos. At first this island does not present a striking appearance, but after rounding a small promontory we obtained a view of the fine fortress skirting the sea. It seems to have been built for the protection of the town beyond. After passing Tenedos we lost sight of the Greek islands for a short time. The mainland of Asia can always be distinguished on our left. But soon afterwards we reached the most beautiful of them all, Mytelene, which has justly been sung by many poets as the island of the fairies. For seven hours we glided by its coast. It resembles a garden of olives, orange trees, pomegranates, etc. The view is bounded at the back by a double row of peaked mountains, and the town lies nearly in the midst. It is built in a circular form round a hill strengthened with fortifications. In front the town is girded by a strong wall, and in the rear extends a deep bay. A few masts peered forth and showed us where the bay ended. From this point we saw numerous villages prettily situated among the luxuriant shade of large trees. It must be a delightful thing to spend the springtime on this island. I remained on deck until late in the night, so charming, so rich in varied pictures of Vernon Isles is this voyage on the Aegean Sea. Had I been a magician I would have fixed the sun in the heavens until we had arrived at Smyrna. Unfortunately many a beautiful island which we next morning contemplated roofily on the map was hidden from us by the shades of night. May 19. Long before the sun was up I had resumed my post on deck to welcome Smyrna from afar. A double chain of mountains rising higher and higher warned us of our approach to the rich commercial city. At first we can only distinguish the ancient, dilapidated castle on a rock, then the city itself, built at the foot of the rock on the seashore, at the back the view is closed by the brother mountains. The harbor is very spacious, but has rather the appearance of a wharf, with room for the whole fleets to anchor. Many ships were lying here and there was evidently plenty of business going on. The Frankstown, which can be distinctly viewed from the steamer, extends along the harbor and has a decidedly European air. Herr von Kramer had been previously apprised of my arrival and was obliging enough to come on board to fetch me. We at once rode to Hallezare, the summer residence of many of the citizens, where I was introduced to my host's family. Hallezare is distant about five English miles from Smyrna. The road thither is beautiful beyond description so that one has no time to think about the distance. Immediately outside the town we pass a large open place near a river, where the camels rest and where they are loaded and unloaded. I saw a whole herd of these animals. Their Arab or Bedouin drivers were reclining on mats, resting after their labours, while others were still fully employed about their camels. It was a truly Arabian picture and moreover so new to me that I involuntarily stopped my long-eared Busephalus to contemplate it at my leisure. Not far from this resting place is the chief place of rendezvous and pastime of the citizens. It consists of a coffee-booth and a few rows of trees, surrounded by numerous gardens, all rich in beautiful fruit trees. Charming beyond all the rest, the flower of the pomegranate tree shines with the deepest crimson among the green leaves. Wild oleanders bloomed everywhere by the roadside. We wandered through beautiful shrubberies of cypress trees and olives, and never yet had I beheld so rich a luxurience of vegetation. This valley, with its one side flanked by wild and rugged rocks, in remarkable contrast to the fruitful landscape around, has a peculiar effect when viewed from the hill across which we ride. I was also much amazed by the numerous little troops of, from six to ten, or even twenty camels, which sometimes came towards us with their grave majestic pace, and were sometimes overtaken by our fleet donkeys. Surrounded on all sides by objects at once novel and interesting, it will not be wondered at that I found the time passing far too rapidly. The heat is said not to be more oppressive at Smyrna during the summer than at Constantinople. Spring, however, commences here earlier and the autumn is longer. This fact, I thought, accounted for the lovely vegetation which was here so much more forward than at Constantinople. Heravon Kramer's country house stands in the midst of a smiling garden. It is spacious and built of stone. The large and lofty apartments are flagged with marble or tiles. In the garden I found the first date palm, a beautiful tree with a tall slender stem, from the extremity of which depend leaves five or six feet in length, forming a magnificent crown. In these regions and also in Syria, whither my journey afterwards led me, the date palm does not attain so great a height as in Egypt, nor does it bear any fruit, but only stands as a noble ornament beside the pomegranate and orange trees. My attention was also attracted to numerous kinds of splendid acacias. Some of these grew to an immense size, as high as the walnut trees of my own country. The villas of the townspeople all strongly resemble each other. The house stands in the midst of the garden and the hole is surrounded by a wall. In the evening I visited some of the peasants in company with Heravon Sea. This gentleman informed me that these people were very poor, but still I found them decently clad and comfortably lodged in large roomy dwellings built of stone. Altogether the condition of affairs seems here vastly superior to that in Galicia and in Hungary near the Carpathian Mountains. I reckoned the day I spent with this amiable family among the most pleasant I had yet passed. How gladly would I have accepted their hearty invitation to remain several weeks with them. But I had lost so much time in Constantinople that on the morning of May 20th I was compelled to bid adieu to Heravon Sea and her dear children. Heravon Sea escorted me back to Smyrna. We took the opportunity of roaming through many streets of the Franks' Quarter, which I found generally speaking pretty and cheerful enough, and moreover level and well-paved. The handsomeest street is that in which the consuls reside. The houses are finely built of stone and the halls are tastefully paved with little colored pebbles arranged in the form of reeds, stars, and squares. The inhabitants generally take up their quarters in these entrance halls during the day, as it is cooler there than in the rooms. To nearly every house a pretty garden is attached. The Turkish town is certainly quite different. It is built of wood and is angular and narrow. Dogs lie about in the streets just as at Brusa and Constantinople. And why should it be otherwise here? Turks live in all this quarter, and they do not feel the necessity of clean and airy dwellings like the Festidious Franks. The bazaars are not rubed, and here also the costlier portion of the wares is kept under lock and key. It is well worth the travellers' while to make an excursion to Bernaba, a place lying on the sea coast not far from the town, and serving, like Halizar, as a retreat for the townspeople during the summer. The views in this direction are various, and the road is good. The whole appearance of the place is that of a very extended village, with all its houses standing in the midst of gardens and surrounded by walls. From the Acropolis we have a fine view in every direction, and find, in fact, a union of advantages only met with separately elsewhere. In Smyrna I found the most beautiful women I had yet seen, and even during my further journey I met with few who equalled, and none who surpassed them. These fairy forms are, however, only to be sought among the Greeks. The natural charms of these graces are heightened by the rich costume they wear. They have a peculiarly tasteful manner of fastening their little round fezcaps, beneath which their rich hair falls in heavy plates upon their shoulders, or is wound with a richly embroidered handkerchief round the head and brow. Smyrna is, however, not only celebrated as possessing the loveliest women, but also as the birthplace of one of the greatest men. O Homer, in the grease of today thou wouldst find no materials for thine immortal Iliad. At five o'clock in the afternoon we quitted the harbor of Smyrna. In this direction the town is seen to much greater advantage after we have advanced a mile than when we approached it from Constantinople. For now the Turks town lies spread in all its magnitude before us, whereas on the other side it is half hidden by the Franks' quarter. The sea ran high and adverse winds checked the speed of our good ship, but I am thankful to say that, except when the gale is very strong, it does not affect my health. I felt perfectly well and stood enjoying the aspect of the waves as they came dancing towards our vessel. In Smyrna our company had been augmented by the arrival of a few more Franks. May 21st. Yesterday evening and all this day we had been sailing among islands. The principal of these were Sio, Samos and Kos, and even these form a desolate picture of bare, inhospitable mountains and desert regions. On the island of Kos alone we saw a neat town with strong fortifications. May 22nd. This morning shortly after five o'clock we ran into the superb harbor of Rhodes. Here for the first time I obtained a correct notion of a harbor. That of Rhodes is shut in on all sides by walls and masses of rock, leaving only a gap of a hundred and fifty to two hundred paces in width for the ships to enter. Here every vessel can lie in perfect safety. Be the sea outside the bar as stormy as it may. The only drawback is that the entering of this harbor, a task of some difficulty and calm weather, becomes totally impracticable during a storm. A round tower stands as a protection on either side of the entrance to the harbor. The venerable church of St. John and the palace of the comforter can be distinguished towering high above the houses and fortifications. Our captain imparted to us the pleasant intelligence that we might spend the hours between this and three o'clock in the afternoon on shore. Our ship had for some time lanes surrounded by little boats, and so we