DOMESTIC LIFE
PALESTINE.
BY
MARY ELIZA EOGEES.
CINCINNATI:
PUBLISHED BY POE & HITCHCOCK
R. P. THOMPSON, PRINTER.
1865.
AUTHOE'S PEEFAOE.
While residing in Palestine, I was placed in cir-
cumstances which gave me unusual facilities for ob-
serving the inner phases of Oriental Domestic Life.
I mingled freely with the people, of all creeds and
classes, and daily became better acquainted with their
habits and modes of thought. The women especially
interested me, and I gleaned many facts concerning
them, which have never hitherto been published, and
probably have never been collected.
The pleasure which my Notes and Journal afforded
to members of my home-circle, on my return to En-
gland, led me to think that, possibly, my countrymen
would like to gain a further insight into the mysteries
of Eastern life. Hence it was that I resolved to pub-
lish this volume. In compiling it I have avoided, as
much as possible, those subjects with which the pub-
lic are already famiKar. Descriptions of well-known
places are only given when they are necessary to
form an introduction or background to those scenes
of real life which I have attempted to portray.
To avoid complication, I speak of the people of
3
ea^tsr
4 PREFACE.
Palestine generally as Arabs; for, though they are
a mixed race, they, all call themselves "Arabs" or
" Sons of the Arabs,"' and Arabic is their mother-
tongue. I classify them only according to their
creeds; but I may here mention, that the Chris-
tians of the land are said to be of pure Syrian ori-
gin, while the Moslems are chiefly descended from
the Arabians, who settled in the towns and villages
of Syria and Palestine in the seventh and eighth
centuries.
, In preparing this volume for the press, I have had
the valuable assistance of my brother, Mr. E. T.
Kogers, Her British Majesty's Consul at Damascus,
and have enjoyed the opportunity of personally con-
sulting him. He has suggested a few alterations in
the orthography of Oriental titles and names of per-
sons aiyi places, and has added a few notes of ex-
planation, which are distinguished by his initials.
M. E. R.
21 SoHO Square, London.
OOITTENTS
CHAPTER I.
From London to the Levant Tafa, the ancient Joppa, in sight
The Quarantine Boat Landing in Palestine The Quarantine Station
Breakfast in Yafa Arab Ladies' Toilette Salutations and Kisses Sit
Leah and her First-born Son Fruit Gardens of Yafa '^ Ai-wa!'*
Guest-chamber at Ramleh Lepers The Hill Country of Judea " Vil-
lage of Grapes " " Fountain of Birds " Jewish Builders and Greek
Gardeners First Sight of Jerusalem Arrival at the Talibiyeh Tent
Life, and the Consul's Children Pages 17-40
CHAPTER II.
Jerusalem Church of the Knights of St. John Glow-worms
Bishop Gobat's Encampment Holman Hunt's Goat Sunday on Mount
Zion Bazars and Shopkeepers Girls of Bethany and Siloam A Wan-
dering Madman Moresque Buildings View from the Seraglio Euro-
pean Homes in Jerusalem Native Servants A Whirlwind at Night
The Convent of the Cross Mosaic Pavement 41-55
CHAPTER III.
Learning Arabic Carriage Beads Ride to Bethlehem ; that is, Beit
Lahm The Convent and its Shrines Population of Beit Lahm The
Carver of Beit Lahm His wife and Child The Vail of Euth " The
Mother of Joseph " Description of House and Furniture Note on
Mark ii The Fields of Boaz Milk Grotto Miracles Girls of Beit
Lahm Bedouins on the Move The Gardens of Solomon The Cottage
in the Valley Urtas The Reservoir Aqueducts and Chariot Roads
Reeds Remedy for Musketo Bites 56-74
CHAPTER IV.
Rainbows and Bee Catchers Philip's Fountain A Runaway Horse
Katrine and her Delusions Start for Haifa The little Lame Girl of
5
6 CONTENTS.
Kubab Siesta at Ramleh The Abyssinian Slave The Bedouin's Song
to his Camel Sunday at Yafa " There cometh a Shower " Exhibi-
tion of a Performing Goat Circumcision Making Bread Scenes in an
Arab Sailing Boat The Custom-house at Tantura Ruins of Dora and
Athlite A Wedding Party Cradles ** Locusts and Wild Honey "
The Monks of Mount Carmel Haifa Pages 76-99
CHAPTER V.
Greetings at the Gate at Night Our House and Servants The Poor
Widow's Petition People of Haifa Siege of Haifa Retreat of the
TJrehites Help from an English Ship A False Alarm Wedding at
the Greek Church Wedding Procession Songs and Dances Going
forth to meet the Bridegroom at Night Professional Bride Dressers
Turkish Baths Kohl and Henna Angelina and the Clergy of Haifa
Denunciation of Black Lace Mittens The Bazar on a Night of Rejoic-
ing Jane Eyre and Arab Story-tellers An important Question Yas-
sin Agha and his two Wives Mohammed Bek and his Wife Miriam
Sheikh Abdallah and his seven Wives *' The Holder of the Keys " A
Hint to Polygamists A Divination Dictionary, or Dream Book My
Dream interpreted Hannah and Penninah A Market Garden Afri-
can Maniac among the Tombs 100-126
CHAPTER VI.
To Nazareth ; that is, Nasirah The River Kishon " Daughters of
Sound" A Village Oven The Birthplace of Saleh's Mare Hidden
Treasures and Treasure Trove Necromancy and Clairvoyants Saleh's
little Sister Congregation at the Latin Church Costumes of the People
of Nasirah Reputation of Nasirah Willow-pattern Cheese-plates A
Hint to Decorators Mount Tabor Erinna, the Hermit, and " his Man
Friday " Reeds and Inkhorns Dinner by the Streamlet Sephoris
The Crusaders Stephani's Guest-chamber Dances, Songs, and Sup-
per The Greek and Latin Clergy Castle of Shefa 'Amer The Gov-
ernor's Harem Lament of the Senior Wife Native Schools Jewish
Synagogue The Olive Harvest Cotton Fields in the Plain of 'Akka
Productiveness of the Plain 127-160
CHAPTER VII.
*' New brooms sweep clean " Death at Midnight The Moslem
Bier Armenian Remedies for Cholera Note on the " Early and Lat-
ter Rain" Panic in Haifa "The Yellow Wind" Suleiman the
Tailor Quarantine at the Convent A Dream and its Consequences
** Imps of the Yellow Wind " Rain Our new House Contents of the
CONTENTS. 7
Store-room Reverence for Bread Death of Ibrahim Funeral Proces-
sion The Mother's Grief and Death Funeral Service The "Widower
Khalil and his Young Bride Elias Sekhali Government of Syria
Death of Elias The Widow and her Children Songs and Lamenta-
tions for the Dead Funeral Dances Death of Khalil Funeral Ora-
tions Pages 161-185
CHAPTER VIII.
Sparrows on the Housetops Grass-grown Eoofs " Poterium Spino-
sum " The Crown of Thorns Harvest on the Roofs My Bedouin Vis-
itors Katrine Sekhali and her Cousin The White Mare and the Sap-
phire Bead Our Egyptian Groom Mohammed The Wandering Herds-
men Bedouin Depredations The Horse-Guards of Galilee Supper
with Salihh Agha Salihh Agha's little Son Wrestling A Home at
Shefa 'Amer Women at the Bakehouse The Lizard Bedouin Eye-
sight A Gazelle Hunt A Bedouin Dinner Crabs on the Seashore
Moslem and Christian Prayers at Sunset Persecution of Jews Char-
acteristics of Arab Children My Moslem Teacher Explanation of the
Use of the Rosary A Moslem Freethinker Christening of Jules
Aumann Fete at the French Consulate The African Foot Messen-
ger Saleh Bek's Good-by 186-214
CHAPTER IX.
Katrine and her Scapulary Preparations for a Journey A Bedouin
Encampment Bedouin Women Bedouin Bread-making Moslem Vil-
lages Seeking a Night's Lodging Women of Kefr Kara The Blind
Man's Questions Conjecture Concerning the *' Nativity" and the
" Manger " Morning Visitors Ah Encampment of Gipsies Jugglery
and Gymnastics Government of Nablus Arrabeh The Divan The
Harem Helweh the Youngest Wife Dinner : Starch and Conserve of
Roses Curious Inquiries A Marriage Portion Songs of Rejoicing
Discussion about the Queen of England A War Song A Mother and
her Infant Son Preparation for a Night's Rest in the Harem The
Lord's Prayer and the Moslem Women Moslem Prayers and Saluta-
tions Scenes at Midnight in the Harem Morning Visitors 215-265
CHAPTER X.
From Arrabeh to Seniir Castle of Seniir Ibrahim Jerrar's Portrait
The Harem in the Castle Approach of Turkish Cavalry Hostilities
prevented To Nablus A Price for the Head of Ibrahim Marriage
among the Samaritans Selameh, the aged Priest The Samaritan Syn-
agogue Home of Habib and Zora Anithe the Betrothed Samari-
tan Laws and Customs The Priesthood The Passover Samaritan
8 CONTENTS.
Women Character of the Samaritans Yaktib esh Shellabi Letter
from Priest Amran The Widow and her Son The Schoolmaster in
eearch of a Wife The Betrothal Protestants of Nablus The Ba-
zars Sheikh Mussa Visit to the Governor of Nablus Test for Build-
ing Stone Sheikh Mussa's Ideas about Wisdom and Folly Jacob's
Well Search for a Bible at the Bottom of the Well Joseph's Tomb
False Alarm Little Zahra and the Violets Oriental Enjoyments
Brothers and Sisters Ibrahim Pasha and the Woman of Sefurieh
Wit Rewarded Dinner with Daud Tannus The Women's Apart-
ments Pages 256-296
CHAPTER XI.
To Jerusalem Priest Amran and the Greek Catholic My Escort A
Dangerous Road Valley of Figs Darkness The Lost Track Alone
on the Hill-top The Nimbus Arrival at Jerusalem at Midnight
Jerusalem in the Spring Rain Flowing of the Kedron En Rogel
Course of the Kedron Easter in Jerusalem Birth of the Imperial
Prince of France proclaimed Fete at the French Consulate Outbreak
at Nablus Attack on the Christians Rescue of the Rev. S. Lyde
Celebration of Peace Sham Fight Sieges of Jerusalem The Holy
Fire Greek and Armenian Pilgrims " Bishop of the Holy Fire "
Fight of the Fanatics Turkish Soldiers Confessions of a Greek
Priest Truth Fire Worshipers 297-329
CHAPTER XII.
Peasant Girls Harvest of Roses Caverns Rules for the Observance
of Ramadan Sir M. Montefiore's Schools for Jewesses Sale by **the
Uncounted Group " Urtas Peter Meshullam An Arab Encampment
Dar el Benat, the House of Girls Solomon's Harem My Home on
Mount Olivet The Sheikh of EI Tur His Wives and Children A
Moslem Funeral Tombs of- the Prophets Skirmishes on Olivet Fare-
well Fete at Urtas 330-359
CHAPTER XIII.
Abu Ghosh Art and Poetry of the Modern Arabs Education of Na-
tive Girls The Sea-shore and the Sanctuary Moslem Call to Prayer
Edwin Arnold Melon Harvest Ruins of Caesarea The River of Croc-
odiles A Fable Wreck of an Arab Boat Hebrew Boy adopted by
Bedouins Stone Quarries Prayers at a Moslem Village Village Sup-
per A Piano at Haifa My Moslem Friends from Arrabeh Saleh Bek
and his Children Home of the Gardener's Daughter Chess New
Ideas in Saleh Bek's Harem Helweh's Questions Jews An Earth-
CONTENTS. 9
quake Widow and her Children Day of Ill-luck Feast of " Sainte
Barbe " Force of Custom Helweh and her First-born Child Saleh
Bek's Perplexities about the Education of his Daughters Thoughts
about Moslem Women Missionajies The Day of Congratulation
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge Yassin Agha's Petition
and Proposal Pages 360-398
CHAPTER XIV.
Fete of the Corpus Domini The Bahjeh Furrah Giammal and her
Love-Letter Lebibeh in her New Home Carmella and her African
Attendant Women of Damascus contrasted with the Women of Haifa
Bastrina Winter at Jerusalem Surreya Pasha Houses of Jerusalem
numbered Russian Influence in Palestine Dr. Levisohn and the Sa-
maritan Pentateuch Visit of Prince Alfred Refugees from Arrabeh
Appeal for Protection Dakhal Prisoners from Arrabeh The Gover-
nor's Demand for my Proteges His Forbearance The Boys taken
Prisoners and conveyed to 'Akka Farewell to Haifa Miss Bremer
"Russian Steamer Fete of the Grand Duke Constantino The Bishop's
Benediction Feast for the Pilgrims The S. S. Demetrius Jew of
Aleppo Collision Rabbi Shaayea's Timidity " Hallo, Jack I" The
Captain and Solomon Shaayea Missing Fruitless Search for Shaa-
yea Official Inquiry 399-436
Il^TEODTJOTIOK
DuRiNa a recent brief sojourn in London, I had the
pleasure of meeting, several times, the genial and tal-
ented writer of this volume ; and received from her the
exclusive privilege of republishing her work on this
side of the Atlantic.
^ The old land of Canaan is still dear to the Church,
and, although so many volumes of travel and research
in that region have been written, we take up the new
with undiminished interest. The land is to all Chris-
tians more like home than any other spot on earth. The
most precious memories, the purest love, the most
blessed hopes of life, are the products of that Gospel
which first budded and bloomed in Canaan. The names
of its cities, and valleys, and streams, and mountains,
are reminders of the most wonderful and thrilling inci-
dents which the history of the world records. Think
of Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jordan, and Jerusalem; put
your finger on Tabor and Olivet, as you scan the sacred
map, and how are you overwhelmed with sacred recol-
lections ! Each name starts through your mind a mar-
velous panorama.
Canaan is also the type of the eternal land toward
which with insatiate longing we daily journey.
Blessed Canaan ! While the memory and love of
Jesus linger in the hearts of men, and while hope points
11
'12' ' -:..:/*. . ' INTKODUCTION.
to the " rest prepared for the people of God," thy cities
and mountains shall be dearer to the Christian than his
native land or the home of his childhood.
The struggle raging to-day between rationalism and
Evangelism imparts additional interest to the old geo-
graphical center of historic Christianity. He who
represents the New Testament records as mere myths
is confronted by the stubborn denial of the land itself,
as it stands to-day, a monument and testimony to the
literal accuracy of the Holy Book. Sacred names cling
to the ruins that crown every hill-top. Caves, tombs,
temples, mosques, fountains, pools, and roads, are bur-
dened with sacred associations. The land singularly
retains its geographical conformation, its primitive and
Scriptural modes of architecture, dress, labor, and social
habits. It might easily have been utterly desolated and
depopulated, and its remains scattered to the four winds.
It might have been richly cultivated, and under the full
flowing tide of civilization its traces of earlier times
might have been completely covered up and rendered
unrecognizable. But God has kept the land. Over the
hills of Gibeon and the vale of Aijalon has the sun of
progress stood still, and, while the rest of the world has
been moving onward, Palestine yet lingers among the
earlier centuries, and amidst its sacred and venerable
scenes we feel the presence of an ancient dominion.
The mummy wrappings of Mohammedan domination
have providentially preserved it till this age of skep-
ticism, that it may testify to the reality of a Divine
revelation. It is a memorial land, seamed and scarred
with the rough handling of centuries, but bearing still
the legible imprint of the Divine finger. Its terraced
liills yield a vintage of sacred memories. Its valleys
INTRODUCTION. 13
flow with streams of testimony. Every rock cries out
in bitter remonstrance against the unbelief of men.
Every stone voices the praise of God. Palestine is
more than a land of memories. It is a memorial land,
as well.
Every volume that illustrates this harmony between
the land and the book is an invaluable contribution to
sacred literature. The field is still open. We some-
times think, for example, that the topography of Jeru-
salem is an exhausted subject. But we forget that the
Jerusalem of to-day stands upon a mass of ruins and
debris thirty or forty feet in depth. What a kindling
of the fires of antiquarian controversy, and what valu-
able developments are yet in store for us when the
Crescent wanes from Zion, and the city becomes another
Pompeii for excavation and research !
In no department of eastern exploration does the
Bible student acquire more instructive lessons than in
that pertaining to the domestic habits of the people.
The Scripture narrative enters largely into the details
of social life. The old customs have not changed ma-
terially, and one can to-day reproduce the incidents of
social life so graphically described in the Bible. Abra-
ham still sits in the door of his tent ; Euth gleans after
the reapers on the plains of Bethlehem, and on these
plains shepherds keep watch over their flocks by night.
Isaac meditates at eventide. Rachel descends from
her camel and covers her beautiful face with the ample
vail before she meets her lord. The marriage feast is
still kept in Cana. The mourners with wailing follow
the bier to the grave. Salutations are exchanged
among the people as in the days of Abraham and
Christ.
14 INTRODUCTION.
The seclusion of the women, through the jealousy
of their lords, renders it quite difficult for the casual
traveler to gain access to the inner courts of Oriental
houses. Conversation with the ladies of the harem is
a thing impossible. Missionaries do not enjoy much
greater facilities than transient visitors. They are the
bearers of a new and hostile religion, and harem doors
are securely shut against them.
It is in the fullness of the information, which Miss
Rogers gives us concerning these unexplored Moslem
homes, that we find the chief value of her work. She
possesses rare qualities of character, and during the
three years of her residence in Palestine enjoyed the
amplest facilities for the observations she desired to
make. Her brother was British Consul at Haifa, and
was popular among the natives from Nazareth to Jeru-
salem. She was scrupulously careful never to oiBfend
the religious prejudices of the people, and as she was
their guest, not only received from them the most cor-
dial hospitality, but was permitted to converse freely
with women of all classes and ranks. Miss Rogers is
an artist, and many a time won her way to hearts of
sheikh and warrior by her accurate sketches ; the wit
of her pencil now and then provoking bursts of merri-
ment from the immovable old Orientals who entertained
her. This artistic gift renders her descriptions graphic
and circumstantial, thus fairly photographing on her
pages the domestic scenes she presents. Of quick per-
ceptions, unwearying perseverance, an inexhaustible
stock of good-humor, a heart full of humanity, with a
frank and fearless manner, she was admirably adapted
to perform the work she undertook.
With special pleasure do I call the attention of the
INTRODUCTION. 15
American public to this unpretentious and entertaining
volume, believing that it will not only furnish pleasure
to every reader, but that it must contribute to the
clearer understanding of the Scriptures, and serve as
another bulwark in defending historic Christianity
against the vain speculations and unholy plottings of
rationalism and infidelity.
J. H. V.
Trinity Parsonage, )
Chicago^ 111., Jan.j 1865. j
DOMESTIC LIFE IE PALESTIM.
CHAPTER I.
FROM LONDON TO YAFA.
The good-byes and farewell greetings on board the
Rhine, at London Bridge, on the night of the 14th of
June, 1855, need not be recorded here. At midnight the
tide was favorable, the bell rang, the steam was up, linger-
ing friends hurried away, and I found myself alone with my
brother. He had been enjoying a few months in England,
after having spent more than six years in consular service
in Syria, and I had gladly consented to accompany him, on
his return to his official duties. We landed at Boulogne
the next day, and arrived at Marseilles, in time to embark
by the Egyptus, on the morning of the 21st of June. We
passed through the Straits of Bonifacio on the 22d, at mid-
day; and on Sunday, the 24th, spent a few hours ashore
at Malta.
On Thursday morning we landed at Alexandria, and
after seeing Said Pasha's palace, Cleopatra's needle, and
Pompey's pillar, went on board the Tage, on the evening
of Friday, the 29th. It was crowded with passengers,
Greeks, Syrians, Turks, and Jews, who were leaving Alex-
andria on account of the outbreak of cholera there. The
sunset-gun flashed from the fort as the steamer glided out
of the harbor.
We remained on deck till a late hour, listening to the
animated songs of the Greek sailors, who were celebrating
2 17
18 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
the festival of their patron saint, Paul. The deck passen-
gers were trying to make themselves comfortable for the
night, and soon men, women, and children, Moslems, Chris-
tians, and Jews, wrapped up closely in carpets, cloaks, and
wadded quilts, looked like gigantic chrysalises crowded
together in the moonlight.
We were in the cozy little deck saloon soon after dawn
on the following day; and, when the sailors came to wash
the decks, I was sorry to see the motley crowd of sleepers
disturbed, and pushed hither and thither, as they tried to
save themselves and their baggage from saturation.
We watched the sun rise out of the sea, which was sud-
denly changed from gray to gold, while the lead-colored
sky was crimsoned but the land I was longing to see was
not in sight.
The next morning, July 1st, I was roused by the
joyful news that we were approaching the shore, and was
soon on deck, looking with strange delight and emotion
over the blue sea to the coast of Palestine, stretching far
away north and south in low, undulating lines. The pic-
turesque walled town of Y^fa the ancient Joppa was im-
mediately before me, with its white stone-houses built down
to the water's edge, and rising one above another on a
rounded hill sloping to the sea.
My brother said, " Look far into the east, a little toward
the south, where the sun has just risen. Those distant
hills which are now almost lost in bright mist are the
hills of Judea, ' the hills round about Jerusalem,' and from
their summits you will have the first view of the Holy
City. They are separated from these low coast hills by
the broad, fertile plains of Sharon and Philistia." He re-
minded me how the pines and cedars of Lebanon were
brought " in floats hy sea to Joppa^^^ and thence carried up
to Jerusalem, for the building of the Temple.
This ancient port, with its bustling quay, its large con-
vents, tall minarets, palm-trees, and extensive gardens, is
the only cheerful and animated spot on the somewhat
JOPPA THE QUARANTINE BOAT. 19
monotonous coast, which runs in an almost unbroken line
from the bold headland of Mount Carmel, about fifty miles
north, to the ruins of Gaza, forty miles south.
We were soon at anchor just outside a semicircular belt
of rocks, some of which rose dark and high out of the
water, while others had sunk beneath its surface, and were
only indicated by the dashing of the surf over them. This
rocky belt stands like a barrier in front of the town, and
forms a natural harbor of about fifty feet in width, but it
is only entered by small boats, and affords no protection in
bad weather. Tradition connects the names of Perseus and
Andromeda with these rugged rocks. Two Austrian war
steamers were at anchor near to us. They were waiting
the pleasure of the Archduke Maximilian and his suite,
who were then in Jerusalem. A few merchant vessels,
Greek and French, were also to be seen, and little Arab
boats were plying to and fro.
A quarantine boat, containing an officer and garde de
sante, was towed along side, and baskets of oranges, apricots,
and lemons, were taken on board. A beautiful branch of
an orange-tree, covered with glossy leaves, and laden with
ripe fruit, was handed to me. It was a difficult matter to
get into the little quarantine boat destined to convey us to
the shore, for the breeze was fresh, and a heavy swell
disturbed the sea. The Arab sailors in the towing boat
would not touch the boat they were employed to tow, even
to render necessary assistance, lest they should be compro-
mised, and imprisoned in the quarantine station. After
many vain attempts, we, with two Franciscan monks, and
our baggage, were lowered clumsily into the clumsy boat,
and narrowly escaped a fall into the sea ; and when free
from the Tage, we were dragged along boisterously. The
little towing boat was quite hidden from us now and then,
as it bounded over a wave, leaving us on the other side of
it. As we approached the belt of rocks, I felt that it was
impossible to escape being dashed to pieces, and while
steering through the narrow pass I was silent with fear;
20 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
but the seeming danger was soon over. Within the belt,
the water was smooth as a lake, and once more I looked
with delight on the scenes around me. There are two
openings in the line of rocks; one toward the north, and
one due west. We had entered at the latter; I felt the
boat grating on the rocks beneath us.
It was now half-past eight, and the quays were already
crowded with people, mostly in the brilliant native cos-
tumes, but there were a few Franks in the usual Levantine
dress, which is white from head to foot. Flags were wav-
ing from the consulates and from the convents, as well as
from the ships, for it was Sunday, and the place had quite
a holiday appearance.
We passed in front of the town, toward the quarantine
station, which is an isolated building, a little distance be-
yond the walls on the southern side.
Friendly voices from the shore welcomed my brother,
in Arabic, Italian, French, and English. When we arrived
opposite to our destination, the boat was dragged toward
the sands, and the garde de sante, who wore only a coarse
shirt and a girdle, jumped knee-deep into the water, caught
me in his strong arms, and ran splashing through the sandy
sea. When we came to land he still ran on, and would
not release me till he placed me in charge of another
gardcj at the foot of the rude steps, leading up the sandy
cliff, to the quarantine station. Then he hastened back
to the boat for my fellow-travelers, carrying them one
after the other to terra firma.
1 had wondered how I should feel on first landing in
Palestine, but this proceeding quite took the romance out
of the event. I almost forgot I was in the Holy Land,
while fully realizing the fact of being a prisoner. As soon
as my brother and the monks joined me, we were led up
the steps, to a door, which admitted us to a square in-
closure, formed of low, flat-roofed buildings of stone, in a
dilapidated state. In the center of the square, a wooden
shed covers a deep well, and tall, large-leaved, thriving
THE QUARANTINE STATION. SI
mulberry-trees throw a thick and welcome shade round it.
The station was unusually full, owing to the outbreak of
cholera in Egypt.
Our fellow-travelers, the Franciscans, were quartered on
some ecclesiastical pilgrims, and lodged eight in one room.
The only chamber which was unoccupied opened into a
little court-yard in the left-hand corner of the square, and
that was allotted to us. It was by no means a pleasant
lodging, but we determined to make the best of it. It was
about twelve feet square. The floor was of stone. The
walls were whitewashed ; and the door, which was formed
of rough planks, had no fastening inside. A casemented
window, with half the glass out, looked toward the north,
and showed us the blue sea, the rocky shore, and the
^ southern wall of Yafa with it curious profile of flat-roofed
houses, rising step by step one above the other, with here
and there a minaret or a palm-tree. Groups of children
were playing under the trees near to us. The prospect with-
out somewhat compensated for the desolate picture within.
There was nothing in the room but our luggage, our
garde de sante, with his long stick, thousands of flies, an
ant's nest, and ourselves.
I sat in the narrow window-seat, while my brother threw
himself on the portmanteaus and boxes. For some minutes
we could only laugh at each other, and at the ridiculous
position in which we were placed. However, if we had not
been in excellent health and good spirits, it would have
been a serious matter.
Fortunately my brother was no stranger there, so help
was at hand. Mr. Kayat, the English Consul a native of
Syria sent his dragoman, who soon provided us with mat-
ting, mattresses, and wadded quilts, of which we made a
sort of impromptu divan.
Soon afterward our kind friend, Mr. Graham, of Jeru-
salem, came to see us. He stood outside the window in
the presence of the garde, who watched us continually. If
our visitor had touched our hands, he would have been
22 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
obliged to share our quarantine lodging. Mr. Graham lent
us some of his tent furniture, cooking utensils, etc., and
made our abode more comfortable.
When we sent to the market for provisions, we had to
put the money in a cup of water to prevent infection, but
we certainly looked more wholesome than any of the dirty
little half-naked messengers who executed our commissions,
and by whose aid we obtained fowls, goat's milk, coffee, rice,
fruit, and vegetables, at a very reasonable rate.
There were two rooms in addition to ours opening into
the court-yard. One was occupied by a party of Moslem
travelers, and the other by the Franciscan pilgrims. The
court-yard was in shade and cooler than the rooms, so with
one accord we all took breakfast there.
The Moslems, after pouring water over their hands
and feet, spread their carpets, prayed, and then sat round
a dish of rice, butter, and tomatoes, putting their hands
together into the dish. They ate rapidly and in silence,
then washed their hands, and smoked chibouques and
narghiles. The monks, who spoke French, Italian, and
{Spanish, invited us to share some of their conserves and
sirups.
When the heat of the day had passed, we were allowed
to take a walk, accompanied by a garde, to prevent our
contact with human beings.
We gladly descended the steps of our prison, and reached
the broad sands. The sun was going down, tinging the sea
and the sky, and the white walls of Yafa, with a red glow.
We walked along the shore toward the south, with drifted
sand-hills, more or less covered with vegetation on our left,
and the waves of the sea approaching us on our right. We
saw the skeleton of a camel half-sunk in the sand, and
found many shells, and dorsal bones of cuttle-fish. About
a mile from the quarantine station the beach was entirely
composed of shells, most of them broken. The rocks,
which form natural jetties, or rise up out of the beach,
seem to be a sort of conglomerate of sand and shells, in
BREAKFAST IN YAFA. 23
every stage of hardness. These rocks were in appearance
all alike, yet some masses were as firm and hard as marble;
while other parts crumbled easily, and the imbedded shells
separated from the sand with very little difficulty. When
the sun had quite disappeared, the garde turned homeward,
and we obediently followed. The town was already illu-
minated, and lights were reflected on the quiet water from
the ships at anchor. The stars shone brightly, for night
succeeds day very rapidly in this latitude, and there is
scarcely any evening twilight.
The boy who acted as our cook and waiter had pre-
pared our evening meal. It was spread on the ground
under the mulberry-trees. A lantern stood on a large
block of stone close by> and threw a flickering light upon
the various dishes. The salt, which was very coarse and
pungent, was served in a smooth hollow shell, to which the
boy called our attention, that we might applaud the con-
trivance. We seated ourselves on a mat of reeds. Red
ants, three-quarters of an inch long, were swarming around,
and cats came running out of the darkness, eager to share
our meal.
Many pilgrims and Bedouins were sleeping on the ground,
in the open air, and mattresses were spread on the flat roofs
or terraces of the buildings around.
No female servants are employed in the establishment,
and there were no women among our fellow-prisoners.
While my brother strolled in the starlight, smoking, I
prepared our room as comfortably as possible under the
circumstances. Even from our discomforts we extracted
amusement, and at the same time learned some useful les-
sons in the distinction of the real and fancied necessaries
of civilized life.
The next day the quarantine doctor, a Frenchman, sent
word that he would visit us, to ascertain the state of our
healths.
Presently he appeared in the little court-yard, with three
official attendants. They stood opposite our doorway, care-
24 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
fully avoiding contact with ourselves and the other inmates
of the quarantine. He greeted us with a profusion of com-
pliments on our healthful appearance, and congratulated
us on having obtained the best room in the station, and
especially on having it entirely to ourselves I He left us
with stately bows, and, kissing his hand, said, " I shall
have the pleasure to give you pratique to-morrow."
On July 3d, at half-past seven, we were set at liberty.
We gladly mounted the steps at the back of the quaran-
tine station, traversed the extensive burial-ground, and
passed the Government storehouse, a large building out-
side the town, where a crowd of camels were waiting to be
relieved of their burdens, and women, vailed and shrouded
in white drapery, were standing in groups, with baskets of
mulberries and grapes balanced on their heads. On our
left hand were the moated and battlemented walls of Yafa,
and on the other, gardens of orange and lemon trees, palms
and pomegranates, which threw a checkered shade upon
the sandy ground. We soon came to the broad road,
just outside the town-gate, where camels and peasants,
mules and muleteers, were congregated, and a bustling
market of fruit and vegetables was being held. Booths
and tents, sheltering turbaned and tarbouched smokers,
were pitched under tall trees; and the itinerant vendors
of coffee, sherbet, and glowing charcoal ready to light the
hundreds of pipes and narghiles around seemed to be in
great request.
In passing under the archway into the toWn, we had
to walk carefully, to avoid getting entangled in the camel-
ropes. I was glad to find shelter from the burning sun in
the bazars, which are long arcades, shaded overhead with
cloth or matting, with little open shops on each side. In
many of them were shoemakers, cutting out yellow morocco
slippers, or heavy red leather boots tailors, marking out
graceful patterns for gold embroidery pipe-makers, mod-
eling red clay bowls for chibouques all seated on their
heels, on little platforms, about two feet from the ground.
ENGLISH CONSULATE. 25
In another part of the bazar, the silks of Aleppo and
Damascus, the cottons of Manchester, and vails of Con-
stantinople and Switzerland, were exposed for sale, the
shopkeepers, gravely smoking, reclined at their ease among
the gay wares. The barbers' shops and the coffee-houses
were much larger and more frequented than any of the
others. I met no women in the bazars, men and boys do
all the marketing in the towns of the Holy Land.
We descended a narrow, ruinous street of stairs, to the
English Consulate, which was at that time close to the sea-
side. We were kindly welcomed, and led across a court to
a square and vaulted stone chamber, with a deep raised
recess in a rudely-built casemented balcony, looking on to
the sea. A cozily-cushioned divan and a Turkey carpet
made this a most pleasant retreat; and there, freed from
the restraints of quarantine, I soon felt quite at home with
Mrs. Kayat, a native of Syria, who, with Eastern hos-
pitality, said, "This house is yours; order all things as
you will."
Her young sister, Furrah, spoke English pretty well
thanks to the American mission-school of Beirut. She
wore a white inuslin dress, open to the waist, and exposing
a thin net shirt, which did not conceal her neck and bosom,
and through the semi-transparent skirt her full Turkish
trowsers of blue silk could be seen. Their mother was
dressed in a black velvet jacket, seamed with silver, and a
soft, white silk skirt.
A number of gentlemen were in the body of the room, a
step below us. They, as well as the ladies, were smoking
narghiles. Strong coffee, without milk, and in tiny cups
without handles, held in silver filigree stands exactly of the
size and shape of common egg-cups, were handed round.
After taking a cup, it is customary to incline the head
slightly, raising the hand to the forehead, and thus to
salute the host or hostess, who, in return, does the same to
the guests.
An Arab breakfast was prepared, and a large party as-
26 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Bembled to partake of it, including three beautiful little
girls, the Consul's children, in a pretty costume, half Eu-
ropean and half Oriental. A large dish of rice, boiled in
butter, with pieces of fried meat imbedded in it, formed the
staple dish. Vegetable marrows, filled with mince-meat and
spices in place of the seeds which had been scooped out;
some excellent fish, minced meat and rice rolled up in vine
leaves, and dressed like small sausages; a happy melange
of meat, tomatoes, pine seeds, butter, and eggs; followed
by roast fowl and a good salad ; and a dessert, composed of
all the fruits that the garden of Yd^fa could furnish, gave
me a very favorable impression of the Summer resources
of a town on the coast of Palestine.
At about midday, after this meal, nearly every one of
the family sought rest, lounging on the divans or musketo-
curtained beds, to smoke or to sleep.
When the sultry hour of noon had passed, Mrs. Kayat
invited me to go with her to see her cousin, Sit Leah, and
her newly-born infant son. The ladies were soon ready for
the walk, for the universal outdoor dress is very simple.
A soft muslin vail, about a yard square, of showy pattern
and many colors, is thrown over the head and face. A
scarf or shawl girdle is fastened round the waist, and then
a fine calico sheet, about two yards or more square, is put
on like a cloak, but drawn up high over the head, and
folded neatly on the forehead, brought under the chin,
crossed over the breast, and, overlapping down the front,
hides the dress entirely. It is tucked into the girdle in
front, so as to lift it about three inches from the ground
at the back it is allowed to fall quite smoothly in a straight
line to the heels. The hands are kept inside and hold the
sheet, so that only the colored mask of muslin over the face
is visible. No individual could be recognized in this dis-
guise, except by some peculiarity in the manner of walking
or singularity of figure. Yellow or red shoes, turned up at
the toes, complete the costume.
My rieaders may easily imitate this costume with a sheet
SALUTATIONS AND KISSES. 27
and a colored silk handkerchief for a vail, and thus form a
good idea of the general outdoor appearance of the women
in the chief towns of Palestine. It must be remembered,
however, that not a vestige of crinoline is to be seen, and
full, soft trowsers, with sometimes a skirt over them, a
jacket, and a shirt, is all that is worn under the izzar or
sheet.^ The three shrouded ladies led me out, and a kawass,
not unnecessarily, went before to clear the way; for in the
narrow streets of stairs, with their tortuous turnings and
broken steps, it is well to have notice of the coming of a
frisky horse, a heavily-laden mule, or a ponderous camel.
At the arched entrances of some of the large houses I
noticed fragments of granite columns, marble bases, carved
capitals and cornices, which had probably been transported
from the ruins of Ascalon. They are used as stepping-
stones for mounting and dismounting.
We entered a low doorway, and found ourselves in a
court-yard, where a group of negresses were busy washing.
They took me by surprise by seizing my hands, kissing
them, and pressing them to their ebony foreheads. I soon
learned to be on my guard, and to draw my hand away
firmly but courteously, in time to elude the embrace; for
I observed that this is the way the act of submission is
expected to be received. The refusal to accept the kiss
shows that you do not wish the individual who proffers it
to humble himself before you.
However, under certain circumstances, the case is dif-
ferent; for instance, if a person asks forgiveness of you,
or protection, or any favor, your refusal to allow him to
kiss your hand or your feet is a sign that his request is not
granted.
Priests always exact this homage, and it is very readily
paid to them; but laymen, who invariably allow it, gener-
ally gain the sobriquet of ^^ KhourV priest.
Is this the kind of sheet referred to in Judges xiv, 12-18, where Samson
says, "If you find out my riddle I will give you thirty sheets, and thirty
changes of garments?"
28 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
We ascended a stone staircase to a terrace leading to
two rooms. We entered the first, a pretty little square
whitewashed room, draped with pink and white muslin.
In one corner was a bed, made on the floor, and a narrow
mattress, about a yard wide, ran round the other sides of
the room. Cushions covered with damask were leaning
against the walls, and thus a comfortable lounge was
formed. A Turkey carpet concealed the stone floor. Sev-
eral ladies were seated d la Turque, on the divan, smoking
narghiles, the long flexible tubes of which radiated from
the group of large red Bohemian glass bottles, which stood
bubbling and sparkling in the center of the room. On the
low bed a young mother was reclining. Her dark wavy
hair, unbraided, escaped over the embroidered pillow. Her
red tarbouche was decorated with folds of blue crape and
everlasting flowers, her pale hands rested on the crimson
silk wadded quilt, and her striped Aleppo yellow and white
silk dress contrasted well with the dark brilliancy of her
fever-bright face and eyes. I took her hand in mine, and
she said, " Welcome, my sister ; my lips must be silent, but
my heart is speaking to your heart." She lifted up a tiny
blue velvet lehaff" quilt embroidered with silver thread,
and revealed a baby boy of a few days old. I took him
in my arms. The ladies with one accord said, " May you
goon have the joy of holding in your arms new ofispring
of your father's house ! May your brother soon be mar-
ried, and be blessed with many sons !"
The infant I held in my arms was so bound in swaddling-
clothes that it was perfectly firm and solid, and looked like
a mummy. It had a band under its chin and across its
forehead, and a little quilted silk cap on its head, with tiny
coins of gold sewed to it. The outer covering of this little
figure was of crimson and white striped silk ; no sign of
arms or legs, hands or feet, could be seen.
Leah's sister-in-law, whose head was much decorated
with jewelry and artificial flowers, took the child from me
and placed it in a ewing cradle, draped with pink and white
LEAH AND HER FIRST-BORN SON. 2
muslin, and everlasting flowers. She covered the little crea-
ture with such heavy quilts, that it seemed in danger of
suffocation, then she closed the curtains round it, till there
was no aperture left at which a musketo could enter.
After sherbet and coffee had been handed round by a
black servant, I was led to the next room, where I found
my brother with Ilabib Nasir, the husband of Leah, the
proud father of a first-born son. I congratulated him, and
his reply was a wish that I might soon have to congrat-
ulate my brother on a similar occasion. This is the cus-
tomary answer.
In each of the rooms there were modern Greek pictures
of sacred subjects, rude imitations of ancient Byzantine art,
proclaiming that Habib was a member of the Greek Church.
I returned to the consulate to prepare for our journey
toward Jerusalem, Mr. Graham and Mr. H., a wanderer
from the Crimea then the seat of war who had just
arrived by Austrian steamer, having arranged to travel
with us. When our luggage was in the care of the mule-
teers, and our horses were ready, we took a slight collation
of goat's-milk cheese, fruit, sweetened starch, and native
wines, in Mrs. Kayat's room, seated on the cushioned floor,
round a low table inlaid with mother of pearl.
After taking leave of our kind host and his family, we
mounted at their door, their blessings and good wishes
ringing in our ears, "Go in peace, and return to us in
safety; return speedily; peace be with you." The children
and servants echoed the words till we were out of sight.
An old man, in a coat of many colors, shaped like a sack,
and with a curious mosaic-looking vandyked pattern on the
back of it, led my horse up the steep streets of stairs,
through the crowded bazars, and out of the town gate,
which we had entered in the morning. It is in the middle
of the east wall, and is the only land gate. I must here
remind my younger readers that wheeled carriages are not
used in Palestine. I never saw even such a thing as a
wheelbarrow there ; in fact, the roads are so bad that such
30 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
conveyances would be useless; so people always travel on
camels, or mules, or donkeys, or on horses, as we did. It
was now about six o'clock, and just outside the gate tbe
inhabitants of Yafa were enjoying their pipes in the shade
of the city, for the sun was going down toward the sea.
