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love of sport, gave chase for a mile or two, but without success. Soon after another incident occurred to enliven our journey. A sheik of one of the Beddowee tribes of the valley came up to us mounted upon a beautiful spirited steed, and accompanied by several of his followers. He saluted us courteously, and presented a long willow staff to one of our company, a young gentleman attached to the British consulate, who spoke Arabic. This, we were informed, was a pledge of amity, and an assurance that we should receive no molestation from his tribe. Had we not been well attended, and the soldiers of the Pasha near at hand, he would with equal readiness have robbed us, or levied a heavy tribute from us. After riding quietly for some time, when we came to a level space of ground, he started from us at full gallop a short distance, wheeled suddenly round, and, as he passed us, fired one pistol and then another at the ground close to our horses' feet, and then began brandishing a long staff, as if about to throw a javelin at us. These evolutions were repeated several times. The fine animal he rode was managed with admirable skill, being made to wheel round, or stop suddenly upon his haunches when at full speed. Several of our Arab attendants now took up the same mock combat, but with far less effect, as they were neither as well mounted nor as practised in horsemanship as this "wild man of the desert." We had here an

THE DJERID.

213

opportunity of witnessing the exercise of throwing the spear.

djerid, or the mock The presence of so

great a crowd of pilgrims, and they Christians too, was an opportunity for the Mussulman to exhibit his skill and prowess which could not be lightly thrown away. Each horseman is provided with a wooden staff, about as long as a spear, and which can do no serious injury, unless through the carelessness of the mock combatants; in which case the greatest damage would probably be a severe bruise only. Mounted on Turkish saddles, with high pommels and short straps, the feet are supported in so substantial a manner by the flat shovel-shaped stirrups, that the horseman can rise high in air, and, standing erect while his horse is at the top of his speed, dart his quasi-javelin with all his own strength added to the momentum of the horse. Woe to the luckless object of his aim who is not quick enough to evade the threatened blow, or sufficiently skilful to catch the flying javelin by the handle. The sport gives occasion to the exercise of every kind of skill, and not unfrequently some accomplished horseman will stoop, at full gallop, clutch the javelin that lies upon the ground, and dart it in an instant at the opposite party. Such was the amusing spectacle of wild but noble horsemanship exhibited before us on our way to the camp.

The place of encampment was near the ancient

214

SITE OF JERICHO.

site of Jericho, and was the one annually occupied by the pilgrims on the same occasion. It is a grassy plain, of no great extent, surrounded with trees and bushes, and bordered on one side with a lively brook of fresh water fed from the ancient fountain of Elisha, of which I shall speak presently. In the morning all around had been silent and solitary, and probably for weeks and months had been untrodden by the foot of man, and to-morrow, when we depart, it will be consigned to the same desolation. Now, however, a city of canvass houses had suddenly sprung up, gay and bright, with their white roofs and sides striped with green, blue, and red, and the lanes and avenues between were thronged with a noisy, bustling population, and with numbers of camels, horses, mules and donkeys, picketed in every direction. People of various nations were there, Russians, Greeks, Armenians, Copts, to the number of more than two thousand, besides the battalion of Turkish soldiers sent by the Pasha to protect us from the plundering Arabs. Many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem also, and of other parts of Syria, availed themselves of this opportunity of a safe conduct to make their pilgrimage to the Jordan. When we entered, we found the tide of social life in full movement, as if it had been ebbing and flowing there for centuries. There were persons buying and selling articles of food and clothing, blacksmiths at their forges, tinmen pre

LONDON MECHANIC.

215

paring cans for the pilgrims to carry home the water of the sacred river, women passing to and from the brook with their water-jugs, or busy at the numerous fires preparing their evening meal; men smoking quietly at their tent doors, or gathered in little circles in earnest talk; and that which more than anything else gives animation to such a scene, the joyous voices and gambols of the children. A short march brought us to our home, where we found our faithful Asgoul preparing for us the meal, for which we ourselves after our long ride were well prepared.

In the course of the day we had fallen into conversation with a young man, a mechanic from London, who had been employed by the Society for the Propagation of Christianity amongst the Jews, to superintend the fitting up of the Mission Church at Jerusalem, and was still a resident there. Having been much pleased with his manners and conversation, we invited him to dine with us. This slight civility, which was more than repaid by the interesting information he gave us, he afterwards acknowledged, in a most delicate manner, by sending us a box accompanied with a note as follows:

DEAR SIRS,

MOUNT ZION, JERUSALEM, April 12, 1849.

Dispensing with formalities, I beg your accept

-

ance of the inclosed specimens :

1. Limestone from Bethlehem and Anathoth, used in the

new church on Mount Zion.

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THE ENCAMPMENT.

2. Two carved capitals from the altar railing in the same. 3. Bituminous stone from quarries beyond the Dead Sea. 4. Specimens of paving-stone from Jerusalem, the red for best purposes, the other for floors and roofs.

5. Specimens of olive wood.

6. A branch from the oldest tree in the Garden of Geth

semane.

7. Roman block for tesselated pavements.

8. Sundry trifling articles in equal quantities, which you will please to divide.

I remain, dear sirs, yours respectfully,

WILLIAM STEVENSON.

Rev. Dr. Wainwright and Mr. Minturn.

Should these pages ever meet the eye of this amiable young man, I hope he will excuse the liberty I have taken in thus, without permission, using his note and his name. I do it to point a moral for travellers, and to show the kindly influence of even small civilities to those we meet.

After dinner, in the evening, we took a stroll through our city built in a few hours, and found it lighted up more brilliantly than London or Paris. Each tent had before it a pole stuck in the ground, about four feet high, supporting a round iron grate, in which was kept up a bright fire with some bituminous substance. The scene was more gay even than by day. The tents were all open in front, and we could see their occupants smoking their pipes, some playing at cards and dice, others singing and clapping their hands, and all giving evidences of a state of feeling very different from

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