lost no time in being conveyed to the land. The first thing we did on reaching it was to ask questions concerning the ancient site of the celebrated Colossus. But we could gain no information as neither our books nor the people here could point out the place to us with certainty. So we left the coast to make up for the disappointment by exploring the ancient city. Roads is surrounded with three rows of strong fortifications. We passed over three drawbridges before entering the town. We were quite surprised to see the beautiful streets, the well-kept houses, and the excellent pavement. The principal street containing the houses of the ancient Knights of St. John is very broad with buildings so massively constructed of stone as almost to resemble fortresses. Heraldic bearings with dates carved in stone grace many of the Gothic gateways. The French shield with the three lilies and the date 1402 occurs most frequently. On the highest point in the city are built the Church of St. John and the House of the Governor. All the exteriors seem in such good preservation that one could almost fancy the Knights had only departed to plant their victorious banner on the Holy Sepulcher. They have in truth departed, departed to a better home. Centuries have breathed upon their ashes, scattered in all regions of the earth. But their deeds have been chronicled both in heaven and among men, and the heroes still live in the admiration of posterity. The churches, the House of the Governor, and many other buildings are not nearly so well preserved inside as a first glance would lead us to imagine. The reason of this is that the upper part of the town is but thinly inhabited. A gloomy air of silence and vacancy reigns around. We could wander about everywhere without being stared at or annoyed by the vulgar and envious. Mr. Bartlett, the Englishman, made a few sketches in his drawing-book of some of the chief beauties, such as the Gothic gateways, the windows, balconies, etc., and no inhabitant came to disturb him. The pavement in the city and even in the streets around the fortifications consists wholly of handsome slabs of stone, often of different colors, like mosaic, and in such good preservation that we could fancy the work had been but recently concluded. This certainly partly owing to the fact that no loaded wagon ever crushes over these stones, for the use of vehicles is entirely unknown in these parts. Everything is carried by horses, asses, or camels. Canons dating from the time of the Genoese still stand upon the ramparts. The carriages of these guns are very clumsy, the wheels consisted of round discs without spokes. From our tower of observation we can form a perfect estimate of the extent and strength of the fortifications. The city is completely surrounded by three lofty walls, which seem to have been calculated to last an eternity, for they still stand almost uninjured in all their glory. In some places images of the Virgin of the size of life are hewn out of the walls. The neighborhood of Rhodes is most charming and almost resembles a park. Many country houses lie scattered throughout this natural garden. The vegetation is here no less luxuriant than in Smyrna. The architecture of the houses already begins to assume a new character. Many dwellings have towers attached and the roofs are flat, forming numerous terraces which are all built of stone. Some streets in the lower part of the town, inhabited chiefly by Jews, are bordered with cannonballs and present a most peculiar appearance. I was also much struck with the costumes worn by the country people who were dressed quite in the Swabian fashion. It was in vain that I inquired the reason of this circumstance. The books we had with us gave no information on the subject and I could not ask the natives through my ignorance of their language. By three o'clock in the afternoon we were once more on board and an hour afterwards we sailed out into the open sea. Today we saw nothing further except a high and lengthened mountain range on the Asiac mainland. It was a branch of the Taurus. The highest peaks glistened like silver in the evening light, enveloped in a garment of snow. May 23. Today our organs of vision had a rest, for we were sailing on the high seas. Late in the evening, however, the sailors described the mountains of Cyprus looming in the far distance like a misty cloud. With my less practiced eyes I could see nothing but the sun set at sea, a phenomenon of which I had a more exalted conception. The rising and setting of the sun at sea is not nearly so striking a spectacle as the same phenomenon in a rocky landscape. At sea the sky is generally cloudless in the evening and the sun gradually sinks, without refraction of rays or prismatic plays of colors into its ocean bed to pursue its unchanging course the next day. How infinitely more grand is this spectacle when seen from the reggae column in Switzerland? There it is really a spectacle in contemplating which we feel impelled to fall on our knees in speechless adoration and admire the wisdom of the Almighty in his wondrous works. May 24. On mounting to the deck this fine morning at five o'clock I could distinguish the island of Cyprus, which looks uglier the nearer we approach. Both the foreground and the mountain peaks have an uncomfortable barren air. At ten o'clock we entered the harbor of Larnaca. The situation of this town is anything but fine. The country looks like an Arabian desert and a few unfruitful date palms rise beside the ruthless stone houses. I should not have gone on shore at all if Dr. Foslunk, whose acquaintance I had made at Constantinople and who had been appointed quarantine physician here for four weeks before my departure, had not come to fetch me. The streets of Larnaca are unpaid, so that we were obliged literally to wade more than ankle deep in sand and dust. The houses are small with irregular windows, sometimes high and sometimes low, furnished with wooden graded shutters, and the roofs are in the form of terraces. This style of building I found to be universal throughout Syria. Of a garden or green place not a trace was to be seen. The sandy expanse reaches to the foot of the mountains, which, viewed from this direction, form an equally barren picture. Behind these mountains the appearance of the landscape is said to be very fruitful, but I did not penetrate into the interior, nor did I go to Nicosia, the capital of the island, distant some twelve miles from Larnaca. Dr. Foslunk took me to his house, which had an appearance of greater comfort than I had expected to find, for it consisted of two spacious rooms which might almost have been termed halls. An agreeable coolness reigned everywhere. Neither stoves nor chimneys were to be seen, as winter here is replaced by a very mild rainy season. The heat in summer is often said to be unsupportable, the temperature rising to more than thirty-six degrees, Raymer. Today it reached thirty degrees in the sun. We drank to my safe return to my country in real old Cyprian wine. Shall I ever see it again? I hope so if my journey progresses as favorably as it has begun. But Syria is a bad country, and the climate is difficult to bear. Yet with courage and perseverance for my companions I may look forward to the accomplishment of my task. The good doctor seemed much annoyed that he had nothing to offer me but Cyprian wine and a few German biscuits. At this early season fruit is not to be had, and cherries do not flourish here because the climate is too hot for them. In Smyrna I ate the last for this year. When I re-embarked in the afternoon Mr Bartlett came with the English consul, who wished, he said, to make the acquaintance of a lady possessing sufficient courage to undertake so long and perilous a journey by herself. His astonishment increased when he was informed that I was an unpretending native of Vienna. The consul was kind enough to offer me the use of his house if I returned by way of Cyprus. He also inquired if he could give me some letters of recommendation to the Syrian consuls. I was touched by this hearty politeness on the part of a perfect stranger, an Englishman moreover, a race on whom we are accustomed to look on as cold and exclusive. End of Section 10 Section 11 of a visit to the Holy Land This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Chapter 6 of a visit to the Holy Land, Egypt and Italy Part 1 by Ida L. Pfeiffer May 25. This morning I could discern the Syrian coast, which becomes the more glorious the nearer we approach. Beirut, the goal of our voyage, was jealously hidden from our eyes to the very last moment. We still had to round a promontory, and then this Eden of the Earth lay before us in all its glory. How gladly would I have retarded the course of our vessel as we passed from the last rocky point into the harbor to have enjoyed this sight a little longer. One pair of eyes does not suffice to take in this view. The objects are too numerous and the spectator is at a loss whether he should first direct his gaze. Upon the town, with its many ancient towers attached to the houses, giving them the air of night's castles. Upon the numerous country houses in the shade of luxurious mulberry plantations. Upon the beautiful valley between Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Or on the distant mountain range itself. The towering masses of this magnificent chain, the peculiar color of its rocks and its snow-clad summits riveted my attention longer than anything else. Scarcely had the anchor descended from the bowels before our ship was besieged by a number of small boats, with more noise and bustle than even at Constantinople. The half-naked and excitable Arabs or fellas are so ready with offers of service that it is difficult to keep them off. It almost becomes necessary to threaten these poor people with a stick as they obstinately refuse to take a gentler hint. As the water is here very shallow, so that even the little boats cannot come quite close to the shore, some others of these brown forms immediately approached, seized us by the arms, took us upon their backs amidst continual shouting and quarreling, and carried us triumphantly to land. Before the stranger puts himself into the hands of