Others were riding and galloping along the broad sandy
road, which led us to a pleasant bridle path between
hedges of a gigantic kind of cactus the opuntia the
large, fleshy, thick-jointed stems of which were fringed
with yellow flowers, promising a rich harvest of prickly
pears. These formidable hedgerows rising from two to
eight, and sometimes even ten or twelve feet in hight, were
wreathed with graceful creepers, the briony, the clematis,
and the wild vine twining their tendrils together. Our
Crimean friend suggested that such a cactus hedge would
prove an impenetrable barrier to advancing cavalry. This
pleasant sandy path led us for three or four miles between
beautiful fruit gardens, where the palm-tree, laden with
golden fruit, towered high above all other trees. Oranges,
lemons, pistachios, apricots, almonds, and mulberries were
ripening. The pomegranate-tree showed its thick clusters
of scarlet flowers, and acacias, locust-trees, tamarisks, sil-
very olives, and broad-leaved fig-trees flourished. It was
about half-past six when we reached the open country
beyond the extensive and well-cultivated gardens of Yafa.
The sun was going down behind us, over the sea. The
far-away hills toward which we were journeying, east by
south, were crowned with glowing red, while purple night
shadows were rising rapidly. We passed through fields of
mallows and gardens of cucumbers, with tents or little
stone lodges for the gardeners scattered here and there.
The sun went down. Vultures and kites were sweeping
through the air. As the darkness increased, our little
party, consisting of six muleteers, our servants, and our-
selves, assembled together to keep in close company for the
rest of the way.
Wc could distinguish parties of field-laborers and oxen
"ai-wa!" 81
at rest by the road-side, and sometimes we came to a rude
thrashing-floor, where, by the light of a bonfire of weeds
and thorns, we saw Rembrandt-like groups of rough-look-
ing, half-clad peasants, some of them sleeping, and others
lighting their long pipes with the fragrant embers. Our
muleteers were singing monotonous and plaintive songs,
only interrupted now and then when the jogging mules
disarranged their burdens by jolting against each other,
and the drivers would cry out, ^^ Ai-wa! Ai-waT an inter-
jection of very flexible signification, which answers nearly
to our "Now then!" when used deprecatingly, or to "All
right," or " Go on," under more favorable circumstances.*
We rode on in the darkness over an undulating plain,
occasionally passing a well, a tomb, a little sleeping village,
or a grove of ancient olive-trees, and reached Ramleh at
half-past nine.
We had been invited to pass the night at the house of
one of the principal Christian Arabs of the town, and soon
met his servants and lantern-bearers, who had been watch-
ing for us. They led the way up a flight of stone steps to
a small square court, round which lofty stone chambers
were built.
Our host then conducted us to the guest-chamber, "a
large upper room, furnished" with divans and cushioned
window-seats.
His wife a handsome and stately-looking woman, in
rich Oriental costume came to salute and welcome us.
She took me to a long vaulted stone chamber, where two
mattresses were spread on the floor; one was for me, and
the other for two negresses who were appointed to attend
me. Supper was spread for our party in an arched recess
of the court, by two Abyssinian men-servants, who waited
on us with intelligence and alacrity.
Presently, two awkward but good-natured-looking, black,
woolly-headed, tall, white-robed, shoeless girls, led me to
*"Ahva" is probably an abbreviation of "Ai Wallah," a very significant
oath. E. T. R.
32 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
my room. They poured hot and cold water alternately
over my feet and hands, and did all they could to make me
comfortable. After a few hours rest, I rose by the light of
the moon, which streamed in at the wide, unglazed, arched
window.
The hinges, locks, and door-handles throughout the house
were of beautiful design, somewhat resembling Italian work
of the sixteenth century.
By the time the muleteers were roused, and our horses
were in readiness for the journey, the sun had risen, and
we hastened away. The market-places were already busy
with buyers and sellers. The gardens of Ramleh are
extensive and fertile; the date-palm, especially, flourishes
there. The soil is sandy.*
Just outside the town, under a clump of tamarisk- trees,
sat a group of dirty-looking Arabs, in picturesque rags.
As we passed, they rose from their stony seats, and ad-
vanced toward us, holding out little tin cups for alms. I
then perceived that the poor creatures were lepers! Their
faces were so disfigured that they scarcely looked human;
the eyelids and lips of some were quite destroyed, while
the faces of others were swollen into frightful masses. It
was the saddest sight I ever saw.
The families afflicted with this terrible and hereditary
disease intermarry, and sometimes the immediate offspring
are free from any appearance of it, but it is sure to revive
in the succeeding generation ; some of them appear quite
healthy till they are nineteen or twenty, but they feel them-
selves to be a doomed race, and live quite apart from the
rest of the world, subsisting almost entirely on charity for
often their fingers rot ofi" and render their hands useless.f
In return for the few piasters we gave them, they cried,
in hoarse whispers, " May it return to you tenfold!" " Peace
"Ramleh" is the Arabic word for sandy; Arab names of places are very
frequently descriptive.
f They live in special quarters in four towns in Syria ; namely, Jerusalem,
Damascus, Bamleh, and Nablus, whither those born casually elsewhere are sent
as soon as the disease has thoroughly shown itself. They are better ofif than
HILL COUNTRY OF JUDEA. 33
be with you !" We passed througli fertile fields and or-
chards, overtaking peasants leading oxen or laden camels,
or shepherd boys guiding flocks of goats to pasture land.
Though the sun was low, and sent our shadows in long
lines behind us, yet the rays were fierce with light and
heat. The fields of sesame called simsim in Arabic
looked very pretty. It is a tall, bright-green plant, with
upright stems, garnished with blossoms, somewhat like the.
fox -glove, white, shaded with pink. The seeds yield a very
fine oil, almost equal to olive. Blue chicory, yellow flax,
the hardy goat's beard and convolvulus, of many tints,
large and small, bordered the road. We soon reached
an uncultivated part of the undulating plain, where the
ground was burned up and cracked into deep, wide fissures,
and where large blocks of stone, like cromlechs, cast their
shadows. I watched numbers of green lizards and strange
reptiles, running rapidly in and out of the cracks, and under
and over the rocks, pausing sometimes, opening their eyes
of fire to the sun, and nodding their large heads quaintly.
Wild ducks were flapping their wings above our heads.
Camels every now and then passed in strings of three or
four together, their drivers bending and touching their fore-
heads gracefully as we passed. Some of the peasants wore
scarcely any clothing. Flocks of goats and cattle were
browsing on the scanty burned-up pasture, and the shepherd
boys were piping on rude instruments made of cane or reed.
At half-past eight o'clock we were in the shelter of the
hills, and paused for a few moments at the entrance of a
woody and rocky valley, called Wady-'Aly. Some Arabs
brought us a supply of good water, in leather bottles-. Mr.
Finn, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Jerusalem, had sent
his kawass there to meet and welcome us, and to lead the
way, for in the hill country a skillful pilot is required. Wild
beggars in general, for they have foundations, "Wakf," and it is deemed a great
act of charity by all classes of Orientals to do any kindness to these afflicted
people. Those of Damascus, being chiefly Christians, were all killed, or, from
their helpless condition, perished in the flames during the massacre and confla-
gration in the Summer of I860. E, T. E,
84 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
fig-trees, dwarf oaks, and thorns, grew among the rocks,
and thousands of larks, disturbed by our approach, rose
high into the air, but they did not sing the sweet song of
the larks of our cornfields.
We passed over steep hills, wild and rocky, with treach-
erous stones slipping from under the feet of the often-
stumbling horses. Sometimes the passes were so narrow
that we had to ride singly, watching the leader carefully in
his ins and outs among bushes and rocks. On the summits
of many of the rounded hills there are ruins and large hewn
stones, which have given rise to much discussion among
Biblical topographists. We saw traces of terraces, and of
former careful cultivation every-where, but the Winter tor-
rents have been allowed to sweep away the protecting stones,
and the rich, red loam is washed down, so that in many
places large masses of bare limestone are exposed ; but
wherever the earth rests, however scantily, there is vegeta-
tion. Wild fruit-trees, shrubs, and aromatic herbs, thorns
and thistles, prove the natural fertility of the soil. Even
out of the small handfuls of earth washed into the holes
and crevices of the rocks, tiny flowers spring, especially
the wild pink and crane's-bill. We took zigzag paths up
the faces of hills which looked almost perpendicular.
Sometimes we gained a hight commanding views of the
Great Sea and the plain of Sharon on one side, and the hills
which concealed the city of Jerusalem on the other ; then
again we were in a narrow valley, or closed in by a seem-
ingly impassable amphitheater of hills. Here and there our
road was along ledges, so narrow with a rocky ravine
below, and a hill rising abruptly like a wall above that we
took the precaution of sending our leader to the end of the
pass, to see that the way was clear, and to keep it so till
we could traverse it. Eagles and vultures swept through
the air. The sky was intensely blue, and the sun very
powerful. Sparrows and finches were twittering among the
trees.
At about ten o'clock we dismounted by a little tdl^ or
"village of grapes." 85
mound, in the center of a triangular space, wliere three
valleys meet. Here there is a well of sweet and excellent
water, and round it olives, figs, locust-trees, and evergreen
oaks grow. A party of Bedouins were watering their camels
at the stone trough connected with the well. Under the
pleasant tree-shadows we rested, and on a bank of wild
thyme and sweet marjoram we spread our simple provi-
sions "a basket of Summer fruit," a few thin cakes of
flour, and some new wine. At the entrance to an extensive
cavern, in the base of a hill opposite to us, a group of
peasants were sleeping. The cave, like many smaller ones
which we had seen, had been fashioned originally by na-
ture, but man had at some period or other smoothed the
inner wall, and made a dwelling there.
When we remounted, we passed through a partially-cul-
tivated district. Groves of olive-trees bordered the dry bed
of a Winter torrent, and patches of vines, and vegetables,
and stubble-fields appeared on the terraces, till we came to
higher and steeper hills in the neighborhood of Ajalon,
covered with sage and wild lavender. The heat was sensi-
bly increasing till about noon, when a pleasant breeze arose.
This is generally the case in the hill country in the Summer
time, the breeze rises at about twelve, lasts for an hour or
two, and cools the air. We came into a cultivated region
again, announcing a village near, and soon saw the white
walls of the square castle-like houses of Abu Ghosh, on a
hill-side, and the fine ruins of an ancient Christian church
to which a Franciscan convent was formerly attached. We
dismounted at its large arched entrance ; the groined roof
and clear-story, supported by tall massive columns, are in
good preservation. This building is now used as a stable
and khan, but has often served the purpose of a fortress.
It is very long since it echoed the litanies of the Fran-
ciscans, for they were expelled about the middle of the
thirteenth century, when the sultan of Egypt conquered
Jerusalem.
A cousin of the robber chief, the celebrated Abu Gh6sh,
86 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
is now sheikh of the village, and it is his policy to he very
polite to Frank travelers.
We rested for a little while on the step of the church door.
A group of women were drawing water from a well. We
watched them as they walked one after the other toward
the village, with the replenished jars poised perfectly on
their heads. Herds of cattle and flocks of goats on the
surrounding hills, richly-cultivated orchards and vineyards,
and a few palm-trees, proclaimed this little village rich and
flourishing. It is now called Kuryet el'-Enab, " village of
grapes," the ancient Kirjath-Jearim probably.
A few hills more or less difficult were traversed. One,
which seemed only fit for goats and conies to ramble over,
we descended on foot, sliding over slabs of stone as smooth
as polished marble, and leaping from rock to rock, over
thorns and briers, till I was tired, and glad to mount again.
Then we came to a pleasant terraced road, made on the
slope of a hill, looking down into a fertile valley, where an
Arab village has risen on the site of an ancient Roman
colony, the record of which is preserved in the modern
name Kolonieh. Traces of an amphitheater and fortifica-
tions were pointed out to me. We crossed to the opposite
side of the valley, and pursued our way along a rocky ledge,
till we came to a spring of living water, gushing from a
rock above into a trough, which overflowed constantly. The
water finds its way through ducts into the valley below.
Maiden-hair, delicate creepers, and ferns, grew around, and
thousands of birds congregated there it is called the
Fountain of birds. We, as well as our horses, enjoyed the
deliciously cool water. We rode on again, and soon crossed
an ancient Roman bridge, built over a water-course. There
are the remains of a Jewish city by this stream, and local
tradition says that David took from its bed the pebble
which gave the death-blow to Goliath. Large stones, care-
fully hewn and beveled, are scattered in heaps, and half
concealed by hawthorn bushes, wild rose-trees, fruit-laden
blackberry brambles, and tall thistles. Others appear
JOPPA TO JERUSALEM. 37
among rough unhewn stones, in the low walls which mark
the boundaries of the vineyards and orchards near at hand.
No doubt these large stones were once portions of stately
palaces and strongholds, erected by skillful Hebrew builders
long ago. Amos said, " Ye have built houses of hewn
stone, but ye shall not dwell in them ; ye have planted
pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine in them."
The Arabs have a proverb in common use, which says,
"The Jews built; the Greeks planted; and the Turks
destroy." It is true that in nearly every town or village
or deserted ruin in Judea, some traces of the massive archi-
tecture of the Jews whose forefathers had served their
toilsome apprenticeship in Egypt, among pyramids and
temples are discovered, sometimes serving as the founda-
tion of Roman citadels and theaters, which in their turn
have fallen to give place to the Moorish arch or minaret,
and the mud-built hovel of the peasant; while all the
ancient olive-trees, which stand in regular and equidistant
rows, forming avenues in all directions, are said to have
been planted by the Greeks, and present a striking con-
trast to the wild wood-like picturesqueness of younger olive
plantations now fruitful and flourishing, as well as to the
still more ancient trees now falling to decay.
Presently Mr. Graham said, " Now, Miss Rogers, prepare
yourself for a treat. When we reach the summit of this
hill, our eyes shall behold the city of the Great King." I
quickened my pace, forgot my fatigue, and was soon on the
hill- top, pausing to look around me, requiring no guide to
point out the long, low line of battlemented wall, with a
few domes and minarets rising above it, crowning the table-
land of a hill which stood in the midst of hills, and I knew
that I was looking on Jerusalem, " builded as a city," and
" the mountains round about her." The afternoon sun was
shining from behind us, brightening the white walls of the
city, the gray-green tints of Olivet, which rises just beyond,
and the long chain of the far-away mountains of Moab, seen
here and there through openings in the Judaean hills. The
38 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Mount of Olives, "which is before Jerusalem on the east,"
says Zechariah, is separated by slight depressions into three
distinct parts. On the central and highest point a white-
walled Moslem village stands, with olive and mulberry
trees clustering round it. Near the summit of the north-
ern hill, a little isolated square stone tower is conspicuous,
and when Mr. G. pointed it out, he invited me to pay him
a visit there, for it was his Summer retreat, and was com-
monly called " Graham Castle," by Europeans in Jerusalem.
We descended into a long, narrow, stony valley; but the
view from the hill-top we were leaving was already pho-
tographed on my brain, and I have never lost the impres-
sion. Though I have seen Jerusalem under more beautiful
aspects, and from more favorable points of view, the first
sight had its peculiar charm.
We left the Yafa road, and made our way toward the
Talibiweh, where Mr. Finn, the English Consul, encamps
in Summer time. It is about a mile west of the city. We
rapidly approached a low, rough stone wall, inclosing a
large tract of partially-cultivated land, on a gradually-slop-
ing hill, looking toward Jerusalem. On the highest part
of the ground a small square stone building stood, with
seven or eight tents pitched near to it, among rocks, young
trees, and shrubs. This I found was the consular encamp-
ment, and gladly I dismounted there, at four o'clock, P. M.,
welcomed by the Consul and his family.
The stone house consists simply of one lofty double-
vaulted chamber, which serves for dining and general sit-
ting-room, with veranda-sheltered seats outside it, looking
toward the east. An arched recess or lewan, as it is
called in Arabic and Turkish looks toward the west, and
consequently is in shade in the morning. Kitchens and
offices occupy the third and fourth sides. It was built by
Jewish laborers, of a red and yellowish stone, from a quarry
on the estate, and is not plastered either inside or out.
Mrs. Finn led me across a rough path, among little
patches of newly-cultivated red earth, where melons, cu-
JERUSALEM. 39
cumbers, and vegetable marrows, were flourishing. Young
castor-oil trees, palms, and oleanders, were springing up
between large masses of rock. In their shelter the sweet
basil, pinks, roses, as well as many English seedlings, were
being coaxed into existence, making a cheerful though
wild-looking garden round the pretty Egyptian tent pre-
pared for me, the ropes of which were attached to some
vigorous olive-trees, of two or three years' growth. I
found my luggage already there, for the muleteers had
arrived an hour or two before us. The blue tent lining
appliqued with black and scarlet borders, in patterns of
good design, on the white canvas, the crimson cloth carpet,
and simple tent furniture, looked bright and cheerful ; while
the views of the Bethlehem plain. Mount Zion, and Jeru-
salem, from the tent door, delighted me.
We passed the evening pleasantly with Mr. and Mrs.
Finn, talking over our journey, and planning future ones.
Their children were eager to show me their treasures, and
to take me to all the memorable spots in the neighborhood
they knew so well, for they were born in, and had scarcely
ever been out of sight of Jerusalem. " I will take you to
Olivet, and to the top of Mount Scopus, and then you can
see the Eiver Jordan and the Dead Sea," said Skander,
the eldest boy; and little Constance added, "Mamma, may
I take Miss Kogers to see Judas's tree, and the Garden of
Gethsemane, and may we go to Bethlehem and to Solomon's
Pools?"
These children, who had grown up amid such scenes,
and who had learned to speak Arabic simultaneously with
English, interested me exceedingly, evincing in all they
said and did the effect of the influences around them. I
showed to Constance an engraving of an English sea-
side view, and she immediately said, pointing to a castle,
"There's the tower of David;" and again, pointing to the
bathing machines, exclaimed, "These are the tombs of the
kings, and there is the Dead Sea," the only sea which she
had ever seen. After tea, the little ones were led by their
40 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
pleasant-looking Armenian nurse, Um Issa, to tlie nursery
tent, and Skander, wishing me good-night, added, "Do not
be afraid if you hear the jackals crying and barking, they
will not come to our tents; but we hear them every night,
and they wake the dogs, and the horses, and the donkey,
and then sometimes they all make a noise together." At
an early hour Helwe, a woman of Bethlehem, brought in
the lanterns which were to light us to our several tents.
Mrs. F. led me to mine, and showed me how to secure it;
while her niece warned me to look well at my clothes, and
to shake them before putting them on in the morning, to
get rid of ants or spiders, or perhaps a scorpion, which
might creep into them at night. I watched the lanterns
as they dispersed over the grounds to the different tents,
and soon fell asleep amid the scenes and sounds that were
so strange to me. It was difficult to realize the fact that
I had left London only three weeks before.
JERUSALEM. 41
CHAPTEK II.
JEKUSALEM.
In the early morning, cliildish voices called me to come
to breakfast in the lewan, on the shady side of the house.
The sun was shining brightly over the city and the hills,
but the western walls and slopes were still in shade.
After breakfast, we went to the sitting-room, which was
almost as simply furnished as a hermitage, with rustic
tables, camp stools, matting, and a few rough shelves for
books and toys.
I sat on the doorstep, and looked over a rocky, thorny
slope to a ridge which I was told marked the course of
the valley of Hinnom, beyond which rose the western wall
of Jerusalem; the turreted and massive-looking tower of
David, and the Yafa gate, breaking its monotony.
The Anglican church and consulate, with its pointed
fagade and strikingly modern appearance, the large white-
domed Armenian convent, a minaret, a few palm-trees,
pines, and cypresses, was all I could see of the Holy
City, for it slopes eastward.
On my right hand was the plain of Rephaim. It spreads
southward toward a rounded hill, which is crowned by the
convent of Mar Elias. Long lines of camels, troops of
horsemen, flocks of goats, vegetable-laden asses, and groups
of peasant women, with baskets or bundles on their heads,
were coming and going all day, along the broad road
which crosses this plain, and vultures and eagles swept
through the air.
In the afternoon I rode out with my brother. We went
down into the stony valley of the Convent of the Cross,
passing the white-walled newly-restored Greek convent, and
4
42 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
made our way, among rocks and thorns, to the valley of
Hinnom, well planted with olives, figs, and pomegranates.
We ascended the hill leading to the Yafa gate, meeting
many people on foot and on horseback, who were just
starting for a stroll before sunset. We passed under the
deep, pointed archway, through the vaulted chamber in
the great gate, along by the wall and deep moat of the
citadel or tower of David, and then turned down a narrow
passage, leading to the consulate, which adjoined the En-
glish church. Here we dismounted, and I felt a strange
joy when, for the first time, my feet stood within thy
gates, Jerusalem!
Mr. Bartlett has made the streets of the Holy City ho
familiar in his "Walks about Jerusalem," and "Jerusalem
Revisited," and Mr. Murray's invaluable Hand-Book gives
its topography and statistics so perfectly, that I will refer
my readers to those sources, and only give a slight account
of the city as I saw it.
My brother led me back to the open space in the front
of the citadel, where a daily market is held in the early
morning. We passed a large open cafe, where soldiers and
groups of Moslems were smoking. The Latin convent, a
large, well-built stone edifice, is opposite the citadel; its
long, flat roof serves for a terrace, where a number of
monks and boys, in black robes, were walking in monot-
onous procession. The Anglican bishop's town-house over-
looks the market-place, out of which we turned into a
bustling street, paved with gradually-descending shallow
steps, so smooth and worn, and so scattered with melon-
parings and other vegetable refuse, that it was difficult to
find a sure footing. On each side there were Arab shops,
the owners of which were folding up their gay wares, or
stowing away baskets of dried fruit or trays of pipes pre-
paratory to closing for the night, for it was past the
eleventh hour. We turned up Christian-street, the first
turning on the left, where, besides the truly Oriental
barbers' shops, the coflfee-houscs, pipe-makers, and bakers,
JERUSALEM. 43
there are several European establishments, kept by Maltese,
and Italians, and Germans, pretty well supplied from Lon-
don and Paris with ornamental as well as useful and nec-
essary articles of dress; though, as may be anticipated, a
large per centage is charged. We met crowds of Moslems,
Spanish and German Jews, Bedouins, Greeks, and monks^
of many orders. I heard my brother greeted and welcomed
by name, in various languages, by passers by, for he was
well known in the city, where he had passed several years
as canceliere in the British Consulate. We made our way
to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and paused in the
square court-yard in front of it, to look at its beautiful
fagade. Two arched doorways, side by side, with deep
intricate moldings enriched with ball flowers, are divided
by a magnificent cluster of five marble columns. The
center and outside columns are green and the others white.
The capitals are foliated, and richly carved. There are
friezes across the doorways from the spring of the arches.
The one to the right, over the door which is bricked up,
is of ornamental scroll-work, with boys playfully introduced
in arabesque style. The frieze over the left door, which
is the only entrance to the church, is a well-carved alto-
relievo picture of Christ's Entrance into the City, and the
Last Supper, not exactly agreeing in character with the
other frieze. We then went to the ruins of the Church
of the Knights of St. John, near at hand. We passed
under a wide low Norman arch, rich with zigzag and dog-
tooth moldings, marble columns, and carved capitals. We
climbed over a dust-heap, where vegetables and dead bodies
of dogs and cats were rotting, where flies and fleas were
regaling themselves, and half-naked, wretched-looking chil-
dren were playing and munching melon parings. We
crossed a court-yard, full of abominations, assailed by
barking and snarling dogs, but tempted on by the strange
beauty of this neglected relic of ancient chivalry. We
found three high walls of the outer edifice standing, and
within them there were divisions which indicated three
44 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
distinct compartments; one is used as a tannery, and in
the others we saw skeletons of asses and horses; for, when
animals die in the neighborhood, their carcasses are dragged
into this desecrated place to be devoured by dogs or vul-
tures. We climbed over burning lime and rubbish to a
^ther treacherous stone stairway, which led us to a gallery
above, corresponding with the cloisters below. Here there
are two large windows with stone tracery, muUions, and
moldings of early English character, in pretty good pres-
ervation.
Notwithstanding the offensive surroundings, I paid sev-
eral visits to these interesting ruins. The style, for the
most part, is like the Norman architecture of Sicily, while
other parts of the ruins remind me of our early English
style. The building altogether seems originally to have
been built to serve the purpose of a fortress as well as an
ecclesiastical retreat. It is said to have been founded in
the eleventh century, as a place of rest for pilgrims to the
Holy Sepulcher. It rapidly and continually grew in im-
portance till the middle of the thirteenth century, when
Christian influence was suddenly overthrown, and all its
monuments destroyed, or allowed gradually to decay, as in
this instance. Above the Norman door which we had en-
tered I remarked a rich bas-relief of groups of figures,
emblematic designs, and monograms, quaintly carved ; but
this has lately been so roughly used that it is now almost
defaced, and future travelers will be puzzled to find it.
When I revisited the spot in 1859 four years afterward
I found the door blocked up, and the space in front of it
closed in and converted into a store or shop, for the sale of
glass beads and bracelets made at Hebron. We shook the
dust from our feet, and strolled a little way along the Via
Dolorosa, till we were warned by the deepening shadows,
and the evening cries from the minarets around, that the
sun had gone down. We hastened through the streets and
bazars. The little shops were nearly all deserted by their
owners, and shut up for the night.
45
Our horses were waiting at the gate, which was kept
open for us. A few stragglers were hastily entering in, but
immediately after we had passed out, the heavy doors were
closed, to be opened no more till sunrise.
The stars were coming out as we rode homeward, across
the valley of Hinnom, and through an inclosed plantation
belonging to the Greek community, in the center of which,
by a well, under the trees, sat a group of Arabs in a circle
on cushioned mats, singing lustily, and swaying their bodies
to and fro slowly, in time with the monotonous tune which
they sang. A large lantern, hanging from a tree-branch
above, lighted up the figures and their many-colored gar-
ments, producing striking effects of light and shade.
We were soon on the Talibiyeh grounds. An immense
number of vividly-bright glow-worms bordered the rocky
path which led toward the house. I found that by plac-
ing a few of them together, on a stone or cool place, I
could see to read by the green light which shone from their
lantern-like bodies.
The next morning we rode down the Yalley of the Cross,
and over hills covered with rocks, poterium spinosum, and
brambles, toward the little village of Lifta, near to which,
in a beautiful olive grove on a terraced hill-side, Bishop
Gobat and the Rev. H. Crawford had encamped with their
large families. Their tents were picturesquely distributed
under the shade of large trees.
There was no house on the grounds to serve as a retreat
or shelter in the heat of the day, as on the Talibiyeh, but
the trees under which Mrs. Gobat's pretty drawing-room or
day tent was pitched, served almost as effectually as a pro-
tection from the sun. Sofas, cushions, easy chairs, writing
tables and work tables, children with their dolls or lesson
books, made the place look quite homely, and took away
the idea of the transitory nature of tent life. Mrs. Gobat
gave me a hearty welcome there, and introduced me to her
friends who came from the surrounding tents, and to the
children, who left their studies or their play to welcome us.
46 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
A large party was soon assembled in the tent and on the
sofa under the opposite tree. After a "luncheon of fruit and
bread, olives, and cheese, Mrs. Gobat smoked a narghile,
evidently enjoying it, and I date the taste which I acquired
for tumbac from the experimental pipe which I smoked
with her. Coffee, mulberry sherbet, and bon-bons were
handed around by Abyssinian servants in Arab style. Mrs.
Gobat's fine, hearty-looking children, and the fair little
Crawfords, seemed thoroughly to enjoy tent life. They
showed me their swing in the mulberry-tree, and their
attempts at architecture with the heaps of stones around.
They led me eagerly from tent to tent, the kitchens, pan-
tries, and school, and to the neat little bed tents, and then
pointed out some of the finest points of view. Neby Sam-
uel, the tomb of the "Prophet Samuel," was conspicuous
on the summit of a conical hill, rising abruptly in the dis-
tance on one hand, and in another direction the wide-
spreading valley, with a little village and its surrounding
fields, vineyards, and thrashing-floor could be seen. A
beautiful white goat followed us wherever we went. It was
the goat which Mr. W. Holman Hunt used as his model
while finishing his well-known picture the Scapegoat.
Two had died in his service, but this one became quite
tame, and would answer to his call; he gave it to these
children when his picture was completed. The loud, shrill
cry of the cicalas was heard from every olive-tree, and I
was assured that at night their noise is loud enough to keep
people unaccustomed to it awake.
I spent several pleasant days in this retreat on various
occasions; such as a social dinner-party at the Bishop's,
when he presided at a long table under the trees, or a
cheerful tea-party at the Crawfords', in their tents, partly
by the light of the moon, and partly by the light of lan-
terns hanging in the trees, or round the tent-poles. In
these reunions, and at similar entertainments at Mr. Finn's,
I made the acquaintance of most of the European mem-
bers of the Protestant community of Jerusalem. Some-
EUROPEAN RESIDENCE AT JERUSALEM. 47
times we strolled about the grounds in little companies,
visiting the vineyards and the bright-green sumach plant-
ations below, or the thrashing-floor above, and the few
scattered stone and mud hovels, roofed with tree-branches,
which were the homes of the peasant guardians of the
ground. In one of these little nooks we saw a stone hand-
mill and two women working it, grinding corn.
The Europeans of Jerusalem, especially those who have
children, or who have been accustomed to temperate climes,
generally encamp thus from June to September, and select
a site about a mile or more from the city, so that the gen-
tlemen can go into town every day, while the ladies and
children rarely do so except on Sunday. This is one of
the pleasantest phases in the -life of the European resident
in Jerusalem, and it may be justly attributed to Mr. Finn,
for he was the first who ventured thus to trust himself and
his family in the open country. His little stone house
on the Talibiyeh of which he was the architect, while
Jews were its builders was the first and for a long time
the only private *dwelling-house outside the city; whereas
now, 1862, buildings of importance and commodious dwell-
ing-houses are rapidly rising on the hills round about Je-
rusalem.
On Sunday, July 8th, we had a pleasant early ride into
town, and the chimes of the church bells welcomed us.
Flags were hoisted at all the Consulates. Ladies and
children from distant encampments were alighting at the
doors of the Anglican church from sleek and gayly-tr^pped
donkeys. The congregation consisted of about a hundred
Europeans, including children, and about half as many
Arabs and Jewish converts. The transepts were occupied
by the children of the diocesan schools, all in simple
European dress, but it was easy to distinguish the bright,
intelligent countenances of the Jewish children the gentle
and amiable-looking little Abyssinians the long-headed
Copts^ the precocious and handsome Arabs and the pretty
little Armenians, in spite of their uncharacteristic costumes.
48 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
The glare and heat were excessive, so I gladly accepted
shelter at Mr. Nicolayson's till the cool of the day, and we
rode to the Talibiyeh a little before sunset. Crowds of
Arabs in holiday costume were strolling on the Medan,
a large extent of table-land north-west of the city, where
the troops are exercised. It is the favorite promenade of
the citizens.
The men's dresses were picturesque and various in the
extreme, and of every tint and color, from the somber
robes of the procession of monks, to the gorgeously-em-
broidered jackets of the Turkish officers and employ h^ the
high-pointed hats and long gabardines of the Jews, the
bright sashes and turbans of the Moslem gentleman, and
the light-braided suits and red tarbushes of the Christian
Arabs. The women, who kept in groups quite apart from
the men, sitting under the olive-trees or strolling into the
valley below, were all shrouded in sheets, and whether
Jewish, Christian, or Moslem, the only variety in their
dress depended on the color of the vail or mask, and the
form or color of the shoes. Some of the kdies wore Euro-
pean shoes, others had socks and pointed slippers of yellow
leather. The black slaves wore only red or yellow slip-
pers, and thus could be distinguished from their mistresses.
A few of the ladies carried gay parasols embroidered with
spangles.
By starlight we wandered to the high ground behind the
Talibiyeh. We could see watch-fires on many of the hills
around and on the Bethlehem plain, and heard in the still
night air echoes of the clear shrill voices of far-off shep-
herds, who were "watching their flocks by night," and
giving signals perhaps to their fellow-watchers.
On Tuesday, 10th, I again rode into town, walked down
Christian-street and through the chief bazars, now de-
scending a dirty crooked street of stairs, now passing under
narrow archways, dark and dusty, and through wide, lofty
arcades or bazars, where the butchers' market, the bread,
fruit, grain, and leather markets were respectively held.
BAZARS AND SHOPKEEPERS. ^
The shopkeepers were crying to the passers-by, " Ho,
every one that hath money, let him come and buy !" " Ho,
such a one, come and buy !" But some of them seemed to
be more disinterested, and one of the fruiterers, offering
me preserves and fruit, said, " O lady, take of our fruit
without money and without price ; it is yours, take all that
you will," and he would gladly have laden our kawass with
the good things of his store, and then have claimed double
their value. In a street leading to one of the bazars, a
number of peasant women and girls from Bethany and
Siloam were selling vegetables and fruit. They did not
wear the white shroud of the townspeople. Their dresses
were chiefly of indigo-dyed linen, and made like long shirts,
girdled with red shawls or sashes. Their heads were cov-
ered with colored handkerchiefs or shawls, or white towels,
so arranged as partially to conceal their faces, which were
very dark and tattooed with blue stars and dots on the fore-
head and round the lips. Their dark eyes looked larger
and darker on account of the kohl on the eyelids, and the
black pigment on the eyebrows. They wore colored glass
bracelets made at Hebron silver anklets, and some of
them had necklaces of coins and silver rings. A very
striking-looking young Siloam girl said to me, taking hold
of my dress, " Taste of the fruit of our gardens and our
vineyards, sister!" My brother, by accident in passing
a shrouded yellow-booted figure in the crowded street,
slightly disarranged the folds of her izzar, and he said,
"Your pardon, Ya Sitti" my lady! She answered,
" Say not, ' Ya Sitti ' to me ; say it rather to the queen of
heaven." We met a large number of people afflicted with
ophthalmy, and partial or entire loss of sight ; but deformed
persons are comparatively rare in Palestine.
In one of the most bustling bazars we saw a tall, gaunt
man gesticulating in the midst of a crowd. He was almost
naked, for he wore only a ragged strip of sackcloth round
his loins. He carried in one hand a long, stout staff, and
in the other a large stone. His vehement exclamations,
6
50 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
excited manner, and fiery eyes reminded me of the descrip-
tions of the prophets, as well as of the possessed of demons
in days of old. His hair was long and wild, and his beard
hung to his waist.
He cried out in Arabic, " The city shall be made deso-
late, fire shall consume it, because of its wickedness," etc. ;
and, notwithstanding his violent maledictions, and the
weapons he carried, the people around did not interfere
with him or molest him. He was evidently mad or
majnitn, as the Arabs say and my brother told me that
he had for years been a tolerated wanderer in the bazars,
and wherever he went an idle crowd followed him. He
lived on charity. The Orientals invariably treat with kind-
ness and consideration those who are thus afflicted, believ-
ing them to be under the especial protection of God. It
is imagined that they have a greater knowledge of spiritual
things in proportion to their want of it concerning things
of this life; in fact, in the East, a "madman" and a
"prophet" are almost synonymous terms.
We entered the quiet, picturesque, but narrow street, in
which the Prussian Consul resides. Pointed arches, with
groined and fretted roofs, cross it here and there, and fine
buttresses support some of the houses, which are built of
large, well-hewn, beveled stones, put together with lead
instead of mortar. The deep-arched entrances, canopied
with dropping fretwork, are good examples of the Moresque
style. Low stone divans, or benches, just within the por-
tals were occupied by stately-looking armed servants, or
black slaves. There are many alabaster tablets and friezes
let into the walls, over doors, or under oriel windows, or in
arched recesses, on which Arabic inscriptions and mono-
grams are elaborately carved in slight relief, and in some
cases illuminated in red, blue, and gold. The graceful Ori-
ental characters, with their flowing lines, are well adapted
for this sort of ornamentation, and are very extensively
used in the exterior as well as interior decorations of
Moresque buildings. Ancient carved capitals, near to the
MORESQUE BUILDINGS. 51
doorways, served as stepping stones ; and in many places
horses were haltered to large perforated blocks, which pro-
jected from the walls.
We made our way along the Via Dolorosa, pausing,
sometimes, while a long line of donkeys, laden with stones
or brushwood, jogged by, enveloped in a cloud of dust ; or
when a string of unwieldy camels, bearing melons to the
market, almost blocked up the way.
We met the colonel of the Turkish cavalry, and several
officers. They kindly invited me to mount the rude steps
leading to a broad and elevated terrace of the Seraglio, or
Pasha's Palace. From this central and lofty spot, I first
gained a general idea of the city, and the surrounding
hills. The building on which I 'stood was partly formed
by the north wall of the Haram, or Great Mosque inclos-
ure; and thus, looking toward the south, I overlooked its
entire area, which is almost equal in extent to one-quarter
of the whole city. In its center the well-known Kubbet-
es-Sakhara, or " Dome of the Rock," stands.
The beautiful cupola, resting on a circular base, crowns
a wide-spreading octagonal building, each side of which is
ornamented with six lofty arches, and the lower part is
faced with bright enameled tiles of many tints. This
building is on a large square platform, raised considerably
above the other parts of the inclosure, and is approached
from six points by broad flights of steps, which lead to
light and graceful entrances, divided by three or four elab-
orately-carved columns and pointed arches. There are
many little praying niches and stone canopies, supported
on columns, and alabaster pulpits on the platform, as well
as in the grass-grown inclosure below, where the white
stone walls and domes are relieved by the dark beauty of
the cypress and the silvery shade of olives, and some few
shrubs in flower. A beautiful grove of trees leads to the
Mosque-el-Aksa, which is in the southern part of the area,
where its long and gabled roof, large dome, and Saracenic
fagade are conspicuous. Groups of white-turbaned Mos-
52 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
lems sitting in the tree-shade, solitary devotees at the little
shrines or niches, and the slow pacing of Turkish sentries
or black slave guardians of the Holy Place, gave some
animation to the otherwise picture-like stillness of the scene.
The contrast is very great between this bright spot on
Mount Moriah and the other part of the city, which is
traversed by a valley and covered with irregular masses of
white-domed and terraced buildings, relieved here and there
by a tree, a church, or a minaret. The extreme southern
quarter is the most desolate, and is inhabited by the Jews.
The south-west portion is chiefly thronged by Armenians,
where their convent stands, white and conspicuous, and
marks their quarter distinctly. The north-west quarter
the highest is more frequented by Franks; and the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher, the Latin convent, the Protestant
church, and various consulates, proclaim it. The north-
east is the Moslem quarter. The patches of open land
within the city are, in some places, used as drying-grounds
for indigo-dyed linen; while others have become public dust-
heaps or dunghills. I could trace the battlemented walls
of the city, now following the downward sweep into the
valley, and then rising in an irregular line to crown the
hights of Zion.
After we had lingered there for some time, fascinated
by the scenes around, the military governor led us to a
divan, where we took coffee and sherbet. He excused
himself for not taking refreshments with us, for it was
Ramadan, the month in which Moslems fast from sunrise
to sunset daily.
We then called on several European families English,
German, Greek, and Russian. The vaulted stone chambers
in which we were generally received were cool and pleas-
ant even at midday, and so furnished as to combine Ori-
ental and Western luxuries. In the deep, arched recesses
and broad window-seats, soft cushions were arranged and
loose muslin drapery floated from the open windows, fanning
the air. Glowing Turkey carpets and Egyptian matting
EUROPEAN HOMES IN JERUSALEM. 53
covered the stone floors. The newspapers, bookcases, pic-
tures, pianos, and little works of art or knickknacks, pro-
claimed that Europeans had made homes there; while on
the terraces, and under the columned corridors, English
flowers appeared among the native oleanders and jasmines,
shaded by vine-covered trellises. But in these European-
ized houses, European servants are very rare. Almost
every -where Abyssinian men-servants are sought in pref-
erence to natives, for they are intelligent, attentive, and
faithful; and the hardy, but somewhat self-willed, Bethle-
hem women are in great request as house-servants, for they
are clean and comparatively careful. I perceived that the
training and management of a staff of Oriental attendants
is one of the chief difficulties that European ladies have
to contend with.
July 15th was a very sultry day. We all retired early
to our tents, fatigued with the heat. About midnight I
was aroused by the violent movement of my light tent
bedstead, and a loud murmuring noise. My first thought
was that an earthquake was disturbing the hills; then I
fancied that some wild beast was near; and, lastly, I came
to the conclusion which proved to be the right one that
my tent was in danger of being carried away by a whirl-
wind. It had blown open in two places, and its yielding
walls beat against the light frame-work of my bedstead.
The noise of the flapping canvas, the tightening and
straining of the tent ropes, the rustling and snapping of
the young trees, and the continuous rocking, kept me
awake for a long while. I quite expected to be left
shelterless, for I was on the highest part of the grounds.
