"We are men of peace," was the reply, "and we have no wish to fight. Most of the Franks who have come to Wady Mûsa have likewise been men of peace; but they may have made a mistake in treating with their Arab conductors, instead of with yourselves, the occupants of these territories. We have made no agreement with our Arabs in your behalf; and we shall be happy to give you reasonable remuneration for the protection which you may afford, the supplies you may furnish, the services you may render to us, and the damage which may be done to you by any of our people." On this declaration, the sheikh's countenance brightened, and complimenting them for their consideration, he added, "This is all we want, and for a hundred piastres for each of you, and for daily wages to your attendants, you are welcome to stay with us as long as you please." On these terms Dr. Wilson and his friends enjoyed peace and protection. The sheikh was faithful to his engagements, and frequently visited them, to inquire if his men did their duty, and to mark their progress in their researches.*

The reader will now be conducted, first in the track of Dr. Wilson, and then in the track of Dr. Robinson, on their way to Petra; after which he will be informed of the character of that singular place.

Dr. Wilson and his fellow-travellers approached Idumæa from the western desert. * Lands of the Bible, vol. i. p. 103.

Having crossed the Valley of the Arabah, which they estimated to be ten or eleven miles in breadth, they came upon a low ridge jutting into it, as an outport from the Idumæan range. They partly rounded and partly surmounted this ridge, and pitched their tent in the wady, which leads up, by a low pass, to the flanks of Mount Hor, and alongside of them to Petra, the wonderful and mysterious Selah, or city of the rock, which they had come so far, through the great and terrible wilderness, to inspect. "As soon as we were able," says Dr. Wilson, 66 we took out our Bibles, and read the twentieth chapter of Numbers. This portion of the Divine word carried us back, with melancholy interest, to the times when Israel vainly demanded of his brother Esau a way through his territory, without trespass, or injury, or unrequited favour; and when the consecrated brother of Moses died upon the top of that very mount, the summits of which the sun, sinking in the western wastes, in the ocean of desolation over which we had passed, was still gilding with subdued radiance."

The morning of the next day, (March 8th, 1843,) was devoted to a geological excursion over the lower ridges of Mount Seir, on which they report thus: The fundamental stratified rock they found to be the new red or variegated sandstone; a circumstance worthy of notice, because, when associated with the existence of the same rock, with horizontal strata, on the heights of Mount Hor, which they afterwards

visited in the course of the day, they had unequivocal evidence of the formation extending to the extraordinary depth of about one thousand five hundred feet. Through this rock there burst longitudinal dykes of red granite and porphyry, running nearly parallel with the range of Mount Seir, and so completely silicifying the sandstone in some parts as to give it the appearance of a primitive rock. Above the red sandstone they found the jurassic limestone, so abundant in the Holy Land, and highest of all the cretaceous system, of which they afterwards found the summits of Mount Seir, behind Petra, to be composed.

Over much of the sandstone below there lie great quantities of alluvial compact conglomerate, principally of chalk, with pebbles and rounded stones, and also large quantities of loose chalk, which have been washed down by the heavy rains. The red granite and the dark porphyry cutting through the stratified rocks, so diverse in their colour, and the white debris by which they are covered, presented together a scene so peculiar, they say, as to give large scope to their wonderment.

After this exploration the party partook of breakfast with great thankfulness, seated on the ledge of a rock, and shaded from the burning sun by another of greater altitude. With more than common interest and excitement they began the ascent of the pass which leads up to Petra. Near its commencement they noticed a small excavation to the left, which,

though not very remarkable in its appearance, they eagerly entered, as the first of the artificial caverns which in these parts were destined so much to attract their attention. In its vicinity they found some old ruins, called by the Arabs Abu-Sheibah. It is from them that the pass receives its name. They probably mark the site of an ancient small fort, by which it must have been commanded, or a place of custom, where the transit dues may have been exacted on the goods carried into the great commercial depôt of Petra. The rocks and mountains before them were wild and romantic, but in grandeur and sublimity not equal to those of Sinai. The summits of the pass were gained with much laborious travel and toil, during most of which they had been climbing on foot; and when their Kafîlah began to descend into the depths of Petra, along the south-east flank of Mount Hor, they cast a longing and wistful eye on that conspicuous eminence itself, and on the Kabar Hárún by which it is crowned. Scarcely a moment was left them for deliberation. It was prior to the agreement which has been narrated on a former page; and they concluded, that as the Fellahîn of Wady Musa were represented as averse to Mount Hor's being visited by strangers, their best hope of reaching it lay in the attempt to accomplish the achievement before these Fellahîn could be aware of their arrival in the place. They sent forward their Arabs, and commenced the ascent of the mountain, more desirous of success than sanguine about its attainment.

For about twenty minutes they had something like soil on the heights, with many small bushes of the juniper cedar, and the remains of terraces, formerly used in cultivation; but in the higher parts of the mountain they had nothing but the bare sandstone cliffs. The precipitous scarps which they form are regulated by the extent of their strata, formidable in appearance to the person aspiring to surmount them, and formidable on actual trial, particularly as they were unacquainted with the usual path of ascent, and the single Arab who was with them knew nothing of the locality. They hoisted and pulled one another, and grasped, and crept, and climbed, as best they could. At one or two places they found the work sufficiently trying to their heads and nerves, as well as to their hands and feet; and it was only by rendering to one another mutual assistance, that they were able to make any progress. About a hundred and fifty feet from the top they came to a stand, or rather were threatened with a fall, but after a little breathing they took the remaining walls of rock by storm. Near the crown of the height they found a gash in the mountain, with a ledge of rock overhanging it; and in this cut, after passing an ancient archway and gate, they found a regular series of steps, which conducted them to the very summit.

"After the greatness and peril of the effort which we had been compelled to make," says Wilson, 66 we should, in ordinary circum

Dr.