men of this kind, such as captains of small craft, donkey-drivers, porters, etc., he will find it a very wise precaution to settle the price he is to pay for their services. I generally spoke to the captain or to some old stager among the passengers on this subject. Even when I gave these people double their usual price, they were not contented, but demanded an additional backsheesh, gratuity. It is therefore advisable to make the first offer very small and to retain something for the backsheesh. At length I safely reached the house of Herr Batista, the only inn in the place, and was rejoicing in the prospect of rest and refreshment when the dismal cry of no room was raised. I was thus placed in a deplorable position. There was no second inn, no convent, no place of any kind where I, poor, desolate creature that I was, could find shelter. This circumstance worked so much on the host's feelings that he introduced me to his wife and promised to procure me a private lodging. I now had certainly a roof above my head, but yet I could get no rest nor even command a corner where I might change my dress. I sat with my hostess from eleven in the morning until five in the afternoon, and a miserable long time it appeared. I could not read, write, or even talk, for neither my hostess nor her children knew any language but Arabic. I had, however, time to notice what was going on around me, and observed that these children were much more lively than those in Constantinople, for here they were continually chattering and running about. According to the custom of the country, the wife does nothing but play with the children or gossip with the neighbors, while her husband attends to kitchen and cellar, makes all the requisite purchases, and besides attending to the guest, even lays the tablecloth for his wife and children. He told me that, in a week at furthest, his wife would go with the children to a convent on the Lebanon to remain there during the hot season of the year. What a difference between an Oriental and a European woman! I still found the heat at sea far from unendurable, a soft wind continually wafted its cooling influence towards us, and an awning had been spread out to shelter us from the rays of the sun. But what a contrast when we came to land! As I sat in the room here, the perspiration dropped continually from my brow, and now I began to understand what is meant by being in the tropics. I could scarcely await the hour when I should be shown to a room to change my clothes, but today I was not to have an opportunity of doing so. For at five o'clock a messenger came from Mr. Bartlett with the welcoming intelligence that we could continue our journey, as nothing was to be feared from the Druzes and Maronites, and the plague only reigned in isolated places, through which it was not necessary that we should pass. He had already engaged a servant who would act as cook and dregoman interpreter. Provisions and cooking utensils had been bought, and places were engaged on an Arab craft. Nothing, therefore, remained for me to do but to be on the seashore by six o'clock, where his servant would be waiting for me. I was much rejoiced on hearing this good news. I forgot that I required rest and a change of clothes, packed up my bundle and hurried to the beach. Of the town I only saw a few streets, where there was a great bustle. I also noticed many swarthy Arabs and Bedouins, who wore nothing but a shirt. I did not feel particularly anxious to see Beirut and its vicinity, as I intended to return soon and visit any part I could not examine now. Before sunset we had already embarked on board the craft that was to carry us to the long wished-for, the sacred coast of Japa. Everything was in readiness, and we lacked only the one thing indispensable, a breeze. No steamers sail between Japa and Beirut. Travelers must be content with sailing vessels, deficient alike as regards cleanliness and convenience. They are not provided with a cabin or even with an awning, so that the passengers remain day and night under the open sky. Our vessel carried a cargo of pottery, besides rice and corn and sacks. Midnight approached, and still we were in harbor, with not a breath of wind to fill our sails. Wrapping my cloak tightly round me, I lay down on the sacks, in the absence of a mattress, but I was not yet sufficiently tired out to be able to find rest on such an unusual couch. So I rose again in rather a bad humor, and looked with an evil eye on the Arabs lying on the sacks around me, who were not slumbering softly but snoring lustily. By way of forcing myself, if possible, into a poetical train of thought, I endeavored to concentrate my attention on the contemplation of the beautiful landscape by moonlight, but even this would not keep me from yawning. My companion seemed much in the same mood, for he had also risen from his soft couch, and was staring gloomily straight before him. At length, towards three o'clock on the morning of May 26th, a slight breath of wind arose, we hoisted two or three sails, and glided slowly and noiselessly towards the sea. Mr. B. had bargained with the captain to keep as close to the shore as possible, in order that we might be able to see the towns as we passed. Accepting in Caesarea it was forbidden to cast anchor anywhere, for the plague was raging at Sur, Tir, and in several other places. Bargains of this kind must be taken down in writing at the consulates, and only one half of the sum agreed should be paid in advance. The other half must be kept in check, to operate as a check on the crew. After every precaution has been taken, one can seldom escape without some bickering and quarreling. On these occasions it is always advisable at once to take high ground, and not to give way in the most trifling particular, for this is the only method of gaining peace and quietness. Towards seven o'clock in the morning we sailed by the town and fortress of Saida. The town looks respectable enough, and contains some spacious houses. The fortress is separated from the town by a small bay, across which a wooden bridge has been built. The fortress seems in a very dilapidated condition. Many breaches are still in the same state, in which they were left after the taking of the town by the English in 1840, and part of the wall has fallen into the sea. In the background we could describe some ruins on a rock, apparently the remains of an ancient castle. The next place we saw was Serepta, where Elijah the Prophet was fed by the poor widow during the famine. The Lebanon range becomes lower and lower, while its namesake, the Anti-Lebanon, begins to rise. It is quite as lofty as the first named range, which it closely resembles in form. Both are traversed by fields of snow, and between them stands a third colossus, Mount Hermon. Next came the town of Tyre, or Sere, now barren and deserted, for that mighty scourge of humanity the plague was raging there to a fearful extent. A few scattered fragments of fortifications and numerous fallen pillars lie strewn on the shore. And now at length I was about to see places which many have longed to behold, but which few have reached. With a beating heart I gazed unceasingly towards St. Jean-Den, which, at length, I saw rising from the waves, with Mount Carmel in the background. Here, then, was the holy ground on which the Redeemer walked for us fallen creatures. Both St. John-Daker and Mount Carmel can be distinguished a long distance off. For a second time did a mild and calm night sink gently on the earth without bringing me repose. How unlucky it is that we find it so much harder to miss comforts we have been used to enjoy than to acquire the habit of using comforts to which we have been unaccustomed. Were this not the case, how much easier would traveling be? As it is, it costs us many an effort ere we can look hardships boldly in the face. But patience, thought I to myself, I shall have more to endure yet, and if I return safely I shall be as thoroughly case-hardened as any native. Our meals and our beverage were very simple. In the morning we had pilau, and in the evening we had pilau, our drink was lukewarm water qualified with a little rum. From Beirut to the neighborhood of St. John-Daker the coast and a considerable belt of land adjoining it are sandy and barren. Near Acre everything changed. We once more beheld pretty country houses surrounded by pomegranate and orange plantations, and a noble aqueduct intersects the plain. Mount Carmel, alone barren and unfruitful, stands in striking contrast to the beauteous landscape around. Jetting boldly out towards the sea it forms the sight of a handsome and spacious convent. The town of St. John-Daker and its fortifications were completely destroyed during the last war in 1840, and appear to sigh in vain for repairs. The houses and mosques are full of cannonballs and shot holes. Everything stands and lies about as though the enemy had departed but yesterday. Six cannons peer threateningly from the wall. The town and fortifications are both built on a ton of land washed by the sea. May 27. During the night we reached Caesarea. With the eloquence of a dimosthenes our captain endeavored to dissuade us from our project of landing here. He pointed out to us the dangers to which we were exposing ourselves and the risks we should run from bedowins and snakes. The former he avered were accustomed to conceal themselves in hordes among the ruins in order to ease travelers of their effects and money. Being well aware that such spots were only visited by curious tourists with well-filled purses, they were continually on the watch like the robber knights of the old German empire. An enemy no less formidable, said the captain, was to be encountered in the persons of numerous snakes lurking in the old walls and on the weed-covered ground, which endangered the life of the traveler at every step. We were perfectly aware of these facts, having gleaned them partly from descriptions of voyages, partly from moral traditions, and so they were not powerful enough to arrest our curiosity. The captain himself was really less actuated by the sense of our danger in advising us to abandon our undertakings than by the reflection of the time it lost him, but he