On the morning of July 16th there was a general fixing
and repairing of tents, and a search for hammers and tent-
pegs, for all the canvas dwellings had been more or less
disturbed by the wild wind of the preceding night. At
sunrise, the air was soft and warm, but clouds were being
driven from the north in large masses, burnished by the
morning sun. A south-west wind had driven those clouds
64 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
from Egypt a day or two before, and now, unbroken, they
were chased back again to their source, the mighty Nile.
We wandered through the grounds, replanting the uprooted
trees, and supporting the fallen ones, for none had escaped
injury.
Before breakfast, I rode with my brother to the Convent
of the Cross, in the lonely valley to which it gives a name.
The convent has been lately very thoroughly restored by
the Greeks, to whom it now belongs; and an excellent
college has been established there for about forty or fifty
students. It was formerly the property of the Georgians,
and was founded by them in the fifth century, on the very
spot where grew the tree which furnished the wood of the
cross. This is, at least, the tradition which our monkish
attendant gravely told as he led us into the church, a fine
building, about seventy feet long, with a groined roof sup-
ported by four massive piers. The walls are covered with
curious frescoes; and the altar-screen contains a pictorial
history of the sacred tree, from the time it was planted by
Abraham and Lot, till it was hewn down and formed into
a cross. As sculpture is strictly forbidden in the Georgian
and Greek churches, all the decorations depend on color;
but in some of the pictures there was a compromise, the
figures being cut out in thin wood, and mounted on appro-
priate backgrounds. The nimbus, in almost every instance,
is formed of pure gold, and stones and jewels are intro-
duced in the adornment of the dresses.
In the center of the church is a large square pavement
of mosaic, the finest I met with in Palestine. Quaint birds,
curious figures, and Christian symbols are represented, and
in the lozenge-shaped spaces left by the intersecting lines
of the frame-work of these devices, most beautiful designs
are introduced. The tesserae of which this pavement is
composed are about three-quarters of an inch square, and
are black, white, red, blue, and yellow. We hastened back
to breakfast. The blue sky was flecked with fleecy clouds
fastly moving, and the mountains round us were checkered
BUILDINGS OF THE CONVENT. 55
with their shadows. One moment a hill was crowned with
sunlight, the next it was all in shade. The flocks of goats
browsing on the hill-sides, and peasant women making their
way to the city, laden with vegetables, bowls of milk, and
baskets of fowls, animated the landscape. L. and the
children returned with me to the convent, where I spent
the whole day, drawing delightedly some of the curious
mosaic pictures. (I will refer those who take an interest
in early Christian art to No. 878 of the Builder, published
December 3, 1859, in which some examples of these are
given from my sketch-book.) Considering that these
buildings were deserted and left in ruins for two or three
centuries, it is surprising that so much of the ancient work
remains in good preservation. We were led to a cavern
under the altar, and the identical spot where the sacred
tree grew was pointed out to us in a damp and dark recess.
We saw some workmen destroying an ancient Georgian
MS. They were using the parchment to make bags for
their dry powdered colors, and willingly gave me a few
sheets. The garden terrace of the convent is roofed with
trellis-work covered with vines, and the rich fruit hung
above us in heavy clusters. We strolled home on foot,
gathering bright- blue borage, wild pinks, and geraniums.
A red, cloudy sunset was followed by a calm moonlight
night, only disturbed by prowling jackals, noisy hyenas,
and wild dogs without, and buzzing musketoes within. In
the morning 1 found the tent curtains saturated with dew,
and the garments which had been hanging there during the
night were too damp to be put on with safety.
56 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
CHAPTER III.
AROUND ABOUT JERUSALEM.
In the mean time all my leisure hours were spent in
studying Arabic. The little ones at the Talibiyeh were
never tired of adding to my vocabulary, which I prac-
tically applied whenever an opportunity arose, such as
during the visits of Arab guests or work-people, and in
my daily intercourse with the native attendants, whose
voices rapidly grew familiar to me. Some of the elder
women-servants were very demonstrative and affectionate,
and often when I uttered a request, or gave directions
in some newly-acquired words, they would reward me, (?)
or testify their delight by clasping me in their arms and
kissing me. I had been accustomed to hear Arabic spoken
for a year or more, so the sounds were not strange to me.
On the 17th of July, after a quiet day of study, I
started with my brother for Beit Lahm that is, Beth-
lehem the sun was going down, and purple shadows were
swiftly rising in the eastern sky. We made our way over
a rocky, pathless slope, and a few fields of sesame, till we
reached the broad level road which traverses the fertile
plain of Rephaim, where the Philistines were routed by
David. This road is about a mile in length, and is the
only place remaining in the neighborhood of Jerusalem fit
for a carriage drive, though in many spots traces may be
seen of ancient roads, telling of the time when " King
Solomon had four thousand stalls for horsemen and chariots,
and twelve thousand horsemen, which he bestowed in the
chariot cities and at Jerusalem."
We passed over the plain quickly, the kawass galloping
before us, and soon came to a spot where no carriage could
VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. 57
have served us. Our horses stumbled over smooth slabs
of rock and loose stones as we rose on to the rounded and
terraced hill on which stands the Convent of Mar Elias,
or Elijah, a massive building of gray masonry, in the midst
of olive groves and flourishing plantations. A moon of
three days old and her attendant star shone in the clear
blue sky, just above the silvered tree-tops. We paused on
the hill to rest our panting horses, and to look around us.
Southward we could see the picturesque town of Bethlehem,
white and gleaming. Between the hills to the east we
caught glimpses of the Dead Sea, and the Moab mountains
beyond. Turning to the north we saw, brightened by the
moonlight, the southern wall of Jerusalem, and the build-
ings on the brow of Mount Zion; and on the west an olive
grove bounded the view. The kawass brought me some
water, in a curious little two-handled cup of red pottery,
from the stone reservoir provided for travelers by the good
monks of Mar Elias.
We then descended abruptly into a valley by a declivity
which would have terrified me a week or two before; but I
had become accustomed to rough riding on the rude hills
round about Jerusalem. We reascended, and swept round
hill-sides covered with well-kept terraces of fig and olive-
trees. The rude parapets supporting the rich earth were
garnished with hanging creepers and luxuriant foliage,
which threw dark but delicate shadows on the white lime-
stone. Here and there we saw rows of quaint-looking
ravens, perched on the rock ledges tier above tier; some
of them silent and motionless, others nodding their heads
together as if in consultation. A pleasant bridle-path,
half-way up the western boundary of a broad valley, led
us toward the white walls and flat-roofed houses of Beth-
lehem. We passed under a pointed archway, and between
low, scattered buildings, till we entered a high-walled,
gloomy street. Looking down on our left, we caught
glimpses through the open doors of family groups, in
lamp-lit rooms, built a few steps below the level of the
58 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
road. Cheerful-looking women and children and stern-
browed men strained their eyes, looking out of the light
into the darkness, to try to see us as we passed the clat-
tering of our horses' feet over the stones having broken
the stillness of the place. We came again to an open
terrace, and could see the hill-side above and below dotted
with houses, on the flat roofs of which many families were
already sleeping. From the unglazed windows flickering
lights were shining. Clusters of trees grow here and
there throughout the town. The Church of the Nativity,
surrounded by convent buildings, rises like some baronial
castle, gloomily and grandly, on the steepest side of the
hill.
We passed under a deep arched way, which led us into
the Convent Court, where we alighted, and were kindly
welcomed by the Latin recluses, who were expecting us.
The Spanish Consul of Jerusalem and his wife were there;
with them and the Superior, and a few well-educated
Spanish and Italian monks, we passed the evening pleas-
antly in the divaned reception-room. After an excellent
supper we were shown to our several apartments. The
Superior led me to a large, vaulted, gloomy chamber, in
which I felt quite lost, when the heavy door closed upon
me and I was alone. There were eight closely-curtained
iron bedsteads in the room, and I peeped rather timidly
into every one. A small lamp of red clay, like a deep
saucer, with a lip on one side shaped to support the
lighted wick, stood in a little niche; but its feeble red
glow was almost lost in a stream of moonlight which fell
from the grated, unglazed window above the door, glancing
on the walls and the white curtains, and throwing a patch
of checkered light on the stone floor. I was a martyr to
musketoes that night, and as soon as daylight appeared
through the grated window I rose, and wandered about
the corridors, meeting the monks on their way to morning
prayer, and witnessing the distribution of bread to the
poor convent pensioners who crowded to the gates. The
CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY. 59
women carried away their provisions in the corners of their
linen vails, but the men and boys put their loaves of bread
in the bosom of their open shirts, their girdles supporting
the burden.
On meeting my brother we went, guided by one of the
Latin monks, to the Church of the Nativity, built by
the Empress Helena, in A. D. 327. It is said to be the
oldest monument of Christian architecture in the world.
The shafts of the forty columns which support the fine
architrave and decaying roof are each of a single piece
of marble, more than two feet in diameter, about six-
teen feet in hight, and surmounted by elaborately-carved
capitals. These may have formed a part of some more
ancient building. It has been suggested that they were
brought from the ruins of the Temple at Jerusalem. The
upper part of these columns are frescoed with Greek and
Byzantine figures of saints and martyrs, while lower down
are some curious sketches and monograms, by crusaders
perhaps, or pilgrims of the Middle Ages. Above the
columns and on the walls there are remains of ancient
mosaic pictures of glass, and stone, and metal. I could
make out groups of figures, views of cities, strange devices,
and ornamental borders. They had been recently discov-
ered under plaster-work, and were being ruthlessly scraped
away, when an English traveler put a stop to the destruc-
tion by pointing out to the Superior the value and interest
of these relics.
Here the Greeks, Latins, and Armenians have their
several shrines and services, and they sometimes have
very fierce conflicts about them. We went down into the
Grotto of the Nativity, so well known through dioramic
and other pictures, with its silver lamps, its fumes of in-
cense, silken tapestries, and gilded saints. On the floor in
front of the altar a star marks the spot said by tradition
to show the very place where Christ was born; but I was
not moved with mysterious awe; it was not here that I
realized the scene in the manger; and surrounded as I was
6d DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
by priests, in their gorgeous robes, and pictures, and
treasures, from France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, I could
scarcely even believe that I was in Bethlehem.
We visited the convent schools. In one room fourteen
handsome, intelligent-looking Bethlehem boys were learning
Italian. They showed us their exercises and translations,
and sang a Latin hymn to the Virgin, giving a peculiarly
Oriental twang to the last sounds of every line. Another
school-room which we entered was crowded with younger
boys, learning to read and write Arabic; but they were
dirty, disorderly, and noisy, and we did not linger there.
After taking breakfast with the Latin Superior who re-
lated to us stories of recent miracles wrought in the sacred
grotto, with earnestness and simplicity, as if he thoroughly
believed what he said, and wished us to benefit by it we
hastened away, and walked through the steep streets and
passages, and among the scattered buildings of the town.
It is almost entirely peopled by Christian Arabs, of the
Latin, Greek, and Armenian Churches, and they number
altogether about three thousand two hundred.* They
cultivate their fields and terraced gardens with care, and
send large supplies of vegetables and fruit to Jerusalem
every day; but one of the principal occupations of the
Bethlehemites is the carving of various articles in mother-
of-pearl and olive-wood.
We inquired for a young man, an orphan, whom my
brother knew to be one of the most skillful carvers in the
town. The neighbors who guided us to his door said :
* There was formerly a considerable Mohammedan quarter in Bethlehem ; but
after the insurrection of the people in 1834 it was entirely destroyed. The house-
less Moslems fled and distributed themselves over the neighboring country, some
settled in Moslem villages, and others enlisted. A few took to tent life, and have
ever since wandered about like the Bedouins, except that they retain their custom
of observing religious forms and ceremonies, fasts and feasts, more strictly than
nomadic tribes usually do. During the month of liamadan, they select a spot for
their encampment within sight of Jerusalem, that they may see the flash of the
gun fired from the citadel at sunset, to announce the moment when Moslems may
break their fast.
Some of these scattered Moslems, however, are by degrees returning, to settle
in Bethlehem.
THE CARVER OF BEIT LAHM. 61
"Be glad, and enter in with joy, for this is to-day a house
of rejoicing." We found the carver at his work, seated on
the floor. He rose up with evident delight to receive my
brother, who had formerly protected him, and helped to
establish him in business. He said, " Welcome, my
master! thank God that he has led you back to this land,
to see the fruit of your goodness, the work of your hand.
You have built up my house, you have made me to rejoice,
you have given me a son !" My brother replied, laugh-
ingly, "You speak in riddles darkly, make your words
plain, my friend." The carver took up a handful of
tools, saying : " my protector, you gave me these tools-^
these tools brought me gold the gold brought me a wife,
and my wife brought me a son, on the night of the new
moon !"
He had once been in my brother's service, and during
that time showed decided taste for carving, which my
brother encouraged by giving him a little instruction in the
art, and some English tools.
Round the room, and hanging on the white-washed walls,
were a rtumber of small inlaid mother-of-pearl table-tops,
about half a yard square, intended for the stands or stools
on which coffee and preserves are placed in Oriental estab-
lishments. Carved rosaries, crucifixes, cups, and crosses,
of olive-wood, decorated the place. The carver showed us,
with especial pride, some large flat shells, on which he had
sculptured pictures of sacred subjects and holy places ; and
some beads carved in bitumen, from the shores of the Dead
Sea. During the past Easter he had reaped a goodly har-
vest, for the pilgrims eagerly buy these objects, and, when
they are blessed by the priests, preserve them as relics.
The English travelers, too, had bought a great number of
paper knives, bracelets, and brooches, made at my brother's
suggestion the original sketches for which the carver had
preserved with loving care, and with new expressions of
gratitude he showed them to me, saying, "Peace be on his
hands." While speaking, he was especially bright and
bZ DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
intelligent-looking. His long dark-blue and red-striped coat,
his crimson girdle, and red and yellow shawl head-dress,
twisted into turban-form, became him well. He invited me
to see his wife and child. I delightedly rose and followed
him across a little square court-yard, partly sheltered by
matting, supported by planks and tree branches, and partly
by a vine, which traveled over a rude trellis-work. In one
corner of this court were a large number of oyster-shells
from the Red Sea, some of them a quarter of a yard in
diameter; lumps of bitumen, from the wilderness of 'Ain
Jidy; and pieces of rock, from Jerusalem, of red and
yellow tints. The carver pointed these out to me as his
stock of raw material. A pile of fine melons, and a row
of water jars, stood on one side, while a bleating sound
drew my attention to the other, where a fatted lamb stood
munching mulberry-leaves. Into this central court the
four rooms of the house opened ; but, as it is built on a
hill-side, the shop floor is a step or two below the level of
the court, while the room opposite to it is raised consider-
ably. We mounted a few steps, and my host left me at
the open door of this upper chamber, within which, seated
on a mat, was a pretty-looking woman, with a round, child-
ish, cheerful face. Perfectly unembarrassed by my unex-
pected appearance she rose, and, after placing her hand on
her breast, and then carrying it to her forehead, she said,
" Be welcome, and be pleased to rest here." This was the
carver's wife. An elder woman, whom I afterward found
to be her mother, placed some pillows for me on a small
carpet, and then took a little swaddled figure from a cur-
tained rocking-cradle of red painted wood. She placed it
on the skirts of my dress, saying, " Behold the gift of
God!" I took the little creature in my arms. His body
was stiff and unyielding, so tightly was it swathed with
white and purple linen. His hands and feet were quite
confined, and his head was bound with a small soft red
shawl, which passed under his chin and across his forehead
in small folds; to this a moldering relic of St. Joseph, in
THE FIRST-BORN SON. 63
a crystal case, was attaclied. His motlier wore a long blue
linen shirt, rather scanty, and opening in front to the waist,
a straight short pelisse or jacket, of crimson and white
striped silk, and a shawl girdle. A long thick white linen
vail hung over her head and shoulders, and partly con-
cealed her stiff tarbush or cap, which was ornamented with
a row of small gold coins, and a few bunches of everlasting
flowers. The elder woman wore a heavy shirt or smock
of blue linen, the wide hanging open sleeves of which ex-
posed a tattooed and braceleted arm. Her long white linen
vail fell from her head over her shoulders, in graceful folds
to her feet, which were naked. In such a vail as this
Kuth, the young Moabitish widow, who three thousand
years ago gleaned in the fertile fields of the broad valley
below, may have carried away the six measures of barley,
which her kinsman, Boaz, the then mighty man of wealth
of Bethlehem-Judah, had graciously given to her, saying,
" Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it ; and
when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and
laid it on her, and she went into the city." Ruth iii, 15.
I asked the young mother her name ; she answered,
"Miriam is my name;" but her mother said, "Not so, she
is no longer Miriam, but ' Um Yousef ' [mother of Joseph,]
for a son is born unto her, whose name is Joseph."
It is the universal custom in the East, for a mother to
take the name of her first-born son, with the prefix of
" Cm" mother such as Uni Elias, mother of Elias; or
Um Elia^ mother of Eli, whence perhaps came such names
as Fmm2L, JEmilj, and Amelia. On the same principle the
father's name is changed as soon as he has a son, whose
name he adopts, with the prefix of "^6?^" father. It is
a source of great distress and disappointment to parents if
they are, for want of a son, obliged to retain their re-
spective names.
The little mummy -like figure in my arms began to show
signs of life, by uttering a feeble sound, in the universal
language of babyhood. The mother took it from me, and
64 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
before holding it to her bosom ebe reverently kissed a small
silken bag, embroidered with gold, and then pressed it to
her forehead. In answer to my look of inquiry, she ex-
plained, partly by words, and partly by signs, that the little
bag, which hung from her neck, contained a piece of
crumbling white stone, from a grotto near to Bethlehem,
sanctified by the milk of the Blessed Virgin, which once
overflowed there, and mothers eagerly procure it, to place
in their bosoms as a charm.
The room in which we sat was very simply furnished.
It was nearly square. The floor was of stone, and the
walls were whitewashed. On a broad, high shelf running
round three sides of it, many articles of native crockery
and earthenware, drinking cups, jars, lamps, and metal
dishes, were ranged. A mat of reeds, a carpet about as
large as a hearth-rug, and several pillows or cushions were
on the floor. A large red box, with brass hinges and
ornaments, served as the wardrobe of the family. The red
cradle, a large metal basin and ewer, and a few small cofi"ee-
cups, on a low stool or stand, of inlaid mother-of-pearl and
dark wood, garnished the room. In a deep, arched recess,
opposite to the door, a number of mattresses and wadded
quilts were neatly piled up. In genuine Arab houses no
bedsteads are used, and consequently no rooms are set apart
expressly for bedrooms. Mattresses are spread any where,
in the various rooms and courts, or on the terraces, accord-
ing to the season, or to the convenience of the moment;
and the beds and bedding are rolled up and put away dur-
ing the day, in recesses made for them. Thus, with a
pretty good stock of mattresses and lehaffs, a large number
of guests may be entertained any night, at a moment's
notice. The room was well ventilated by two large square
openings, near the ceiling, opposite to each other, one being
just over the door, and the other over the recess for the
mattresses.* I took a cup of coff'ee and some sugar- plums,
* This sort of bed could easily have been carried away by the sick man of Caper-
naum, to whom Christ said fts recorded in the second chapter of Mark " Arise,
THE FIELD OF BOAZ. 66
and then said, " Good-bye," or rather, " God be with you,"
to Miriam. The elder woman led me back across the
court, pointing to a kitchen on one side, and to the well-
filled store-room on the other. She drew her long white
vail across the lower part of her face, as we entered the
workshop. She kissed my brother's hands, and then served
us with cofiee and preserves. Our servants now arrived
with the horses, and we left the workshop of the Bethlehem
carver. His parting words, "The peace of God be with
you, my protector;" and the answer which my brother
gave, " God's blessing be upon you and upon your house,"
reminded me of the salutations exchanged by Boaz and
the reapers, long ago, in one of the fields at the foot of the
hill we were descending, where we could see oxen treading
out the corn on the numerous thrashing-floors.
We approached the particular spot which local tradition
connects with the names of Ruth and Boaz ; but it was
enough for me that they had met somewhere in that broad
and fertile valley, and that the town of Bethlehem, though
changed, was the very town in which Buth rejoiced over
her first-born son ; where the sorrows of Naomi were turned
into joy, and "the women, her neighbors, rejoiced with
her." We stood in the midst of little groups of men,
women, and children. Some were attending to the mules
and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine house ;" and if the houses of
Capernaum were built like most of the houses of the present day in the towns of
Palestine, the uncovering of the roof referred to in the fourth verse of the samo
chapter, admits of an easy explanation. The inner court of the house is usually
more spacious than any of the surrounding rooms, and often there are platforms
or benches of stone on each side, spread with carpets and cushions, used as divans
during the day and as sleeping places at night. To such a court Christ may have
retreated when the crowd increased. We may imagine him there, with the won-
dering people round him, and the crafty and scornful scribes seated near on the
divan all sheltered from the hot sun by some kind of matting or canvas, sup-
ported on a trellis-work of tree-branches and planks, more or less secure. When
the sick man was carried by his friends to the house where Christ was preaching,
" they could not come nigh to him for the press," so they very naturally went on
to the terrace or house-top, and " uncovered the roof" of the court, that is, they
removed the matting which sheltered it, and then they "broke up" the trellis-
work and let down the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. If an ordinary
house-top had been broken up, the wooden beams, and the masses of earth and
stone of which it is composed, would in falling have endangered the lives of those
below.
66 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and oxen on the tKrasliing-floor ; others were gleaning and
weeding in the neighboring fields ; and the noisiest and
most active were busy loading some kneeling camels with
sacks of grain. Assisted by the contemplation of this busy
scene, and the remembrance of the incidents of the morn-
ing, I could fully realize the beautiful story of Ruth. "We
crossed a field of Indian corn, to pause for a moment under
the shade of the clump of trees, said to mark the spot
where the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks
by night, when the " good tidings " were proclaimed. The
place is now called the " Shepherds' Grarden," and is in the
keeping of the monks of Bethlehem. We rose on to the
hill-side again, and peeped into the Milk Grotto, in which
tradition says that Mary rested on the eve of her flight
into Egypt. It is a cave in a very white limestone rock,
and has been undergoing excavation for centuries, on
account of the before-mentioned supposed virtue of the
stone. Fragments of it are treasured in all parts of Syria,
and in many countries of Europe. I have often seen it
used successfully. It seems to me, that the mere fact of
not being provided with this relic will, in nervous subjects,
occasion a deficiency of milk, and in such cases herbs and
other medicines, wise women and doctors, are resorted to
in vain ; but whenever a portion of this crumbling stone can
be procured, through the hands of a priest, tranquillity is
restored, and favorable results follow. In this way many
so-called miracles may be accounted for.
We rode on southward toward Urtas, passing over ter-
raced hills, where the vines, and olives, and fig-trees grew
luxuriantly, and little white stone watch-towers peered out
here and there, in commanding positions, from the midst
of the thick foliage. Near to the winding bridle-path we
saw now and then a cottage or hut made of rough, unhewn
stones, and roofed with tree-branches, standing in a garden
of cucumbers, or tomatoes, or a choice vineyard. One
cf these rude dwellings was being clumsily repaired by a
group of boys, who had been gathering stones and sticks
WELL AT BETHLEHEM. 67
for the purpose, and were shouting merrily over their work.
From another of these little huts there came forth, as if by
magic for it did not look capable of containing them
five young Bethlehem girls. Three of them were very
pretty, brilliant brunettes the others rather fair. All
looked strong and hearty, with rich color and large clear
eyes. They advanced, half-shyly, half-daringly, to peep at
us as we passed. Their simply-made, loose purple linen
dresses, girdled below the waist negligently; their long
wide sleeves, revealing bronzed and braceleted arms; their
coarse white linen vails thrown back from their foreheads
and hanging over their shoulders; and their naked feet,
were in perfect harmony with the pastoral scenes around.
I was very thirsty, so I called to one of them, saying,
"Water me with water, my sister!" Immediately a red
and black two-handled porous earthenware vase of antique
form was handed to me, and when I had drank of the cool,
tasteless water it contained the girls around said, " May
God make it refreshing to you, lady!" And, prompted
by my brother, I gave the customary answer, " God pre-
serve you!" We inquired whence came the delicious water,
and they answered, "From the well over against the town."
So perhaps we had tasted of the very water which David
sighed for when he said, "0, that one would give me of
the water of the well at Bethlehem, that is at the gate!"
We gave the girls a backshish, and they gave us their
blessings as we rode away.
The men and boys whom we met, or saw working in
the orchards above or the plains below, wore nothing but
short coarse white shirts, girdled with broad red leather
belts, ornamented with stitching and embroidery. Their
heads were protected and adorned with bright-red and
yellow-striped shawls, tastefully bound round their tasseled
tarbushes, the crowns of which were bleached by the sun.
A few of them wore red, pointed, clumsy-looking, but pic-
turesque boots. Nature, however, provides admirably for
the shoeless and furnishes a hardy and ever-growing horny
68 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
case, which is insensible to the sharpness of stones and
thorns, and to the roughness of the stubble-field.
In the valley below we saw broad fields of green millet
and broom-corn a strong grass about five or six feet in
hight, of which brooms are made but all the wheat and
barley had been cut, and mules and oxen were busy on the
thrashing-floors.
On the eastern side of this valley the hills were uncul-
I tivated, and on the neglected terraces wild fig-trees, ever-
green oaks, and thorns grew. In the breaks between these
hills we had occasional glimpses of the Dead Sea, calm,
and blue, and bright in the sunshine, and the long range
of Moab beyond; its channeled and furrowed hills bounded
the view, and met the sky in an almost level line.
The sun was very powerful, for it was the fifth hour,
between ten and eleven o'clock. We protected our heads
from sunstroke by winding round our hats long strips of
muslin, after the fashion of turbans, which are the most
suitable head-dresses for hot countries.
We left all traces of cultivated land presently, and came
to hills which were clothed with thorns and thistles, wild
thyme and sage, except where the scanty soil had been
washed away from the grayish-blue slab-like rocks.
As we descended into the valley of Urtas by a pathless
steep, we paused to watch a long line of camels, and a
considerable body of Bedouins, who were entering it from
a narrow wady just opposite. They were preceded by three
sturdy-looking men mounted on horses, and carrying spears
about twelve feet long, garnished with tufts of ostrich
feathers.
They were evidently on their way to seek some favorable
site for a Summer encampment, for they were accompanied
by a large number of women and children, who rode in
clumsy cradles or panniers on the foremost camels, while
the rest were laden with black hair tents and bundles of
tent-poles, cooking utensils, water jars, mats, and sacks
of provisions. Goats, sheep, and a few donkeys brought
GARDENS OF SOLOMON. 6d
up the rear, pausing only to drink at the little shallow
pools of water which rested in natural and stony basins in
the middle of the valley, bordered with fresh green grass
and flowers. The tinkling of the camel bells, and the
wild, plaintive, monotonous song of the women, rang in
our ears long after the primitive procession had passed
out of our sight. No doubt those wanderers pitched their
tents and made themselves at home by sunset, near to some
stream or fountain of sweet water. Their dusky dwellings
up they quickly rear, and build a village in an hour's
space.
When we reached the bottom of the valley, and had
passed a bold, projecting, and caverned rock which causes
an abrupt turn in its course, I was startled with delight
and surprise at the picture before us the loveliest I had
seen in the East.
No wonder that Biblical topographists agree in calling
Urtas the site of the gardens of Solomon, and no wonder
if Solomon selected this valley for his especial retreat, and
made this part of it his pleasure-ground. It may have
been more magnificent in his time, when the now fallen
and shattered columns supported stately buildings, and the
terraces were paved with the now scattered tesseras; but it
could not have been more beautiful and refreshing even in
those golden days; for here the pomegranates still yield
their pleasant fruit; the vine flourishes; the fig-trees put
forth their green figs around the fountain of gardens
the well of living water. Vegetable marrows, cucumbers,
melons, and tomatoes carpet the bed of the valley with
their broad leaves and glossy fruits, and fields of lentils,
beans, potatoes, millet, and patches of golden maize, blos-
soming tobacco and sesame in excellent order, proclaim the
agricultural skill of the successor of Solomon. Higher up
in the valley is a splendid orchard, where peach, apple, pear,
and plum-trees flourish side by side with the more common
fruits of the country, watered by sparkling streams which
intersect the gardens and orchards like silver threads.
70 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
We followed a narrow bridle-path, raised a little above
the bed of the valley. This led us to a solitary stone
house, built up against the abruptly-rising hill on the
right. Here we dismounted, and were kindly welcomed
by its occupants Mr. Meshullam and his family the
present cultivators and shareholders of this favorite spot.
They are of Jewish birth, but have become Christians,
and are under British protection. We rested under an
immense fig-tree, on a divan of rocks and stones, built
round its massive trunk, and covered with carpets and
cushions. Opposite to us was a wide arched portal or
lewan, the approach to the house. A wooden locker, and
two stone benches or raised seats, covered with mats, occu-
pied its three sides. It is used as a Summer sitting-room.
Above the rude door leading to the inner rooms were a
number of badger-skins hanging to dry, and some foxes'
tails, and tusks of wild boars trophies of the courage and
skill of the young Meshullams. Bunches of Indian corn,
and some large dried gourds of a golden tint and cup-like
form, were suspended from the arched roof, with a few
captured birds in cages, and a large lantern.
The room within was just as simple. We dined there
with Mr. Meshullam and his family, and Mr. Henry Went-
worth Monk, who for two years had lived there, almost a
hermit's life, his only constant companion a Greek Testa-
ment, and his chief intercourse with the world the Times
newspaper. He spent nearly all his time in the open air,
entering the house nly to sleep and to eat. His lifelike
portrait, by Holman Hunt, appeared in the Royal Academy
Exhibition in 1860.
Our hostess, Mrs. Meshullam, an Italian Jewess, told me
she could only give us an Italian peasant's dinner, as she
had not expected us that day; but the savory soup of
lentils and other vegetables, the dishes of fried beans, the
potato fritters, omelettes, and fruit, needed no apology.
After dinner, Mr. Meshullam's sons kindly led us up the
rocky hill-side to the ruins of Urtas. Scattered blocks of
RESERVOIR. 71
stone, fallen columns, foundations of houses, and broken
walls alone remain. A few wild Arabs of tbe T^amari
tribe haunt these ruins and the caverns in the limestone
hills which rise behind them, attracted by the spring which
gushes impetuously from a rock overgrown with mosses
and ferns, and overshadowed with fine trees. The water
falls in a large body, splashing and bubbling, into a square
reservoir, where a group of little Bedouins stood enjoying
shower-baths. A few men were bathing their feet and
washing their hands, in preparation for prayer.
From this basin the water escapes into a lower and
large reservoir, where a number of Urtas women and girls
were washing their white and purple linen shirts, and their
tattered vails, in primitive style, folding them, and placing
them on smooth slabs, just under the surface of the water
at the margin of the pool, and then beating them with flat
stones, which they held in their hands. Little naked,
bronzed children were luxuriating there, and wriggling
about like tadpoles. The girls called to me to come down
into the reservoir, to bathe my feet. The rough stone
walls inclosing these pools were tapestried with ferns,
cresses, delicate creepers, and liverwort.
We followed the course of the stream, and, with it,
descended into the valley between the low stone walls
which inclose the plantations of olive, fig-trees, lemons,
and pomegranates. We had to make our way cautiously,
now on one side, and then on the other, of the rocky bed
of the swiftly-flowing stream.
The pleasant sound of the rushing waters the songs of
the goldfinches the sight of the blossoming and fruitful
trees in the garden below, inclosed by steep hills, covered
with aromatic herbs the breezy air, laden with the helio-
trope-like scent of the fig-trees, and tasting of the wild
flowers and herbs around delighted us. King Solomon
could scarcely have enjoyed such scenes more completely,
when he, long ago, went into the garden and invited his
beloved to come and eat the pleasant fruits. "Awake, O
72 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
north wind! and come, thou south! blow upon my garden,
that the spices thereof may flow out."
The stream led us to the bottom of the valley, and then
took its way rather more gently in a narrow bed, bordered
with grass and brook-lime speedwell, close to the hill-
side, which was festooned with masses of maiden-hair and
mosses of the most vivid green. We walked on a raised
stone path, or viaduct, across the gardens, and passed
through a field of tall broom-corn, every stem of which
was crowned with a plumy tuft, and wreathed with con-
volvulus, pink and white. We saw a number of gardeners
at work, in the employ of Mr. Meshullam. He has a shop
in Jerusalem, exclusively for the sale of the fruit and
vegetables from this spot. He has introduced many fruit-
trees and vegetables which had never before been cultivated
in the East; and they thrive well, especially the seeds and
slips from America. Were it not for the vigorous protec-
tion afforded to him by Mr. Finn, however, he could not
resist the encroachments of the Arab tribes in the district,
and the fruitful valley would soon be a desert.
After taking leave of the Meshullams, we rode up the
valley to see the three great pools, one above the other,
which collect the springs of the neighborhood. The
largest and lowest is 582 feet long, and 50 feet deep; the
next is 423 feet long, and 39 feet deep ; the upper one is
380 feet long, and 25 feet deep. Clear blue water half
filled these tanks a precious reserve for the dry season.
The bottom of the upper pool is higher than the top of the
next, and so with the second and third. They are partly
formed of excavations in the rock, and partly of immense
hewn stones. These are called Solomon's Pools; and he
perhaps thought of them, and of his gardens at Urtas,
when he said, "I made me gardens and orchards, and
I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits ; I made
me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that
bringeth forth trees." No doubt the fountain and streams
which supply these pools found their way down the valley
, RETURN TO JERUSALEM. 78
of Urtas to tb^Dead Sea, and wasted their sweet waters in
the bitter lake, till a Solomon's band restrained them, and
led them into these great reservoirs, and built the famous
duct round hill-sides, over plains, and across valleys, to
convey the water to the Temple on Mount Moriah. Even
now the fountain opposite to the Mosque-el-Aksa is thus
supplied. Sometimes, it is true, the supply is scanty there,
owing to the careless keeping of the aqueduct; for men
water their horses at the various openings, and otherwise
waste the water, before it can reach the city. Every new
Pasha does his best to enforce strong measures to prevent
this abuse, but generally gives up the attempt after a short
time.
We rode homeward, following, as nearly as we could, the
course of the aqueduct. At every opening we saw the
running water framed in a mass of delicate maiden-hair
and moss; at several of these places women were, contrary
to the law, washing their clothes, and filling their water-
jars. It strikes me, that there may have been a chariot-
road by the side of this aqueduct, in ancient times, and it
may have served as a sort of coping or parapet to it. No
chariot-road is to be found there now, and in some places
the path is difl&cult even for a mule ; yet, when we consider
what damage the torrents of one Winter will effect, we may
wonder that the torrents of centuries have not proved even
more destructive than they have.
Roads in this land must have required peculiar attention
and care. In the Talmud it is said that, before the going
up of the tribes, three times a year, to Jerusalem, the
roads leading to it were prepared. " Prepare the way of
the people ; cast up the highway, gather out the stones,
take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my people."
I can imagine the kind of preparation required in obedience
to this command ; how the rocks, and stones, and debris of
the hills, washed down by the Winter rains, were cleared
away ; how the fallen tree-trunks were gathered up and
supported ; and the broken edges of the road and the holes
7
74 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
formed by the bursting of springs were blocked up ; and I
see, in fancy, the chariot-roads winding round terraced
hills, and through vineyards, pleasant gardens, and pasture-
land in the plains, as they did in the days when such kings
as Solomon the magnificent ruled, or when Uzziah the lover
of husbandry reigned. (See 2 Chron. xxvi, 10, 11.)
The sun had gone down in red, and gold, and purple
splendor when we quitted the tortuous course of the aque-
duct. We lost the cheerful sound of the running stream,
whose waters were flowing freely toward Jerusalem ; and
we took a more direct route, turning toward the Convent
of Mar Elias. We mounted the hill, and then galloped
quickly over the plain of Kephaim, meeting long strings
of unladen camels gently jolting along, and numbers of
Bethlehem peasants and women, returning homeward, with
their empty baskets poised on their heads. They had been
selling fruit and vegetables in Jerusalem.
It was dusk when we reached Talibiyeh. We found that
some poor Jews had been employed there throughout the
day, to make a sort of veranda or shelter of reeds in front
of the little stone house, and it proved a very pleasant re-
treat. The reeds used were from the banks of the Jordan.
They are about an inch and a half or two inches in diam-
eter, and twelve or thirteen feet in bight, with a plumy
tuft at the top, like a miniature palm-tree. It is very likely
that this kind of reed is referred to in the history of the
Crucifixion, where it is said, " And straightway one of them
ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and put it
on a reed, and gave him to drink." Matt, xxvii, 48.
Thoroughly tired, but well pleased, I went to my tent ;
and, according to the advice of the Armenian nurse, bathed
my feet and arms with milk and vinegar, to allay the irri-
tation caused by the musketoes, which had tormented me
in the convent at Bethlehem. It proved an effectual rem-
edy, and I recommend travelers to try it.
FROM JERUSALEM TO HAIFA. 75
CHAPTER lY
FROM JERUSALEM TO HAIFA.
It was our intention to remain only a short time in
Jerusalem, but my brother had been detained on consular
business, and was appointed to attend Kamil Pasha on an
expedition to Hebron, fo quell a serious insurrection there.
I was left in the care of my good friends at the Talibi-
yeh, where I enjoyed excellent opportunities for improving
myself in Arabic, and gleaning information about the peo-
ple of Palestine. Every day brought some new delight.
I visited all the places of interest in the neighborhood,
sketching and making notes, and had the privilege of ac-
companying Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore when they
explored the Moslem mosques and shrines on Mount
Moriah.
Mr. W. Holman Hunt was then busy in his studio on
Mount Zion, and there I watched the progress of his won-
derful picture of the "Meeting in the Temple," and with
delight looked through his portfolios and sketch-books.
On the 21st of August I went to Hebron, and after spend-
ing a few days with my brother at the Pasha's camp, I
returned to the Talibiyeh ; but of these pleasures I will not
pause to speak in detail here.
On the 9th of September, at sunrise, a shower of rain
fell, the first I had seen in Palestine. It lasted only half
an hour, and seemed quite local. Low down among the
hills rainbows, one within another, spanned the valleys,
and produced a most beautiful effect. Soon after the rain
was over, a cloud of birds appeared coming from the north,
their strange snapping cries sounding louder and louder as
76 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
they approached. They were bee-catchers, bright-colored
birds of the swallow kind. A strong north wind soon car-
ried the rain clouds and the birds far away, and cooled the
air, which had been very sultry.
On September 11th, Miss Creasy who had long been
resident in Jerusalem took me to see Philip's Fountain,
which is about two hours south-west by west of Jerusalem.
We started early, with one kawass, and rode over the rocky
hills to the Convent of the Cross before the dew had dis-
appeared. We met large companies of " fellahin " peasant
women flocking to the city with fruit and vegetables.
Most of them wore blue linen shirts, white cotton vails,
which fell over their shoulders, and crimson girdles fastened
very low. The foremost were carrying a great variety of
cucumbers and vegetable marrows, and the fruit of the
dark egg-plant, which is pear-shaped, of a deep violet-red
color, and very glossy. A group of girls, who balanced
on their heads baskets of grapes from the Greek gardens,
made a beautiful picture ; trailing branches and tendrils of
the vine were hanging over their shoulders. We went
down a narrow valley, newly planted with mulberries and
vines by the enterprising monks of the Greek convent. On
the summit of a steep hill, on our right, we saw the pic-
turesque little village of Malihah, and large kilns for pre-
paring charcoal were burning on the rock ledges or terraces
below it.
We entered the Wady-el-Werd, or Yalley of Roses well
named ; its broad bed, for above a mile, is like a thicket of
rose-bushes, cultivated for making rose-water and conserves.
Beyond this garden, which attracted thousands of birds to
feast on its crimson berries or hips, we found fig-orchards,
blackberry-bushes, and walnut-trees. On our left hand we
saw the remains of an ancient building, large hewn stones,
excavations in the native rock, a few fallen columns, and a
small stone fountain called Ain Yalo, or the Spring of
Ajalon. We were following the course of the ancient road
"which goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza." Long ago,
Philip's fountain. 77
Queen Candace's eunuch traversed it, riding in his chariot ;
but the Komans kept " the way " in repair then ; no chariot
could pass it now. It is little better than a track for mules,
and runs along a sort of terrace half-way up the hill on the
left-hand side of the valley. Rugged rock ledges were
above and below us, and a few flocks were feeding on the
scanty herbage and thorns, but down in the bed of the vale
there were thrashing-floors and stubble fields. About a
mile beyond Ain Yalo we came to Ain Haniyeh, a fine
spring of pure water, commonly called Philip's Fountain.
