284 PREPARATION FOR A TOUR. Goliath of Gath. It was the very spot where the scene so graphically recorded in Scripture, might have been acted. "And the Philistines stood on a mountain, on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain, on the other side; and there was a valley between them." On each side of us was a mountain; and we stood in the valley. The small brook was still there, out of which the stripling David gathered the five smooth stones. The monks, however, say they have never been able to find the stone with which David killed Goliath. What a wonder! Making our way from this to the Joppa road, we returned again to Jerusalem. CHAPTER XVIII. Excursion to the Dead Sea-Valley of Kedron-Convent of Santa Saba-Church-Tomb of St. Saba-Human Skulls-The Dead Sea-Buoyancy of its Waters-Description-Story of Costigan-Arab Horsemanship and Manoeuvres-River Jordan-Greek Pilgrims-Jericho Destroyed-Fountain of Elisha-Mount of Temptation—An Arab Dance -Ruins of Ancient Jericho-A Desolate Region-A Chase after Wild Boars-Village of Bethany-Return to Jerusalem. WHILE at Jerusalem, Captain Edmonson and lady, accompanied by two other officers of the British navy, arrived. They had all ridden on horseback from Caipha, by the way of Nazareth and Nablous; and, on their arrival at Jerusalem late at night, Mrs. E. was pretty much exhausted. We were just making preparations for an excursion to the Dead Sea and the Jordan. They were desirous to accompany us; and to give the lady time to recruit her strength, we postponed our journey two days. ROUTE TO THE DEAD SEA. 285 Since the Holy Land has been wrested from the government of Mehemet Ali, a lawless state of anarchy and misrule has pervaded many parts of it. Under his government, robberies were becoming rare; but now they have become, as in former times, frequent and daring. No section is worse than that lying between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Just before our arrival at Jerusalem, four Austrians had set out to visit the Dead Sea and the Jordan; but not being properly guarded, on their way a party of Arabs came upon them, and robbed and stripped them. They returned to Jerusalem, almost naked. For our security, we were advised to take with us a strong guard; and, accordingly, two Arab sheiks, with about twenty of their men, were employed to accompany us. There are two routes from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea-one directly across the Mount of Olives, by Bethany; and the other by way of the convent of Santa Saba, farther south. We finally concluded to go one way, and return the other. At about noon on the 10th of February, we set out, accompanied by the English party and the Rev. Mr. Walcott, of Beyroot, who was at that time in Jerusalem. Our own company, with the Arab escort, amounted in all to over thirty. Going out by the Bethlehem gate we passed down the valley of Hinnom to that of Jehoshaphat, and thence pursued our course directly along the bed of the Kedron, which I have before stated was entirely dry. The distance from Jerusalem to Santa Saba, where we designed to lodge that night, is about three hours' ride. There is not a human habitation 286 BANKS OF THE KEDRON, on the whole way, except in one place we saw a small encampment of Bedoin Arabs. Most of the way the valley is narrow, and the banks on both sides, high. Occasionally other valleys intersect that of the Kedron, all of which are narrow, steep, and rocky. In several places there are olive groves; and, occasionally, apricot and fig trees are seen. The former were in full blossom. Numerous excavations in the rock are seen along the whole distance, probably designed for sepulchres. About thirty minutes before reaching the convent, the banks of the Kedron assume a perpendicular face to the height of one hundred feet, and the road rises above them. The whole scenery here becomes wild and grand. These cliffs are perforated with artificial grottoes, once the abodes of thousands of hermits, who centuries ago, dwelt in the clefts of the rock around the convent of Santa Saba. In a few minutes we were dismounted at the walls of the convent and very hospitably received by a goodnatured, smiling brotherhood of Greek monks. The rules of this convent exclude ladies as guests. There is, however, a separate building outside the walls, in which ladies are entertained; and in that Capt. Edmondson and wife took lodgings for the night. When this lady was refused admission into the convent, I could easily perceive by her countenance, that she felt a little of the spirit of a woman. She, however, seemed to possess an admirable command of her temper, and soon after, I saw her seated on the roof of her quarters, with pencil in hand, sketching the convent and surrounding scenery. The convent of Santa Saba stands on the west CONVENT OF SANTA SABA. 287 bank of the Kedron, and directly in the mouth of another steep valley coming in from the west. It is a large, massive pile, exceedingly high, and surmounted on the west side by a tower, which rises almost to the height of the mountains around. One of our first enterprises was to ascend to the top of the tower, which, in the experiment, we found to be no ordinary task. On arriving at the top of the last flight of steps, we came to a door, at which our guide knocked. It was unlocked by an aged father, who bore a very smiling countenance. This old man occupied a room at this vast height, and constantly lived there. I saw in his room several muskets. The scenery as spread out from the top of this tower, is some of the most wild and rugged in nature. After descending, we went into the church. The monks were just concluding a religious service, it being the festival of Saint somebody, I forget who. The church is small, and is splendidly decorated with gildings, and set off with a vast number of miserable flat staring pictures; many of them the likenesses of saints of whom I had never heard before. Directly west of the church is the tomb of St. Saba, the founder of this convent, in the fourth century. It is decorated with many paintings, and continually illuminated with burning lamps. Nearly under the church is another chapel dedicated to John of Damascus, who formerly lived there. It appeared to have been cut down in the solid rock. Behind a grating, in a room adjoining this, was an enormous pile of skulls. The monks say they are the skulls of fourteen thousand hermits who dwelt in the neighboring grottoes, and were murdered by the Arabs in the 7th century. It would be impossible for me to judge the number with any thing like accuracy, but from the immense heap, it must contain several thousands. The room assigned us was neat and comfortable, and the provisions furnished, together with some we had brought, made us an excellent meal. In this convent, like the one at Mount Sinai, no meat is furnished to visitors. They have, however, excellent bread, with eggs, butter, and coffee. Just before sunset, while standing on the convent-green, I noticed a jackal lazily climbing up the opposite bank, and almost within gunshot. After an early breakfast on the following morning, we took leave of the convent of San Saba, and were soon on our way to the Dead Sea. We were joined by some twelve or fourteen Greek pilgrims, which increased our cavalcade to over forty. The distance is about four hours' ride, over a broken and most desolate region. Part of the plain of Jericho was open to our view for some distance before our final descent to it. In different places, along valleys leading to the plain, we saw clusters of Bedoin black tents, with flocks of goats, sheep, and camels. The Arabs bordering the Dead Sea have a wild and savage appearance. At several places on the mountains, I saw pieces of lava strewed about. Evidently the region has once been volcanic. The first view we had of the Dead Sea, presented it far below us. Our descent to the plain of Jericho was rapid, and in some places, almost precipitous. The valley of the Kedron lay at our left, forming a |