exerted himself in vain. He was obliged to cast anchor and at daybreak to send a boat ashore with us. Our arms consisted of parasols and sticks, the ladder we carried in order to beat the bushes, we were escorted by the captain, his servant, and a couple of sailors. In the ruins we certainly met with a few suspicious-looking characters in the shape of wandering Bedowins. As it was too late to beat a retreat, we advanced bravely towards them with trusting and friendly looks. The Bedowins did the same, and so there was an end of this dangerous affair. We climbed from one fragment to another, and certainly spent more than two hours among the ruins, without sustaining the slightest injury at the hands of these people. Of the threatened snakes we saw not a single one. Ruins indeed we found everywhere and plenty. Whole side walls, which appeared to have belonged to private houses, but not to splendid palaces or temples, stood erect and almost unscathed. Fragments of pillars lay scattered about in great abundance, but without capitals, pedestals, or freezes. It was with a feeling of awe hitherto unknown to me that I trod the ground where my Redeemer had walked. Every spot, every building, became infested with double interest. Perchance, I thought, I may be lingering within the very house where Jesus once sojourned. More than satisfied with my excursion I returned to our bark. By three o'clock in the afternoon we were close under the walls of Joppa. To enter this harbor, partially choked up as it is with sand, is described as a difficult feat. We were assured that we should see many wrecks of stranded ships and boats. Accordingly I strained my eyes to the utmost and could discover nothing. We ran safely in, and thus ended a little journey in the course of which I had seen many new and interesting objects, besides gaining some insight into the mode of life among the sailors. Frequently when it fell calm our Arabs would recline on the ground in a circle, singing songs of an inconceivably inharmonious and legubrious character while they clapped their hands in cadence and burst at intervals into a barking laugh. I could not find anything very amusing in this entertainment. On the contrary it had the effect of making me feel very melancholy as displaying these good people in a very idiotic and degrading light. The costume of the sailors was simple in the extreme. A shirt covered them in rather an imperfect manner, and a handkerchief bound round their heads protected them from a coup de soleil. The captain was distinguished from the rest only by his turban, which looked ridiculous enough surmounting his half-clad form. Their diet consisted of a single warm meal of pilau or beans, eaten in the evening. During the day they stayed their appetites with bread. Their drink was water. The town of Japa, extending from the seashore to the summit of a rather considerable and completely isolated hill, has a most peculiar appearance. The lower street is surrounded by a wall and appears sufficiently broad. The remaining streets run up the face of the hills and seen at a distance to be resting on the houses below. Viewing the town from our boat, I could have sworn that people were walking about on flat housetops. As Japa boasts neither an inn nor a convent which might shelter a traveller, I waited upon the consul of the Austrian Empire, Herr D., who received me very kindly and introduced me to his family, which comprised his lady, three sons, and three daughters. They wore the Turkish costume. The daughters, two of whom were exceedingly beautiful, wore wide trousers, a kaftan, and a sash round the waist. On their heads they had little fez-caps, and their hair was divided into fifteen or twenty narrow plates, interwoven with little gold coins, and a larger one at the head of each plate. A necklace of gold coins encircled their necks. Their mother was dressed in exactly the same way. When elderly women have little or no hair left, they make up with artificial silk plates for the deficiencies of nature. The custom of wearing coins as ornaments is so prevalent throughout Syria that the very poorest women, girls, and children strive to display as many as possible. Where they cannot sport gold they content themselves with silver money, and where even this medal is not attainable, little coins of copper and other baser medals. The council and his sons were also clothed in the Turkish garb, but instead of a turban the father wore an old cocked hat, which gave him an indescribably ludicrous appearance. A son and a daughter of this worthy patron of the semi-Turkish, semi-European garb had but one eye, a defect frequently met with in Syria. It is generally supposed to be caused by the dry heat, the fine particles of sand, and the intense glare of the chalky hills. As I reached Japa early in the afternoon, I proceeded in company of the council to view the town and its environs. In dirt, bad paving, etc., I found it equal to any of the towns I had yet seen. The lower street near the sea alone is broad and bustling, with loaded and unloaded camels passing continually to and fro. The bazaar is composed of some miserable booths containing common provisions and a few cheap wares. The neighborhood of Japa is exceedingly fertile, numerous large gardens with trees laden with all kinds of tropical fruits, and guarded by impenetrable hedges of the Indian fig tree, form a half-circle around the lower portion of the town. The Indian fig tree, which I here saw for the first time, has an odd appearance. From its stem, which is very dwarfish, leaves a foot in length, six inches in breadth, and half an inch in thickness shoot forth. This tree seldom sends forth branches, the leaves grow one out of another, and at the extremity the fruit is formed. Its length is about two or three inches. Ten or twenty such figs are frequently found adhering to a single leaf. I could not conceive how it happened that, in these hot countries, without rain to refresh them, the trees all looked so healthy and beautiful. This fact I found was owing to the numerous channels cut through the gardens, which are thus artificially irrigated. The heavy dews and cool nights also tend to restore the drooping vegetation. One great ornament of our garden was, however, totally wanting, a lawn with wildflowers. Trees and vegetables here grow out of the sand or stony earth, a circumstance hardly noticed at a distance, but which produces a disagreeable effect on a near view. Flowers, I found, none. The whole region round Japa is so covered with sand that one sinks ankle-deep at every step. End of Section 11 Section 12 of a visit to the Holy Land. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Chapter 6 of a visit to the Holy Land, Egypt and Italy Part 2 by Ida L. Pfeiffer. Consul D. fulfills the duties of two consulates, the Austrian and the French. From both these offices he derives no benefit but the honour. By some people this honour would be highly valued, but many would rate it nothing at all. This family, however, seems to have a great idea of honour for the consul's office's hereditary, and I found the son of the present dignitary already looking forward to filling his place. In the evening I was present at a real Oriental entertainment in the house of this friendly family. Matt's carpets and pillows were spread out on the terrace of this house and a very low table placed in the centre. Round this the family sat, or rather reclined, cross-legged. I was accommodated with a chair somewhat higher than the table. Beside my plate and that of the consul were laid a knife and fork that appeared to have been hunted out from some lumber chest. The rest ate with a species of natural knife and fork, namely the fingers. The dishes were not at all to my taste. I had still too much of the European about me and too little appetite to be able to endure what these good people seemed to consider immense delicacies. The first dish appeared in the form of a delicate pilau, composed of mutton, cucumbers, and a quantity of spice, which rendered it more un-palatable to me than common pilau. Then followed sliced cucumbers sprinkled with salt, but as the chief ingredients, vinegar and oil, were entirely wanting, I was obliged to force down the cucumber as best I could. Next came rice milk, so strongly flavored with attire of roses that the smell alone was more than enough for me. And now, at length, the last course was put on the table. Stale cheese made of used milk, little unpeeled gherkins, which my entertainers coolly discussed, rind and all, and burnt hazelnuts. The bread, which is flat like pancakes, is not baked in ovens, but laid on metal plates or hot stones, and turned when one side is sufficiently done. It tastes better than I should have expected. Our conversation during dinner was most interesting. Some of the family spoke a little Italian, but this was pronounced with such a strong Greek accent that I was obliged to guess at the greater portion of what was said. No doubt they had to do the same with me. The worthy consul, indeed, affirmed that he knew French very well, but for this evening, at least, his memory seemed to have given him the slip. Much was spoken and little understood. The same thing is often said to be the case in learned societies, so it was not of much consequence. There are many different kinds of cucumber in Syria, where they are a favorite dish with rich and poor. I found numerous varieties, but none that I found superior to our German one. Another favorite fruit is the watermelon here called bastec. These I also found neither large in size nor better flavored than the melons I had eaten in southern Hungary. The consul's house seemed sufficiently large, but the architectural arrangement is so irregular that the extended area contains but few rooms and very little comfort. The apartments are lofty and large, extremely ill-furnished and not kept in the best possible order. I slept in the apartment of the married daughter, but had it not been for the bed standing round, I should rather have looked upon it as an old store-closet than a lady's sleeping-room. May 28. At five o'clock in the morning Mr. Bartlett's servant came to fetch me away, as we were at once to continue our