Two pilasters, with richly-carved Corinthian capitals, flank
a semicircular apse, formed of very large, carefully-hewn
stones. From a deep, arched recess or niche, in the middle
of this apse, a large body of water gushes and falls with
great force into a small basin, which overflows into a stone
reservoir below, and then forms a narrow stream which
finds its way into the valley. I climbed over immense
blocks of stone, assisted by a shepherd boy, and gathered
some of the maiden-hair and mosses which festooned the
arched mouth of the fountain. Indications of a much
larger apse can be traced just beyond ; and exactly opposite
the fountain, at about forty paces from it, there is a frag-
ment of the shaft of a column nearly six feet in diameter,
but only about five feet high. A few shafts of smaller
columns are to be seen in a neighboring field. The vil-
lagers around carry away the hewn stones which are found
here to build their little watch-towers, or to repair their
houses. Local tradition says that this is the very fountain
to which the eunuch referred when he said to his teacher,
Philip, " See, here is water ! What doth hinder me to be
baptized?" Some boys and girls, wilder looking than the
shaggy goats which they led to drink at the fountain,
crowded around me as I sat on the great column, sketching
the scene before me. My horse, in the mean time, less
obedient than the chariot of the eunuch, had broken away
from the block of stone to which he was tethered, and was
running at full speed into the valley. Loud cries and
78 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
shouts from the boys brought, from all directions, volun-
teers to pursue the runaway, and, after some little time, the
frightened animal was caught, in a circle of the noisiest,
wildest-looking little fellows I ever saw, and to whom the
few piasters which I distributed was a fortune.
We returned by a rather different route, and passed
another fountain, more simple than the others, but very
picturesque, and formed chiefly of blocks of unhewn stone.
Women were washing their linen shirts and vails in the
reservoir, and a number of rough, desperate-looking men
were lounging idly round it. They looked over my paper
while I sketched the fountain and a few figures. One of
them said, "If we were to fetch all the men of the valley,
and all the men of the hills, they could not do that."
They seemed, by their remarks, to fancy that drawing was
a sense or faculty peculiar to the Franks. They were
clamorous for backshish, and followed us for some dis-
tance, muttering, grumbling, and disputing among them-
selves. After they had given up the pursuit, I found that
I had lost my pocket-book, containing papers of value. I
galloped back to Philip's Fountain, though the rays of
the sun were very powerful. I explained my loss to ^le
shepherd boys, now my firm allies, then I rode back to
the other fountain, where I found the group of men who
had followed us, standing as if in consultation. I felt
certain that they had my book. I told them I came from
the English consulate, and asked them to help me in my
search. They so positively declared that my book was
not lost there, that I felt more convinced than ever that
they had found it. Presently I tried the effect of a small
piece of gold, which I offered to the finder. In a moment
one of the men drew my book from his girdle, and rather
hesitatingly placed it in my hands. I feared he might
repent, so I immediately gave it to the kawass to take
charge of, and we very thankfully rode away. These men
were all fully armed, and dressed in coarse scanty clothing.
They looked as if a trifle would excite them to mischief
KATRINE AND HER DELUSIONS. 79
and to deeds of daring. When we were far enough from
them, we sat down and took our lunch, which we had
provided before setting out. We rested under a walnut-
tree during the hour of noon, and did not reach the
Talibiyeh till three o'clock, where we were anxiously
awaited, for the Gaza road is not considered a very safe
one. In the arched recess at the back of the house, figs
from Urtas, strung together, were hanging in the sun to
dry. One of the servants, sitting in the shade, was busy
stripping ofi" the flag-like envelopes of large ripe ears of
Indian corn, or maize. She told me that she was going
to make a mattress of the dried husks for one of the
men-servants; and added that poor people, who can not
afford to buy cotton wool, make their beds of the outer
skins of onions, thoroughly dried and sweetened by ex-
posure to the sun, and sewed up in coarse linen cases.
On the following day, my brother returned from Hebron,
and was at last free to leave Jerusalem and start for his
vice-consulate at Haifa. A few days were spent in making
preparations for the journey. I engaged Katrine, a widow
of Bethlehem, as my attendant. She was highly recom-
mended to me as a faithful and affectionate woman, but
with the serious drawback that she was subject to fits of
mental derangement. In the year 1834, when her native
town was the scene of rebellion, her husband and little
sons were murdered in her presence in their beds, and
alarm and despair disordered her mind.* (Who can cal-
culate how much harm of this nature will be the result
of the late massacres in the Lebanon and Damascus, and
how many weakened intellects will be transmitted to suc-
ceeding generations? Men survive the sight of open war-
fare on the battle-field; but who can wonder that women
become mad with rage and terror, who see their sons and
fathers murdered in their homes?)
In a day or two Katrine was quite at home with me.
She had known my brother for years, and fancied that he
*See note, page 60.
80 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and I were her own children. She often told me curious
stories of our childhood, fictions of her imagination. This
delusion, however, made her happy, and caused her to be
a most devoted servant to us.
On the 14th of September I was roused before sunrise by
the tinkling sounds of mule bells, which reminded me that
our journey was planned for that day. All was bustle and
animation at the camp. Groups of Arab servants were
seated among the rocks. Bags and baggage were strewed
around. Tents and tent poles were being removed and
packed, and mules and muleteers stood waiting for orders.
Mr. Finn was about to make a tour with his niece and a
friend, and had arranged to travel with us as far as Yafa.
After a great many delays, all the attendants were in
readiness by eleven o'clock; but it happened that my
brother, who had gone into Jerusalem early on business,
was detained, and consequently kept a prisoner there, for
it was Friday, the Moslem Sabbath, and the city gates are
always closed on that day during the hours of morning
prayer, and we knew, therefore, that he could not on any
consideration be released till noon. (This custom is rigidly
observed, owing to a prophecy which declares that the Holy
City will be invaded and conquered at Sabbath prayer-
time.) So the Consul with his party started, leaving us
to overtake him at Yafa; and I spent one more evening
with Mrs. Finn and the little ones at the Talibiyeh. We
had nothing to detain us the next day, and at half-past
three I rose by lantern and starlight, gathered a branch
from the olive-tree above the tent which had been my
resting-place for ten weeks, breakfasted with Mrs. Finn,
and rode away, well mounted, just as the first gleams of
light appeared in the eastern sky.
A Moslem kawass led the way, and my soi-disant mother,
Katrine, a Latin Christian, closely vailed and wrapped in
a red Arab clock, sat, a la cavalier, on the broad pack-
saddle of a nimble little donkey, and two laden mules, in
the care of a muleteer, followed. Although our attendants
KUBAB. 81
were of conflicting creeds, they fraternized very well on
the way.
We did not pause till we came to the Fountain of Birds,
where a peasant boy brought us fine grapes, and helped us
to give our animals water. The orchards around were now
in their full beauty, bright with pomegranate fruit and
blossom. The rich green fig-trees, wet with dew, smelt like
heliotropes, and were garlanded and interlaced with richly-
laden vines. Little birds were rustling the silvery leaves
of the olive-trees, and they now and then swarmed forth
in cheerful chirruping flight.
At eight o'clock we reached Abu Grh6sh, and while we
waited for Katrine and the muleteer who lagged behind
I sketched the old church, and then hastened onward. At
ten we rested and lunched under a tree by a well-side near
to Latrone, and the* kawass contrived to make us some
cofi'ee. I was astonished to find that I had traveled through
the hill-country of Judea, without fear and without fatigue,
by the same road which a short time before had appeared
to me so full of danger and difiiculty. The hills seemed
to me to have been made low, and the " rough places
plain." When we entered the level country, the sun was
shaded every now and then by quickly-moving clouds,
and a breeze sprang up from the west, pleasantly fanning
our faces.
We cantered over the plain till we reached a village
called Kubab, a poor, straggling place, with a few gardens
fenced with yellow-blossoming cactus hedges. We paused
by a well, in a sort of farm-yard, and a lame girl handed
us some water in a red jar. She made curious signs and
gestures, and we soon saw that she was deaf and dumb.
We gave her a backshish, and she limped away well
pleased. A boy followed us, noisily demanding money as
we rode on, but we did not give him any thing; so he ran
back to the poor lame girl, threw her down, and snatched
her treasure from her. She rose with difiiculty, and with
silent and impotent rage threw handfuls of dust after him,
o2 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and when lie was out of sight, she began tearing her
scanty clothing. We turned back and tried to console her,
but our words were useless ; however, some sweet chocolate
cakes were more effectual. We left her stealthily eating
them, and went on our way, thinking how sad her life
must be.
Before noon we entered Ramleh, leaving our servants
far behind. We rode under the tall palm-trees, now laden
with glossy red and golden fruit, hanging in clusters on
orange-colored stalks. Strings of camels and laden donkeys
crowded the dirty, dusty streets, and with difficulty we made
our way to the house of an Arab friend. My brother was
received with kisses and embraces by the sons of the house,
and I was led by an Abyssinian slave a eunuch to his
widowed mistress, a superior-looking woman, dressed in
black silk garments, embroidered with gold thread. She
said, "Welcome, my daughter;" and, after giving me some
lemonade, took me to a pleasant chamber opening on to a
terrace covered with pots of blossoming pinks and roses.
She called the slave, and he immediately spread a mattress
for me on the floor. Then she took off my hat and habit,
and told me to "Kest in peace;" and, sitting by my side
on a soft-cushioned carpet, she gently fanned me to keep
away the flies and musketoes. When I awoke, after an
hour or two of refreshing sleep, I found that my hostess
had gone, and the slave was kneeling by my side,, fanning
me with a little flag made of a green split palm-frond,
nicely plaited. His dark, polished face and large eyes,
contrasting with his white turban, white cotton dress, and
crimson silk girdle, rather startled me before I quite re-
membered where I was. I heard afterward that he was a
favorite and confidential slave, who had belonged for many
years to this family.
He poured rose-water over my hands, and led me to a
court, where a genuine Arab meal was prepared for us.
It consisted of boiled wheat, dressed in butter and mixed
with minced meat; some fine broiled fish, in a bed of
bedouin's song to his camel. 83
very sweet stewed apricots and rice;* and baked fowls,
garnished with tomatoes, filled with rice and shreds of
meat. ^ dessert of grapes, dates, and sweetened starch,
stuck with bleached almonds, followed. After coffee and
pipes we called our servants together, and at about five
o'clock we mounted and rode toward Yafa. The sun was
shining directly in our faces, and we watched it gradually
going down behind the low coast hills which hid from our
sight the Mediterranean Sea. The crescent moon rose
bright and clear, throwing our shadows in long dark lines
on the sandy road before us.
We saw a little company of Bedouin Arabs sitting on
the wayside feasting. As soon as we had passed they rose
up and started into a run, leaping and shouting vocifer-
ously, and as we and the kawass slackened our pace to
join the servants who were behind they passed us, running
and dancing along, snatching off each other's white skull-
caps, flinging them in the air, flourishing their sticks,
throwing handkerchiefs at one another, screaming and
singing. Their heads were shaved except just at the
crown, where the hair was allowed to grow very long,
and was plaited. The plait is generally twisted up, and
quite concealed under skull-caps, tarbtishes, or kefias
that is, shawl head-dresses. The Arab costumes are
familiar to most of my readers from the pictures of
them in our school-books, and I need not further par-
ticularize them here.
We soon found that these wild-looking men were quite
harmless. They had only lingered on the wayside to
enjoy a heartier meal than usual, and had allowed their
camels to go on leisurely with two or three camel-drivers,
and they were running to overtake them, which they very
soon did. They then pursued their way so slowly that we
quickly passed them. Some of them were mounted on the
unwieldy-looking animals, and their songs were already
* This meUmge, which ia very common, always reminded me of the "broiled
fish" and the "honeycomb" spoken of in Luke xxiv, 42.
84 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
subduea to harmonize with their monotonous swinging
pace, and chimed softly and plaintively with the tinkling
of camel bells thus:
"Dear unto me as the sight of my eyes
Art thoii, my camel !
Precious to me as the breath of my life
Art thou, my camel !
Sweet to my ears is the sound
Of thy tinkling bells, my camel !
And sweet to thy listening ears
Is the sound of my evening song.
Sometimes these wanderers pass several days without
taking substantial food; but, to make up for their absti-
nence, they eat voraciously and "make merry" when they
have the opportunity. It was dark in the bridle-path be-
tween the Yafa Gardens, but the large and many glowing
watch-fires within the inclosures showed that the abundance
of ripe fruit was well guarded.
We entered the gate of the town, where crowds of people
were lounging. The broadest bazar was bright with lamps
and lanterns ; but we soon merged one by one into dark,
narrow, crooked streets of stairs, and * I was directed to
follow the kawass closely and carefully. His large, full,
white Turkish trowsers seemed to move before me by some
mysterious power, without support or suspension; for the
black horse which he rode was quite invisible in the dark-
ness, and his red fez and embroidered jacket could not be
seen, only now and then two shining eyes turned round to
see if I were safe. I followed my ghostlike leader cau-
tiously till we reached the British Consulate down by the
seaside, where we were welcomed by our friends. Dr. and
Mrs. Kayat; and Mr. Finn, wSo had only arrived an hour
earlier, soon came to meet us. He had slept at Ramleh on
the previous night, and was surprised we had made the
journey from Jerusalem so easily in one day. Fire-works
from a ship at anchor attracted us to the oriel window
which overlooks the sea, and we sat for a long time watch-
ing the waves as they rolled toward us, crested with white
SUNDAY AT YAFA. 85
foam, and with lines of phosphoric light flashing from be-
neath them, only extinguished by the breaking of each
successive wave on the rocks.
The next day, Sunday, we went to the Rev. Mr. Kruse's
house, and, in company with Mr. Finn and his party, and
Dr. Kayat and his family, we heard Dr. Bowen the late
lamented Bishop of Sierra Leone preach a most simple,
earnest, and appropriate sermon. A few Arab children
belonging to the missionary school, and Mrs. Krus6 and
her family, with the Bev. Henry Beichart, of Cairo, com-
pleted the little congregation. Some Arab ladies of the
neighboring house watched us the whole time through the
open window, and seemed greatly amused. The hymns
were sung with much energy in Arabic, and the liturgy
read in English was responded to by the little Arab
scholars with vehemence and clearness. I spent the re-
mainder of the day with Mr. Finn and his party, at the
new and well-built house of an Arab friend. We sat on a
sheltered terrace, sweet with pinks and jasmine, overlooking
the terraced house-tops and the sparkling sea. Down on
our left was the southern wall of the town, and the deep
dry moat. Beyond it was a sloping, stony plain, where
horsemen were galloping about and displaying their skill
in the use of spear and musket. Further still was the large
open cemetery, with a cupola, supported on arches, in the
center; children were playing, and turbaned smokers were
resting, under its shade. A garden of figs, palms, and
tamarisks, on a gentle declivity, bordered the sandy margin
of the sea between us and the quarantine station, and the
white sheets or wimples of groups of women could be dis-
tinguished among the trees. Drifted sand-hills bounded
the view. The sea, calm and brightly blue, broke gently
along the belt of rocks, fringing them with foam. We
watched the setting of the sun, the hills in the south
grew rosy, violet, and gray. The western sky was covered
with dark slate-colored clouds, edged with gold. The
sunset-gun was fired, and we were led by our host to a
86 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
covered court on the house-top to dine, by lantern light.
For dessert, among other fruits, we had a dish of large
ruby-colored pomegranate seeds moistened with wine, and
sprinkled with powdered sugar; bleached almonds formed
the border of this tempting-looking dish.
The next day I was sitting in the oriel window at the
British Consulate, with the Rev. Dr. Bowen, while Dr.
Kayat was engaged with an English captain and a number
of Arabs in the lower part of the room. Black clouds came
traveling quickly from the west, over the lead-colored sea.
Dr. Bowen observed, in the words of Christ, " When ye see
a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say. There
Cometh a shower, and so it is." He had scarcely uttered
the words when the clouds spread and fell in a tremendous
torrent. The sea swelled, and rolled heavily to the shore.
The ships looked as if they would break away from their
anchors, and loud peals of thunder made the casemented
recess in which we sat tremble violently. The captain
hastened away, fearful for the fate of his struggling ship
off such a rocky coast. When the rain ceased, and the
Bun shone again, I rode out with Dr. Bowen to visit Mr.
Jones, an American missionary, who lived in the midst of
a beautiful garden, east of the town. He had done a great
deal of good in teaching the Arab gardeners and agricul-
turists habits of order and method, but he finds them very
slow learners.
At sunrise the next day rain fell in torrents, and did
not clear off till noon, after which I sat in my favorite
window corner with Nasif Giamal, Mrs. Kayat's brother.
We saw just below us, on the rudely-constructed "parade,"
a crowd of men and children, assembled round a fantas-
tically-dressed man exhibiting a goat, which had been
tutored to perform some curious tricks. It stood with its
four feet close together on the top of a very long pole, and
allowed the man to lift it up and carry it round and round
within the circle ; then the goat was perched on four sticks,
and again carried about. A little band of music fifes,
CIKCUMCISION. 87
drums, and tambourines called together the people from
all parts of the town to witness this performance. The goat
danced and balanced himself obediently and perfectly, in
very unnatural-looking postures, as if thoroughly under-
standing the .words and commands of his master. The
men who watched the antics of the goat looked as grave
and serious as if they were attending a philosophical or
scientific lecture.
The assembled crowd had to make way presently for a
long procession, preceded by horsemen carrying long spears,
and firing guns. Two little boys, gayly dressed and decked
with flowers, rode one behind the other on a- white horse.
Two large books, carried on embroidered cushions, were
borne by two attendants. Women closely vailed walked by
the side of the boys, singing wildly, and making a peculiar
ringing noise in the throat, not unlike the neighing of
horses made slightly musical by modulation. Nasif, who
can speak English, told me the object of the procession,
saying, "The boys are Moslems; they have suffered an
infliction not observed by the Christians; the Jews have
it, and also the Moslems." This explained to me that the
children had been circumcised, and were now being con-
ducted round the town in triumph.
My brother made arrangements with the owner of a
little Arab boat to be prepared to take us to Haifa, as soon
as the south wind rose. Two monks of Mount Carmel
begged to accompany us. "We made our plans so as to be
ready at a minute's notice, and spent the evening with Sit
Leah. She had quite recovered, and proudly showed me
her little Selim. I found that every one addressed her
and spoke of her as "Um Selim," or mother of Selim, and
the father was called "Abu Selim."
On Wednesday, September 19th, I was roused before
sunrise, and informed that the Keis or Arab captain
had sent for us, as the wind was favorable. With the
two monks and Nasif Gr. we quickly went down to the
quay. In the mean time the wind had shifted, and the
88 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Reis could not undertake to steer against it; but he
added, "It will veer round to the south again by mid-
night, and then we shall reach Haifa in eight or ten
hours." It was still very early. We strolled leisurely
through the town. The people were just beginning to
stir. The shutters of the shops in the bazars were being
lifted up they are like flap-doors attached by rude hinges
to the beams above the shop-fronts, and when opened and
propped up, they form excellent shades, which are easily
dropped down and secured at night.
On my return to the Consulate, I found two of the
women-servants making bread, sitting on the ground at
a low circular wooden board. One of them moistened
some flour with water, another added salt, and a small
piece of leavened dough to " leaven the whole lump "
and then kneaded it vigorously in turn with her com-
panion. It was left to rise, and then the two eldest
daughters of Dr. Kayat divided it into portions, rolled
them into little round loaves, which were carried away
to the oven on large round trays made of reeds, bound
together with strong grass.
We prepared ourselves for the journey, and then went to
rest early, without undressing. At midnight the Reis sent
for us, and immediately we went out into the darkness,
with Nasif and three or four lantern-bearers. I noticed a
number of men, wrapped in lehaffs, sleeping on low stone
platforms, or by the side of kneeling camels, in the streets
near the quay. The Mutsellim, or governor, was parading
the place. Nasif told me that he did so at irregular
intervals, sometimes in disguise, so as to see the state of
the town at night, and to ascertain, by personal observa-
tion, whether the guards did their duty. We met the
two Carmelite monks on the dark wharf, and the great
water-gate was opened for us. I was somehow dropped
gently into a little rowing-boat far down in the darkness
below, where I was taken charge of by two brawny boat-
men After much shouting and jolting we were all huddled
ON THE VOYAGE. 89
together, and skimmed over tlie water to the sailing-hoat,
which awaited us outside the rocky barrier. I found it
was divided into three parts the central portion being
like an uncovered hold, four feet deep and eight feet
square. The decks fore and aft were incumbered with the
ship's tackle, and crowded with sailors, who were singing
lustily. The hold, lighted by two lanterns, was matted and
set apart for passengers and luggage. Our portmanteaus
and carpet-bags served us for a couch, and the monks sat
on their saddle-bags, wrapped in their comfortable-looking
hooded robes. Poor Katrine, who had never been on the
sea before, was very much alarmed. She rolled herself up
in her cloak, stretched herself full length by my side, and
was happily soon fast asleep. Our kawass smoked his pipe
in company with the Reis above, and an Italian, who had
smuggled himself and his baggage on board, in the hurry
and darkness, kept aloof with the sailors. The sky was
bright with stars ; the south wind was strong, and filled the
sails, and by fits and starts 1 dozed till dawn of day.
Then I roused myself, and watched the little group around
me, the hooded monks sleeping soundly, my brother at
my feet, leaning against a hamper, and Katrine so envel-
oped that I could not distinguish her head from her heels.
The favorable wind had ceased, and the sailors were
busy taking in sail. By the time the sun appeared above
the low coast hills the wind had shifted to the west, and
we were in danger of being driven on the rocks. It then
suddenly veered to the north, and blew so violently that
the Reis was obliged to cast anchor, and we were tossed on
a heavy sea, near to a desolate coast, where there was no
possibility of landing. By nine o'clock the sun was very
powerful. An awning made of the now useless sails was
thrown over the hold. We found our quarters far from
comfortable, but we were determined to make the best of
them. By noon the heat was intense and suffocating down
in the hold, so I climbed on to the deck, and sat on a coil
of rope, clinging to the mast. The strong wind and the
90 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
sea spray revived me. The coast, whicli was every now
and then concealed by the high waves, was a range of
drifted sand-hills, traversed by flocks of goats feeding on
the scanty patches of pasture. Not a human habitation,
not even a human being was visible, and not a boat or ship
was seen all day. In the afternoon the wind ceased, but
the ship rocked lazily from the effect of the sea-swell,
which had not yet subsided.
My brother read St. Paul's voyage to me as it is recorded
in the 27th of Acts. It seemed more interesting than ever.
We were not far from Cesarea, the port from which Paul
embarked ; and he was tossed about by contrary winds, in
this sea for many days. It must have been about the same
time of the year, too, during the equinoctial gales, when, as
he said, " sailing was dangerous." It is distinctly explained
that it was after the great Fast of the Atonement, which is
held on the tenth day of the month of Tisri, and corresponds
with the latter part of our month of September.
At sunset "the south wind blew softly." The sails were
soon set, and in better spirits we sat down to our evening
meal, and shared our chickens and preserved soup with the
monks, who added their eggs, cheese, and cognac. We
passed a dreamy, restless night, "sailing slowly," and in
the morning were nearly opposite Tantura. The wind had
changed to north-east, so my brother insisted on landing
to pursue our journey on shore. We tacked about, put
out to sea, and then allowed the strong wind to drive us
toward the picturesque coast. Little islands of rock and
mounds of ancient masonry stood out before it, beaten by
the waves. With some maneuvering the boat was brought
safely to the beach, where there were plenty of Tantura
men to meet us, and carry us through the surf to the
smooth yellow sands. I was delighted to find myself on
firm land again; and I shall always remember St. Paul's
advice to the centurion, and vote against sailing in the
Levant in the Autumn.
The custom-house officer came to meet us; and, followed
RESTING ON THE WAY. 91
by troops of men and boys, we approached the little town,
which comprises about thirty or forty rudely-built houses,
made of irregularly-piled blocks of hewn stone, bits of
broken columns, and masses of mud or clay. The custom-
house officer, Abu Habib, guided us to his house, which
consisted of one low, large, square room, lined with clay,
and roofed with tree branches blackened with smoke. One
half of the ceiling was concealed by matting, and the other
half was picturesque with pendent branches. Small holes
served as windows, and the roughly-made door was a port-
able one. A mattress spread on the floor was used as a
divan. Jars of earthenware and metal saucepans stood
against tl;ie wall. A cooking-place was built in one corner,
made of large, finely-beveled, ancient stones and burned
clay. Baskets of coarse salt from the sea-shore were near
to it. Habib, the son of our host, prepared coffee for us.
In our presence he roasted the berries, and then pounded
them in a stone mortar. A large box, like a muniment
chest, with ornamental lock and hinges of wrought iron,
stood near the door, and I perched myself on it to be as
far away as I could from the mud floor, on which I could
distinctly see a numerous assembly of large fleas dancing
and hopping about. The monks, with truly monastic virtue,
did not seem to mind them. Gaunt-looking women, hiding
their faces with tattered white cotton vails, peeped at us,
and dirty but pretty children came crowding round.
Katrine made a tour of the town, and then took me to
the house which she considered the neatest and cleanest,
where I rested with her and refreshed myself. The women
who welcomed me were dressed in tight jackets and full
trowsers, made of washed-out Manchester prints, patched
all over without regard to color or pattern. Their heads
were covered with mundils squares of colored muslin;
their necks adorned with coins, and their wrists with twisted
silver bracelets. They were exceedingly amused with my
little traveling dressing-case. They told me they had never
seen a hair-brush before. They unplait their long henna-
92 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
stained hair about once a week only, and occasionally clean
it with fuller's earth, which is found near, and use small-
tooth combs of bone or wood.
After some delay animals were procured; fortunately we
had our saddles with us. We left our heavy luggage in
the care of the Reis, and at two, P. M., we mounted and
took leave of Tantiira. We made a rather ludicrous pro-
cession. The kawass, on a shaggy mule, took charge of
our carpet-bags, and led the way. The two monks were
mounted on donkeys, so small that their sandaled feet and
heavy robes nearly touched the ground. My brother rode
on an old white horse, whose head was garnished with red
trappings ornamented with shells. I was put on a little
pony who had lost his mane and tail, and who could not
understand a side-saddle, but persisted in turning round
and round to investigate the mystery; and Katrine, on
a stubborn donkey, had great difficulty in keeping up
with us.
We rode northward along the shore, which was strewed
with blocks of marble and hewn stones. Women and
children were busy collecting in large baskets the coarse
incrusted salt, which settles in the natural hollows and
artificial basins of the rocks on the beach below. Large
herds of cattle and goats, the chief wealth of Tantura,
grazed on the plain on our right hand just above us, which
was overgrown with thorns, thistles, dwarf mimosa, and
low brushwood.
A little beyond Tantura stands the ancient Dora, or Dor,
on a rugged promontory, with ruined walls all round it, at
the edge of the cliiF. From its center rises what appeared
to me at first to be a lofty tower or castle ; but on ap-
proaching it I found it was only the narrow southern wall
of some long since fallen building. It stands about thirty
feet high. This place is now quite abandoned, as the walls
are tottering and the cliffs are giving way. The stones are
gradually being removed to build up Tantiira. Opposite
to these ruins, the plain was concealed from us by a low
A WEDDING PARTY. 93
ridge of rocky hills, ninning close to the sandy shore, which
is here and there enlivened by a group of palm-trees.
We kept close to the sea till we came, in about one hour
and a half, to Athlite, or Castellum Pelegrinura, a curious
motley pile of ruins standing out on a rocky headland.
The foundation stones are so massive, that they have
resisted the storms of centuries, and tell of a time anterior
to the Romans, who no doubt erected the fortress, built
the walls, and fashioned the columns which are now falling
to decay. The crusaders, too, have left some of their
handiwork here the pointed arches and the ruins of a
Christian church still speak of them. Within the walls
of the church, and under the shadow of the fortress, mod-
ern houses are rudely built, and inhabited by a poor Moslem
population. A group of women were resting by a well of
sculptured stone, just outside the walls. Opposite to this
interesting place we found a narrow defile cut through the
rocks, leading eastward direct from the shore to the plain.
Deep ruts, for chariot wheels, were cut in the road, which
was just wide enough for two horsemen to ride freely
abreast. The white limestone walls rise abruptly on each
side, garnished with patches of fragrant herbs and amber-
colored lichen. Lintels at each end of this passage show
that formerly it was protected by gates, and ruins of strong
fortifications surmount it.
We passed out of this curious defile into the fertile but
not very extensively-cultivated plain, or " Vale of Dor,"
between the mountain range of Carmel and the rocky coast-
hills under whose pleasant shade we pursued our way.
We could see that the two chains of hills met at an acute
angle far away in the north. Now and then, natural fis-
sures in the rocks, or little valleys made fertile by Winter
torrents, revealed to us the sun and the sea.
We stopped to water our animals at a little spring,
called Ain Dustrei, which forms a tiny lake, and then
finds its way between the hills to the shore. A group of
goatherds, with reed pipes, were assembled round a clay
94 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
trough, wliere their flocks of goats were crowding to drink.
The vegetation by this stream and fountain was wild and
luxuriant. Oleanders, lupins, tall grass, and the arbutus
abounded. The monks soon pointed out, with delight, the
white convent of Mar Elias on the headland of Carmel.
Pleasant sounds of voices, songs, and bells, and laughter
reached us, and we saw an animated little party approach-
ing, mounted on camels, whose nodding heads and necks
were decorated with beads, shells, crimson tassels, and
strings of little tinkling bells. I paused by the wayside to
watch them, as they slowly passed. There were thirteen
camels strung together, each carrying two or three women
and children, all in gala dresses, made chiefly of soft crim-
son silk, with white Vandyked stripes on it. On their
heads, they wore scarfs or vails, of various colors and ma-
terials silk, muslin, and wool folded across their fore-
heads, just meeting the eyebrows, then thrown over the
back of the head, and brought forward again to cover their
faces, all but the shining eyes. The fringed or bordered
ends were allowed to fall gracefully over the shoulders.
Some of the women had slipped these vails, or wimples,
down below their lips, so as to join in the chorus of the
songs improvised by the two professional singing-women
who accompanied them. My brother could perceive that it
was a bridal party, by these songs, which very much resem-
bled in style the " Song of Songs which is Solomon's." A
number of men were in attendance on foot, forming a
picturesque body-guard to the exalted women. They were
people of one of the villages of the plain or vale of Dor,
and had been to Haifa, to purchase dresses, trinkets, and
furniture for two approaching weddings, in a family of
some local importance. They were scarcely out of hearing
when we met another noisy group, consisting of men and
boys, with a few camels, mules, and donkeys, clumsily laden
with the purchases for the weddings cooking utensils,
baskets of rice, reed mats, bales of goods, and two red
wooden boxes, ornamented with gilt hinges and strap-work.
THE KHARUB TREE. 95
The largest camel carried, liigh on his back, two little
wooden cradles, painted blue, red, and yellow; one for
each of the brides. This piece of furniture is regarded
in the East as the most important and necessary item of
a trousseau; and she is an unhappy wife who does not
soon see rocking in the gaudy cradle an infant son, whose
name she may take, and through whom she may become
honored among women.*
As we proceeded northward, the plain was so much
more narrow, that we could distinguish the deep caverns
and excavations in the limestone hills opposite, which
have, in turn, served as places of refuge or retreat for
prophets, saints, and anchorites, banditti or robbers, and
beasts of prey.
The village of Tireh was pointed out to me, surrounded
by cultivated fields and orchards. Groups of palm-trees
grew here and there, and the hill-sides were clothed with
dwarf oak, wild fig, and locust trees. The fruit of the
locust, when ripe, is like a large crooked bean-pod, brown
and glossy, filled with large seeds. It is so nutritious, that
the children of the poor live entirely on it, during the
season, requiring no other food, for it contains all the
necessary elements for the support of life starch, sugar,
oil, etc., in proper proportion. I found it, when new,
rather too sweet to suit my taste. Children seemed to
enjoy it, and they thrive on it, eating the shell as well as
the seeds. When this fruit is stored, it becomes somewhat
dry, and less sweet, but on being soaked in honey, it is
like new fruit. The Arabs all like sweet food, and of
many a man of Judea and Galilee, as well as of John the
Baptist, it might be said, "ZTis meat [for a season] was
locusts and wild honey ^^
Just before sunset, we reached the foot of the headland
which forms the southern boundary of the bay of Akka.
On its summits the convent stands. It was too late, and
* See page 63.
f-The Arabic name for the locust-tree is "Kharub," and the beans are commonly
called " St. John's bread."
96 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
we were all too tired, to go round to the usual ascent on
the other side; so we urged our animals up the steep and
pathless rocks, here and there overgrown with brushwood,
thorns, and thistles, fit only to be traversed by goats and
conies.
The monks, who had been our guests on the way, now
acted as our guides and hosts, for they were on convent
ground. They warned us to grasp the manes of our tired
steeds firmly, as they mounted the steep ledges; and I
now found the disadvantage of being on a pony without
a mane. After about ten minutes difficult riding, we
reached a cultivated garden, on a plateau, in front of the
large, well-built convent. Fr^re Charles, an old friend of
my brother, came out to meet and welcome us, and kissed
him and the two monks again and again.
We were about six hundred feet above the plain, with a
magnificent scene before us. The sun was just going down,
and the Great Sea was flooded with crimson light. The
bay of Akka and the plain surrounded by the hills of
Galilee were on our right. The ruins of an ancient port
and fortress could be seen on the level strip of land below
us; and at about a mile to the right of it stood the little
town of Haifa very interesting to me, for it was there I
was to make a home with my brother, at Her Britannic
Majesty's Vice-Consulate.
We spent a pleasant evening with the good monks. It
was Friday; they did not let us fast, but sat by us, in
pleasant chat, while we enjoyed fish, flesh, and fowl from
their excellent cuisine. After dinner we went to the divan
or drawing-room, and I looked through the convent album,
which is quite a polyglot, containing the autographs of
many great and celebrated characters testimonies to the
kindness and hospitality always met with here.
Three or four examples of misplaced zeal and intoler-
ance have called forth the satire, wit, and displeasure of
less prejudiced pilgrims. Fr^re Charles pointed out to me
a few pages crossed, recrossed, and interlined by indignant
HAIFA. 97
commentators. He remarked that they always seemed to
be particularly interesting to English people, provoking
laughter and anger by turns. The pages had evidently
been translated to him.
We gratefully rested that night in clean, comfortable,
neatly-furnished rooms, and on French musketo-curtained
beds. In the morning I heard the swell of the organ and
the chanting of the monks at an early hour. A servant
brought cafe, au lait to my room at seven, and told me my
brother had already gone down to Haifa. Fr^re Charles
and our fellow-travelers conducted me to the chapel, which
has a finely-proportioned dome and marble floor, and a few
sculptured figures in alabaster.
The ground-floor of the convent is occupied by the offices,
kitchens, pharmacy, and surgery. A large portion of it is
set apart for a place of shelter for poor pilgrims. The
first-floor, consisting of a fine suite of lofty rooms, is nicely
furnished, and prepared for travelers, who are expected to
pay first-class hotel prices; but no direct charge is made.
The second-floor is reached by a narrow staircase, at the
foot of which an inscription, in Italian and French, pro-
claims that females are not admitted. The monks told
me that there was an excellent library of English, Latin,
French, and Italian books up there, as well as a large
refectory and a great number of cells; and the terraced
roof made a fine promenade for the recluses.
Presently a kawass came, bringing a horse for me, and
an invitation to spend the day with Mr. Finn, whose tents
were pitched just outside Haifa; so with Katrine, in her
purple dress and white vail, by my side, and the kawass
leading the way, I emerged from the convent buildings,
and gradually descended, on the north-east side, by a
winding path almost like a rocky staircase. The upper
part of the hill was covered with wild flowers, fragrant
herbs, shrubs, artichokes, acanthus, and dwarf oaks, and
on the lower terraces a fine grove of olives and some fig-
trees flourished.
9
98 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
The little town of Haifa was in sight flags above all
the Consulates were waving a welcome to Mr. Finn and
my brother. I was quite surprised to recognize so many;
they were French, Austrian, Prussian, Grreek, Dutch, and
American, and made the place look quite cheerful. We
rode through a beautiful olive grove in the plain at the
foot of the hill, crossed several stubble-fields, some rocky
waste land and young plantations, and found the tents of
Mr. Finn under a large terebinth-tree, near to the sea-shore,
not very far from the west wall of the town. Visitors were
coming and going all day, and coffee and pipes were in
constant requisition.
The view from the open tent, looking toward the north,
was very lovely. I will try to make you see it as I saw
it on that sunny afternoon. Fancy a foreground of white
rocks and dark thorny bushes; then a stony bridle-path,
skirting a garden which gently slopes toward the shore,
so that the broad sands are quite concealed by its fruit
trees, and the blue sparkling sea looks as if it came close
up to the hedge of prickly pears below. On the left-hand
side of the picture the sea meets the sky; but from the
right a range of undulating hills, tinted with crimson,
purple, and orange, extend more than half-way across it,
terminating in a bold white cliff or headland, called Ras el
Abiod the " Promontorium Album" of Pliny standing
out in strong contrast to the dark-blue sky and darker sea.
The opposite shore of the bay, nine miles distant, is marked
by a level line of white sand, which seems to separate the
sea from the green plains at the foot of the hills ; and on a
low promontory to the right of Ras el Abiod the proud-
looking little city of 'Akka is conspicuous, and forms the
central point of the picture. Above the clearly-defined
summits of the hills silvery clouds are resting. Mount
Hermon rises in the distance, pale and shadowy, till the
sun is low, and then it is tinged with gold and violet.
Four ships are at anchor on the right, and a vessel in full
sail is entering the bay from the north. A man-of-war is
HAIFA. 99
cruising about far out at sea. A tall palm-tree on one
side, and an oak and a seared, white-branched fig-tree on
the other, inclose this coup d'ceil.
The bridle-path across the foreground was enlivened by
passers-by, such as troops of barefooted boys, driving
donkeys laden with hewn stones, which had been taken
from the ruins of the fortress, and were about to be used
in Haifa, where many new houses were in progress, and
still more were planned. Camels laden with grain and
melons jolted by, and a few townspeople passed backward
and forward as if to peep at our tents. At sunset there
came large numbers of goats and cattle, led toward the
town to be secured there for the night, for it is not safe to
leave them in the open country, even in the care of the
well-armed herdsmen.
Haifa is a walled town, in the form of a parallelogram,
pleasantly situated close to the sea, on a gently-rising slope.
A steep hill, a spur of Mount Carmel, rises immediately
behind it, and is crowned by a small castle, to which I
climbed with Mr. Finn, and thence looked down into the
town. The houses are distributed irregularly. Those oc-
cupied by consuls and merchants are large, substantial
buildings of hewn stone, with central courts and broad
terraces. The poorer class of houses are of earth and rough
stone, and have no upper chambers. All the roofs are flat.
On each side of the little town there are fine fruit gar-
dens, where the pomegranates and figs especially flourish.
A grove of palm-trees borders the sandy shore on the east
of the town.*
I returned to the convent to sleep, and after spending
the next day, Sunday, with Mr. Finn at the tents, I pre-
pared to enter Haifa for the first time, by moonlight.
* The town of Haifa was built where it now stands, by the famous Dhaher, gov-
ernor of Acre, in the middle of the last century. The ruins of the old town of
'H<f)a, Sycaminum, are still to be seen on the sea-shore just below the head of
Mount Carmel, which site Dhaher found to be too much exposed to the incursions
of the nomadic tribes in the plain of Athlite. Some of the elder residents remem-
ber their fathers having pointed out the position of their former residences in the
old town. E, T. R.
100 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE
CHAPTER V.
DOMESTIC LIFE IN HAIFA.
Although the tents were very near to the town, Mr.
Finn laughingly insisted that I should not make my first
entry into Hslifa on foot; so I mounted, and, with my
brother and a few of his Arab friends walking by my side,
traversed the bridle-path by the gardens, and approached
the embattled stone gateway. Its heavy wooden doors,
covered with hides and plates of iron, were thrown open
for us, on their creaking hinges, by the sleepy wardens,
whose mattresses were spread on stone platforms in the
square vaulted chamber of the gate. They welcomed us
with the words, " Enter in, in peace." We said, " May
God preserve you! good-night." And they answered, "A
thousand good nights to you !" but their greetings were
almost drowned by the angry barking of a troop of dogs,
roused by the clanging of the great doors behind us.
Within the town, wherever there was space, flocks and
herds were lying down, crowded together in the moonlight;
and in the narrow, tortuous, dirty, channeled streets we met
now and then a moaning, miserable-looking, sleepless cow
or stray donkey.
We passed a little belfried Latin chapel, shaded by a
pepper-tree just like a willow and a simple mosque and
minaret, with a palm-tree near it, and then came to a
pleasant opening close to the sea-shore, where a number of
camels, camel-drivers, and peasants were sleeping round the
red embers of a wood fire.
I dismounted at the entrance of a house overlooking this
scene, and passed under a low, arched gateway, into a
roughly-paved, open court, brightened by the lamps and
HAIFA/ Id
lanterns in the rooms all round it, tte doors of wliich were
open, for their inmates, our neighbors, were watching and
waiting to see and welcome us.
I mounted a steep, uncovered, stone stairway to a broad
landing, dignified by the name of terrace, leading to two
square, lofty, airy rooms, with whitewashed walls and stone
floors, where my brother had formerly lived for a year or
more; this was to be our temporary home, and Katrine,
with the help of an upholsterer an Arab Jew had been
very busy making* it ready for us.