journey. I betook myself to the house of the English consul, where I found neither a horse nor anything else prepared for our departure. It is necessary to look calmly upon these irregularities here in the east, where it is esteemed a fortune of occurrence if the horses and mookers, as the drivers of horses and donkeys are called, are only a few hours behind their time. Thus our horses made their appearance at half past five instead of at four, the hour for which they had been ordered. Our baggage was securely fixed, for we left the greater portion of our effects at Joppa, and took with us only what was indispensable necessary. As the clock struck six we rode out of the gate of Joppa, and immediately afterwards reached a large well with a marble basin. Near places of this description a great number of people are always congregated, and more women and girls are seen than appear elsewhere. The dress of females belonging to the lower orders consists of a long blue garment fastened round the throat, and reaching below the ankle. They completely cover the head and face, frequently without even leaving openings for the eyes. Some females, on the other hand, go abroad with their faces totally uncovered. These are, however, exceptional cases. The women carry their water-pitchers on their head or shoulder, as their ancestors have done for thousands of years, in the manner we find represented in the oldest pictures. But unfortunately I could discover neither grace in their gate, the dignity in their movements, the physical beauty in their appearance that I had been led to expect. On the contrary I found squalor and poverty more prevalent than I had thought possible. We rode on amid the gardens, every moment meeting a little caravan of camels. Immediately beyond the gardens we describe the fruitful valley of Sharon, extending more than eight miles in length, and to a still greater distance in breadth. Here and there we find villages built on hills, and the whole presents the appearance of an extremely fertile and well populated region. In all directions we saw large herds of sheep and goats, the latter generally of a black or brown color with long, pendant ears. The foreground of the picture is formed by the Judean mountains, a range apparently composed of a number of barren rocks. A ride of two hours through this plain, which is less sandy than the immediate neighborhood of Japa, brought us to a mosque, where we made halt for a quarter of an hour and eight hour breakfast, consisting of some hard-boiled eggs, a piece of bread, and a draft of lukewarm water from the cistern. Our poor beasts fared even worse than ourselves. They received nothing but water. On leaving this place to resume our journey across the plain, we not only suffered dreadfully from the heat, which had reached thirty degrees reamer, but were further persecuted by a species of minute gnats, which hovered round us in large swarms, crept into our noses and ears, and annoyed us in such a manner that it required the utmost of our patience and determination to prevent us from turning back at once. Fortunately we only met with these tormentors in those parts where the corn had been cut and was still in the fields. They are not much larger than a pin's head, and look more like flies than gnats. They are always met with in great swarms and sting so sharply that they frequently raise large boils. The vegetation was, at this season, already in so forward a state that we frequently passed stubble fields and found that the wheat in several cases had already been gathered up. Throughout the whole of Syria and in that part of Egypt whether my journey afterwards led me, I never once saw corn or vegetables, wood or stores carried in wagons. They were invariably borne by horses or asses. In Syria I could understand the reason of this proceeding. With the exception, perhaps, of the eight or ten miles across the valley of Sharon, the road is too stony and uneven to admit the passage of the lightest and smallest carts. In Egypt, however, this is not the case, and yet wagons have not been introduced. A most comical effect was produced when we met long processions of small donkeys, so completely laden with corn that neither their heads nor their feet remained visible. The sheaves seemed to be moving spontaneously or to be propelled by the power of steam. Frequently after a train of this kind has passed, lofty gray heads appear surrounded by a load piled up to so great a height that one would suppose large corn wagons were approaching rather than the ship of the desert, the camel. The traveler's attention is continually attracted to some novel and curious object totally dissimilar to anything he has seen at home. Towards ten o'clock we arrived at Ramla, a place situate on a little hill and discernible from a great distance. Before reaching the town we had to pass through an olive wood. Leaving our horses beneath a shady tree, we entered the copis on the right. A walk of about a quarter of a mile brought us to the tower of the Forty Martyrs, which was converted into a church during the time of the night's Templars, and now serves as a dwelling place for dervices. It is a complete ruin, and I could scarcely believe that it was still habitable. We made no stay at Ramla, a place only remarkable for a convent built, it is said, on the site of Joseph of Arimathea's house. The Syrian convents are built more like fortresses than like peaceful dwellings. They are usually surrounded by strong and lofty walls, furnished with loop holes for cannon. The great gate is kept continually closed and barred and bolted from within for greater security. A little poster is open to admit visitors, but even this is only done in time of peace, and when there is no fear of the plague. At length towards noon we approached the mountains of Judea. Here we must bid farewell to the beautiful, fruitful valley and to the charming road, and pursue our journey through a stony region which we do not pass without difficulty. At the entrance of the mountain chain lies a miserable village. Near this village is a well, and here we halted to refresh ourselves and water our poor horses. It was not without a great deal of trouble and some expense that we managed to obtain a little water, for all the camels, asses, goats, and sheep from far and wide were collected here, eagerly licking up every drop of the refreshing element they could secure. Little did I think I should ever be glad to quench my thirst with so disgusting a beverage as this muddy, turbid, and lukewarm water they gave me from this well. We once more filled our leather and bottles and proceeded with fresh courage at the stony path, which quickly became so narrow that without great difficulty and danger we could not pass the camels which we frequently met. Fortunately a few camels, out of every herd, are generally provided with bells, so that their approach is heard at some distance, and one can prepare for them accordingly. The Bedouins and Arabs generally wear no garment but a shirt barely reaching to the knee. Their head is protected by a linen cloth, to which a thick rope round twice round the head gives a very good effect. A few have a striped jacket over their shirt, and the rich men or chiefs frequently wear turbans. Our road now continues to wind upwards, through ravines between rocks and mountains, and over heaps of stones. Here and there single olive trees are seen sprouting from the rocky cliffs. Ugly as this tree is, it still forms a cheerful feature in the desert places where it grows. Now and then we climbed hills once we had a distant view of the sea. These glimpses increase the awe which inspires the traveler when he considers on what ground he is wandering, and wither he is bending his steps. Every step we now take leads us past places of religious importance, every ruin, every fragment of a fortress or tower above which the rocky walls rise like terraces speaks of eventful times long gone by. An uninterrupted ride of five hours over very bad roads from the entrance of the mountain range, added to the extreme heat and total want of proper refreshment, suddenly brought on such a violent giddiness that I could scarcely keep myself from falling off my horse. Although we had been on horseback for eleven hours since leaving Joppa, I was so much afraid that Mr. B. would consider me weak and ailing, and perhaps change his intention of accompanying me from Jerusalem back to Joppa, that I refrained from acquainting him with the condition in which I felt myself. I therefore dismounted, had I not done so, I should soon have fallen down, and walked with tottering steps beside my horse, until I felt so far recovered that I could mount once more. Mr. B. had determined to perform the distance from Joppa to Jerusalem a sixteen hours ride at one stretch. He indeed asked me if I could bear so much fatigue, but I was unwilling to abuse his kindness, and therefore assured him that I could manage to ride on for five or six hours longer. Fortunately for my reputation my companion was soon afterwards attacked with the same symptoms that troubled me so much. He now began to think that it might, after all, be advisable to rest for a few hours in the next village, especially as we could not hope, in any case, to reach the gates of Jerusalem before sundown. I felt silently thankful for this opportune occurrence, and left the question of going on or stopping altogether to the decision of my fellow traveler, particularly as I knew the course he would choose. Thus I accomplished my object without being obliged to confess my weakness. In pursuance of this resolve we stayed in the neighboring village of Carriot el-Arab, the ancient Emois, where the risen Savior met the disciples and where we find a ruin of a Christian church in a tolerable state of preservation. The building is now used as a stable. Some years ago this was the haunt of a famous robber, who was shake of the place and let no frank pass before he had paid whatever tribute he chose to demand. Since the accession of Mohammed Ali these exactions have ceased, both here and in Jerusalem, where money was demanded of the stranger for admission into the church of the Holy Sepulchre and other sacred places. Even highway robberies, which were once on a time of daily occurrence among these mountains, are now rarely heard of. We took possession of the entrance hall of a mosque, near which a delicious spring sparkled forth from a grotto. Seldom has anything strengthened and refreshed me so much as the water of this spring. I recovered completely from my indisposition and was able to enjoy the beautiful evening. As soon as the shake of the village heard that a party of Franks had arrived, he dispatched four or five dishes of provisions to us. Of all these preparations we could eat only one, the buttermilk, the other dishes, a mixture of honey, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, onions, oil, olives, etc., we generously bestowed upon the drago-man and the muqar, who caused them quickly to disappear. An hour afterwards the shake came in person to pay us respects. We reclined on the steps of the hall, and while the men smoked and drank coffee, a conversation of a very uninteresting kind was kept up, the drago-man acting as interpreter. At length the shake seemed seized with the idea that we might possibly be tired with our journey. He took his leave and offered unasked to send us two men as sentries, which he did. Thus we could go to rest in perfect safety under the open sky in the midst of a Turkish village. But before we retired to rest my companion was seized with the rather original idea that we should pursue our journey at midnight. He asked me indeed if I was afraid, but at the same time observed that it would be much safer for us to act upon his suggestion, as no one would suspect our departure by such a dangerous road at midnight. I certainly felt a little afraid, but my pride would not allow me to confess the truth, so our people received the order to be prepared to set out at midnight. Thus we four persons, alone and totally unarmed, traveled at midnight through the wildest and most dangerous regions. Fortunately the bright moon looked smiling down upon us and illuminated our path so brightly that the horses carried us with firm step over every obstruction. I was, I must confess, grievously frightened by the shadows. I saw living things moving to and fro, forms gigantic and forms dwarfish seemed sometimes approaching us, sometimes hiding behind masses of rock, or sinking back into nothingness. Lights and shadows, fears and anxiety thus took alternate possession of my imagination. A couple of miles from our starting place we came upon a brook crossed by a narrow stone bridge. This brook is remarkable only as having been that from which David collected the five stones wherewith he slew the Philistine giant. At the season of my visit there was no water to be seen, the bed of the stream was completely dry. About an hour's journey from Jerusalem the valley opens and little orchards give indication of a more fertile country, as well as of the proximity of the holy city. Silently and thoughtfully we approached our destination straining our eyes to the utmost to pierce the jealous twilight that shrouded the distance from our gaze. From the next hill we hoped to behold our sacred goal, but hope deferred is often a lot of mortals. We had to ascend another height and another, at last the Mount of Olives lay spread before us and lastly Jerusalem. The red morning dawn had begun to tinge the sky as we stood before the walls of Jerusalem, and with it the most beautiful morning of my life dawned upon me. I was so lost in reflection and in thankful emotion that I saw and heard nothing of what was passing around me. And yet I should find it impossible to describe what I thought, what I felt. My emotion was deep and powerful, expression of it would be poor and cold. At half past four o'clock in the morning of the twenty-ninth of May we arrived at the Bethlehem Gate. We were obliged to wait half an hour before this gate was opened. Then we rode through the still silent and deserted streets of the new Akhasa, Pilgrim House, a building devoted by the Franciscan friars to the reception of rich and poor Roman Catholics and Protestants. I left my baggage in the room allotted to me and hastened into the church to lighten the weight on my heart by fervent prayer. The entrance into the church looks like the door of a private house, the building is small, but still sufficiently large for the Roman Catholic congregation. The altar is richly furnished and the organ is a very bad one. The male and female portions of the congregation are separated from each other, the young as well as the old, and all sit or kneel on the ground. Chairs there are none in this church. The costume of the Christians is precisely the same as that of the Syrians. The women wear boots of yellow Morocco and over these slippers which they take off on entering the church. In the street their faces are completely, in the church only partially muffled, and the faces of the girls not at all. Their dress consists of a white linen gown and a large shawl of the same material which completely envelops them. They were all cleanly and neatly dressed. The amount of devotion manifested by these people is very small. The most trifling circumstances suffice to distract their attention. For instance, my appearance seemed to create quite a sensation among them, and they made their remarks upon me to one another so openly, both by words and gestures, that I found it quite impossible to give my mind to seriousness and devotion. Some of them pushed purposefully against me and put out their hands to grasp my bonnet, et cetera. They conversed together a good deal and prayed very little. The children behaved no better. These little people ate their breakfast while the service was going on and occasionally jostled each other, probably to keep themselves awake. The good people here must fancy they are doing a meritorious work by passing two or three hours in the church. No one seems to care how this time is spent, or they would assuredly have been taught better. I had been in the church rather more than an hour when a clergyman stepped up to me and accosted me in my native language. He was a German and, in fact, an Austrian. He promised to visit me in the course of a few hours. I returned to the Nuova Casa, and now, for the first time, had leisure to examine my apartment. The arrangement was simple in the extreme. An iron bedstead with a mattress, coverlet, and bolster, a very dingy table with two chairs, a small bench, and a cupboard, all of deal composed the whole furniture. These chattels and also the windows, some panes of which were broken, may once in very ancient times have been clean. The walls were of plaster, and the floor was paved with large slabs of stone. Chimneys are no more to be found in this country. I did not see any until my return to Sicily. I now laid myself down for a couple of hours to get a little rest, for during my journey hither from Constantinople I had scarcely slept at all. At eleven o'clock the German priest, Father Paul, visited me in order to explain the domestic arrangements to me. Dinner is eaten at twelve o'clock, and supper at seven. At breakfast we get coffee without sugar or milk. For dinner, mutton broth, a piece of roast kid, pastry prepared with oil or a dish of cucumbers, and, as a concluding course, roast or spice mutton. Twice in the week, namely on Fridays and Saturdays, we have fast day fair. But if the feast of a particular saint falls during the week, a thing that frequently occurs, we hold three fast days, the one of the saints' day being kept as a time of abstinence. The fair on fast days consists of a dish of lentils, an omelet, and two dishes of salt fish, one hot and the other cold. Bread and wine, as also these provisions, are doled out in sufficient quantities. But everything is very indifferently cooked, and it takes a long time for a stranger to accustom himself to the ever-recurring dishes of mutton. In Syria oxen and calves are not killed during the summer season, so that from the nineteenth of May until my journey to Egypt, in the beginning of September, I could get neither beef soup nor beef. In this convent no charge is made either for board or lodging, and every visitor may stay there for a whole month. At most it is customary to give a voluntary subscription towards the masses, but no one asks if a traveler has given much, little, or nothing at all, or whether he is a Roman Catholic, a Protestant, or a votary of any other religion. In this respect the Franciscan order is much to be commended. The priests are mostly Spaniards and Italians, very few of them belong to other nations. Father Paul was kind enough to offer his services as my guide, and today I visited several of the holy places in company with him. We began on the Via Dolorosa, the road which our Lord is said to have troddened when, for the last time, he wandered as God-man on earth, bowed down by the weight of the cross, on his way to Golgotha. The spots where Christ sank exhausted are marked by fragments of the pillars which St. Helena caused to be attached to the houses on either side of the way. Further on we reach the Zvargasa, the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have come in haste to see her beloved son for the last time. Next we visit Pilots' house, which is partly a ruin, the remaining portion serving as a barrack for Turkish shoulders. I was shown the spot where the holy stairs stood, up which our Lord is said to have walked. On my return I saw these stairs in the church of San Giovanni di Latterani. They also pretend to show the place where the Saviour was brought out before the multitude by Pilots. A little distance off, in the midst of a dark vault, they show the traveller the stone to which Jesus was bound when they scorched him. We ascended the highest terrace of this house, as this spot affords the best view of the magnificent mosque of Omar, standing in a large courtyard. With this exterior view the traveller is feigned to be content, for the Turks here are much more fanatical than those in Constantinople and many other towns, so that an attempt to penetrate even into the courtyard would be unsuccessful. The intruder would run the risk of being assailed with a shower of stones, but in proportion as the Turks