At the end of the terrace was a little room, in which
were all the requisites for preparing pipes, coffee, and sher-
bets. Narghiles, chibouques, tobacco-bags, coffee-cups, and
glasses garnished its walls and Yusef, our little coffee
boy, pipe-bearer, and page, who, to his infinite satisfaction,
presided over it, came out, arrayed in all his best, to kiss
my hands, and evidently did his utmost to make a favor-
able impression on his new mistress. He had on clean,
loose, white cotton drawers, a scarlet cloth jacket, a shawl
girdle, and a white, quilted cotton skull-cap. Katrine was
quite content with her new quarters below, and she told me
that she had unexpectedly found some cousins in Haifa.
I congratulated her, guessing, however, that this was only
one of her curious delusions.
My brother's dragoman and secretary, Mohammed, his
Egyptian groom, and several candidates for service at the
Yice-Consulate, crowded round to welcome me, and solicit
my favor and protection, in words which were exactly like
quotations from the Old Testament.
An elderly Moslem woman, with an anxious, time-worn
face, came, and after saluting me, said, " If now I have
found grace in your sight, speak for me to my lord, your
brother, that he may take my son into his service; speak
now, I pray you, a word for my son, for he is my only son,
and I am a widow."
Mattresses, cushions, and pillows, newly covered with
chintz, placed nearly all round the rooms on planks, sup-
102 POME&TIO ^ LIFE IN PALESTINE.
ported by roughly-made, low wooden trestles, a few pieces
of European furniture, and a pretty well-stocked bookcase,
made the place look cozy and comfortable. The boat from
Tanttira arrived safely during the night with our luggage.
The next morning, September 24th, two men from Naz-
areth came to welcome us, and gave me a fatted lamb.
Soon afterward a little party arrived from Shefa 'Amer,
with a camel-load of fine water-melons ; and a peasant from
a neighboring village brought us some goat's milk cheese.
I must explain that these offerings are generally paid for
at a rate considerably above the market price.
Saleh Sekhali, our neighbor, a Christian Arab, an intel-
ligent, thoughtful-looking man, took breakfast with us. He
told me that my brother was the only Englishman who had
ever resided in Haifa, and that I was the first English girl
who had ever passed a night within the walls of the town.
He said that very strange notions and opinions were held
by the Arabs about English women and English society,
and a great deal of curiosity was expressed by his friends
on the subject. They hoped now to have an opportunity
of judging for themselves by personal intercourse with us.
Saleh did not understand any European language, but he
was clever and very quick of comprehension, and fond of
study. He kindly volunteered to teach me Arabic, and to
hear me read every day.
On inquiry I found that the population of Haifa was, in
1854, computed thus :
Moslem 1,200
Greek Catholics 400l Adherent, of the Pope.
La-tins 60 > and oonsequontly un-
MaroniteS 30 J de'F'^e'^ch patronage.
Orthodox Greeks 300
Jews 32
'Making a total of. 2,012
In the year 1860 the population was reckoned at about
2,300 souls. We went out and took leave of Mr. Finn,
who was on the point of starting for 'Akka. His tents were
HAIFA. 103
all cleared away. Then we called at each of the Consulates,
for among the Europeans in the Levant, the new-comer is
expected to be the first caller. The French Consul ^who
in early youth had served in the ranks of the first Napo-
leon received us heartily, and introduced me to his wife,
a Syrian lady, who spoke French fluently. The Austrian
Consul is a native of one of the Dalmatian Isles, and the
other Consulates were held by lonians and natives of Scio,
who showed us great courtesy and kindness. The American
Consular Agent is an Arab, who can speak a little broken
English. The ladies of these families were all either Syrian
or Greek, but they most of them spoke Italian, and wel-
comed me into their circle with graceful cordiality. Two
other families, of French extraction, engaged in commerce,
completed the European colony of Haifa. Their houses
were built in Oriental fashion, round courts, some of which
were paved with black and white marble. The rooms were
furnished with Turkish divans, French mirrors, consoles,
and pictures. I must not omit the little Cafe, called the
Yictoria Hotel, kept by a Maltese.
Wednesday, September 26th, a party of women in white
izzars, or sheets, from the court below, came early and
brought me several flat loaves of bread, stamped with a
cross, formed of groups of sacred monograms, IC, XC, NI,
KI, etc., in celebration of the Greek Feast of the Holy Cross.
Presently the Greek Bishop of 'Akka visited us. He
wore a long, blue cloth dress, very flowing and open, ex-
posing an under robe of crimson silk, a crimson girdle,
and black pointed shoes. He did not remove his low,
brimless, black hat, which curves slightly and spreads
toward the crown.
When he and his suite had retired, a letter was handed
to my brother, which caused him to rise hastily and go out.
I watched from the front window, and soon saw evident
signs of a commotion in the town. Little groups of armed
men were standing about in the open place, and passing
hurriedly to and fro. In a short time I saw all the consuls
104 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
in a body, preceded by their kawasses, carrying their
swords and tall silver-headed sticks, going toward the
Governor's castle, which was in sight. My brother ran
up for a moment to tell me that Tireh and the villages
in its neighborhood had united to attack Haifa, and three
or four hundred of the peasantry were just outside the
walls, attempting to effect an entrance. We were actually
in a state of siege. The two gates were closed and guarded,
and wherever its walls were very weak, detachments of im-
promptu volunteers were placed. I sat alone watching,
and wondering what would happen. Men were parading
the streets, making a great noise, and armed with old guns,
staves, and swords of all shapes. The boys followed their
example by marching about with sticks, shouting lustily,
seemingly half for fun and half for fear. I could hear the
firing of guns now and then from the back of the town,
and the loud screams of the terrified women and children.
Grirls from the neighboring houses and the court below
flocked into my room, with their mothers, crying and trem-
bling. They wondered why Madam Inglesi, as they called
me, did not show any signs of fear. I tried to calm them,
saying, "Be at rest, Allah is good." But they almost
nonplused me by replying, "Allah is good! Praised be
Allah! But the sons of Tireh are bad!" And they
refused to be comforted.
A group of heavily-armed, mounted horsemen were
prancing about, as if to excite all the people to action.
The consuls returned from the castle, where a council
had been held. They had drawn up a protest against
the Grovernment, and signed it. I was told that four of
the most venturesome of the attacking party had been
shot under the south wall, and some of our townspeople
had been slightly wounded. The Tirehites had retreated;
but as it was expected that they would renew the attack
at night, preparations were made to resist it; for the walls
of Haifa are not very strong, and could easily be scaled or
broken down.
ALARM AT HAIFA. 105
A messenger was dispatched to 'Akka by boat to demand
assistance. In the mean time my brother, at the Governor's
request, procured guns and ammunition from an English
ship in the port. Our room was converted into an armory,
and our stairway and terrace was soon crowded with appli-
cants for arms, which were cautiously distributed. A Gov-
ernment secretary stood by, making a list of the names of
the volunteers thus supplied. By sunset the excitement
had greatly increased, and no one seemed to think of going
to rest. The consuls kept a careful look-out on the walls,
and men paraded the town by moonlight, shouting, "Our
swords are strong, and our trust is in God!" And the
boys, with their sticks uplifted, echoed the words at the
top of their voices.
Several Arab women, my neighbors, came and sat with
me when my brother went out. One of them brought a
favorite Arab dish of bleached and crushed walnuts and
vermicelli, baked in butter and sugar. It was eaten while
hot. The women all wore full trowsers and tight jackets;
some were made of colored prints, and others of striped
Damascus silk. Katrine's simple Bethlehem dress was
quite strange to them they had never seen the costume
before. They smoked, and chatted, and laughed, and cried
by turns; and retired, hastily vailing themselves, when my
brother came in at midnight to tell me that fifty artillery-
men and thirty Bashi Bazuks had arrived from 'Akka in
consequence of the consular protest. They were placed in
proper positions as sentinels and patrols, and three or four
hundred of the peasantry of a friendly village came to
offer their assistance. Many of them were mounted on
horses, and carried long spears; the rest had heavy guns.
Altogether the little place looked quite warlike. Thus
protected we slept in peace.
The next morning a large party of horsemen arrived
from Shefa 'Amer and dismounted at our house; for they
had come, they said, especially to protect the English Vice-
Consulate.
106 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
The Tireliites had now quite retreated, but our little
town was still full of excitement. The assembled volun-
teers and armed peasantry were galloping about, singing
and shouting, and now and then firing their guns. They
seemed quite disappointed at not finding any especial use
for them. The place was so well guarded that there was
no longer any fear of an attack.
Just before sunset I strolled out with my brother through
the quadrangle - or castle-court, which was occupied by the
artillery. We went out at the east gate, and through the
Moslem cemetery to the fruit-gardens and the palm-grove.
We were returning homeward on the sands when the loud
and angry shouting of some herdsmen attracted our notice.
A large number of cattle, some of which were said to be
stolen property, were being led toward the town, and they
were the subjects of the dispute. A crowd soon assembled,
the noise increased, and an angry contest ensued, till words
were followed by blows. I was led out of the way, and
stationed on an embankment, thrown up years ago by Ibra-
him Pasha's soldiers. The disturbance was, naturally, mis-
construed by the gallant volunteers and defenders of Haifa.
A troop of mounted peasantry issued from the gates, their
long spears uplifted, the dust flying under the feet of their
galloping horses, while their long striped cloaks and shawl
head-dresses kefias streamed like flags or banners. The
cattle and goats fled in all directions, and in their fright
they did not seem to see where they were going, but blun-
dered into thickets, against rocks and tombs, and into the
sea. I was very nearly thrown down by some of them.
More than a hundred men came out before they discovered
that it was only a false alarm, and then, regretfully, they
retraced their steps. Saleh, who was with us, told me to
consider it as a little "fantasia," got up for my especial
entertainment.
After our evening meal my brother was called away. I
puzzled over my Arabic lesson for some time, and then
went out on the terrace, where two of the men-servants
ARRIVAL OP HELP. 107
were already sleeping. It seemed to me like a dream to
be standing there alone in the moonlight, the night-silence
only broken by the rippling of the waves on the shore, the
bleating of my tethered lamb, and distant sounds of shout-
ing and singing.
The next day the Pasha of 'Akka arrived. He visited
each of the consuls, and then held a council at the castle.
It was proposed that a force should march against Tireh,
in order to arrest and punish the plotters of the late attack
on Haifa ; but it was soon made apparent that the Tirehites
had friends at Court and protectors in the Council. Some
Moslems of influence in Haifa had personal interest in the
prosperity of Tireh, for they had considerable property
there, and some of the Tirehites were largely in their debt.
Through their interference and bribes, the affair was allowed
to pass by almost unnoticed, notwithstanding the strongly-
expressed indignation of the consuls and others.
A few days afterward, I was invited to a wedding in the
Sekhali family. Christian Arabs of the orthodox Greek
community. At about eight o'clock, A. M., I was led into
their church, a domed building, lighted from above, and
gaudy with highly-colored, distorted copies of ancient By-
zantine pictures; for the Greeks, though not allowed to
have images to assist them in their devotions, may have
pictures, provided they are not too life-like ! The body of
the church, unincumbered by stalls or chairs, was already
nearly filled with wedding guests, holding lighted home-
made wax tapers; one was placed in my hands. In the
center of the crowd, at a lectern, stood a priest, and, im-
mediately before him, the bride, closely shrouded in a white
izzar. A many-colored muslin vail entirely concealed her
features. The bridegroom by her side, who was only sev-
enteen, wore a suit of sky-blue cloth, edged with gold
thread, and a handsome crimson and white shawl girdle.
He had only once seen the face of the bride, and that was
six months before, on the day of the betrothal.
The service was in Arabic, and rapidly uttered in clear
108 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
but inono1;onous tones. The most important part of it
seemed to be the Gospel narrative of the marriage at Cana,
in Galilee. While the priest was reading it, bread and
wine were handed to the young man. He gave some to
the girl, who, in taking it, was very careful not to expose
her face. Immediately afterward, she held out one of her
henna-stained hands, and a jeweled ring was placed on her
finger. Two crowns, made of gilt foil, were brought by
the bridegroom's-man and bride's-woman, and placed on
the heads of the now married pair, who joined hands, and
with their two attendants walked round and round in the
midst of the people, who made way for them and sprinkled
them with rose-water and other scents as they passed, sing-
ing, and shouting good wishes. By the time the circuit
had been made seven times, the vails of the bride and
bride's-woman were quite saturated, and the two men sub-
mitted, without the slightest resistance, to have bottles of
scent emptied on their tarbushes. As the excitement in-
creased, the sprinkling became general, and I came in for
my share. Thus ended the ceremony.
While this was going on, a continual shrill screaming
accompaniment was kept up by the female friends of the
bride, who were crowded together in the latticed gallery
overhead. There were very few women in the body of
the church, and those were near relations of the bride or
bridegroom. Presently the men formed a procession, and
with the bridegroom in their midst, walked out of church.
A pipe-bearer, carrying a handsome chibouque, was m
attendance, and he handed it to the bridegroom whenever
the leaders paused to dance, or to sing some wild extrava-
gant love-song. Rose-water was poured on his head from
the roofs or windows of the houses under which he passed.
Etiquette required that he should look quite calm and com-
posed in the midst of the noise and excitement. I was told by
Saleh that he preserved his dignified demeanor throughout
the day, while his friends and fellow-townsmen were feast-
ing and making merry round him, and singing bridal songs.
THE VIRGIN BRIDE. 109
In the mean time, the bride, with her female attendants
and companions, all vailed, and shrouded in white, walked
very slowly toward her home the home of her childhood ;
for she was not to go forth to meet the bridegroom till
after sunset. I accompanied her. We all carried our
tapers, although it was the third hour, that is, about nine
o'clock, A. M. "We paused now and then while one of the
professional singing women improvised a solo, suitable for
the occasion. All the women took up the words, and joined
in chorus, as we walked on again. One verse was in allu-
sion to the presence of a daughter of England at the wed-
ding. It was regarded as a favorable omen. The chorus
was a prayer for the peace and happiness of the English
girl. We mounted a broad, covered stone staircase, and,
passing through a corridor, entered a large, many-windowed
room. The bride was led to a sort of throne, made of
cushions and embroidered pillows, and I was placed by her
side. Her white izzar and vail were taken off. She looked
dreadfully faint and fatigued. She was not more than four-
teen years old, with an oval face, rather large lips, and
black, delicately-arched eyebrows. Her eyes were shut;
for custom makes it a point of honor for a bride to keep
them closed from the time she leaves the church till the
moment she meets the bridegroom at night. She sat in
state, in a kneeling posture, resting on her heels, while the
palms of her hands were placed flat on her knees, as some
Indian deities are represented. Her head-dress was almost
concealed by strings of pearls, festoons of small gold coins,
diamond or paste rosettes, and flower sprays. Her long
hair, twisted with braid, hung down her back in nine plaits,
heavy with little gold ornaments and coins. She wore a
purple velvet jacket, very open in front, showing her crape
shirt and her chest, which was actually adorned with little
bits of leaf-gold ! Her necklace, or collar of gold coins,
was very beautiful. Her skirt of white and yellow silk
almost concealed her full, yellow silk drawers. Her hands
and arms were checkered with deep orange-brown henna
110 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
stains; but what struck me more than all, was the glossy,
shining luster of her skin.
While I had been intently watching and observing the
bride, the company of women had quite transformed them-
selves. They had thrown off their white izzars and vails,
and now appeared in all the colors of the rainbow in all
sorts of combinations. The faces of many looked as glossy
as the bride's. Nearly all of them had very large dark
eyes, with the edges of the eyelids blackened with kohl.
Their mouths were rather wide, and revealed large, very
perfect white teeth, which glistened as the teeth of wild
animals do. Their complexions were generally dark, but
brilliant and clear. They came forward, one by one, to
kiss the bride's hand; but she remained quite passive,
and did not answer any salutations. Dancing and singing
commenced. A woman kept time with a tambourine, and
two or three dancers stood up in the center of the room,
and attitudinized gracefully but voluptuously. They began
very slowly advancing, as if reluctantly and timidly,
toward "some imaginary object then retreating, only to
advance again, gradually quickening both step and action.
The lookers on sat round on the matted floor, in a double
row, clapping their hands in harmony with the tambourine,
and singing wild, passionate songs, to melodies in a minor
key, in two-four time. As soon as one dancer was tired,
another stood up and replaced her; and four of them
worked themselves up into such a state of excitement that
they looked as if they were dying, when at last they gave
way. Some- of the younger girls wore white calico dresses,
with small gold spangles sewed all over them in clusters;
others had on white thin muslin skirts, over blue or red
silk trowsers, and red or black velvet jackets; and, when
they danced, they held in their hands embroidered shawls,
which they waved about gracefully. Sweetmeats, fruits,
creams, and various dishes were served at midday.
After sunset the mother and female relations of the
bridegroom came to fetch the bride; and then she com-
BBIDAL CUSTOMS. Ill
menced crying and wailing bitterly. This is expected of
her; and, whether she feel regret or no, she must show
signs of sorrow on leaving her home, and must also appear
unwilling to go forth to meet the bridegroom. This real
or affected reluctance is sometimes carried to such an ex-
tent that the weeping bride has to be pushed and dragged
along very ungracefully. I have witnessed ludicrous scenes
of this kind. The vailed bride, whose eyes are still sup-
posed to be closed but she does peep about a little is
generally lifted on to a horse; and, though her new home
may be only in the next street, she makes a tour through
the town or village, riding very slowly, attended by a large
company of women and girls, carrying flaming torches, and
screaming and singing wildly.
I have often lent my horse to a poor girl that she may
thus ride in triumph, lifted up among the crowd of torch-
bearers, to meet her bridegroom; and very often, just before
midnight, I have been attracted to the window to see such
processions pass by.
Before the going forth of the bride a party of men and
women convey her trousseau by torch-light to her new home.
A red wooden cradle and a red box are always the most
conspicuous objects. Sometimes a small looking-glass in
a gilt frame is proudly displayed. Pillows covered with
bright-colored silks, a trayful of scented soap, a mattress or
two, and a lehaff may be seen, varying in quality according
to the rank of the bride.
On subsequent and persevering inquiry among Arab
ladies, I found out how it was that the bride's face
looked so lustrous. I learned that girls are prepared for
marriage with a very great deal of ceremony. There are
women who make the beautifying of brides their especial
profession !
A widow woman, named Angelina, is the chief artiste in
this department of art in Haifa. She uses her scissors and
tweezers freely and skillfully to remove superfluous hair,
and trains the eyebrow to an arched line, perfecting it
112 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
witli black pigments. She prepares an adhesive plaster
of very strong, sweet gum, and applies it by degrees all
over the body, letting it remain on for a minute or more;
then she tears it off quickly, and it brings away with it all
the soft down or hair, leaving the skin quite bare, with an
unnaturally-bright and polished appearance, much admired
by Orientals. The face requires very careful manipulation.*
When women have once submitted to this process, they
look frightful if from time to time they do not repeat it;
for the hair never grows so soft and fine again. Perhaps
this is one of the reasons why aged Arab women, who
have quite given up all these arts of adornment, look so
haggard and witch-like. In some instances this ordeal
slightly irritates the skin, and perfumed sesame or olive-
oil is applied, or cooling lotions of elder-flower water are
used.
The bride invites her friends to accompany her to the
public bath previous to the wedding day, and sends to
each one a packet of henna, two or three pieces of soap,
and two wax candles. Angelina is generally the bearer
of the message and of these articles, which are always
to be paid for. I have now and then accepted such invi-
tations.
Bridal parties assemble and sometimes pass three suc-
cessive days in the luxury of the Turkish bath. Pipes,
sherbet, coffee, and other refreshments are served, and songs
are sung in honor of the bride, who is, of course, attended
by Angelina, and forms the center of attraction. Her hair
is unbraided, she is slowly disrobed, and then, with her loins
slightly girdled with crimson silk, she is mounted on high
clogs, and led through halls and passages gradually in-
creasing in temperature, with fountains overflowing their
marble floors. She is placed on a marble platform, near to
* Did David allude to this custom which is evidently a very ancient one
when he prayed for the physical prosperity of his kingdom and said, " May our
daughters be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace ?" It is
only as brides or wives that thoy could bo recognized as corner-stones, helping to
build up the nation, and it is then that their faces are made to shine.
PREPARING THE BRIDE. 118
a jet of hot water. Fullers' earth is rubbed on her head,
she is lathered with soap, and brushed with a handful of
tow. Hot water is poured over her, freely, she is swathed
in long towels, and by slow degrees conducted back to a
more moderate temperature, and lastly to a fountain of cool
water. Her companions in the mean time undergo the same
process. Then, shrouded in muslin, crape, or linen, they
sit together, smoking, till they are rested and refreshed.
The edges of the eyelids are blackened thus a little
instrument, like a silver bodkin, is dipped in water, and
then into a bottle or box containing an impalpable powder
called hoTil^ made of antimony and carefully-prepared soot;
the blackened point is drawn gently along between the
almost closed lids of the eyes. Poor people use soot alone,
and apply it with pins made of lignum vitae.*
The arms and hands, legs and feet, are bandaged with
narrow tape or braid, like sandals, crossing and recrossing
each other ; then a paste made of moistened henna powder
the pulverized leaves of the henna tree Lawsonia is
spread and bound over them, and allowed to remain on
for several hours. When it is removed, the skin is found
deeply dyed wherever the tape which is now unwound
did not protect it. Thus a sort of checkered pattern is
produced, and when it is artistically and delicately done
as Angelina can do it the feet look, at a distance, as if
they were sandaled, and the hands as if they were covered
with mittens of a bright orange or bronze color.
Finally, early on the wedding-day, the bride is dressed
in her bridal robes. Her hair is braided in what we call
the Grrecian plait. Small pieces of leaf-gold are stuck on
her forehead and on her breast. Care is taken not to con-
* This process is probably referred to by Ezekiel xxiii, 40. " Ye have sent for
men to come from far ; for whom thou didst wash thyself, painfedst thy eyes, and
deckedst thyself with ornaments." And it is written that Jezebel "painted her
eyes," or " put her eyes in painting." And Jeremiah says, in the fourth chapter
and thirtieth verse, " Though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold ; though
thou rentest thy face [or, as it should be written, thine eyes,] with painting, in vain
shalt thou make thyself fair," etc. So we may regard the use of kohl as a very
ancient custom.
10
114 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
ceal any of the stars or spots tattooed on her face or chest
in infancy. A line of blue dots encircling the lips is some-
times seen, and a spot on the chin is very common. A
little rouge is added to highten the color of the cheeks
when considered necessary.
Angelina gets into sad disgrace with the clergy of Haifa
for encouraging all this vanity, out of which she, by the
by, makes a good living. She goes from one church to
another for absolution, sometimes reckoning herself a Greek,
sometimes a Latin, and sometimes a Melchite, according to
the leniency of the respective priests.
The Arab women are very much wedded to the ancient
customs of thfe country, and they will not abandon them,
notwithstanding the persevering efforts of the priesthood.
The Greek Catholic Church vainly pronounces anathemas,
and threatens with excommunication those women who
tattoo themselves, and use kohl, and henna, and rouge.
They will persist in doing so while they believe that it
adds to their beauty, and to their powers of attraction, and
in vain the noisy processions at weddings and at burials
are forbidden, so long as the people believe them to be pro-
pitious. Their respect for custom is stronger even than
their fear of the Church. If the priests persisted in carry-
ing out their threats of excommunication for such offenses,
their congregations would soon be scattered ; so they are
lenient, and thus Greek and Roman forms of Christianity
are blended insensibly with ceremonies and practices so
ancient that their origin even is unknown.
This is not the only difficulty which the priests find to
contend with, in the pastoral care of Arab women.
In 1859 a number of black silk mittens were sold in
Haifa by a peddler from Beirut. They were a novelty to
the Arab women, who were quite proud of this addition to
their toilette, and displayed their mittened hands delight-
edly in church. The priest of the Greek Catholic com-
munity actually denounced them from the altar, forbidding
the adoption of gloves, mittens, or any new and expensive
CHANGE OF FASHIONS. 116
luxury in their dress, and cautioned them also against
exposing any part of their ornamental head-dresses in
church !
I had a very interesting conversation a few days after-
ward with the utterer of this denunciation, and he explained
to me his reason for this seemingly-strange interference
about the mittens. He said that he considered it very
important to check, if possible, the inroad of Frank taste
among the Arab women; for, if they were to adopt the
Frank dress, which requires many changes of apparel, and
alters its fashions frequently, a trousseau would be so ex-
pensive that young men would not be able to marry, and
early unions, which are so desirable in the East, would be
prevented. The costly articles of a genuine Arab ward-
robe last a lifetime, and are heirlooms, whereas the gala
dresses of a Frank wardrobe must be renewed every year.
This priest spoke feelingly ; for he Was an Arab, a husband,
and the father of a large family of girls. It is quite clear
that in matters of fashion and custom, the priests have very
little influence. In towns where the Arabs have much in-
tercourse with Europeans, they gradually adopt some of
their manners, and imitate their costumes, by degrees
abandoning their own.
On the 1st of October the victories in the Crimea were
announced and celebrated in 'Akka. Five times during
the day twenty-one guns were fired, and at night the town
was illuminated, and bonfires were made on the hills which
encircle the bay. In Haifa a great portion of the lately-
acquired supply of ammunition was used in feux de joie^
the minaret and the Consulates were lighted up, and we
borrowed lamps . from the Jewish synagogue to deck the
English flagstaff!
At night the place was very animated. We went out
with Saleh Sekhali, and Mohammed Bek, a distinguished-
looking, handsome Moslem, and two or three of his friends.
Yusef led the way, with "a lantern for our feet." It
threw light now and then on such muddy pools, guttered
116 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
streets, and heaps of vegetable refuse, that it was quite indis-
pensable. We made our way to the narrow, ill-constructed,
but well-supplied bazar, which is generally deserted at sun-
set, but that night the shops were all open. Pipes, red and
yellow shoes and boots, embroidered slippers, Manchester
prints, Damascus silks, purple linen, shawls, jars, lamps, and
cooking utensils, fruit, sweetmeats, and samples of grain,
were exposed by the light of a hundred lanterns. Groups
of Arabs in their fite-daj dresses were on all the counters,
and in the open cafds and barbers' shops story-tellers and
singers attracted earnest listeners. Showers of sugar-plums
were thrown from one side of the place to the other, and
boys were busy scrambling for them.
Mohammed Bek and Saleh, and a few Arab friends,
spent the evening with us. One of them inquired what
kind of stories or romances English people liked. We had
recently read "Jane Eyre," so my brother began trans-
lating it to them, au courant, somewhat condensing it, and
adapting it to Arab comprehension. The listeners were
so interested that they came several successive nights for
an hour or two to hear it to the end. I mention this be-
cause two years afterward, when traveling in the interior,
we heard this story, somewhat altered and modified, but
well told, by an Arab who did not know its source. We
soon traced it to some of our guests of that night. Perhaps
some future collector of Arabian tales may be puzzled by
hearing the Oriental version of this veri/ unoriental romance,
and may fancy he has found the origin of the plot of
"Jane Eyre," and rob the little imaginative recluse of
Yorkshire of the credit of her wonderful power and orig-
inality. JEsop's Fables, freely translated in the same way,
with the help of illustrations, gave great pleasure to our
Arab friends. Our maps puzzled them, and excited their
interest and curiosity, and they had faith in them when
they found that by the assistance of a map of Palestine I,
a stranger, could tell the names and directions of most of
the towns and villages for miles around.
AN mPOKTANT QUESTION. 117
The Moslem guests were at first rather shy, and hardly
ventured to address me; for they are not in the habit of
seeing any women except their wives, slaves, and servants,
and they never see any Christian women. I had been
advised to avoid meeting my brother's Moslem guests for
the sole reason that they seclude their female relatives;
but we did not wish to imitate Oriental exclusiveness un-
necessarily, and I found much to interest me in my inter-
course with them. They always behaved to me with re-
spectful and chivalrous kindness.
The Levantine ladies, who hide themselves from Moslems
almost as scrupulously as the native Arabs do, were rather
surprised, and they explained to me that it was quite con-
trary to custom for Moslems to see females out of their
own families, and that the laws of their religion forbade
them to do so. I took the first opportunity to make
inquiry on the subject, and when two or three of the
most intelligent and learned of our Moslem friends were
assembled one evening at our house, I told them that I
had an important question to ask them. I first reminded
them that neither the customs of my country nor the voice
of my conscience forbade me to see any of my fellow-
creatures. On the contrary, I was taught to love every
one, knowing that we are all of one family, the children
of one God, and created by his will. Then I said, "Is
there, any law, which you regard as sacred and binding,
forbidding you to see and converse with women out of
your own individual families? If there is such a law,
I will not cause you to disobey it, but will help you to
keep it by hiding myself from you."
They seemed to be taken by surprise; but they clearly
explained and proved to me that there is no law of the
kind, and it is the law of custom only which immures
the women in their harems. Mohammed Bek said that
their women are now quite unfitted for society, and would
not know how to conduct themselves in the presence of
strangers. "If we gave them liberty they would not know
118 DOMESTIC LITE IN PALESTINE.
how to use it. Their heads are made of wood. They are
not like you. When you speak, we no longer remember
that you are a girl; we think we are listening to a sheikh.
To live in the world knowledge and wisdom are neces-
sary. Our wives and daughters have neither wisdom nor
knowledge. Grive them wisdom, and we will give them
liberty."
Satisfied on this point, I continued to see them, and I
never had reason to regret it. I think that I gave them
some new ideas on the capabilities and capacities of women,
which may in time be turned to account.
Yassin Agha, one of our most frequent guests, invited
me to visit his family. I went with my brother. We were
first received in a large vaulted room by the Agha and his
sons and a few Moslem gentlemen, then the eldest son was
desired to conduct me to the harem, that part of the house
especially occupied by women. He led me across a court,
and up an open stairway, into a large, handsome room
paved with marble, where a group of women waited to wel-
come me. He introduced me to his grandmother, an aged-
looking woman, almost blind, and to his own mother, and
then he left me. They wore jackets and full trowsers made
of common print. They led me into an inner apartment,
where a younger wife of the Agha, gayly decked with em-
broidery, jewelry, and flowers, was seated with a number
of children, slaves, and servants. The latter seemed to
occupy almost the same position in the establishment as
their mistresses, but some of them were very dirty, untidy,
and ragged. In an open brazier in the middle of this room
a charcoal fire was burning, and a little child sick with
fever was on a mattress in the corner. The air was dry
and hot, and I found it diflicult to breathe, especially when
they all crowded round me. My dress was examined with
curiosity, and if I had not gently but firmly resisted, I
think I should have been disrobed, so eager were they to
see how my clothes were made and fastened. They patted
me, stroked my hair, and called me all sorts of pet names.
MOHAMMED BEK. 119
They asked me if I were betrothed, and whether my brother
had a harem, and if he were fair and handsome. When I
took off my light kid gloves, one of the children began to
cry, saying, " Behold, see, the stranger is skinning her
hands." Lemonade and sweetmeats were handed to me,
and coffee was prepared by a black slave, who crouched
down by the charcoal fire. Narghiles and long pipes were
passed from one to another. The one which I smoked had
a very beautiful jeweled mouthpiece, sent up by the Agha
for my use. I explained to them that I had learned to
smoke in their country, and that in England ladies do not
smoke. They took me into a room well stocked with
lehaffs and mattresses, some of which were covered with
silk. They asked if I could work, and were surprised
when I answered that I could make all my clothes. They
told me that nearly all their dresses were made by tailors,
and that their mattresses, lehaffs, and divans, were covered
and made by upholsterers, so that they did very little
needle-work themselves. The eldest son, who had been
my guide, came to fetch me, and took me into a small
but lofty room, with palm fronds at least twelve feet long
in each corner, and dates hanging up in rich clusters from
the rafters.
I called afterward on Mohammed Bek. He had only
one wife, a pleasant young woman, who, with her infant
daughter, were under the especial duennaship of the Bek's
mother, one of the most dignified-looking Arab women I
ever saw.
The young wife, Miriam, was dressed in a dark cloth
jacket and pink cotton trowsers. She was very much tat-
tooed. A row of blue dots encircled her large thick lips,
a star appeared on her forehead, and a little crescent on
her chin. Her eyebrows were strongly marked, and her
lashes very long. At her side, in her girdle, she had a
gold crescent-shaped box or case, embossed and chased. It
contained an inscription in Arabic characters, and she
regarded it as a potent charm.
120 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Her little child had on a green silk skull-cap, to which
were fastened coins, strings of pearls, and a blue bead to
avert the effect of the glance of an " evil eye." Broad
bands of silver, with tinkling bells attached to them, were
fastened round her ankles, and she pattered about on the
matted floor with her little naked feet to make them ring.
She had on a tight green silk jacket, and short full Turk-
ish trowsers, and a small red shawl for a girdle.
I liked these people very much, and often went to see
them. One day when I called, about two years after my
first visit, Miriam told me that she feared her husband was
looking out for another wife. Some Moslem ladies, who had
heard the rumor at the Turkish baths, had told her. She
said, " I have lived for four years with the Bek and his
mother, and I have been very happy, but I shall be happy
no longer if he brings home a new bride. She will take
his soul from me. Speak to him, my sister, that he may
not take another wife. He will listen to you, for your
words are pearls and diamonds."
I ascertained afterward that the report was true, for
Mohammed was negotiating a marriage with a girl of a
tribe of the Metwalis; this was, however, soon afterward
broken off, for the family or clan to which the Bek be-
longed became involved in a feud with the Metwalis, con-
sequently the marriage could not take place. Mohammed
had never seen the lady, so he was easily consoled, and
Miriam rejoiced exceedingly.
In a third harem which I visited, I found four wives,
who seemed to live very contentedly together. They were
kindly treated and very much indulged, and were often
allowed to go well guarded to the Turkish baths, and to
visit other harems.
Their husband. Sheikh Abdallah, always had in his
establishment the full allowance of four wives, and when
one died the vacancy was soon filled. Though still in the
prime of life, he had already had seven wives. I ascer-
tained from them, by degrees, that they held supremacy in
HINT TO POLYGAMISTS. 121
turn, for the space of a few days or a week. The honored
one is said to be " holder of the keys," for during her tem-
porary sway she is always in full dress the mistress of the
reception-room and the favored one of the lord of the
harem, while the rest attend to the cooking and household
matters. This family seemed to be very well regulated, and
I never saw any signs of ill-feeling between the wives, al-
though the youngest and prettiest had no children, while
the eldest, a lady of Nablus, had three sons, and the two
others, who came respectively from Saida and Damascus,
had each a son and daughter.
The sheikh always sought for wives in various and far
distant towns. After marriage the women rarely, if ever,
came in contact with their relatives ; thus, having no con-
nections in Haifa, they naturally sympathized with each
other as strangers in a strange place. There were no old
quarrels or jealousies to revive ; on the contrary, there
must have been subjects of novelty and interest to com-
municate. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Ab-
dallah's harem was more homelike and harmonious than
any other which I visited.*
The chief room is long and narrow, with unglazed,
wooden, latticed windows on three sides of it. A raised
divan at the end of the room is regarded as the seat of
honor, where the sheikh always sits. Narrow mattresses,
carpeted and cushioned, are arranged on the floor close to
the walls.
* It seems to me that Sheikh Abdallah thus carried out, in its most extreme
sense, the spirit of the injunction of Moses, not to take a woman's sister to wife
" to vex her in her lifetime."
Abdallah would not even run the risk of marrying any two members of one fam-
ily, or even two girls from the same town or village. He was shrewd and clever,
and understood the disadvantages of such unions. When Moses gave the above law
he was legislating for a people who, like the Moslems, practiced polygamy and
recognized it as lawful. He in his wisdom may not have approved of it, but he
tried to mitigate its evils and make the best of it. He had no doubt often witnessed,
as I have done, the quarrels, disputes, and jealousies which arise in harems where
the several wives of one man are nearly related to each other. The more remote
the connection or relationship among the women in a harem, the more chance there
appears to bo of peace within its walls.
11
122 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
I had known this family about three years, when, one
day, as I sat in that room, surrounded by the four wives,
their children and slaves, the sheikh himself was suddenly
announced. All rose up at his coming. He took his seat
by my side on the divan. None of the women ventured to
sit in his presence till he had invited them to do so.
They all vied with each other to serve him. One placed
a pillow for him cozily, another handed him sherbet, and
the favored one had the especial privilege of preparing
and lighting his pipe. He spoke very gently and kindly
to them all, and fondled his children lovingly. He was
dressed in in-door costume, and wore a long gown, called
a ktimbaz, made of white goat's-hair, striped with white
spun silk, and over it a bright-blue cloth pelisse, edged
with fur, a very large white muslin turban, and yellow
pointed slippers, without sto.ckings.
I asked him if he had any books. He dispatched one
of his little sons, with orders to bring to me all that were
in the house. A slave soon appeared with a pile of dusty
folios, consisting of manuscript copies of the. Koran, illu-
minated profusely, and books of medicine and magic; but
the favorite volume was brought by one of the wives. It
was a thick, clumsy -looking quarto, and consisted of careful
and detailed interpretations of dreams and omens of all
kinds; in fact, it was a manuscript divination dictionary.
The subjects were arranged in alphabetical order, beau-
tifully written in large red letters, and the explanations
were in black ink. The paper was so thick, yellow, and
glossy that I at first mistook it for vellum. As the sheikh
turned over the leaves of this book he said, "Lady, what
was the dream of your last sleep?" I reflected an instant,
and answered, "I was walking by the sea-shore, near the
River Kishon, and was very tired, when suddenly a white
horse, ready saddled, rose and stood before me, as if
offering his services; so I mounted and rode on, as if I
were flying, till I awoke." The women cried out, "It is a
good dream I" And the sheikh looked in the dictionary
DOMESTIC TROUBLES. 123
for the words " white horse " and " sea-shore." After
some consideration he assured me that my dream was a
very good one, and that, though great dangers surrounded
me, I should certainly escape from them. None of the
women could read a single letter; but if any thing could
induce them to learn, I think it would be their desire to
read that book, every line of which they listened to most
eagerly.
A tray of sweetmeats, nuts, fruit, and other dishes was
brought in. The sheikh ate with me, and then retired;
for none of the women would eat in his presence. I never
saw an instance of an Arab woman eating with men except
in families which had been strongly influenced by Euro-
pean society. These ladies were all very clever in making
preserves, marmalade, and sweetmeats, and in preparing
meat dishes, and seemed to be very devoted mothers. The
children looked happy, and the elder sons were fine, intel-
ligent youths.
In spite of the good-natured cheerfulness of the women,
I felt that there was something wanting. Only the mate-
rial part of their nature was developed, and developed so
disproportio^tely, that the Moslems were right when they
said that in their present state they are unfit for general
society. In some of the harems the women live very un-
happily, and are only like spies on each other. In some
cases men who have two wives are obliged also to have
two homes, that peace may be insured. The majority of
Moslems do not practice polygamy.
Disagreements frequently arise from jealousy about off"-
spring. The wife who has only daughters looks with
hatred and envy on the mother rejoicing over an infant
boy. I can fully realize the passionate despair of Hannah
when provoked by Peninnah, and the muttered prayer and
excitement which Eli mistook for the frenzy of drunk-
enness; and I can fancy I hear her at last triumphing
and exulting over her son Samuel, in words of praise and
prayer, inspired by the strongest feelings of her nature.
124 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
I expected to find very large families in those houses
where there were two or more wives; but, as a rule, this
was not the case. In the Jewish and Christian quar-
ters the children are much more numerous than in the
Moslem quarters. The Jews in Syria are permitted to
take a second wife if the first has no hope of having any
children.
Early in October, on a pleasant afternoon, I went with
my brother into one of the fruit-gardens just outside Haifa.
We cautiously made our way, one by one, down a short,
narrow lane of prickly pears, and passed a little mud and
stone hut, the dwelling of the gardener and his family.
They were Egyptians, who are considered much more
skillful than Arabs in the cultivation of the ground. Fig-
trees, pomegranates, almonds, elders, olives, palms, lemons,
shaddocks or, as they are called in Arabic, " lemun helu,"
sweet lemons and cucumbers of many kinds, flourished
under his care. However, as every thing is sold in the
market according to a tariff regulated by the Government,
there is very little motive or inducement for emulation
among gardeners, and no attempt is made to improve and
perfect the delicious fruits and valuable vegetables of the
country quantity, without regard to quality, is the consid-
eration of the Oriental cultivator.
Under an olive-tree, in the middle of the garden, on an
old piece of matting, sat an aged Arab woman; her ragged
white linen head-dress was arranged so as to shade her
eyes, which were afflicted with ophthalmy. Her cotton
dress was patched over and over again, and a heavy, striped
abbai, or traveling cloak, was thrown over her feet. She
was intently mumbling to herself, and slipping the beads
of a black rosary rapidly through her long, thin fingers.