are strict in the observance of their own ceremonies and customs, so they respect the Christians who are religious and devotional. Every Christian can go with perfect impunity to pray at all the places which are sacred in his eyes, without fear of being taunted or annoyed by Turkish passers-by. On the contrary, the Muselman steps respectively aside, for even he venerates the Saviour as a great prophet and the Virgin as his mother. Not far from Pilots' house stands the building designated as that of Herod. It is, however, a complete ruin. The house of the rich man, at whose gate the beggar Lazarus lay, has shared the same fate, but from the ruins one may conclude how magnificent the buildings must originally have been. In the house of St. Veronica a stone is pointed out on which they show you a footprint of the Saviour. In another house two footprints of the Virgin Mary are exhibited. Father Paul also drew my attention to the houses which stood on the spot where Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were born. These houses are all inhabited by Turks, but anyone may obtain admittance upon payment of a small fee. The following day I visited the church of the Holy Sepulchre. The way lies through several narrow and dirty streets. In the lanes near the church are booths, like those at Maria Zell in Styromark and many other places of pilgrimage, where they sell wreaths of roses, shells of mother of pearl, crucifixes, etc. The open space before the church is neat enough. Opposite lies the finest house in Jerusalem, its terraces gay with flowers. Visitors to this church will do wisely to provide themselves with the sufficient number of para, as they may expect to be surrounded by a goodly tribe of beggars. The church is always locked. The key is in the custody of some Turks, who opened the sacred edifice when asked to do so. It is customary to give them three or four piastras for their pains, with which some they are satisfied, and remain at the entrance during the whole time the stranger is in the church, reclining on the vans, drinking coffee and smoking tobacco. At the entrance to the church we notice a long square stone on the ground. This is the stone of anointing. In the center of the nave a little chapel has been built. It is divided into two parts. In the first of these compartments is a stone slab encased in marble. This is vehemently asserted to be the identical stone on which the angel sat when he announced our lord's resurrection to the women who came to embalm his body. In the second compartment, which is of the same size as the first, stands the sarcophagus or tomb of the savior of white marble. The approach is by such a low door that one has to stoop exceedingly in order to enter. The tomb occupies the whole length of the chapel and answers the purpose of an altar. We could not look into the sarcophagus. The illumination of this chapel is very grand, both by day and night. Forty-seven lamps are kept continually burning above the grave. The portion of the chapel containing the tomb is so small that when the priest reads mass only two or three people have room to stand and listen. The chapel is entirely built of marble and belongs to the Roman Catholics, but the Greeks have the right of celebrating mass alternatively with them. At the farther end of the chapel the cops have a little mean-looking altar of wood surrounded by walls of lath. All round the chapel are niches belonging to the different religious sects. In this church I was also shown the subterranean niche in which Jesus is said to have been a prisoner, also the niche where the soldiers cast lots for our Savior's garments and the chapel containing the grave of St. Nicodemus. Not far from this chapel is the Little Roman Catholic Church. A flight of twenty-seven steps leads downward to the chapel of St. Helena where the holy woman sat continually and prayed while she caused search to be made for the true cross. A few steps more lead us down to the spot where the cross was found. Our marble slab points out the place. Mounting the steps once more we come to the niche containing the pillar to which Jesus was bound when they crowned him with thorns. It is called the pillar of scorn. The pillar at which Jesus was scorched, a piece of which is preserved in Rome, is also shown. The chapel belonging to the Greeks is very spacious and may almost be termed a church within a church. It is beautifully decorated. It is very difficult to find the way in this church which resembles a labyrinth. Now we are obliged to ascend a flight of stairs, now again to descend. The architect certainly deserves great praise for having managed so cleverly to unite all these holy places under one roof. And St. Helena has performed a most meritorious action in thus rescuing from oblivion the sacred sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth. I was told that when the Greeks celebrate their Easter here, the ceremonies seldom conclude without much quarreling and confusion. These irregularities are considerably increased when the Greek Easter happens to fall at the same time as that of the Roman Catholics. On these occasions there are not only numerous broken heads, but some of the combatants are even frequently carried away dead. The Turks generally find it necessary to interfere, to restore peace and order among the Christians. What opinion can these nations, whom we call infidels, have of us Christians when they see with what hatred and virulence each sect of Christians pursues the other? When will this dishonorable bigotry cease? On the third day after my arrival at Jerusalem, a small caravan of six or seven travelers, two gentlemen, namely, and their attendants, applied for admittance at our convent. An arrival of this kind, particularly if the newcomers are Franks, is far too important to admit of our delaying the inquiry from what country the wanderers have arrived. How agreeably was I surprised when Father Paul came to me with the intelligence that these gentlemen were both Austrian subjects. What a singular coincidence! So far from my native country I was thus suddenly placed in the midst of my own people. Father Paul was a native of Vienna, and the two Counts, Berkshold and Salm Rapherscheit, were Bohemian Cavaliers. As soon as I had completely recovered from the fatigues of my journey and had collected my thoughts, I passed a whole night in the church of the Holy Sepulchre. I confessed in the afternoon and afterwards joined the procession, which at four o'clock visits all the places rendered sacred by our Saviour's passion. I carried a wax taper, the remains of which I afterwards took back with me into my native country as a lasting memorial. This ceremony ended, the priests retired to their cells, and the few people who were present left the church. I alone stayed behind, as I intended to remain there all night. A solemn stillness reigned throughout the church, and now I was enabled to visit, uninterrupted and alone, all the sacred places, and to give myself wholly up to my meditations. Truly these were the most blissful hours of my life, and he who has lived to enjoy such hours has lived long enough. A place near the organ was pointed out to me where I might enjoy a few hours of repose. An old Spanish woman who lives like a nun acts as guide to those who pass a night in the church. At midnight the different services began. The Greeks and Armenians beat a hammer upon pendant plates or rods of metal. The Roman Catholics play on the organ and sing and pray aloud, while the priests of other religions likewise sing and shout. A great and inharmonious din is thus caused. I must confess that this midnight mass did not produce upon me the effect I had anticipated. The constant noise and multifarious ceremonies are calculated rather to disconcert than to inspire the stranger. I much preferred the peace and repose that reigned around after the service had concluded to all the pomp and circumstance attending it. Accompanied by my Spanish guide I ascended to the Roman Catholics' choir where prayers were said aloud from midnight until one o'clock. At four o'clock in the morning I heard several masses and received the Eucharist. At eight o'clock the Turks opened the door at my request and I went home. The few Roman Catholic priests who live in the church of the Holy Sepulchre stay there for three months at a time to perform the services. During this time they are not allowed to quit the church or the convent for a single instant. After the three months have elapsed they are relieved by other priests. End of section 13 Section 14 of a visit to the Holy Land This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Chapter 7 of a visit to the Holy Land, Egypt and Italy, Part 2 by Ida L. Pfeiffer On the 10th of June I was present at the ceremony of admission into the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Counts Zishi, Ratislav, and Salaam Reiferscheit were at their own request installed as Knights of the Sepulchre. This inauguration took place in the chapel. The chief priest having taken his seat on a chair of state, the candidate for knighthood knelt before him and took the customary oath to defend the Holy Church to protect widows and orphans, etc. During this time the priest who stood round said prayers. Now one of the spurs of Godfrey de Boullion was fastened on the heel of the knight. The sword of this hero was put into his hands, the sheath fastened to his side, and a cross with a heavy gold chain that had also belonged to Godfrey de Boullion was put round his neck. Then the kneeling man received the stroke of knighthood on his head and shoulders. The priest embraced the newly elected knight and the ceremony was over. A plentiful feast given by the newly chosen knights concluded the solemnity. Distant somewhat less than a mile from Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives. Emerging from St. Stephen's Gate we passed the Turkish burial ground and reached the spot where St. Stephen was stoned. Not far off we see the bed of the brook Cedron which is, at this season of the year, completely dried up. A stone bridge leads across the brook. Adjoining it is a stone slab where they show traces of the footsteps of the Saviour as he was brought across this bridge from Gethsemane and stumbled and fell. Crossing this bridge we arrive at the grotto where Jesus sweat blood. This grotto still remains in its original form. A plain wooden altar has been erected there a few years since by a Bavarian prince and the entrance is closed by an iron gate. Not far off is Gethsemane. Eight olive trees are here to be seen that have attained a great age. Nowhere else had I seen these trees with such massive trunks though I had frequently passed through whole plantations of olives. Those who are learned in natural history assert that the olive tree cannot live to so great an age as to render it possible that these venerable trunks existed at the time when Jesus passed the last night in Gethsemane at prayer and supplication. As this tree, however, propagates itself these trees may be sprouts from the ancient stems. The space around the roots has been strengthened with masonry to afford a support to these patriarchal trunks and the eight trees are surrounded by a wall three or four feet in height. No layman may enter this spot unaccompanied by a priest on pain of excommunication. It is also forbidden to pluck a single leaf. The Turks also hold these trees in reverence and would not injure one of them. Close by is the spot where the three disciples are said to have slept during the night of their master's agony. We were shown marks on two rocks said to have been footsteps of these apostles. The footsteps of the third disciple we could not discover. A little to one side is the place where Judas betrayed his master. The little church containing the grave of the Virgin Mary stands near the grotto of Anguish. We descended by a broad marble flight of fifty steps to the tomb, which is also used as an altar. About the middle of the staircase are two niches with altars. Within these are deposited the bones of the Virgin Mary's parents and of St. Joseph. This chapel belongs to the Greeks. From the foot of the Mount of Olives to its summit is a walk of three-quarters of an hour. The whole mountain is desert and sterile. Nothing is found growing upon it but olives, and from the summit of this mountain our savior ascended into heaven. The spot was once marked by a church which was afterwards replaced by a mosque, even this building is now in ruins. Only twelve years ago a little chapel, a very humble appearance, was erected here. It now stands in the midst of old walls, but here again a footprint of our Lord is shown and reverenced. On this stone it is asserted that he stood before he was taken up into heaven. Not far off we are shown the place where the fig tree grew that Jesus cursed, and the field where Judas hanged himself. One afternoon I visited many of these sites, in company with Count Berktold. As we were climbing about the ruins near the mosque a sturdy goat-herd, armed with a formidable bludgeon, came before us and demanded bucksheets, a gift or an alms, in a very peremptory tone. Neither of us liked to take out our purse, for fear the insolent beggar should snatch it from our hands, so we gave him nothing. Upon this he seized the count by the arm and shouted out something in Arabic which we could not understand, though we could guess pretty accurately what he meant. The count disengaged his arm and we proceeded almost to push and wrestle our way into the open field, which was luckily only a few paces off. By good fortune also several people appeared near us, upon seeing whom the fellow retired. This incident convinced us of the fact that Frank should not leave the city unattended. As the Mount of Olives is the highest point in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, it commands the best view of the town and its environs. The city is large and lies spread over a considerable area. The number of inhabitants is estimated at twenty-five thousand. As in the remaining cities of Syria, the houses are here built of stone and frequently adorned with round cupolas. Jerusalem is surrounded by a very lofty and well-preserved wall, the lower portion composed of such massive blocks of stone that one might imagine these huge fragments date from the period of the city's capture by Titus. Of the mosques that of Omar, with its lead-covered roof, has the best appearance. It lies in an immense courtyard which is neatly kept. This mosque is said to occupy the site of Solomon's temple. From the Mount of Olives we can plainly distinguish all the convents and all the different quarters of Catholics, Armenians, Jews, Greeks, etc. The Mount of Offense, so-called on account of Solomon's idolatry, rises at the site of the Mount of Olives and is of no great elevation. Of the temple and the buildings which Solomon caused to be erected for his wives, but a few fragments of walls remain. I had also been told that the Jordan and the Dead Sea might be seen from this mountain, but I could distinguish neither, probably on account of a mist which obscured the horizon. At the foot of the Mount of Olives lies the valley of Jehoshaphat. The length of this valley does not certainly exceed three miles. Neither is it remarkable for its breadth. The Brooks-Sedron intersects this valley, but it only contains water during the rainy season. At all other times all trace of it is lost. The town of Jerusalem is rather bustling, particularly the poor-looking bazaar and the Jews' quarter. The latter portion of the city is very densely populated and exhales a notar offensive beyond description, and here the plague always seizes its first victims. The Greek convent is not only very handsome, but of great extent. Hither most of the pilgrims flock, at Easter time, to the number of five or six thousand. Then they are all herded together and every place is crowded with occupants. Even the courtyard and terraces are full. This convent is the richest of all because every pilgrim received here has to pay an exorbitant price for the very worst accommodation. It is said that the poorest seldom escape for less than four hundred piestras. Handsomest of all is the Armenian convent, standing in the midst of gardens. It has a most cheerful appearance. It is asserted to be built on the site where St. James was decapitated, an event commemorated by numerous pictures in the church. But most of the pictures, both here and in the remaining churches, are bad beyond conception. Like the Greeks, the Armenian priests enjoy the reputation of thoroughly understanding how to make a harvest out of their visitors, whom they are said generally to send away with empty pockets. As an amends, however, they offer them a great quantity of spiritual food. In the Valley of Jehoshaphat we find many tombs of ancient and modern date. The most ancient among these tombs is that of Absalom, a little temple of pieces of rock but without an entrance. The second is the tomb of Zacharias, also hewn out of rock, and divided within into two compartments. The third belongs to King Jehoshaphat and is small and unimportant. One might almost call it a mere block of stone. There are many more tombs cut out of the rock. From this place we reach the Jewish burial ground. The little village of Silla also lies in this valley. It is so humble and all its houses which are constructed of stone are so small that, wandering continually among tombs, the traveler would rather take them to be ruined resting places of the dead than habitations of the living. Opposite this village lies Mary's well, so-called because the Virgin Mary fetched water here every day. The inhabitants of Siloam follow her example to this day. A little farther on is the pool of Siloam where our Lord healed the man who was born blind. This pool is said to possess the remarkable property that the water disappears and returns several times in the course of twenty-four hours. At the extremity of the valley of Jehoshaphat a small hill rises like a keystone. In this hill are several grottoes formed either by nature or art, which also once served as sepulchres. They are called the rock graves. At present the greater portion of them are converted into stables and are in so filthy a state that it is impossible to enter them. I peeped into one or two and saw nothing but a cavern divided into two parts. At the summit of these rock graves lies the field of blood bought by the priests for the thirty pieces of silver which Judas cast down in the temple. In the neighborhood of the field of blood rises the hill of Sion. Here it is said stood the house of Caliphess, the high priest, whether our Lord was brought a prisoner. A little Armenian church now occupies the supposed site. The tomb of David, also situated on this hill, has been converted into a mosque in which we are shown the place where the son of man ate the last Passover with his disciples. The burial grounds of the Roman Catholics, Armenians and Greeks surround this hill. The hill of Bad Council, so called because it is said that here the judges determined to crucify Christ, rises in the immediate vicinity of Mount Zion. A few traces of the ruins of Caliphess's house are yet visible. The grotto of Jeremiah lies beyond the gate of Damascus, in front of which we found, near a cistern and elaborately sculptured sarcophagus, which is used as a water trough. This grotto is larger than any I have yet mentioned. At the entrance stands a great stone, called Jeremiah's Bed, because the prophet is said generally to have slept upon it. Two miles farther on we come to the graves of the judges and the kings. We descend an open pit, three or four fathoms deep, forming the courtyard. This pit is a square about 70 feet long and as many wide. On one side of this open space we enter a large hall, its broad portal ornamented with beautiful sculpture, in the form of flowers, fruit, and arabesques. This hall leads to the graves, which run round it and consist of niches hewn in the rock, just sufficiently large to contain the sarcophagus. Most of these niches were choked up with rubbish, but into some we could still see. They were all exactly alike. These long, narrow, rock hewn graves reminded me of those I had seen in a vault at Gron in Hungary. I could almost have supposed the architect at Gron had taken the graves of the valley of Jehoshaphat for his model.