Near to her was a little nook made of piled-up stones and
earth, and covered with old matting. It was not much
bigger than the hood of a bassinette, but it was evidently
intended to shelter her head at night, for a rolled-up mat-
tress and some heavy-wadded quilts were close to it. Old
MANIAC AMONG THE TOMBS. 125
clothes were hanging on the tree above her, not for the
sake of drying them, but the branch was her clothes-peg,
and the tree her wiirdrobe. Two basins were behind the
tree trunk, and the remains of a wood-fire between two
blocks of stone. This was her kitchen. We greeted her
with, " Peace be upon you ;" but she gave us only gloomy
answers, saying, " For me there is no peace," and still con-
tinued fingering her beads, without raising her head. She
said an "evil eye " had looked upon her and had "destroyed
the power" of her life.
A pleasant sound of falling water attracted us up to the
large, square, raised, stone reservoir, round which, seated on
a low parapet, a party of Arabs were smoking and chatting.
Water was falling with some force into this pool, from a
duct supplied by large earthenware jars, fixed with ropes,
made of palm-fiber, to a large wheel. The wheel was kept
in motion by a blindfolded mule, and as it turned round it
dipped into a well, and the jars were filled with water, and
in rising up again they emptied themselves into the duct,
and so on again and again, as long as the mule kept up
its monotonous round, urged on by a little barefooted boy,
stick in hand. A hole in the lower part of the wall of
the reservoir was every day unplugged for a certain time,
and the water allowed to flow into the little channels or
furrows which traversed the beds of vegetables and encir-
cled the trees.
As we left the garden, a donkey, laden with the red
shells or rinds of pomegranates, passed us. ' I was surprised
to learn that the bright yellow dye used to stain leather is
prepared from them.
We were walking toward the sands, through the burial
ground. The sun had set. We had left behind us at some
distance all the evening loungers about the town-gate, and
all the smokers by the well-side and the garden, when we
saw advancing toward us, in the twilight, a powerful-look-
ing black man, girdled with sackcloth, carrying a staff, or
rather the trunk of a slender tree, which still retained two
126 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
or three of its forked brandies. The man was tall, but
his staff was high above him. He walked with an unsteady
gait, and we soon recognized him as an African maniac, of
whom some of the Europeans of Haifa had complained to
the Grovernor, because he walked in the streets quite naked ;
in consequence of this he had been turned out of town.
We passed him, and then he followed close behind us, mut-
tering and making strange noises. It was not very pleasant
to have such an attendant. We turned sharply round and
faced him, and then walked toward the town. He turned
also, and preceded us. We were still among the tombs;
and, in the rapidly-increasing darkness, it appeared the
dreariest place imaginable rocky and desolate, with tombs
of all periods, some in the last stages of decay, falling and
crumbling into strange shapes and heaps, others partially
concealed by small, dark, evergreen oaks, and here and
there was a newly-whitened sepulcher, which seemed to
shine with a light of its own. The black man did not ac-
company us beyond this domain of death. When I looked
back, and saw him standing there among the tombs, sway-
ing himself and his scepter to and fro, I could not help
thinking of the description, in the Grospel narrative, of that
man who met Christ on the shores of the sea of Galilee,
and "which had devils long time, and ware no clothes,
neither abode in any house, but in the tombs."* I did not
suppose that the poor African maniac was possessed of
devils, but I thought that he might very likely be seized
with the spirit of revenge; so I was glad to be out of his
reach, and safe within the gates of the town.
* Luke viii, 27.
FROM HAIFA TO NAZARETH. 127
CHAPTER VI.
FROM HAIFA TO NAZARETH.
On Saturday, October 13th, we made ready for a trip to
Nazareth Nasirah to meet Mr. Finn there. We started
at about three o'clock in the afternoon, accompanied by our
friend Saleh Sekhali, one kawass, and an Egyptian groom.
We went out at the east gate, crossed the burial-ground,
approached the Carmel range, and skirted the base of the
hills, which are overgrown with low brushwood and ever-
green oaks. We took a south-easterly direction, with the
terraced slopes on our right hand, and a marshy plain on
our left, all bright with lush-green grass, tall rushes, and
reeds in full blossom.
We met strings of camels bringing grain from the Haurtin,
for the merchants in Haifa and 'Akka. The peasants and
camel-drivers were all fully armed, and seemed as ready for
attack as for defense.
Presently we passed a more peaceful-looking party, con-
sisting of a family belonging to the next village. First
came a young girl, wearing a rather short open dress of
old striped crimson silk, made like a very scanty dressing-
gown, a long white shirt of very coarse heavy linen, and
a shawl-girdle fastened low. A purple scarf sheltered her
head and face all but her large dark eyes, and fell over
her shoulders. She walked barefoot, and carried her yellow
shoes in her hands. A woman with an infant son in her
arms followed, riding on a large white donkey, which was
urged on by a man who walked close behind. We ex-
changed greetings, and the strangers said to us, " May
Allah lead you in the path that is straight!" In about
forty minutes we reached the spring of Sa'adeh, which sup-
128 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
plies one of the tributary streams of the Kishon. It gushes
out of a deep, cavernous recess in the steep cliff, and forms
a large, spreading, natural reservoir, where many kinds of
ferns are fostered. Saleh told me that Arab poets call a
stream *' a daughter of the hills." He led the way where
he knew there were firm stepping-stones, and we splashed
through water, in some parts about two feet deep, guiding
our horses between masses of rock and great stone bowlders,
surrounded by tall trees and water-plants. Our progress
was somewhat impeded by a number of goats and cattle^
which were being led to the fountain.
Just beyond this we saw, high up on the hills on our
right, a picturesque-looking Moslem village, called Kefr-
esh- Sheik. On the flat roofs of its white stone huts there
were little Summer-houses, made of tree branches, long
palm fronds, and reeds. Most of the villagers in this dis-
trict make these pleasant shelters in the Summer-time. It
reminded me of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
Busy groups were on the thrashing-floors. A man was
winnowing a heap of wheat, by lifting up as much as he
could at a time, and as he let it fall gradually, the wind
carried away the chaff. We lingered a moment by the old
stone well in the olive grove ; near to it we saw a number
of strong masculine-looking laughing girls. In a few min-
utes we came to the little village of Ain-jur, with palm-
trees and flourishing gardens round it. At this point we
turned away from the hills, and made our way across the
fertile plain.
A serpentine line of verdure marks the course of the
Kishon. We approached it where it flows between steep
banks of rich loamy soil, nearly fifteen feet high, bordered
with fine oleanders, wild lupins, tall and blue, and St.
John's wort, covered with golden flowers. There was not
much water flowing, for there had not been any rain in
Galilee for a long time ; but the muddy bed, which at this
spot is about twenty feet broad, seemed to me as if it would
swallow us up.
"daughters of sound." 129
I have seen this stream swollen and rapid, after heavy
rains, when the Winter torrents of Galilee and Carmel flow
into it; then it is a river "with waters to swim in, a river
that can not be passed over;" and I can well imagine the
hosts of Sisera, his chariots and horses, struggling there;
and how " the Kiver Kishon swept them away, that ancient
river, the River Kishon." Judges v, 21. We crossed safely,
and rode on, due east, to traverse some rounded hills,
crowned with evergreen oaks, hawthorns, and syringas. I
have seen them in the Spring-time full of blossom, when
the ground which they shelter is carpeted with hyacinths,
cyclamen, anemones, and narcissus. This is one of the
most extensive oak woods in Galilee, the oak leaves are
small and prickly, and the acorns large and long.
Here cheetahs are sometimes captured and killed for the
sake of their skins, which are made into saddle-cloths
foxes have their holes, and hyenas, cats, jackals, and wild
boars abound. The town Arabs are by no means enthusi-
astic hunters. A Nimrod is rarely met with now, except
among the European colonists.
In a little open glade we dismounted, and rested just
outside the solitary tent of a peasant, while we took some
refreshing fruit, then we hastened on again. These hills
are renowned for echoes, which are called by Arabs, " the
daughters of sound." My companions brought them forth,
by firing their guns and shouting, and they made the forest
ring with their songs ; at its eastern extremity the trees
grow so closely together, and the branches hang so low,
that I had to ride cautiously, to avoid sharing the fate of
Absalom. When we came out of the wood, we found our-
selves on the brow of a high, steep, and terraced declivity.
The smooth plain of Esdraelon Minor was immediately
below us, one half of it shaded by the hills on which we
stood, and the other half, as well as the opposite hills, were
in bright sunlight. The little village of Nain was pointed
out to me far away on the right.
We descended by a pleasant winding road, the trees
130 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
were more and more scattered, and at the foot of the hill
only low brushwood grew.
We cantered across the plain, and ascended a low rounded
hill, on which stood a village, literally formed of dust and
ashes. The mud-hovels looked like dust-heaps, and their
interiors were little better than dust-holes ; but out of
these abodes heaps of clothing crawled, scarcely looking
like human beings, till they slowly rose, assuming forms
of strange grace and dignity, and gazed at us with serious
and untroubled eyes. We saw a group of old women
leaning over a square hole dug in the ground. Saleh
told me that this was the village oven. The bottom of it
glowed with red heat. The fuel, composed of peat and
dried dung,* was partially covered with stones, upon which
thin flat loaves are thrown and quickly baked. When
quite new, the bread thus prepared is crisp outside and
rather soft within ; but, when a day old, it is of the
consistency of leather, and very indigestible. The women,
in their dusky vails and dresses, crouching round that
primitive oven, reminded me of the incantation scene in
"Macbeth." The children of the place were beautiful,
though bronzed by the sun, and smeared with dust and
dirt. Some were clothed in rags of all colors, but the
majority were quite naked.
We looked back across the plain ; the sun had gone
down behind the wooded hills, and red watch-fires gleamed
here and there on the terraces and in the plain guides
and beacons for the shepherds and the fellaliin. Presently
a party of wild-looking Arabs met us. Their leader was
the son of a cavalry officer, who had just been dismissed
from Turkish service. He and his followers were desperate
fellows, noted for deeds of daring. They saluted us, and
said that they had come on purpose to meet and escort
us to Nazareth. This was quite an impromptu invention,
for no one but Mr. Finn knew of our intention to go
* See Ezokiel iv, 15 : " Lo I I have given thee cow's dung, and thou shalt prepare
thy bread therewith."
HILL-COUNTRY OF NAZARETH. 131
to Nazareth ; however, they turned and accompanied us.
They looked very picturesque. Their large, heavy cloaks
were made of camel's-hair, with broad brown and white
stripes. On their heads they wore red and yellow kefias
fringed shawls put on like hoods, and fastened round
the crown with double ropes, made of camel's-hair. Their
spears, adorned with ostrich-feathers, were twelve or thir-
teen feet long.
We paused at a spring, festooned with ferns and bord-
ered with mossy stones, and alighted for a few minutes
to water our horses. When Saleh was on the point of
remounting, his mare suddenly started off, and soon dis-
appeared in the dusky distance. Saleh was quite discon-
certed ; for the animal was a favorite one, and so docile
that it was never considered necessary to tether her. She
was accustomed to follow her master, and to obey his call
like a dog. Saleh remembered that the village of which
his mare was a native was about a quarter of an hour's
distance from the spring, and this explained the cause of
the flight. He immediately mounted a horse belonging to
one of the Arabs and galloped away. He actually found
his mare standing quietly in the court of the house in
which she had been born, surrounded by her former owners,
who were marveling greatly. Saleh rejoined us, and we
soon entered the hill-country which encircles Nazareth.
Our volunteer attendants rode now before and now behind,
singing and shouting. Higher and higher we rose, meeting
the fresh mountain air. It was so dark that I could only
just perceive the figure immediately before me, and the
loose white stones which clattered under my horse's feet,
and the smooth slabs of rock over which he every now
and then slipped and stumbled.
For about an hour I rode on silently, hardly knowing
where I was going, but following in faith the steps of my
leader. I was roused from a reverie by the words, "We
are entering the olive-groves of Nazareth." I could just
distinguish a range of hills, forming an amphitheater in
132 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE. ^
the shape of a horseshoe, and the extent of the town
could be traced by the lights gleaming from the windows
of the houses which thickly dotted the valley below, and
were grouped here and there on the hill-sides. The Arabs
keep lamps burning in their rooms all night to chase away
evil spirits. We descended abruptly between hedges of
prickly pears, greeted by loudly-barking dogs, and inhaling
a close, suffocating odor of dust and decayed vegetables.
The word, "Hold your horse's head well up, for it is very
steep here," prepared me now and then for a jerk down
some rocky ledge or dusty declivity. At last we were
safe in the valley ; our escort disappeared ; and we were
led to the roomy but half-deserted house of Saleh, where
he had resided till the death of his father, a few months
previous, and where his brother and young sisters still
lived. Two empty rooms were soon swept and garnished
by men and boys, who brought a supply of matting,
mattresses, cushions, and pillows from another part of
the house, and we made ourselves at home. While we
took supper, Saleh told me that his father, the head of
a large family, had during his lifetime accumulated a con-
siderable sum of money, which he kept in a secret place,
probably buried. It was expected that he would some
day tell his heirs where the treasure was concealed, but
unhappily he was on a journey from Tiberias "when the
Angel of Death met him." He was surrounded only by
servants and strangers, to whom he could not intrust the
important communication, and there was no time to send
for his sons; so he died, and the secret died with him.
Saleh, the eldest son, caused careful search to be made in
and under the premises, but up to this time the property
had not been found.
It is a very common practice, especially in the interior,
to secrete jewels and gold in this way, and ancient deposits
of great intrinsic value and still greater interest as works
of art and illustrations of history are sometimes found.
The law of treasure-trove in Palestine, I believe, awards
NECROMANCY AND CLAIRVOYANCE. 133
one-third to the finder, one-third to the owner of the
ground on which the property is found, and one-third to
the Government.
There are certain men who spend nearly all their lives
in seeking for hanuz hidden treasures. Some of them
become maniacs, desert their families, and though they are
often so poor that they beg their way from door to door,
and from village to village, they believe themselves to be
rich. There are others, who are called ^^ sahirV^ necro-
mancers who seem to work systematically, and have a
very curious method of prosecuting the search.
They select certain sensitive individuals, who are believed
to have the power of seeing objects concealed in the earth,
or elsewhere ; but the faculty is only active when roused by
the influence of necromantic ceremonies, which are under-
stood by the professional treasure-seeker. He properly
prepares the medium, and calls into full activity the vision-
ary power ; then, in obedience to his command, the hiding-
places of treasures are said to be minutely described. On
being restored to the normal state, the medium does not
remember any of the revelations which may have been
made. The practice of this art is considered "haram"
that is, unlawful^ and is carried on secretly and not extens-
ively. Those people of whom I made inquiries on the
subject spoke with fear and trembling, and mysteriously
whispered their explanations.
I knew an Arab family, of which all the female members
are believed to be seers (clairvoyants?). They are all nerv-
ous and excitable to a high degree, and one of them is
slightly deranged in intellect.*
Till a late hour visitors flocked in to see us, for our
* Does this system of the SaMri throw any light on the history of the " Zahuris "
of Spain, who were said to have the power of seeing into the recesses of the earth ?
The name is evidently of Eastern derivation, for "Zahur" is the Arabic for
appearing.
In the first volume of " The Cradle of the Twin Giants, Science and History,"
by Kev. Henry Christmas, page 344, the following passages occur :
" Debrio, in his ' Disquisitiones Magicse,' edition of Mayence, 1606, says there is
a class of men in Spain who are called Zahuris. When he was staying at Madrid,
134 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
arrival was soon known throughout the Christian quarter.
First came Jirius el Yakub, with his fat, burly figure, his
crisp gray beard and twinkling eyes shining from under a
large shawl turban. He is Mr. Finn's agent for Nazareth,
and is very proud of his office, and of the few words of
English which he can speak.
Saleh's pretty little sister, " Jalily" that is, " ^7ie Glori-
ous'' led me to the room prepared for me. Her age was
about eleven, and her face the fairest I had seen in Pales-
tine. It was a pure oval, with a straight nose, small, well-
defined lips, long dark lashes, and delicately-penciled eye-
brows. The edges of her eyelids were strongly tinged with
kohl, which gave strange power to large, melancholy gray
eyes. Her finger-nails were slightly stained with henna,
and her toe-nails deeply dyed. She wore a violet-colored
muslin kerchief folded over her soft, brown hair, crossed
under her chin, and tied in a bow at the top of her head.
Her dress was green, edged with yellow braid, and open at
the throat, showing a necklace of silver and coral ornaments.
(I think that green is a favorite color among Christian
Arabs now, because, till lately, they were forbidden to wear
it, for the Moslems regard it as their sacred color.)
I awoke, and rose early, for a half-opened door, which I
had not noticed by the dim lamp of the previous night,
attracted my attention. Just within it were three narrow
steps, each higher than my' knee. I climbed up, and turn-
ing sharply round, groped my way up three other steps,
still more steep, and then stumbled against a low, cracked
wooden door, which I unfastened with difficulty. When it
burst open I found that it led to a terraced roof, to which
there was no other access. The roof was high, and com-
manded a beautiful view of the town, with its mosque and
in 1575, a boy of that kind was there ; these persons were said to be able to spy out
what was concealed in the earth, subterraneous waters, metals, hidden treasure,
or dead bodies. The thing was generally known, and its possibility believed in,
not only by poets but by philosophers."
'We quote the following, concerning a lady, from the Mercure de France, of 1728:
' She perceives what is hid in the earth, distinguishing stones, sand, springs, to the
depth of thirty or forty fathoms.' "
LATIN CHURCH AT NAZARETH. 135
minarets, surrounded by tall, dark cypress-trees, and the
convent buildings conspicuous in tbe Christian quarter.
The mists were gradually passing away from the valley and
floating up the hill-sides. The houses are of white lime-
stone, square and flat-roofed j they look clean and cheerful.
The ancient " city was built on a hill," but modern Naza-
reth, which is unwalled, has gradually crept into the val-
ley, at the bottom of which all the newest and largest
houses are erected.
Little Jalily was in an open court below with some
women servants, who were making bread and chopping
meat. She saw me, and ran up to greet me, saying, " May
the day be white to you !" then she taught me the usual
answer, " May it be to you as milk !"
It was Sunday. We went to the Latin Church of the
Annunciation. We made our way through the nave, which
is large and lofty. One side was crowded with men and
boys bareheaded, and the other side occupied by women,
kneeling on the marble pavement in rows. Their foreheads
and the lower parts of their faces were quite concealed by
folds of muslin and linen. As we passed by, they with
one accord raised their heads for a moment, and their
bright dark eyes flashed upon us from under their kohl-
tinged lids like a gleam of lightning, then they bent their
heads low and resumed their devotions.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was confirming a
number of children. Mass was celebrated, with more than
usual pomp, by some illustrious ecclesiastics and visitors
from Rome. The organ was well touched by one of the
monks, and the chanting was magnificent.
When this was over, we went down to see the Grotto of
the Virgin. It is underground, just beneath the high altar.
On the broad stone stairs leading to it, a troop of little Arab
girls, belonging to the convent school, were seated. They
looked full of animation and childish mischief, and the
nuns or sisters of mercy, in whose charge they were, had
great difficulty in keeping them in order. The children
136 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Trere dressed in native costume. The nuns, who are very
superior, lady-like French women, wore white caps, with
broad plain muslin frills, and little black hoods over them,
and the plainest of plain black stuff dresses. They looked
very quaint, but cheerful and lovable. They are most per-
severing in their schemes for proselytizing and* educating
Arab girls. Some of their pupils speak a little French,
but it is very difficult to secure the regular attendance of
children at the schools. They are sad little truants.
One of the sisters is a careful doctor and skillful sur-
geon, and thus obtains great influence over the natives,
to whom she distributes medicines supplied from France.
A Hakim a doctor of medicine, male or female can
gain admittance and respect almost any where. A Romish
missionary staff is never considered complete without a
good physician.
The children, marshaled by the Sisters of Mercy, made
way for us, and we went down to the Altar of the Virgin.
It is of pure white alabaster, laboriously and elaborately
carved, but badly designed, rococo. Sweet basil bloomed
all round it, and tapers burned there brightly. Near it is
a part of a granite column, said by a monkish tradition
which is indorsed by the Church to be a fragment of the
very room in which Mary stood when the angel Grabriel
appeared to her. The room itself was conveyed by a
miracle to Dalmatia, and afterward to Loretta, where thou-
sands of pilgrims visit it! The kitchen of the Virgin is
Btill shown under the church at Nazareth. Women now
and then came down the steps and prostrated themselves,
beating their breasts, and repeating Ave Marias, in Arabic,
as rapidly as possible; then they kissed three spots indi-
cated by ornament on the pavement under the altar. The
walls of the church are hung with painted linen, which
produces exactly the effect of fine old tapestry, and I did
not discover that it was only imitation till I handled it.
In the court-yard of the convent there are several frag-
ments of ancient stone carving introduced in the modern
NAZARENE COSTUMES. 137
walls * We went to the Protestant Mission-House, and
heard service in Arabic. Some pretty children and a
few intelligent-looking men attended it. The pastor and
school-teachers are Germans, but connected with the An-
glican Church.
All the Latins of Nazareth were in their gayest dresses
that day to do honor to the visit of their Patriarch. We
met him walking with a little troop of monks and priests.
He is a most remarkable-looking man, and wears a pale
beard, at least half a yard long, parted in the middle.
His broad-brimmed hat, nearly three-quarters of a yard
in diameter, is trimmed with artificial colored flowers,
and glossy green leaves of metallic luster. The people
crowded round him to kiss his hands and to secure his
blessing.
The usual dress of the men of Nazareth is bright and
cheerful-looking, consisting of a sort of long dressing-gown,
made of a mixture of silk and cotton, in patterns of very
narrow stripes, commonly either red and purple, violet and
yellow, green and blue, or purple and white. This is
girdled with a shawl, or a broad leather belt, lined and
stitched, with pockets and purses made in it. Ked and
yellow kefias shawls with long knotted fringes are worn
in the town as turbans, but are generally put on like hoods
for traveling.
The women, who are very handsome, but rather bold-
looking, use a great deal of kohl for their eyelids; they
tattoo their arms profusely and their faces slightly. Their
head-dress is very peculiar; it is a tight-fitting cap, made
of cloth or Jinen, with a thick, firmly-padded roll, one or
two inches in diameter, round the front, just covering the
highest part of the head, and fastened with strings, but
not quite meeting under the chin. To this roll silver
coins are sewed, as close together as it is possible to
place them, except that a little space is left at the top
* They have been engraved in the " Builder "No. 87S from drawings which 1
made in the year 1858.
12
138 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
of the head, and the coins fall, lapping one on the other,
down each side of the. face, and a little below the chin;
at a distance it looks like a bonnet-front. Women wear
coins as large as crowns or half-crowns; children generally
have small ones, about the size of shillings. Muslin shawls
or vails, of various colors or black, are folded across the
forehead and over the lower part of the face; so that,
out of doors, the eyes only are exposed. When in-doors,
the lower folds are slipped below the chin ; but the fore-
head is nearly always concealed, except by very young
girls. They wear loose trowsers, white shirts, and long
dresses, open entirely in front, made of striped cotton or
Damascus silk, and girdled below the waist. ^
I went to Nazareth several times, and visited many of
the Christian women in their homes. I found, generally,
a great want of order and cleanliness among them. They
are very proud of their town, and are constantly invoking
< El Sit Miriam " " the Lady Mary." Their faith in, and
reverence for, relics is unbounded. In all their rooms I
saw holy pictures, little images, and small crystal or glass
cases of fragments of bones and rags. Rings are constantly
worn as charms.
I asked a little child, who had once visited Haifa,
whether she preferred Haifa and the beautiful sea, or
Nasirah. She answered directly, "Haifa is not a holy place;
but this town is holy ; our Lady Mary lived here, and
Christ, and Joseph." But although Nazareth is reckoned
a holy place, it is by no means remarkable for its morality.
In this respect it strikingly contrasts with Bethlehem,
where the fathers and husbands are said to be severe and
rigid disciplinarians, and where dishonor is punished with
certain death. Nazareth had not a very good reputation in
the time of Christ, and it does not appear to have improved.
I find that the younger girls are beginning to dispense
with the coin head-dresses. They adopt, instead, the more
simple red tarbush and mundil. I expect that soon these
curious and weighty ornaments will only be found in the
NAZARENE RESIDENCES. 130
smaller towns and villages of Gralilee. Some silver anklets
were shown to me, and described as "old-fashioned," but
plain bracelets of silver, gold, or glass, are universally worn.
I purchased one, formed of a twist of thick silver, with a
very broad, clumsily-made, jeweled ring attached to it by
a chain, also of wrought silver. The ring was intended to
be worn on the fore-finger. One of my Nazarene friends
told me that only the fellahin would wear any thing so bar-
barous and old-fashioned.
The change which is gradually being made here in the
costume of the women does not depend on direct European
or priestly influence, but simply on fashions introduced by
settlers and visitors from other Oriental towns, especially
Haifa. The display in the bazars of jewelry and silk-
tasseled caps from Stamboul, and colored musliiT mundils
from European Turkey and Switzerland is accelerating the
change. The supply creates a demand.
On Monday, the 15th, I called, with my brother and
Saleh, on Luis Khalil, a wealthy native of Nazareth, who
had lately built a handsome house of hewn stone. He had
just returned from a trip to Marseilles, where he had been
purchasing furniture for it. The terraces, courts, and cor-
ridors were tastefully bordered with beds of roses, pinks,
and sweet basil, edged with broad stone copings. The
floors were of inlaid marble, black and white. The surface
of the walls of the inner courts was very much decorated
with rudely-carved, round paterae, of interlacing designs,
in low relief. Over the doors and windows, and in other
prominent positions, English-made willow -pattern cheese-
plates were introduced, imbedded in stucco, as encaustic
tiles might be. The owner of the house called my atten-
tion to this novel application of cheese-plates. He told me
that he had himself designed the house and its decorations.
The new European furniture was almost as singularly dis-
posed of as the willow-pattern plates were. His unsophisti-
cated wife and daughters marveled exceedingly at some of
his purchases in Marseilles, and seemed rather more per-
140 ' DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
plexed than pleased by them. His drawing-room, which
was something like a French salon^ with its mirrors and
marble tables, was frescoed by a native of Nazareth, who
had been tutored and employed by the Franciscan monks
in church mural decoration. On the panels of the doors
he had painted groups of flowers, very carefully and labori-
ously ; but they did not produce a good effect.
Oiir host was the great man of his community after this
trip to Marseilles, and, owing to his wealth and this famous
journey, was for a time reckoned as a prophet, even in his
own country. But, notwithstanding the comparative grand-
eur of his salon^ those rooms of the house occupied by the
women, and the cooking-places, were as untidy and incon-
venient as the poorest establishments in the town. He
was dressed in a suit of fine black cloth full Turkish
trowsers and tight jacket a shawl girdle and polished
boots a small, red, cloth tarbush, with a muslin kerchief
over it, fastened smoothly round his forehead. He wore
a gold chain, as massive as an alderman's, outside his dress,
and several rings on his fingers. His wife, however, re-
tains her Nazareth costume intact, and evidently does not
approve of innovations.
The Turkish Governor of the town called while we were
there. He confidentially told my brother that the people
of Nazareth were so proud and daring that he could do
nothing with them.
We rode out presently, in a northerly direction, to meet
Mr. Finn. Our host joined us, and a large party followed,
including the Governor on a chestnut charger, decked with
purple trappings adorned with mother-of-pearl. After a
pleasant ride, we met the Consular party. By sunset their
tents were pitched, and the English flag was waving over
them in a pleasant olive-grove, just outside the town.
The next day Mr. Finn invited us to accompany him to
Mount Tabor. We started at noon. It was oppressively
hot. Gently, and almost silently, we rode toward the east,
over hills sweet with wild thyme, and dark with thorny
MOUNT TABOR. 141
bushes through valleys green with fennel, or rugged with
rocks overgrown with gray lichens and amber-colored moss.
Now and then we passed a clump of leafless bushes, every
branch of which was covered with small, white, edible snails,
which I mistook at first for buds. The only flowers I saw
were the crane's-bill, goat's-beard, and small Indian pinks.
Mount Tabor was full in view, like an irregular dark cone,
rising above the other hills. In about an hour we entered
a hilly and wooded district. The cool, pleasant shade of
trees, and the songs of birds, roused and refreshed us, and,
in groups of twos and threes, pleasantly chatting, we pur-
sued our way. Mount Tabor, which had appeared to me
to be gradually retreating as we advanced, was now quite
out of sight ; but after we had traversed some wood-crowned
hills, and the dry beds of two or three Winter torrents, we
saw it again, in all its beauty and grandeur. We hastened
over a tree-covered slope, and down a fertile valley, and
reached its base at about two o'clock. We gradually
ascended an easy-winding path, pleasantly shaded, till we
were about half-way up, when rocks and steep stone ledges,
ancient masonry, and overhanging branches, obliged us to
look cautiously before us, and to follow the steps of the
leader carefully. Oaks whence galls are procured arbu-
tus, pistacia vera, pistacia terebinthus which yields what
is called Venice turpentine pistacia lentiscus producing
gum mastich and locust-trees abound. They were wreathed
with glossy-leaved creepers, but nearly every plant or shrub
which I touched was armed with thorns as sharp as fine
needles.
Looking down the steepest side, we could see the wide-
spread wings of eagles as they hovered just below us, or
swept rapidly through the air. Black and fawn-colored
vultures appeared with their bright pinions perfectly poised
and almost motionless, supporting them in steady downward
flight in spiral circles. As they rose again, their wings
were set in motion, and I felt the disturbance of the air
now and then when they passed near to us. In trying to
142 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
watch their circular sailing and heavenward wanderings
I nearly reeled from my horse. They rose higher and
higher, spirally, till they were quite indiscernible to the
naked eye.
We alighted on the summit of th hill, at a quarter to
three, on a smooth plateau surrounded by large masses of
hewn stone and the foundations of strong walls. On one
side there is an archway called " Bab el How-a," Gate of
the Winds. On the other side we saw part of a ruined
chapel and an altar in an apse, a limestone cave and a
cistern hewn in the rock, and two or three patches of
ground cultivated by a Russian hermit, named Erinna
of Bucharest, who had lived on this mountain for fourteen
years.
Once when I spent a long day here, with Colonel and
the Honorable Mrs. Fred. Walpole, I took his portrait, and
he told me the story of his life. His father, he said, was
an extensive land proprietor in the Crimea, where he was
born, but he went afterward to Bucharest. One night
Erinna dreamed that an angel appeared to him and said,
" Arise and go into the land which I will show you."
This disturbed him very much, and all day the words
were ringing in his ears. The next night the angel, in
shining raiment, appeared again in a dream and repeated
the words, led him through the air and showed him a
mountain with a little cavern on its summit. On the third
night the angel led him again to the mountain and told
him that he was to dwell in the cavern. Erinna was so
impressed by these dreams, or visions as he called them,
that he took leave of hi family, and for twenty years
traveled in Russia, Greece, Egypt, and Syria, to seek for
the mountain of his dream. At last he recognized the
cave on Mount Tabor, and immediately took up his abode
there, for he was convinced that it was the place indicated
by the angel. He was then eighty-four years of age, and
he said, "I thought I should soon die, but I am now
heartier than ever, and yet I am nearly one hundred years
ERINNA THE HERMIT. 143
old." One Winter's night, as he slept alone in his cave, he
felt something soft and warm crouching by his side. He
found it was a young leopard or panther : he gave it food
and made friends with it, so that it would follow him about
like a pet cat. For a long time Erinna and l^is four-footed
favorite were the lions of Mount Tabor.
Erinna, like Robinson Crusoe, after years of solitude,
found "his man Friday;" a fellow-countryman, a sturdy-
looking, rather silent, middle-aged man, who volunteered to
superintend the little field of wheat and barley, to cut
wood for firing, and to fetch water from the rock cisterns.
He called himself the hermit's servant, and hoped to inherit
the hermitage, the sheepskin cap, the ragged mantle, and
the reputation of Erinna.
The priests of Nazareth, especially the Latins, were very
jealous of the influence of this anchorite, for he was re-
garded by Christian Arabs as a man of peculiar sanctity,
and was supposed to enjoy the especial favor of God and
his angels. Many people believed that he had the power
of performing miracles, though he did not profess it. He
told us that the Latins so strongly and perseveringly in-
trigued against him representing him as a Russian spy
that he feared he should be banished from the country.
He occasionally visited the sick at Nazareth and the neigh-
boring villages: once he came to see us at Haifa. He
never tasted meat ; his chief food was rice and oil, of which
he purchased a store once a year. He kept a few goats
for the sake of their milk ; cultivated a little garden of
herbs and vegetables ; gathered wild fruit, and took " honey
out of" the nests in "the rocks;'' see Psalm Ixxxi, 16. He
made us some excellent coffee, of which he generally had a
supply, chiefly for guests, that is. Christian pilgrims and
travelers. He did not make the slightest attempt to ren-
der his cave clean or comfortable. Rude niches in the
rocky walls served to hold his few books and a little red
earthenware lamp. A mat of reeds, some heavy clothing
and sheepskins on a stone ledge formed his bed. His com-
144 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
panion, who belonged to the peasant class, occupied a cell
close to it, which was used as the kitchen or cooking place.
Two very rough delf dishes, two wooden bowls and spoons,
and a metal stew-pan were to be seen there.
I asked Erinna if he had ever been married. He said
that Mount Tabor was his only bride.
He and " his man Friday " assured me that they were
very happy, and they looked so. They divided their days
regularly.^ and worked, prayed, ate and slept systematically,
but they seemed to think ablution unnecessary, and they
wore the same clothes day and night. Erinna was ruddy
and hearty, and though his bushy beard was quite white,
he did not look a old as he reckons himself to be.*
The view from Mount Tabor is very extensive ; it over-
looks the plain of Esdraelon Proper, which is divided into
squares and patches of cultivated land ; it appeared from
the distance like a rude mosaic, of every tint of orange,
yellow, gray, green, brown, and lavender. Not a house, tent,
or village could be seen to break its monotony, nor even a
tree to cast a shadow ; but the hills which surround it were
clothed with woods, and dotted with towns, hamlets, and
ruins. Mr. Finn said, " Fancy Barak with his 10,000 men
upon this mountain ; people that plain with the chariots,
' even 900 chariots of iron,' gathered together by Sisera, and
see Sisera pursued by Barak unto Harosheth." He read
the landscape round for me, pointing out the range of Car-
mel and the Mediterranean on the west the hills of Gilboa
and the villages of Jezreel, Endor, and Nain in the south
the hill-country beyond Jordan, and the mountains which
encircle the Sea of Galilee on the east, and far away in the
north Lebanon crowned with snow. Nearer to us we could
see the Horns of Hattin a rounded hill with two distinct
mounds or peaks on its summit. This is called the Mount
of Beatitudes, where tradition tells us that the Sermon of
sermons was preached. After exploring the ruins and the
< Erinna died in 1859, much regretted by the peasants of the plain, and by the
poor of Nazareth.
POPULATION OF NAZARETH. 145
deep cisterns, we remounted. The sun had quite disap-
peared when we reached the foot of the hill. (On one
occasion I walked down the steepest side of Tabor, with the
help of a stout stick and a strong arm.)
The Rev. J. L. Porter says that Tabor rises 1,400 feet
above the plain, and the plain is 500 feet above the level
of the sea.
We had a pleasant ride back to Nazareth by moonlight.
We spent the evening at the Consular encampment, and at
a late hour walked up by lantern-light to Saleh's house.
The next morning I sat in the deep embrasure of a win-
dow, sketching, while my brother was busy in the midst of
a group of Turkish Effendis and Christian scribes. They
all carried inkhorns in their girdles, with cases attached to
them to hold their reed pens. They sat on the floor and
held single sheets of paper in their hands, and wrote with-
out any desk or support. The points of -reed pens are so
delicate, that they would be easily fractured by pressure on
a hard table or desk.
The population of Nazareth is computed by Dr. Kobin-
son thus :
Moslems 680
Greeks 1,040 who look to Russia as their protector.
Latins 480^
Greek Catholics 520 Udherents of the Pope, and conseqnenOy
I French proteges,
Maronites 400J
This gives a total of 3,120 ; but the most recent and care-
ful inquirers assure me that this estimate is too low. They
reckon the total at 4,000, and the Greek Church is said to
be on the increase. I never met a Jew either in Nazareth
or Bethlehem! There is a small Protestant congregation,
which is rather fluctuating.
Khawadja Stephani, the son of the Greek Priest of Shefa
'Amer, came expressly to ask us and Saleli to return to
Haifa by way of his village, and to pass a night there at
his house. We arranged to do so, and started soon after
midday. We rode for some distance over rocky hills, where
13
146 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
bees were busy among the blossoming herbs ; across plains
covered with tall thistles their harsh stems, leaves, thorns,
and spiny flowers were bright with a purple bloom, like
that which we see on ripe plums, and from a distance a
plain overgrown with them looked like a calm, blue lake.
At about two we entered a garden inclosed by a low stone
wall, situated at the bottom of a well- watered valley, where
the lemon-trees were laden with green fruit, and pomegran-
ates were plentiful. We dismounted and walked through
the garden to the streamlet which traverses it, bordered
with hawthorn, rose, and fruit-trees. Its banks, steep and
grassy, were fragrant with mint and marjoram, and cresses
grew along the edge of the water. Under a wide-spreading
fig-tree, where tiny-leaved clover had made a smooth carpet,
we spread our saddle-cloths in a half-circle, and took our
seats. Soon a plentiful dinner was placed before us. We
took it in primitive style, for we had neither forks nor
spoons, and our only plates were thin Arab loaves, about a
quarter of a yard in diameter and a quarter of an inch
thick. Saleh made a drinking- cup for me of the large leaf
of a water-plant, which he knew to be harmless. Each one
of the party, as soon as he had eaten, rose and washed his
hands at the stream, and then, selecting another tree for
our shade, and a grassy bank for our divan, we rested,
telling stories in turn, while the kawasses and servants
made an end of the provisions.
In this garden I saw some remarkable double fig-trees,
the trunks of which were twisted as perfectly and regu-
larly as if they had been carved. I asked the gardener
how he managed it. He said, ^^ Allah Karim^' "Grod is
bountiful" and then explained to me how tender saplings
are planted side by side, and perseveringly entwined, or
even plaited sometimes. He led me to one which he con-
sidered more perfect than the others. The twisted trunk
was about half a yard in diameter; it rose six feet from
the ground, as upright as a marble column, without any
branches to break its perfect outline, and then spread out
147
its crooked arms in all directions, clothed with green
leaves the largest which I had ever observed. This
pleasant garden is near to the fountain which was the
gathering-place of the Christian knights before the ter-
rible battle of Hattin, and where the conqueror Saladin
encamped after he had in that decisive conflict almost
annihilated the Crusaders. Sephoris or Sefurieh is just
opposite. It is a poor but interesting place. Jewish,
heathen, and Christian ruins are to be found there, and
tradition points to the house in which Anna, the mother
of Mary, was born.
We mounted at half-past three, and followed the course
of the stream. It flowed between orchards, gardens of
cucumbers, and stubble-fields. All the horses and their
riders seemed newly animated. They rode in circles, dis-
playing feats of horsemanship, letting ofl" their pistols
while in full gallop; their long, loose, white Arab cloaks,
made of goat's-hair, fluttered behind them, and the almost
flying figures represented to my fancy the Templars of old
on their fabled white-winged steeds. When the horses
were well tired, the riders grouped together, and we rode
through an oak-wood, talking of the Crusades. I found
that our Arab friends were quite familiar with such names
as Peter the Hermit and Eichard Coeur de Lion. Oriental
poets and historians call the latter "Ankitar."
We soon came to an olive-grove, on a hill forming part
of an extensive amphitheater, from the center of which
rises a mount of conical form, and on it stands Shefa
'Amer, backed by a lofty castle, square and massive,
looking almost as large as the village itself. The hill-
sides, with the exception of the one which we descended,
were clothed with evergreens; and the valleys for miles
around were wooded with olive and other fruit-trees.
We rode through a burial-ground, tastefully planted with
shrubs, and passing an immense heap of dust, dirt, and
rubbish on the top of which a crowd of people had
assembled to see us we entered the village, and alighted
148 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
at the house of Stephahi. He led me up an open stone
stairway, and along a covered terrace, into a long, lofty,
cheerful room, with unglazed windows on three sides of it.
One end of the room was furnished with Turkey carpets,
narrow mattresses and cushions, which made a comfortable
divan. The stuccoed walls were slightly frescoed with
rudely-grotesque and droll designs of the most childish
character.
Pipes and narghiles were ranged in a recess, and a hand-
some set of coffee-cups, with silver filagree holders, were on
a low stand near the door. In a corner there was a broad,
shallow, marble basin let into the floor, with a hole in the
center to carry off water. It was the place of ablution,
and three water-jars stood near to it.
This room was the " guest chamber," separated from the
other part of the establishment.
Stephani said to me, " This is your house, rule over it as
you will, command me and my family as your servants."
I was left to rest and to dress, and presently the gentle-
men rejoined me.
Guests were coming and going all the evening. First
arrived the stately Turkish Grovernor, a tall figure with a
flat face, like a mask of shriveled parchment; in fact he
resembled a Chinese mummy much more than a living
Turk. He was intensely polite and complimentary, and
confidentially complained to us of his poverty, and of the
iinprofita"bleness of his office. He was dressed in a suit of
snuff-brown cloth, embroidered with gold, and a long sword
hung at his side.
The father of Stephani, a very handsome old man with
a patriarchal white beard, came and sat by me. He wore
a long robe of coarse purple linen, and his turban was of
the same color. He is the chief priest of the Greek com-
munity of Shefa 'Amer, and neighboring villages. His
words were few, but his looks were expressive. He was
evidently proud of his sons and of his little grandsons.
At a sign from him, the latter came forward from the
149
other end of the room to kiss my hands. They were
clean, well-dressed, bright-looking boys. The room was
full of visitors. Mattresses were spread all round against
the walls, and there was not a space vacant, but not one
woman came.
It grew dark, and the shutters were closed, when a tall,
slender, brass candelabrum was brought in, and placed on
the middle of the floor, at the upper end of the room. It
supported a large oil lamp, with three wicks. Three long
brass chains hung from it one held a pair of lamp-
scissors, another a long stout pin which is used to trim the
wick, to the third an extinguisher was attached. At the
lower end of the room, a large glazed lantern, with tin
frame-work, stood on a low wooden stool these lights
shone on a strange and motley assembly. There was an
Indian Jew there, with a very dark face and white beard,
a dusky turban, and duskier robes. He came forward to
claim brotherhood with us, for he was an English subject,
and very proud of his nationality. He had journeyed from
Hindoostan to see the city of Solomon, and to ascertain the
state of the Jews in Palestine. He seemed to be a learned
and enterprising man.
Isaac Shallom, a Jew of Aleppo, but a resident at Haifa,
brought me some soft, sweet, white almond paste, with
pistachio nuts imbedded in it a celebrated Aleppo sweet-
meat. The Kabbi and chief members of the Jewish com-
munity of Shefa 'Amer were also present, with a few Mos-
lems and Druzes, and a number of Christian Arabs. Arrack
was handed round from time to time in the lower part of
the room, and songs of praise were sung in honor of the
chief guests. Saleh, who is no singer, but a very fluent
speaker, said, " Ibrahim left his kindred, his home, and his
country, he dwelt in a strange land among strangers, but
he became mighty in the land, his family increased, his
name became great. Even so may the name of Rogers be
known throughout this country, may his children and his
children's children dwell here in honor!" The idea was
150 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
immediately taken up by tlie singers, and they improvised
a song, the burden of which was, " May his children's
children dwell here in honor!"
Some graceful compliments were paid to me, with prayers
for my happiness. Then the singing, of which there was
a great variety, became general. We heard Egyptian love-
songs beautifully and plaintively sung by a gardener from
the Nile, and a man of Bagdad gave us a curious ditty,
jerking out his words at first, and by degrees toning them
down , into a languishing, drawling melody, in a minor
key. The Arabs sang a great many monotonous songs;
but one was very sweet the chorus of it was, " Beda-
wiya." I think that this song would please English ears
generally.
Isaac, the Jew of Aleppo, was asked to dance for me.
The lantern was moved out of the way. He stood up at
first very shyly, the Arabs sitting round, singing and clap-
ping their hands, keeping time. He had on very full white
drawers, a black jacket, yellow and white silk striped
waistcoat, and a shawl sash. Round his red tarbtish a blue
mundil was folded. He bent his head down and raised his
arms above it. By degrees his feet and hands were in slow
motion in harmony with the music, and his body swayed to
and fro. Soon the songs grew louder, the clapping of hands
quicker, and the movements of the dancer more decided,
but they were as monotonous as the tunes which inspired
them. During the whole of the dance he kept within a
circle of about a yard in diameter; at last he spun round
and retreated, hiding himself shamefacedly behind his
friends.
Supper was announced, and many of the visitors retired.
Servants brought in a round stand, about five inches in
hight, and covered it with dishes. While this was being
arranged, my brother begged to be allowed to fetch a cer-
tain man, named Habib, to sup there. He had once been
Stephani's chief friend, but a misunderstanding had arisen
between them, consequently the two most influential Chris-
SONGS AND SUPPER. 161
tian families in Shefa 'Amer lived as strangers to each
other. Stephani readily consented to receive Habib, who
soon came, and the two long-divided friends embraced.
They have lived in harmony ever since. Before eating,
each one of us had water poured on our hands over the
marble basin; for the Christian Arabs, as well as the Mos-
lems, " and all the Jews, except they wash their hands, eat
not." This is particularly necessary, considering that they
do not use knives and forks ; but each one " dips his hand
into the dish " with his neighbor.
Stephani at first wished to serve us at supper, instead of
sittinor down with us, for it is the Arab custom for the
host to wait on his guests as a servant. We overcame his
scruples, and we ate together. Afterward, water was again
poured on our hands a servant stood by, holding native
scented-soap and an embroidered towel then we had coffee
and narghiles.
An Arabic Bible published by the British and Foreign
Bible Society a Roman version, by the by was brought
in, and Saleh read aloud the Sermon on the Mount. Bible
history is pretty well known in the Greek community; it is
read in their churches in the vulgar tongue, and is not
withheld from the laity. The bulk of the people, however,
can not read. The few who can do so gladly obtain copies,
but the Bible is rarely to be met with, except in those
families of which one of the members is a priest or very
studious, as Saleh, for instance.
The Greek priests must always be married men. Those
of the villages and small towns are often very ignorant,
and, as they rarely receive a systematic ecclesiastical train-
ing, their expositions and definitions of the articles and
dogmas of their Church are very curious and conflicting.
Their Bishops and higher clergy are generally foreigners,
that is, native Greeks and Russians, and do not often learn
Arabic, so they make little or no impression on the Syrian
branch of their Church. The Latin clergy, on the other
hand, are often quite unfamiliar with the Bible, and always
152 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
strongly oppose its circulation, but are well grounded in
matters of discipline and doctrinal points.
The two Churches vie with each other in circulating ex-
traordinary traditions and legends of saints and martyrs,
and they equally encourage pilgrimages to holy places and
reliance on relics.
Soon after supper the room was cleared of all the smok-
ing, turbaned, fezzed, and singing guests, slaves, and serv-
ants. My brother and Saleh went home with Habib to
sleep at his house. I was left alone in the large guest-
chamber, where Stephani had caused a bed to be made for
me. I opened one of the heavy shutters, to see my friends
pass round on the side of the hill, five lanterns gleaming
before them. I fastened the door with a stiff clumsy lock,
the mechanism of which I did not in the least understand,
and I soon discovered that I was a self-made prisoner, for I
could not find out how to undo it again. I was obliged to
resign myself to my fate, making sure I should be set free
in the morning. I fell asleep on a soft, crimson silk pil-
low, under an embroidered lehaff, and did not wake till the
sun shone on my face through the chinks of the ill-made
shutters. I was up and dressed when Stephani knocked at
the door, which he contrived to open. While the room was
swept and garnished I went with him to take coffee at the
house of Habib. On my return to my quarters, the female
members of the family, their neighbors, and the women-
servants, came to look at me, but not till they were quite
sure of finding me alone. They clustered shyly round the
door, and I had to play the part of hostess and invite them
to enter in. They were dressed in the same style as the
women of Nazareth, and are quite as handsome, but more
simple and modest-looking. Stephani's wife, a tall, dark-
eyed woman, wore large heavy coins round her face, with
a yellow mundil folded across her forehead and tied at the
back of her head ; the open front of her red and white
cotton dress was trimmed with a double frill, edged with
braid. Her eldest daughter, a girl of ten, named Werdeh
153
that is, Rosy was very beautiful, with regular features,
clear bronzed complexioD, eyes brown and sparkling, the
lids deeply tinged with kohl, and the hands and feet stained
with henna. Her thick, dark hair was combed down over
her high forehead, and cut straight across it just above her
arched eyebrows. At the back her hair was allowed to
grow long, and was plaited. She wore a head-dress of
coins, for they are not yet going out of fashion in Shefa
'Amer. Her open dress was of white calico, ornamented in
front profusely, with black, blue, and red braid. The
sleeves were very long, and capable of concealing the hands
entirely, but when the arms were raised the sleeves still
hung down, for they were open as high as the elbow.
The room was soon crowded with women and girls.
Their dresses, though various in point of texture and con-
dition, were all of the same fashion from the crimson and
white striped silk dress of a young bride, to the ragged
cotton garments worn by an aged servant, whose head-dress
was stripped of all its coins. I was sketching Werdeh and
her mother, when suddenly they, and all the rest, rose and
scampered away, without saying a word, vailing themselves
hastily. The entrance of the Turkish Governor and my
brother, a minute afterward, explained their flight.
Little Daoud, the governor's son, came to see me. He
wore an olive-colored cloth cloak, and a green muslin
turban. His features were regular, but his face was very
sallow. He tried to look dignified and composed while I
took his portrait, but could not prevent a smile coming
now and then. Saleh, and Stephani, with his father, joined
us, and after lunch we went all together to the castle. On
approaching it, I perceived that it was already falling to
decay, although it was only built about 150 years ago.
The lofty gates and archways are slightly decorated with
fretted canopies, in the style of the Alhambra. A two-
storied range of vaulted corridors and chambers surrounds
an extensive court-yard. The ground-floor is well adapted
for stabling, and would lodge about 500 horses. Tottering
154 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
stone stairways led us to the upper floors. The pointed
double windows, in deep embrasures in the outer walls,
command magnificent views in all directions.
The west windows overlook the plain of Akka and the
sea, with Mount Carmel and Haifa in the background on
the left. The north windows look toward Lebanon, with
the city of Akka on the left, and the little town of Abilene
in the foreground on the right, its tall white tower stand-
ing conspicuously in the midst of olive-trees and gardens.
The banners of Richard I once waved there. The south-
ern and eastern views are bounded by hills and mountains,
rising one behind the other.
While petitioners for protection crowded round my
brother, I wandered from hall to hall and from window
to windovv, with Saleh for my cicerone. We climbed to
the top of the embattled walls, and walked nearly all round
the building; but the stones are falling, and allowed to
remain where they fall, and scarcely any use seems to be
made of the place.
As we left the castle, the governor asked me to go with
him to see his wives. A glance from my brother told me
that I might accept the invitation. Of course, none of the
gentlemen could accompany me ; so they walked homeward
with Stephani, and the governor escorted me to his dreary-
looking house. A gateway, through which a laden camel
could easily pass, led us into an ill-paved guttered court,
which was the only entrance to a square vaulted hall, with
bare stone walls, and four unglazed windows quite out of
reach. The floor was of earth, with smooth rock slabs
here and there.
This was the governor's residence his dining-room, with-
drawing-room, nursery, stables, and kitchen all together !
On one side, just within the door, a mule was feeding ; a
stone bench, hollowed out a little, was his manger; a
patient ass stood by him. On the other side, a tethered
horse was neighing ; and on 'a heap of fodder, two dirty,
delicate-looking children were kicking and crying out lust-
THE HAREM. 155
ily. There was a sort of oven, or cooking-place, in one
corner of the hall, and I could see the red glow of a char-
coal fire. On the left hand there was a broad wooden
platform, raised about two feet from the ground, with a
low ornamental wooden railing at the edge of it. Here
mattresses and lehaffs were piled up ; I suppose it was the
sleeping-place of the lord of the harem. We went straight
across the hall, to a dais, in a broad, arched recess, just
opposite to the door by which we had entered. Two
crooked stone steps led up to it, and two women one old
and the other young stood there ready to receive me.
They took my hands in theirs, and placed me on a cush-
ioned seat on the matted floor.
The governor introduced me to the younger of the'
women, telling me that she was his wife, the mother of
his little Daoud. She was perhaps twenty, rather tall and
graceful-looking, with bright blue eyes and black hair, and
a brilliant though dark complexion. She had used kohl
and henna freely, and her chin and forehead were tattooed.
I think that she was prepared for my coming, for she had
on a fete-day dress. A blue cloth jacket, embroidered with
gold, very open in front, exposed her tattooed chest, and a
white spun silk shirt. Her full trowsers were of Aleppo
silk, white and straw-colored. Her shallow red cloth cap
was decorated with rows of gold coins, pearls, and ever-
lasting flowers. A long purple tassel hung down behind,
and a perforated, flat, crescent-shaped gilt ornament, about
five inches wide, was fixed on the top of the head-dress.
(Is this the "round tire" like the moon, referred to in
Isaiah iii, 18?) Her long hair was plaited, and inter-
woven with black silk braid, to make it appear still longer.
She told me that Shefa 'Amer was not a pleasant place to
live in, and that she was quite a stranger there. I asked
her what part of the country she came from. She said,
"Neby-Daoud is the place of my birth, and the place I
love." She referred to a cluster of buildings round the
tomb of the Prophet David, or Neby-Daoud, just outside
156 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
the walls of Jerusalem, by the Zion gate. She was happy
to hear herself called Um Daoud, that is, " The Mother
of David."
The governor interrupted her explanations, by telling
her to make some lemonade for me. Close by the two
steps of the dais stood a pair of high clogs, almost- like
stilts, made of inlaid dark wood and mother-of-pearl, with
crimson leather straps. She fastened these on her henna-
stained, naked feet for the earth floor was very damp and
dirty, and water rested here and there in little pools. Her
husband followed her, and helped her to reach some green
drinking-glasses from a niche in the wall. The other
woman, who looked very old and careworn, remained by
my side. When the young wife was out of hearing, I
exclaimed, " How beautiful she is !" She agreed with me,
and seemed to take a mother's pride and pleasure in her
beauty. I did not know that the young wife was her
rival ; I fancied that she was her daughter, till she said,
" Um Daoud is young, Um Daoud is happy ; she is young,
and is the mother of two sons ;" (she pointed to a cradle
hammock, suspended from the key-stone of the arch above
us in it a little swaddled figure was securely and gently
swinging;) "but," she added, "I have no sons left, my
sons are dead; and I am old, I am no longer handsome,
/ am nothing^ I am worthless^ Then she explained to me
that she had lived about twenty years with the governor
before he took Um Daoud for his wife. I said to her,
alluding to the little ones who had now crawled out of the
fodder, " Whose children are they ?" She said, " They are
sons of the house " that is, of the governor and a slave,
who stood near the oven, was their mother.
Presently Um Daoud returned with the lemonade. The
governor himself brought me a tiny cup of coflfee flavored
with ambergris. Young Daoud now came in, and seemed
delighted to find me there. He said, "Make my mother's
face in your book," and, "Make my brother's face for me."
The baby-boy was lifted out of the hammock; he waa
JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. 157
about six months old; his eyelids were black with kohl.
I asked why kohl was used for a child so young. "It will
strengthen the sight of his eyes, and make the lashes long
and thick," said the elder woman.
I took leave of them, and found my kawass just outside
the house waiting to take me to meet my brother at the
Greek church. It is a modern building ; silk hangings
and gaudy pictures decorate the walls. The font is of
marble ; I think it is formed of an ancient Byzantine
capital, hollowed out at the top. In a school adjoining
the church a number of boys were noisily but monoto-
nously intoning psalms, echoing the nasal twang of their
teacher. I find that the Psalter is the chief class-book in
Christian Arab schools, as the Koran is in Moslem schools.
I have often seen boys with these books in their hands,
who appear to be reading freely, when in reality they
scarcely know their letters, but who repeat, parrot-like,
large portions of them by heart.
We afterward went to the Jewish synagogue, where the
chief rabbi received us. He showed me several copies of
the Law and the Prophets, wrapped in crimson silk cases
which are kept in a recess behind an embroidered curtain,
or vail. In the middle of the building there was a high
circular wooden platform, with seats of honor upon it. It
was built so slightly that at first I thought it was only
a temporary erection ; but I found in all the synagogues
which I visited raised central seats of equally slight con-
struction.
The gentlemen then went for a ride. I declined doing
so, hoping during their absence to see the women again;
and Khawadja Stephani, at my request, sent his wife and
children to me. They took me to see the lower part of
the house; it was ill-arranged, untidy, and uncomfortable.
They returned with me to my room. I made a few sketches,
which amused them greatly. Soon such crowds of women
came in that one of the men-servants of the house, who
stood as guard or sentinel at my door, entered, and very
158 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
unceremoniously drove about half of them out of the place,
and they all withdrew when the gentlemen returned from
their ride.
We spent the evening at the house of Habib. A large
party assembled to meet us in his spacious guest-chamber,
and all the culinary skill of Shefa 'Amer had been em-
ployed in preparing a supper for us. Songs, compli-
mentary speeches, and story-telling followed. I walked
back to Stephani's house by the light of many lanterns,
accompanied to my door by my brother and nearly all
the guests.
At sunrise the next morning we were mounted and
ready to start for Haifa. Stephani, Habib, and a large
party joined us. Our Egyptian groom had charge of a
beautiful Syrian gazelle-hound which had been given to
my brother. We rode down into the valley and along a
level road leading to a large fountain. A number of the
village girls were already assembled there some standing
on the high stone platform surrounding the well, and
others grouped round the base. In the distance we saw
a procession of them, traversing, one by one, a narrow
foot-path on the hill-side, with their replenished jars
perfectly poised on their heads.
We turned out of the Akka road, and entered an ex-
tensive olive-grove. Picturesque groups of men, women,
and children, in bright-colored garments, were busy among
the trees, or hastening along the road. I had always seen
the olive plantations so silent and deserted that it was
quite a surprise to me. Saleh explained that it was the
beginning of the olive harvest the 19th of October and
all of these people had been hired to gather the fruit.
The men beat the trees with long sticks, and the women
and children pick up the berries.* We met a straggling
group of figures, which looked so unnaturally tall and dis-
proportionate that I could not make them out till I was
* "When thou beatest thino olive-tree thou shalt not go over the boughs again;
It shall bo for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow." Deut. xxiv, 20.
COTTON-FIELDS. 159
told that they were Druze women. They wore tubular
horns, from one to two feet in length, bound firmly on their
foreheads, supporting heavy black or white vails, which
almost shrouded the wearers, producing a very ungraceful
outline. (Of these strange people I hope to speak more
fully on a future occasion.) Presently we came to a rocky
district, overgrown with dwarf oaks, thorns, and thistles,
and then reached the' fertile plain of Akka, traversed by
the blue winding Kishon and its many tributaries.
The large fields of cotton had a very pretty effect, for
they were in their full beauty. The bushes are about two
feet high, the stems are reddish, the leaves are of the color
of the maple in the Spring-time, the blossom looks as if it
were made of butterflies' wings, white and spotted. When
these white wings fall, a green bulb, in a triangular cup, is
exposed ; this grows to about an inch in diameter, and
changes to a rich, glossy, chestnut color, and, gradually be-
coming harsh, splits into three parts, when soft downy cot-
ton bursts from it. Saleh gathered a branch for me, in-
cluding specimens of the plant in these three distinct stages.
My brother told me that the Arabs do not cultivate the
long-staple cotton which is most valued in England be-
cause it requires so much care in picking ; for the pods
must be gathered as soon as they ripen, and as they do not
ripen all at once, the harvest necessarily extends over two
or three weeks ; whereas the short-staple cotton gives the
cultivator very little trouble, for the pods are not injured
by being left on the tree after they are ripe, and the harvest
does not commence till nearly every pod is ready for pick-
ing ; the consequence is that it is very soon over. This
inferior cotton does very well for native use, and to fill the
Arab mattresses, and lehaffs, or quilts ; but it is not of
much commercial value.
If the plain of Akka were cultivated with skill and
energy it would yield abundantly. Under the present
system the soil produces, in Winter, wheat, barley, beans,
lentils, peas, and tobacco ; and in the Summer-time cotton,
160 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Besame, millet, and many kinds of cucumbers. Poppy,
mallows, and various herbs enliven it, while all the hills
around are suitable for vineyards, olive-groves, and orchards.
Flax, asparagus, gentian, scammony, and many other plants,
valuable in medicine, grow wild there, and the marshes of
the plain abound with kali, the ashes of which, mixed with
olive or sesame oil, are converted into soap. The villages
of this district are inhabited by Moslems, Christians, and
Druzes, and a few Jews. They pay heavy taxes to the
Government in wheat, barley, and money, and are bound to
furnish camels, horses, or mules whenever the Pasha re-
quires them.
We crossed a spring, round which tall reeds and short,
soft grass grew. Thousands of edible snails were clinging
to the stems of some straggling bushes. Wily, long-rooted
marram-grass and sea-holly eryngium maritimum tama-
risks, and willows bound the sandy soil, and kept it from
drifting. We passed over some sand-hills, on which were
a few scattered plants, with thick, downy, whitish leaves
and yellow blossoms. Here we took leave of our Shefa
'Amer friends, and they returned to their olive-groves.
We were soon on the sea-shore. Two English merchant
steamers were just entering the port of Haifa. We can-
tered to the Kishon and crossed over it, by carefully keep-
ing on the bar of sand which encircles the mouth of the
river, sweeping out far into the sea. The water was above
our horses' knees, and now and then an advancing wave
covered us with spray.
We rode quickly along by the edge of the water, with
the palm-grove and the fruit-gardens on our left hand, and
the rippling waves on our right. We entered the town at
a quarter to nine, just in time to receive two English mer-
chant captains, at the Vice-Consulate, where poor Katrine,
our soi disant mother, welcomed us with tears of joy, say-
ing, " Praised be God ! my children have returned to me
in safety."
LITE m HAIFA. 161
CHAPTER YII.
LIFE IN HAIFA.
On Tuesday, October 23, 1855, a Turkish steamer from
Constantinople entered the port of Haifa, bringing a new
Pasha for Akka, with his harem, and suite of thirty indi-
viduals, including an Armenian doctor. The chief people
of Akka came to meet him, and our little town was in an
unusual state of excitement. My brother went to welcome
his Excellency, who afterward called at the Consulate with
twelve attendants.
Newly- appointed Pashas may sometimes be persuaded
into doing some good in their Pashalics; and, at the com-
mencement of their reigns, choked-up fountains flow, broken
cisterns are repaired, and aqueducts are kept in order, but
only for a very little while. On the " new-broom " prin-
ciple, the Consuls earnestly urged the new Pasha to give
orders for the cleansing of the guttered streets of Haifa,
some of which were little better than open sewers, and in
a dangerously-unwholesome state. They also advised the
removal of the dust-heaps by the sea-shore, which had been
allowed to grow into broad barricades, where vegetable
refuse and all sorts of filth were thrown. The appeal was
favorably heard, the work actually commenced immediately,
and Haifa underwent sweeping and scraping, probably for
the first time in its existence. Men and boys ran hither
and thither with baskets of rubbish. Beks and Consuls
bustled about, giving orders, and the dust-heaps were by
degrees shoveled into the sea.
The Europeans and the upper class of Arabs rejoiced at
the prospect of living in a comparatively clean town, but
the majority considered the reformation quite unnecessary,
14
162 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and grumblingly propliesied that some harm would come to
Haifa if such innovations were permitted.
Late on Thursday evening, Mohammed Bek came to the
Consulate, lamenting the loss of a gold chain, with his sig-
net ring on it. In the East more importance is attached to
the impression of a seal than to a signature. Mohammed
Bek feared that some improper use might be made of his
ring by the finder, so a declaration of the loss was drawn
up by Yusef Anton, the Governor's Secretary, signed by
the Bek, and attested by my brother. Mohammed told us
that he had missed his chain in the bazar, when surrounded
by a crowd of boys, to whom he was giving instructions
about the street-cleaning. It was a very fine night, and,
half in joke, half in earnest, I oflfered to seek for the lost
treasure. He took me at my word, and we went out all
together. The town was perfectly still, the bazar was de-
serted, and as bright and clean as moonlight and the scav-
engers of Haifa could make it; but, after all, I was not so
fortunate as to find the ring.
As we returned homeward, the silence was suddenly
broken by the wildly-wailing and shrieking voices of women,
announcing that a death had just taken place. Their shrill,
mournful cries rang in my ears all night.
On the following morning, October 26th, very early, I
looked from the window, and saw a bier close to the door
of a neighboring house. It was a painted wooden stand,
about seven feet by two, raised slightly on four legs, with
a low gallery round it, formed of uprights far apart, and
two cross-bars. Two strong poles projected at each end
from the corners. Above it a canopy was raised, made of
freshly-gathered, elastic palm-branches. They were bent
like half-hoops, and then interlaced and secured length-
ways, with straight fronds. I sketched it, and presently I
saw the dead body of a man, handsomely dressed, brought
out and placed upon it. His face was covered with a shawl.
Four men lifted the bier from the ground, and, resting the
poles on their shoulders, bore it to the mosque. After a
ARMENIAN REMEDY FOR CHOLERA. 163
little while it was carried slowly along, passing the Con-
sulate on its way to the Moslem burial-ground, preceded
by about forty men, solemnly silent, and followed by at
least fifty women and children shrieking wildly, singing,
and screaming.
Between the palm-fronds I could plainly see the figure
of the dead man. The head was foremost, and slightly
raised. I could not help thinking that, if a voice endued
with power to awaken the dead, would tell the mother and
the widow not to weep, and order the bearers of the bier to
stand still, and say to the dead man, " J.rise," it would be
in his fete-day dress that he would sit up under the canopy
of palms, and begin to speak. See Luke vii, 11-15.
I made inquiry about the deceased, and found that he
was a respectable Moslem, of about twenty-four years of
age, and had left a wife and two children. He had died
just before midnight, after a few hours' illness, so violent,
that the Arab doctor pronounced it a case of cholera.
There had been several very sudden deaths in Haifa within
a few weeks.
In the course of the day I became very ill. Fr^re Jo-
seph, the Convent doctor, was sent for. He came and ad-
ministered powerful doses of opium. The next day I was
worse and very weak. He ordered emetics and bleeding,
but I decidedly declined both, and dispensed with his at-
tendance. My brother prescribed hot baths, and mustard
and vinegar poultices, and I slept, but grew weaker and
weaker. At three o'clock on Sunday morning, October
29th. he sent his kawass to Akka for a doctor, as a last re-
source. He wrote to the Pasha, and, ill as I was, I could
not help laughing at the letter, on hearing it literally trans-
lated into English. It contained a request that his Excel-
lency would allow his private doctor, the Armenian, to
proceed to Haifa to attend the " girl brother of the English
Vice-Consul, who was attacked with a slight beauty, or
prettiness." This is the polite Turkish form of alluding to
illness, when woman is the subject of it.
164 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Witliin a short time the doctor came with strict orders
from the Pasha not to leave me till I was well. He spoke
Italian fluently, as well as Turkish and Greek. He was
full of persevering, quiet energy and good-will, which in-
spired me with confidence immediately. He administered
small doses of castor oil, well mixed with sugar, water, gum
arable, and magnesia, in equal proportions, and prescribed
linseed and mustard poultices. He prepared stiff, sweet
starch, and some meal porridge with a little magnesia in it,
and gave them, to me in small quantities now and then,
with lime-flower water to drink. He did not leave the
house for three days and nights, and by Thursday, thanks
to his skill and Katrine's care, I was quite cured of my
" slight prettiness," which was of a dangerous kind, and
said to be cholera.
We met with great sympathy from our neighbors. On
the evening when I first left my room a company of sing-
ers came on to the terrace to serenade me, improvising
songs of rejoicing, and praying that I might soon " walk
forth in the gardens, to breathe the air with strength and
gladness of heart."
On the 1st of November I saw an immense number of
swallows perched on the house-tops and on the ropes of
the flagstaffs. I was told that they had been gathering
there for several days. Before evening I saw them all
assemble and take flight toward the south. They looked
like a dusky cloud moving swiftly through the air.
Our friend, Saleh Sekhali, and his family, also migrated.
They went to Nazareth, for they feared the cholera, and
tried to persuade us to accompany them.
The most unhealthy period in Palestine is that which
occurs after the falling of the first few autumnal showers,*
* The "early rain" spokon of in the Bible refers, I believe, to the atdumnal
showers, which are never very violent. They fall gently, and by degrees, and revive
the parched and burnt-up earth after the Summer drought, and enable the peas-
ants to sow wheat and barley. In Deuteronomy it is called the "first rain;" and
Joel says, "Bo glad and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he hath given you the
/ormer rain moderately."
The Winter rain usually falls heavily during November, December, and early in
PANIC IN HAIFA. 165
wliich usher in the rainy season, and it lasts till the rain
falls regularly and in abundance. This interval does not
generally exceed two or three weeks, but when it is pro-
longed as in the year 1855, of which I am writing
fevers or other epidemics prevail.
On the 2d of November, a strong sirocco wind, hot, dry,
and scorching, as if it came from a furnace, warped our
books, and split and cracked our olive-wood furniture. We
closed all the window-shutters on the eastern side of the
rooms, but we could not exclude the fiery air.
There were four English merchant ships at anchor in the
port, as well as several small Greek brigs. The masters
complained, in no very gentle terms, of the injury done by
the fierce hot wind to the woodwork and fittings of their
vessels.
An English captain, on the point of embarking, came in,
saying, " I hope you will give me a clean bill of health,
Consul." " As clean as I can," he answered : " but I must
state, ' Six deaths within six days sudden^ and, reported
cholera.^ "
After this the street-cleaning was for a time abandoned,
and I noticed funeral processions almost daily, sometimes
going from the mosque out at the east gate to the Moslem
burial-ground, sometimes from the Greek or Latin churches
slowly walking toward the Christian cemeteries through
the west gate. Moslems are always carried to the grave
in the open bier, head foremost, and buried in ordinary
costume. I shuddered the first time that I saw a body
thus committed to the earth, it looked so much like being
buried alive.
January; and then it ceases till March or April, when Spring showers are eagerly
looked for and welcomed, for they give strength and vigor to the ripening crops.
This is the "latter rain;" for it is written, "The Lord your God will cause to
come down for you the latter rain in the first month," which is the month called in
Hebrew " Ahib," or "the month of young ears of corn," and corresponds with
the end of March and the beginning of April.
" Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath
long patience for it, till he receive the early and the latter rainy
In the Summer-time, that is, from May till September, no rain is ever seen in
Palestine. \
166 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
The upper classes of Christians are generally interred in
coffins. The coffin is usually borne by four or six men,
preceded by priests walking under canopies, and surrounded
by crowds of people, chanting, bearing embroidered ban-
ners and a large cross, and sometimes accompanied by
surpliced boys, swinging incense. At a little distance a
troop of women follow, singing and screaming wildly; for
the priests in vain put their veto on the attendance of fe-
male mourners.
There was not one case of cholera in the Jewish com-
munity.
Deaths were most frequent in the crowded Moslem
quarter, but the Moslems did not seem to suffer much from
fear. Perhaps their reliance on the doctrine of fatalism
made them calm and apparently resigned. On the other
hand, among the Christians, a demoralizing panic quickly
spread.
By degrees nearly all the Europeans went up to the
Convent, where they established a strict quarantine. Many
of the Arabs went to Nazareth and Shefa 'Amer. Alto-
gether, above a thousand people fled, and the Christian
quarter looked quite deserted. It was remarked that there
was only one hat left in the town that is, only one Frank
alluding to my brother, who remained at his post endeav-
oring to reanimate the people. He went from house to
house, giving advice and simple medicines, and, as he was
not quite convinced that the epidemic was cholera, he ex-
amined two or three bodies immediately after death. Their
appearance confirmed the current report.
The Arab word for cholera, or the pest, is " Howa-el-
Asfar," which signifies " the yellow wind." Flags pro-
claiming quarantine are yellow ; is it possible that the color
was selected on account of this name ? The Arabs told me
that the worst cases of cholera occurred at the change of
the moon, and that people who were attacked then never
recovered ! The women seldom left their houses, except
to follow funerals; and the men grew more and more
AN ORIENTAL TAILOR. 167
dispirited. Even our little tailor, Suleiman Shefa Amery,
the merriest of the merry, the drollest of the droll, was at
last infected with the general fear. His springing, self-sat-
isfied step became slow and cautious, and his voice was sub-
dued to a whisper. He had been in the habit of coming to
the Vice- Consulate, now and then, to show me his work
embroidered jackets and trowsers for the trousseau of a
bride, or a tobacco-pouch for a Bek. He was one of my
many self-constituted teachers, and was at the same time
profoundly respectful and deferential, and yet amusingly
impertinent. He was the heau ideal of an Oriental tailor,
and looked as if he had just walked out of one of the pages,
of the " Arabian Nights' Entertainment " good-looking,
and quick in every movement. He was always ready, un-
asked, to do a service light a pipe, trim a lamp, pick up
a pencil, smooth the pillows and cushions of the divan,
fetch a glass of water, or proffer an opinion. He looked
with a quick and critical eye on every one's costume, and
valued each article of apparel unhesitatingly, as if speaking
half to himself and half to the wearer.
I used to learn a greater number of Arabic words from
him in an hour than from any one else in a day. He could
neither read nor write, but his memory was acute. He
remembered perfectly the promiscuous vocabulary which
he taught me. He used to ask me, each time he came,
the words he had told me on previous occasions; and at
every successful answer from me he glanced round the
room, expecting a look of approbation for himself, and one
for his pupil.
He showed me how to do all sorts of Syrian needlework.
He made very beautiful designs for embroidery, chiefly
conventional foliage. He first stiffens the cloth or silk, by
sewing thick paper at the back of it; then, with a piece of
hard, white native soap, rubbed to a fine point, he draws,
with a firm hand, a few graceful lines and intersecting
circles within any given space. He completes the design,
in the course of working it, with gold thread, and he never
168 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
by any cliance makes two patterns precisely alike. He
seemed thoroughly to enjoy his work: but now even he
was changed his brave, self-confident spirit had left him.
He no longer took delight in his needle or gold thread.
He told me, regretfully, that some of his best embroidery
was in the burial-ground ; for men and women, Moslems
and Christians, are often shrouded in their bridal robes or
fete-day dresses. Suleiman was one of the few Arabs who
seemed to think this was a very great pity.
When costly garments are buried, the grave is generally
watched for some time, for fear it should be rifled.
Suleiman fled for a short time to Shefa 'Amer, his native
place, and happily escaped cholera.
One day we rode up to the Convent. Two hundred of
the people of Haifa had taken refuge there. The gardens,
which had before looked so quiet and monastic, were en-
livened by little groups of Arabs, smoking under the trees,
or strolling about. All the rooms were occupied. The
French Consul came to meet us, but carefully avoided con-
tact, and led the way to the reception-room, where pastiles
were burning. His wife and children came to see us, but
remained at a distance. They said that, while people were
dying of cholera in Haifa, they, the voluntary exiles, were
almost expiring of ennui and fear on Mount Carmel.
By degrees, the health of Haifa somewhat improved, and
a large proportion of cholera cases were cured. Powdered
charcoal, made of bread burnt in an open crucible, was
taken by many people as a preventive ; and, as far as I
could judge, it seemed to be eff'ectual. A teaspoonful, or
less, in a cup of sugarless coff'ee, was the usual daily dose.
On November 14th, we went for a trip in the interior,
with Colonel and the Hon. Mrs. Walpole. He claimed my
brother's aid in seeking; for Winter-quarters for his regi-
ment. He kindly invited me to go too; so, accompanied
by his Bashi-Bazouks, and furnished with a circular letter
of recommendation from the Pasha to all the governors in
his pashalic, we went to Shefa 'Amer, Nazareth, round the
"imps of the yellow wind." 169
Lake of Tiberias, and along the valley of the Jordan, up
to the Anti-Lebanon, exploring all the old castles and
ruins ; but we did not come very much in contact with the
natives. The interest of the tour is chiefly archaeological
and architectural, so I will pass it over here. We returned
to Haifa on the 10th of December.
M. Zifo, the Prussian Consul, called to welcome us. He
said that he was the " only hat in town," and he was de-
tained by business, much against his inclination, for cholera
and typhus-fever prevailed. All the people were praying
for rain. For three days after our return, there was not
one death in the town, and some of the refugees came from
the Convent. The French Consul was one of the first
arrivals. Unhappily, his youngest daughter, the pet and
plaything of the family, who used to lisp out Arabic and
French so prettily, was immediately attacked with cholera,
and died after twelve hours' suffering.
On the 15th the panic was revived ; but a curious cir-
cumstance suddenly restored tranquillity to the minds of
the Arabs. On the night of Sunday, the 16th of Decem-
ber, a woman dreamed that she saw four malignant imps.
Each one held a stone, with an inscription on it, in his
hand. She said to them, "What do you want? Why are
you here to trouble me?" They said, speaking as with one
voice, " We have come to throw four stones." Then she
said, " Hasten to throw your stones, and go in peace."
One was thrown at her the others flew in different direc-
tions. She told her dream the next day, and seemed very
much alarmed. The imps of her dream were said, by the
interpreters thereof, to be " imps of the yellow wind.'' The
majority of the people believed that there would be only
four more deaths in Haifa from cholera. On the 18th,
fourteen individuals were attacked; but only two died, one
of whom was the dreamer. On the 19th there were two
more deaths, the last which were reported. The people
were reassured, and flocked back from 'Akka, Galilee, and
Carmel. But the wished-for season of rain had not set in.
15
170 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Provisions were dear, and milk was very unwholesome, on
account of tlie scarcity of herbage.
Several ships from Yafa had taken refuge in the port of
Haifa. The winds were so wild and contrary, that two
ships were wrecked off 'Akka, and two boats lost in the
bay. The west wind was so strong for a day or two, that
it filled the mouth of the River Kishon with sand, so that
it could be crossed easily on foot. Then suddenly the east
wind rose, and swept the bar of sand quite away, so that
the river was twelve feet deep at the usual place of fording,
and consequently impassable.
At Christmas the rain came ; but it was rain such as I
had never seen, except in strange old pictures of the Deluge.
The town was traversed in all directions by rapid streams
of mud and water. Rain came in at the ill-made windows,
and our shutters and doors were wrenched from their hinges
by the wild wind. Fortunately, the house for which we
had been waiting was now ready, and weather-tight ; and
we managed to move into it, during the short intervals
between the torrents. I had to ride there, although it was
only at a very short distance. Most of the Arabs went
about barefooted, with the water far above their ankles.
During the wet season, there were about three days of
nearly continual rain, and three days of sunshine, altern-
ately.
Our new house, the rooms of which were built round a
corridored court, was next door to the French Consulate.
The Consul's wife a Syrian lady kindly initiated me by
degrees into all the mysteries of Oriental housekeeping.
Furnishing was a very simple affair. In one of the large
empty rooms a native Jewish upholsterer was set to work
to take to pieces all the mattresses, cushions, and lehaffs.
Then, with a little machine, he separated the cotton which
had become hard and close ; he tore it and combed it till
it was transformed into a fleecy cloud. He quickly remade
the mattresses, fitting them to the iron bedsteads and divans,
and cleverly quilted a stock of coverlets lehaffs. His
OUR NEW HOUSE. 171
naked feet were almost as busy as his fingers. They served
him to hold his work. When he wanted to wind a skein
of cotton he always fixed it on his long, pliant toes, and
used them as pegs when he doubled and twisted the thread ;
in fact, in many ways he made them useful.
In the mean time an Arab carpenter was engaged in saw-
ing planks and joining them together, ready to place on
low trestles round the rooms. On the rude benches thus
formed, mattresses, about a yard wide, and cushions, cov-
ered with chintz or Manchester prints, were arranged.
Deep, full borders, sewed on to the outer edge of the mat-
tresses, quite concealed the rough woodwork underneath.
This is all the mystery of the grand Turkish divans. Two
native Jewesses assisted me with the musketo and window
curtains.
Reed mats, to cover the cemented and stone floors, were
made for us at 'Akka according to measure. I furnished
one little room as nearly in English style as I could under
the circumstances, but the rest of the house was semi-Ori-
ental. There were no fireplaces in any of the rooms. In
the kitchen there was a row of cooking-stoves fit for stewing
and baking ; similar, probably, to " the oven and ranges for
pots," referred to in Leviticus xi, 35.
There was a good well in the corner of the court, and a
little bell tinkled merrily every time the bucket was in
motion. The former occupants of the house were Arabs,
and they had left for my benefit a fine henna-tree lawsonia.
It is very like the privet, but the blossom is more yellow
and delicate, and the scent is rather oppressive. The green
leaves which produce the dye are dried, crumbled to a
fine powder, and carefully preserved.
The stocking of the storeroom was the next considera-
tion. It soon contained provisions for the Winter. A case
of maccaroni, a basket of Egyptian rice, and two sacks of
wheat, one of which I sent to be ground by millstones
moved by cattle. Afterward I had the meal sifted at the
house, the smeed was set apart for white bread, etc., and
172 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
the remainder was stored for making Arab loaves for the
servants.
The large terra-cotta jars, glazed inside, and rough with-
out, ranged round the room, often made me think of Ali
Baba and the forty thieves. One held the smeed, another
held flour, another bran, a fourth oil, and some rather
smaller ones contained olives and goats'-milk cheese pre-
served in oil, and a store of cooking butter. Oranges and
lemons garnished the shelves. Dried figs strung on thin
cord, and pomegranates tied one by one to ropes, hung in
festoons from the rafters, and the bundles of dried herbs of
Carmel smelled sweetly.
My kind neighbor taught me how to add to my stores
at the right seasons, to make fruit preserves, to concentrate
the essence of tomatoes, and to convert wheat into starch
by steeping it in water, straining it, and drying it in the
sun for making sweet dishes, as well as for the laundry.
The Arabs do not starch or iron their clothes, so I had a
little difficulty at first in procuring help in the " getting
up" of fine linen. However, an Arab youth, who had once
lived with a semi-European tailor, and professed to know
how to handle an iron, though he acknowledged that
starching was a mystery to him, volunteered assistance, and
did his best. Subsequently a young Arab girl in our serv-
ice was taught the art by an Abyssinian slave, the servant
of a European neighbor, aiid she became very skillful.
Arabs only use starch for making a sort of blancmange,
and they shrink from the idea of stiffening linen with it,
for they have a strong respect for wheat in any shape. If
a morsel of bread fall to the ground, an Arab will gather
it up with his right hand, kiss it, touch his forehead with
it, and place it in a recess or on a wall, where the fowls of
the air may find it, for they say, "We must not tread
under foot the gift of God." I have seen this reverence
exhibited constantly, by all classes of the people, by mas-
ters, servants, and even by little children, Moslems, and
Christians.
DEATH OF IBRAHiM. 173
I was so busy that I had no time to feel my strange
isolation. The mornings were devoted to household ar-
rangements and lessons in Arabic. Visitors and visiting
often occupied me after midday, and in fine weather I en-
joyed a ride or a stroll with my brother before sunset, and
pleasant evenings with him and his friends. When we
were at last alone together we used to compare notes of our
several occupations, observations, and adventures of the day.
His long residence in the East enabled^ him to explain
some of the intricacies and seeming contradictions in the
characters of the Arabs, and to guide me in my inter-
CQurse with them. In outline during the Winter one day
nearly resembled another, but the details were always
pleasantly varied.
Ibrahim Sekhali, my brother's secretary and also my
writing-master an energetic, clever young man of the
Greek Church, went to 'Akka like many others to avoid
cholera. 'Akka was over-crowded, and small-pox broke
out. Poor Ibrahim caught it, and died suddenly on the
16th of January, 1856. His death threw a gloom over
Haifa, for he was a general favorite among Christians and
Moslems.
On the 17th, early in the morning, Khalil Sekhali, the
father of Ibrahim, called on us. He was a very stout, tall,
robust-looking man, and wore a long robe or open pelisse,
and a large white turban. His features were regular, and
his beard long and white. He looked grand in his grief,
and his lamentations for his dead son were solemn and dig-
nified. He, with my brother and the chief people of our
town, went toward 'Akka to join the funeral cort6ge^ for it
was arranged that the body should be brought to Haifa for
burial. All the horses and donkeys were in requisition,
and nearly all the shops were closed.
I walked out to witness the wailing of the widow and
her companions. They were outside the East Gate, near to
the burial-ground. About fifty or sixtycvailed women sur-
rounded the chief mourners. I was led almost uncoa-
174 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Bciously by little Katrine Sekhali through the crowd to an
open space in the midst. In the center of this space the
widow, young and beautiful, kneeled on the ground. She was
unvailed. Her head was only covered by a little red-cloth
cap. Her long hair was unbraided, and fell over her green-
velvet, gold-embroidered jacket. She swayed her body to
and fro, tossed her head back, raised her hands as if pas-
sionately pleading, then threw herself forward with her face
to the ground, but suddenly started to her feet, and, with
her dark eyes uplifted, and her arms raised above her
head, she commenced shrieking wildly, and all the women
joined in the piercing cry. Presently she fell down as if
exhausted, and there was silence for a moment. Then a
few of the women in the inner circle rose, threw off their
vails, and danced round her, singing and making a rattling,
tremulous sound from the throat, while the rest of the
women joined in chorus. Professional mourners kept up
the excitement by demonstrations of violent grief, and the
professional singers improvised appropriate songs. This
lasted for three or four hours, and the crowd gradually
grew larger. I made my way through it with difficulty,
for some of the women had worked themselves into fits of
frenzy and hysterics.
I observed that the men who passed by kept quite aloof
from this group of mourners, and made no attempt to look
upon the unvailed widow. My kawass stood afar off, wait-
ing for me. On emerging from the crowd, I could see the
funeral cortige approaching along the sands. I was informed
by a forerunner that the body of Ibrahim had been in-
terred in the 'Akka burial-ground, as it was considered
dangerous to convey it so far as Haifa. When the proces-
sion was near to the town, I went up on to the low roof of
the custom-house to see it pass. First came the kawasses
of some of the Consuls, carrying their long, silver-headed
sticks or poles draped with black ; then a large party of
young men, dressed in various colors, solemnly silent, walk-
ing four abreast. At a little distance from these, Ibrahim's
FUl^RAL PROCESSION. 176
horse, without a rider, was led by two men slowly and
carefully. Some of poor Ibrahim's well-remembered gar-
ments were on the saddle.
The three brothers of Ibrahim followed in a line; then
came his nephews and cousins, among whom was our friend
Saleh, all looking thoughtful and sad. The next mourner
was the mother. She sat cross-legged on a horse, sup-
ported by two men. Her face was vailed, but her drpoping
head expressed her grief she had lost her favorite son.
My brother, who had a great respect both for her and the
deceased, rode by her side. Mohammed Bek followed, on
a splendid white horse, surrounded by a group of Moslems ;
then came the 'Akka mourners, headed by the Giammal
family, all on foot. Last of all, the father, looking heart-
broken, rode slowly toward his bereaved home.
When all the men were out of sight, the company of
women entered the gates, shrieking and singing. My
kawass retreated hastily, and a young Greek of Scio, who
was by my side, said, " You can remain here to see them
pass, but it would not be proper for me to do so men do
not watch processions of female mourners ;" and he retired.
First came a group of dancers, only slightly vailed, mak-
ing slow and graceful movements, and waving scarfs and
kerchiefs, pausing now and then in strange attitudes, resting
for a quarter of a minute at a time like statues, and then
singing and shrieking wildly, all the company joining in
the chorus. The young widow walked alone, followed by
two attendants who carried the orphan children. This
group was surrounded at a little distance by the nearest
female relatives of Ibrahim. An irregular crowd of women
and girls closed the procession, loudly echoing the songs
of the leaders. Thus they went slowly through the town ;
and there was loud wailing and mourning in the house of
Sekhali for seven days. But to the silent grief of the
mother there was no limit. She lived next door to the
Consulate, and I often saw her. She was completely
changed. Her firm step had suddenly become faltering,
176 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and her head drooped. She seldom spoke, and her only-
words were words of lamentation and despair. Little Ka-
trine, the daughter of our friend Saleh, touchiugly de-
scribed her great grief, saying, " I think our aunt will die.
She has no thought but for Ibrahim. She does not wish to
see any one but Ibrahim. Always she is kissing his coat,
his cap, and his gun. Always her face is wet with tears,
and she will not be comforted. She can not eat, and at
night she is awake ; only a little in the daytime she falls
asleep, tired of crying and of folding and unfolding all his
clothes. No one can make her glad now."
Little Katrine's fears were realized. The mother of
Ibrahim died ou the 13th of February, fretting to the
last for her dead son. I attended her funeral the next
day. At an early hour I saw the procession form. Men
carrying banners, embroidered with sacred emblems and
monograms, led the way. Then came the Greek priests.
One of them bore a large gilt wooden cross. The body
was in a dark coffin, on which three white crosses were
conspicuous. It was supported by six men. The male
mourners were headed by the widower and his three sons.
The women followed afar off. A large number of people
lined the road all the way to the church, and fell in with
the funeral cortege as it passed.
The bell was tolling as I entered the church. I went
up into the women's gallery, which is very high, and op-
posite to the altar. I was led to the front of it, where
a block of wood was given to me for a seat. The women,
all vailed and in white sheets, sat around on the matted
floor. I looked down into the church, through a sloping
wooden lattice, at an angle of about twenty degrees with
the ceiling, and so arranged that a view of what was going
on below could only be obtained by leaning forward over
this lattice, and with the face nearly close to it. Thus
positioned, I could see easily.
The chancel was already crowded. A few European
gentlemen, in dark clothes, looked conspicuous among the
FUNERAL SERVICES. 177
Arabs in their many-colored garments. The chief female
mourners, shrouded in white, were grouped all together on
one side. The coffin, raised on high trestles, stood in the
center. A narrow space was left round it. A priest stood
at its head, slowly swinging a censer, while two others
chanted psalms, and read the service monotonously and
mutteringly. The people responded loudly.
Wax-candles were distributed by the younger members
of the Sekhali family to every one present. There were
about three hundred, and a strange effect was produced
when all the candles, as well as the tapers fixed round the
coffin, were lighted. Some looked pale and spirit-like in
the sunshine; others were obscured in clouds of incense;
while the rest illuminated dark corners, made darker by
the dense crowd.
Khalil Sekhali, the widower, and his three sons, sat
together in a conspicuous position near the door of the
sacristy. Every one else was standing. In obedience to
a signal from the chief-priest, an opening was made in
the crowd toward them. After a few minutes of perfect
silence, the widower walked unobstructed into the center
of the church. He placed his hands solemnly on the
coffin, pressed his broad forehead on to the head of it,
pronounced a blessing, kissed a little Byzantine picture
of Christ which was placed there, and then returned to
his seat, bending his head low. After another silent pause
the three sons followed his example; and all the nearest
relatives came forward to kiss the picture. After the
youngest child of the family had been lifted up to take
this farewell, the rest of the congregation crowded round,
and with less emotion and more haste performed the same
ceremony.
By degrees all but the chief mourners withdrew, and
then I went down into the church with the women. One
by one they kissed the picture, muttering a short prayer
for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Presently the
procession re-formed, and went- out at the West Gate to
178 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
the Greek burial-ground; the women followed afar off,
singing and crying wildly. And again for many days there
was mourning in the house of Sekhali.
But the widower did not reject consolation. About a
year afterward he sent messengers to Nazareth to seek for
a wife for him, and when all was rightly arranged he went
there to be affianced. But a monetary difficulty arose, and
the contract was annulled. Another bride was sought and
quickly chosen, for Khalil said that he was determined not
to be disappointed, nor to be a laughing-stock in Haifa.
He was after all actually betrothed on the very day first
fixed for the cereniony, and the marriage took place soon
after.
The bridegroom was about seventy and the bride seven-
teen! I called to welcome the young wife to Haifa. She
was very good-looking, but quite of the peasant class. She
had a bright face; the forehead and chin were tattooed;
her eyebrows were naturally black and well arched, and
her eyelashes were long, so that no kohl was necessary.
This peculiarity is expressed, in Arabic, in one word,
" Khala." Her countenance was ruddy, and the women
said of her, "The wife of Khalil is fair; roses grow upon
her cheeks ; she does not buy her roses in the bazar."
This is also said of the women of Shefa 'Amer, who are
generally bright and healthy in appearance^ and use rouge
but rarely. Khalil was comforted. His three sons and
their wives, with their little ones, dwelt with him under
the same roof, and there was rejoicing in the house when
a son was born to him in his old age.
Elias Sekhali, the eldest son of Khalil, was studious,
thoughtful, clear-headed, and logical, and universally liked
by Christians and Moslems. He was employed in the
French Consulate. He came very often to see us, and was
eager to obtain information about the English Constitution,
and the progress of civilization generally. He always had
some amusing story or impressive parable to tell me when
he found me alone. Many of them were original. I care-
MOSLEM MISRULE. 179
fully chronicled all. He often spoke to me on the subject
of the government of Syria. He said that there was no
opportunity for the people to rise out of their present
condition, while they are ruled by officers who have no
sympathy with them, no love for the country, and no object
but to enrich themselves.
The Arabs, under the present system of irregular tax-
ation, do not attempt to cultivate the land as they would
do if they were encouraged and protected by the Govern-
ment. In many parts of the country a man will not run
the risk of improving his estate. He will not plant new
olive-trees, nor extend his orchards and vineyards, nor
employ many laborers, for fear of exciting the rapacity
of the Governor of his district; for if a man is supposed
to be rich, excuses are readily invented to impoverish him;
debts are coined, or false accusations are made against
him, and he is thrown into prison till he pays the sup-
posed debt or a large fine. In one particular instance the
Governor of a certain Moslem village, having exceeded
even the usual bounds of exaction, a united complaint
was made to the Pasha by the indignant villagers. The
Pasha, for the sake of appearances, immediately appointed
a new Governor. He tried and imprisoned the offender
for a few days; but soon made arrangements with him and
set him free, after having accepted as a bribe a, large
proportion of the property which the Ex-Governor had
so unjustly obtained!
I have heard of many similar transactions, and some-
times the actors have been well known to me, so that I
have had an opportunity of hearing both sides of the
story. Nearly all the Turks with whom I came in contact
seemed to glory in successful intrigue, and were generally
shrewd and clever. They had little or no sympathy with
the Arabs, and apparently no true patriotism. There are
very few Turks in Palestine, except civil officers and their
emploi/^s, military officers, and soldiers. They are looked
upon always as foreigners.
180 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Pashas and Governors do not remain long or for any
fixed time in one place. Wherever they go they, with few
exceptions, " tread upon the poor, and take from them
burdens of wheat; they afflict the just, and take a bribe."
They naturally favor the Moslems; but money is their
chief consideration. They not only injure the people
whom they are appointed to protect, but they rob the
Government which they are employed to serve. If ap-
pointments were given, with appropriate salaries, to men
of honor and energy, fitted for office, instead of being sold
to speculators, there would be hope for Syria. Crime
would be punished and innocence protected in spite of
patronage and piasters.
Elias severely felt the disadvantageous position of his
countrymen. They live in a land overrun by Bedouins,
where there is no security for property, and no encourage-
ment for agriculturists ; where there are no roads and very
few modern books ; where offices are purchased, laws tam-
pered with, justice disregarded, and industry and commer-
cial enterprise checked. I could not help sympathizing with
him, especially as I by degrees became better acquainted
with the capabilities of the Arab mind, and the wonderful
fertility of the country. Under more favorable circum-
stances and better cultivation each would flourish. Elias
admitted that oppression had demoralized the people to a
lamentable extent. Their powers and talents were misap-
plied, their ingenuity and inventive faculties were displayed
in artful cunning and clever intrigue. Their powers of
endurance and self-sacrifice had grown into seeming apathy
and indifi'erence, their love of poetry and of the marvelous
had been trifled with by teachers of strange doctrines and
conflicting traditions, and their imaginations were incum-
bered with wild superstitions.
When Elias spoke thus despondingly, no such man as
Fuad Pasha had been in Syria to inspire the hope of a
better state of things. Elias was always ready to answer
patiently and carefully my many questions. During nearly
THE WIDOW AND HER CHILDREN. 181
three years I was in tlie habit of seeing him frequently. In
August, 1858, he went to Beirut on business. He was not
well when he left home, and on "Wednesday, the 1st of Sep-
tember, news was brought to Haifa that he was dead, and
had been buried at Beirut. This was a new and terrible
affliction for the Sekhali family, for Elias was looked up
to as the ruler and manager of the house. Khalil, the
aged father, felt the loss acutely, and the widow was quite
prostrated. Grief bewildered and almost stupefied her
she could not even weep. " Call for the mourning women,
that they may come; and for such as are skillful in lament-
ation, that they may come ; and let them make haste, and
take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with
tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters." And again
there were seven days of weeping in the house of Sekhali.
See Jeremiah ix, 17, 18.
I joined the mourners on the third day. As soon as I
entered the house, I heard the minstrels and the loud cries
of the people. See Matthew ix, 23. I was led into a large,
long room. Women were sitting on the floor in rows on
two sides of it. An open space was left down the middle to
the end of the room, where the widow sat apart, with her
two youngest children lying at her feet. Her hair was
disheveled, and she wore no covering on her head. Her
eyelids were swollen with weeping, and her face pale with
watching. She looked as if she had suddenly grown old.
Her dress was rent and disordered. She had not rested or
changed her garments since she heard the tidings of her
husband's death. She kissed me passionately, and said,
" Weep for me, he is dead ;" and then, pointing to her
children, she said, " Weep for them, they are fatherless."
I sat near to her. One of her children, who was about
three years old, crept into my lap, and whispered, " My
father is dead." Then he closed his eyes, and pressed his
chubby little fingers tightly over them, saying, " My father
is dead like this he is in the dark."
The wailing, which had been slightly interrupted at my
182 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
entrance, was renewed with vigor. The assembled women
were all in their gayest dresses soft crimson silk with
white stripes on it prevailing. There were many women
from Nazareth and Shefa 'Amer and other villages. They
had uncovered their heads and unbraided their hair. They
looked dreadfully excited. Their eyes were red with weep-
ing and watching. The air of the room was close and
heated, for the widow and chief mourners had remained
there for three days and two nights without rest, receiving
guests who came to mourn with them. The room was
always filled, for as soon as one set of people left another
set caihe in. During my visit there were seventy-three
mourners present, without reckoning the children who glided
in and out.
Three rows of*women sat on the matted floor on the
right-hand side, facing three rows on the left. They were
all clapping their hands or striking their bosoms in time
with the monotonous melody which they murmured.
Presently an especial lamentation was commenced, to
which I was invited to respond. I was still seated at the
end of the room, near to the widow. The women on my
left hand, led by a celebrated professional mourner, sang
these words with vigor and energy :
"We saw him, in the midst of the company of riders,
Kiding bravely on his horse, the horse he loved I"
Then the women on the opposite side of the room answered
in a lower and more plaintive key, beating their breasts
mournfully :
*' Alas I no more shall we see him
In the midst of the company of riders,
Biding bravely on his horse, the horse he loved."
Then the first singers sang :
"We saw him in the garden, the pleasant garden,
With his companions, and his children, the children he loved."
Then the second singers answered :
" Alas ! no more shall we see him
In the garden, the pleasant garden.
With his companions, and his children, the children he loved."
THE SWORD DANCE. 183
Chorus of all the women, singing softly :
" His children and his servants blessed hira !
His home was the shelter of happiness I
Peace be upon him 1"
First singers loudly and with animation
" We saw him giving food to the hungry,
And clothing to the naked."
Second singers softly and plaintive :
" Alas ! no more shall we see him
Give food to the hungry,
And garments to the naked !"
First
' We saw him give help and succor to the aged
And good counsel to the young."
Second singers:
*' Alas ! no more shall we see him
Give help and succor to the aged,
And good counsel to the young."
Chorus of all the women, singing softly
" He suffered not the stranger to sleep in the streets :
He opened his door to the wayfarer.
Peace be upon him 1"
After this, they started to their feet, and shrieked as
loudly as they could, making a rattling noise in their
throats for three or four minutes. The widow kneeled,
swaying her body backward and forward, and feebly joined
in the wild cry.
Some of the women reseated themselves on the floor
quite exhausted, some retired, and a number of guests from
'Akka came in and took the vacant places. A minstrel
woman began slowly beating a tambourine, and all the
company clapped their hands in measure with it, singing,
" Alas for him ! alas for him ! He was brave, he was good,
alas for him!" Then three women rose, with naked swords
in their hands, and stood at two or three yards' distance
from each other. They began dancing with slow and
graceful movements, with their swords at first held low and
their heads drooping. Each dancer kept within a circle of
184 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
about a yard in diameter. By degrees the tambourine and
tbe clapping of the hands and the songs grew louder, the
steps of the dancers were quickened. They threw back
their heads, and gazed upward passionately, as if they
would look into the very heavens. They flourished their
uplifted swords, and as their movements became more wild
and excited, the bright steel flashed and bright eyes seemed
to grow brighter. As one by one the dancers sank over-
come with fatigue, others rose to replace them. Thus
passed seven days and nights. Professional mourners were
in constant attendance to keep up the excitement, and
dances and dirges succeeded each other, with intervals of
wild and hysterical weeping and shrieking. I remained
about two hours in the room, and occasionally I watched
from a window which overlooked it. I could see that the
leader had a powerful influence over all present. A cer-
tain tone of her wild wailing voice drew tears from the
eyes and produced hysterical emotion in some cases.
There are girls who have a morbid taste for the excite-
ment thus produced, and are celebrated for the facility
with which they fall into fits of uncontrollable weeping.
The real mourners and the amateur actresses in these scenes
are usually ill afterward, but the professional assistants do
not appear to suffer from the fatigue or excitement, and
they do not lose their self-control for a moment.
Poor Khalil Sekhali never quite recovered the shock
caused by this death. It became an epoch from which to
reckon events throughout the district, where Elias had been
BO well known and so much respected. It was usual to
say, " Such an event occurred before or after the death of
Elias." And there was a saying current in Haifa to the
effect that "the men of the Sekhali family die always
among strangers and away from home." But I suppose
that the spell is broken now, for Khalil, the old man, died
in his own house, in January, 1860. I was not in Haifa
at the time, but I was informed that Khalil had been
staying at 'Akka and was very ill there. On his way back
FUNERAL ORATIONS. 185
to Haifa, in a very weak state, while riding along the
sands, he was thrown from his horse, and so much injured
that he was carried home, and died in three days. My
brother went to the funeral, and in a letter to me he spoke
of it thus :
" I never in this neighborhood saw a funeral so numer-
ously attended. The church, as well as the court without,
was completely crowded. Seven priests four of whom had
come from a considerable distance for the purpose chanted
the appointed psalms, and the burial service was performed
as usual. After the Epistle, Gospel, and Absolution had
been read, the chief priest said to the congregation, * Dear
brethren and children, Khalil Sekhali was a man who lived
very long in this world. He has had a great deal of busi-
ness, and has been in communication with a great number
of people. It is possible that in certain transactions he
may have given cause for offense. Some people may have
felt themselves insulted, some may have been grieved or
offended, either with or without reason. This now is the
time for pardon, and I hereby beseech you all present, and
by the blessing of God I implore you all, to pardon him
fully, to forgive him all offenses as you hope to be forgiven.'
The whole congregation then answered, *May God pardon
him !' "
This ceremony of asking pardon of the living for the
dead is observed in a slight degree at all burials among the
Greeks, but it is not generally so emphatically expressed or
so enlarged upon as in the case of Khalil. He was a man
of great influence. He was the founder of the Greek
Church in Haifa; and the only good houses in the town
belonged to him or to members of his family.
16
186 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
CHAPTEK VIII.
LIFE IN HAIFA.
The history of the Sekhali family has led me away from
my own. I will return to the time when we hastened into
our new house on account of the commencement of the
Winter rains Christmas, 1855.
On the 30th of December, after three days and nights of
almost incessant rain, a bright, sunshiny afternoon tempted
us out. We passed through the west gate, and the sudden
change which had taken place in the appearance of the
country surprised me exceedingly. The ground, which had
lately looked so brown and parched, cracked into fissures
by the Summer heat, was now carpeted with vividly-green
grass and tiny leaves. Many large slabs of rock which
had before been concealed by earth were now laid bare.
The tombs in the Greek and Latin cemeteries, the broad
stone thrashing-floors on the sloping plain, the masses of
rock around and on the terraced hill-sides, washed by the
recent torrents, looked brightly white.
We climbed the castle hill just behind Haifa. White,
yellow, and purple crocuses were growing round the roots
of the trees, under the shelter of rocks, and in the midst
of leafless thorn-bushes ;* while the glossy-green leaves
of flags, arums, squills, and cyclamen were unfolding and
shooting up every-where.
We looked down on to the town. Thousands of birds,
chiefly sparrows, were on the house-tops. The flat roofs
are composed of massive beams of wood, crossed by planks,
poles, and brushwood, overspread with earth and small
stones, rolled firm and smooth. In preparation for the
*' "The lily among thorns." Song of Solomon ii, 2.
SPARKOWS ON THE HOUSE-TOP. 187
"Winter rains, the roofs had all been newly covered with
mortar made of earth brought from the common or un-
in closed land of the hills well mixed with straw. The
newly-disturbed earth, rich in bulbs, and grass, and wild-
flower seeds, had naturally attracted the birds, and as I
watched them pecking and twittering there, I felt the sig-
nificancy of the expression in the Psalms, which refers to
the "sparrow on the house-top."
On the 30th of January, soon after sunrise, several little
boys came with large bunches of the "narojus;" that is,
the yellow narcissus, a favorite flower of the Arabs. The
boys asked for "backshish," and said, "We have brought
these flowers because they are called by the name of the
Consul." Then I understood why many Arabs, especially
children, called us "Narojus," instead of Rogers. In the
afternoon I went on to the hills, where narcissus and wild
hyacinths were growing in profusion. Goats were leaping
and skipping from rock to rock, and enjoying the plentiful
pasture. I looked down on the town. Its appearance was
perfectly changed. Out of the lately-made roofs of earth
fresh green grass had sprung, so that every house-top
looked like a grass-plat; and on some of them lambs
and kids were feeding.
But these grass-grown roofs are rarely sound enough to
keep out the rain. We often heard our neighbors com-
plaining of water pouring in torrents into their rooms,
and I have sometimes been roused in the night by an
unexpected sprinkling. Patches of fresh earth are added
from time to time, and the roofs are rolled occasionally
with a heavy stone, like a common garden-roller. One
is usually kept on the top of each house, or block of
houses.
When I went out, on the 11th of February, I saw
laborers busy in the plain, at the foot of the Carmel Hills.
Large patches of land were being plowed. The rich brown
earth was thrown up by clumsy-looking plowshares, dragged
by oxen. Boys were employed in gathering out stones
188 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
from tracts of land, round which men were building low
rough stone walls. New hedges of prickly pears were
being planted round gardens and orchards, thus: a stone
wall about a quarter of a yard high is made, and then
quite covered with earth. Along the top of the bank thus
formed portions of the cactus stems are planted, about a
foot apart. These stems are green and broad, and so flat
and jointed that they look like large rounded leaves joined
together. In some places the rain had washed away the
earth, and I could see the roots shooting out from the
edges of the stems. The growth of the species of the
cactus Opuntia is so rapid that a bank thus planted
becomes, in the course of one season, a very formidable
hedge. Its blossom is yellow, and it yields the pleasant,
cooling fruit called "prickly pear," or "Indian fig." The
Arabs call it "sz/?)6er" that is, "jpaiience" on account
of the care and patience required in gathering and peeling
it; for it is covered with spines and fine stinging hairs,
and the plant is armed every-where with large sharp
thorns. In spite of this the camel feeds on it freely.
Even in the driest seasons the stems are juicy, and, when
pierced, moisture oozes out plentifully. It is the natural
home of the cochineal insect; but the cultivation of this
valuable article of commerce is unfortunately neglected in
Palestine.
The blossoming arum, the blue iris, squills, and daiFodils
were growing so abundantly in the burial-ground, that the
sides of the tombs were quite concealed. On the un-
plowed land of the plain, and on the hill-sides, I found
anemones, ranunculuses, marigolds, ground-ivy, cyclamen,
and many other wild flowers.
The thorn-bushes, which during the Summer and Autumn
had been so dark and bare, were clothed with delicate green
sprays of finely-serrated leaves, which almost hid the sharp,
cruel-looking thorns. They were sprinkled with little round
buds when they opened, they threw out silky tufts of
crimson, crowned with golden -colored powder. The seed
GRASS-GROWN ROOFS. 189
vessel is round, and divided into four quarters. At first it
is almost white, but gradually becomes pink. At the apex
there is a little green tuft, in the shape of a Grreek cross.
When the seed is quite ripe, it is about half an inch in
diameter, and of a deep, shining, red color.
I have been told that it was of this thorn that the wreath
was made, "^hich once crowned the head of Christ. It may-
be so. I have never seen a plant of which so beautiful,
and at the same time so cruel, a crown could be composed.
This thorn is the Poterium spinosum. About Easter, it is
seen in all its beauty, the leaves glossy and full-grown, the
fruit or seed-vessels brilliantly red, like drops of blood, and
the thorns sharper and stronger than at any other time.
No plant or bush is so common on the hills of Judea,
Galilee, and Carmel as this. It is used extensively for
fuel, especially for the bakers' ovens, and " the crackling
of thorns under a pot " may often be heard in Palestine.
The gardens and orchards looked very beautiful. Al-
mond-trees were full of blossom. Lemon and shaddock
trees were laden with fruit. The Winter rains were over;
"flowers appeared on the earth, the time of the singing of
birds had come, and the voice of the turtle was heard in
the land." And again the appearance of the town of Haifa
was perfectly changed. The last few days of warmth and
uninterrupted sunshine had quite withered and burned up
all " the grass on the house-tops," so that there was not a
green spot left. Boys and girls were gathering the short
yellow hay ; but there was very little of it, for the grass
had not had time to grow up fully, or put forth its seed ;
and the harvest on the house-tops was mere child's play,
" wherewith the mower filleth not his hand, nor he that
bindeth sheaves his bosom.'* Psalm cxxix, 68.
On the 19th of February, early in the morning, a young
Bedouin brought me a large wooden bowl full of clotted
cream, and announced the coming of four men of his tribe.
While he spoke, they entered. They were rejoicing, on
account of the abundance of milk which their flocks yielded
190 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
now that they were at pasture on the Carmel range. They
were very dark, and wore long, white, cotton shirts with
wide sleeves, and loose, heavy, eamel's-hair cloaks. They
seemed to be rather taken by surprise by the looking-glass,
in which they could see themselves at full length. The
one who seemed to be the chief of the party invited me to
visit him, with the Consul, at his tents, at an hour's dis-
tance from Haifa. In answer to my questions, he told me
that there were several women at the encampment, and
that they were busy making stores of cooking butter. The
cream is shaken in goats' skins, and afterward boiled.
When the milk and whey are completely extracted, the
butter will keep good for a very long time. At this season
the markets are always well supplied by the peasantry and
the Bedouins together, and during the Spring housekeepers
refill their butter-jars with a store for the Summer and
Autumn. One of these Bedouins carried a lance, about
twelve feet long. At the top of it there were two round
tufts of black ostrich feathers, about one foot apart. The
tipper tuft was fringed with little white feathers. Between
the tufts, strips of scarlet cloth were twisted. The lance
was so heavy that I could not lift it. It was of wood, with
a metal barb. All the men wore large red and yellow silk
striped kefias that is, fringed shawls on their heads, fast-
ened round the crown with a thick rope, and put on like
hoods. They all had high, pointed, red-leather boots, which,
however, they took off at the door. One man displayed a
heavy silver ring on his finger. A name was roughly en-
graved on it. The wearer said, " Salute the Consul ; may
Allah keep all sorrow far from him !" Then he and his
followers went away.
I had just dismissed the bearer of the bowl of, cream
with a backshish, when two little girls of the Sekhali
family came to me, saying, " Miriam, peace be upon
you ! We have thought you must be sad and lonely, now
that the Consul is away from Haifa. May he return to
you soon, and in safety !" I invited my friendly little
RIDE TO SHEFA 'aMER. 191
neighbors . to take off their izzars the white sheets in
which they were enveloped and to remain with me to
breakfast. They wore dark cotton trowsers, made very full
and long, and cloth jackets, closely fitting and fastened up
to the throat. Their mundils, or bright-colored muslin
kerchiefs, were put on like shawls over the head, crossed
under the chin, and the ends tied on the top of the head.
Their hair was braided, and hung in long plaits over their
shoulders. Their finger-nails and toe-nails were rosy with
henna-dye. They left their yellow shoes at the entrance
of the room. They were very much interested in turning
out the contents of my work-box, and in looking through
books of pictures, about which they asked many questions,
and made curious comments, not only teaching me, uncon-
sciously, Arabic words, but showing me the spirit of Ori-
ental ideas. They were amused to hear about English
children, and laughed heartily when I told them that in
England a few camels are kept as curiosities, in a beautiful
garden. They could not understand how we could live in
a land where there are no camels to carry burdens. I tried
to explain to them the use of carts and railed roads ; but,
as they had never seen a wheeled carriage of any kind, it
was very difficult to convey the idea, even with the help of
pictures. They were very clever, quick children ; and,
though only eight and nine years old, they could already
make bread, and prepare many simple dishes. They were
surprised that I had not been taught how to cook. It is
the chief point in the education of an Arab girl.
While I was occupied with my amusing little guests, our
Egyptian groom Mohammed arrived, leading a beautiful
white mare, and bringing a letter from my brother, inviting
me to go immediately to Shefa 'Amer about three hours'
distance to meet him there, and to return with him to
Haifa the next day. The children said, " "VYe are glad you
will to-day see the Consul ; but we are sorry you are going
away from us; go in peace." I was soon ready, and
mounted on the white mare. Her long mane and tail were
192 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
deeply dyed with henna bright orange color. It is said to
be a preventive of disease. A large glass bead of sapphire
blue hung from the neck of the animal. I asked the groom
what it was for. He said, " It will avert the effect of a
glance from an evil eye. This mare is so beautiful that she
is in danger of being looked at with admiration and envy
by those who have power to destroy her and her rider even
by a look." He said he durst not suffer me to ride such an
animal without this precaution. Many of my friends, Mos-
lems and Christians, walked by my side as far as the gate,
and " Go in peace, and return to us in safety," rang in my
ears as I rode along the sands, attended only by our trust-
worthy groom Mohammed, and under the protection of the
sapphire bead. I asked him if my want of confidence in
the charm would destroy its efficacy. He answered sol-
emnly, ^^ Its power can not be destro7/ed, praised be Allah T^
It was noon. The sun shone, but not too fiercely. The
wind blew, but not too roughly ; and the waves rippled
round the feet of the mare, and of Mohammed's sturdy
little donkey. We crossed the Kishon cautiously and
safely on the bar far out at sea. The river was rather
deep and dangerous that day.
We turned away from the shore and traversed the drifted
sand-hills, where tall trees and shrubs were half buried ;
but grass was springing up plentifully where the land was
firmer, and the rain rested here and there in quiet pools,
bordered by the iris, blue and yellow, rank grass and blos-
soming reeds. Advancing a little further into the plain,
we came to a perfect paradise of flowers. The ground for
a mile or more in every direction was completely carpeted
with anemones scarlet, crimson, white, blue, purple, pink,
and lilac with patches of clover and mallows here and
there, and buttercups and cyclamen. I had never seen such
wealth of wild flowers, or such vivid coloring, and there
seemed to be no one to enjoy it. We were quite out of
sight of human beings and human habitations. The only
building to be seen was the dome over the fountain of
THE ONE-EYED KEGIMENT. 193
Jethro, a retreat for ablution and for prayer, with a few
troughs round it for watering cattle. It is just half-way
between Haifa and Shefa 'Amer. I paused for a moment
to enjoy the scene and the silence. My mare began crop-
ping the thickly-growing mallows. Mohammed exclaimed,
" Ya Sittee, cows thrive on mallows, but to running horses
they bring death." As we rode on again, I asked Moham-
med if his parents still lived in Egypt. He replied, " God
knows ! It is more than twenty years since I left my
mother. She was a widow, peace be upon her ! and I have
never heard of her since. It is too late now. No letter
would reach her, for she is poor and unknown in the land.
When the poor leave their parents, they leave them for-
ever. That is the reason why mothers weep and refuse to
be comforted when their sons go away from their homes.
Letters can be carried for the rich, and for people who are
known." He was surprised to hear that in England all
houses are named or numbered, and that letters directed to
the poorest people in the country are taken as much care
of as those addressed to the most wealthy.
Mohammed had lost the use of one eye. In answer to
my inquiry, he told me that his mother had purposely
destroyed the sight, by the application of poisonous leaves
when he was young, to render him unfit for service in the
army, for he was her only son. This practice was very
common in Egypt till Ibrahim Pasha put an effectual stop
to it by ordering a regiment to be formed entirely of one-
eyed men, and every one who had lost the sight of an eye,
either by accident or design, was compelled to join it.
Mohammed, among others, was enrolled, and this Cyclopean
regiment became the most formidable in Egyptian service. ^^
We passed between large fields where wheat and barley
* I could not understand what sort of leaves Mohammed referred to, but they
were gathered from a shrub which grows in gardens on the banks of the Nile. On
homeopathic principles I suppose that this eye-destroying leaf should also have
the power of renovating injured sight. Several Arabs Christians confessed to
me, that when they were school-boys, they resorted to all sorts of schemes in order
to avoid attending school. They used sometimes to rub their eyelids with freshly-
gathered fig-leaves, and the milky iuice which exudes from them soon causes the
17
194 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
were springing up vigorously, and over fallow ground gar-
nished with blossoming weeds. Now and then we overtook
a land tortoise, leisurely making its way across the coun-
try. They are very common in the plains of Palestine.
Mohammed told me that Christians of the East eat them,
especially in Lent, and the peasants catch and carry them
to market-towns in great numbers. I afterward heard this
confirmed, but I never saw the dish any where.
When we reached the hill country I could scarcely
recognize the valleys and the hill-sides, which I had trav-
ersed in October, and again in November. Every thing
was changed and beautified by Spring. There was no bare
earth to be seen, it was all concealed by vividly-green veg-
etation. The periwinkle was conspicuous, and in the hol-
lows of the white rocks and between the stones tiny flowers
were flourishing. The evergreen oaks were garlanded with
wild clematis, and a creeper with lilac bell-like blossoms
traveled from tree to tree in graceful festoons. The " pas-
tures on the hills were clothed with flocks, and the valleys
were covered with corn." Here we saw some human beings,
the first we had met on our way. There was a very old
man, with a long staff" in his hand, sitting under a tree.
He rose up when he saw us coming. He wore over his
long shirt a short pelisse made of sheep-skin, and an old
shawl head-dress. Some youths came forward as we ap-
proached. They were bronzed and weather-beaten. They
had nothing on but long coarse cotton shirts, girdled with
leather belts. Long clumsy-looking guns were slung over
their shoulders. Their heads were hooded in old red and
yellow shawls. The herds and flocks upon the hills were
in their care. The old man raised his hand to his forehead
as we went by, and said, "God direct you." One of the
eyelids to swell so much, that they can scarcely be opened for two or three days,
but no perceptible injury is done to the eye. When fig-leaves are not to be found,
they used stinging nettles instead I The boys said that they cheerfully suffered
this self-inflicted pain for a few days, for the sake of the holiday which necessarily
accompanied it, and the temporary escape from the monotonous duties of school,
and the thick stick of the schoolmaster. However, where Arab boys are kindly
and intelligently taught, they learn eagerly and make wonderfully rapid progress.
BEDOUIN DEPREDATIONS. 195
young shepherds was sitting on a rock playing on a short
flute, made of a reed. He placed the end of it in his
mouth, and produced soft but clear musical sounds. I
could detect only* five notes.. Mohammed pointed out a
black tent, made of camel's-hair cloth and branches, pitched
under a large terrebinth-tree. It was no doubt the portable
home of the herdsmen. Here we were met by an African
horseman, as black as ebony. He was dressed entirely in
white and crimson, and was riding at full gallop. He
paused to greet us, and said to Mohammed, "The English
Consul is near at hand. He is coming forth to meet his
sister, but my eyes have seen her first. I will hasten to
give him joy, and tell him that she is well and on her way."
Mohammed answered, "Go in peace. Blessed is the bearer
of good tidings." We were soon in the olive-groves of
Shefa 'Amer, and there to my delight I met my brother.
Saleh, Habib, and Stephani joined us. They handed blos-
soming almond branches to me, in token of welcome. We
rode up the steep hill on which the town stands, and
alighted at the house of Habib. He led me into his guest-
chamber, a large, eight-windowed, square room. On two
Bides of it mattresses were placed on the floor, covered with
Turkey-carpets, and cushions cased in silk and satin were
leaning against the walls. On one side a handsome carpet
was spread, with a small silk-covered square mattress, and
pillows arranged for one person only. This he said was
intended for me. Egyptian matting covered the rest of the
floor, and in one corner was a raised bed-stand, with muslin
musketo-curtains. We went out on to the broad terrace,
which overlooks the sea and the plain, and rested there,
exchanging news.
I reported the visit of the Bedouins. My brother ex-
plained to me how the townspeople, the villagers, and the
peasantry dread the approach of these wanderers with their
flocks and herds, for, he said, " They not only spoil the
pasture-land, but the crops are endangered. There will be
no real safety for cultivators and agriculturists in Palestine
196 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
till these incursions are put a stop to. The Bedouins come
from beyond Jordan, every year, just after the Winter rains
are over, when the grain is springing up, so that people do
not venture to cultivate more land than they hope to be
able to protect. That is one reason why there are so many
waste places in the country, and why some portions of the
most fertile plains are abandoned by the peasants of Pal-
estine, and only cultivated by wandering tribes, who pitch
their tents in a favorable spot, plow, sow, and reap, and
then perhaps recross the Jordan, and return no more till
the following Spring." According to the third and sixth
verses of the sixth chapter of Judges, these wanderers used
to commit just such depredations in Palestine three thou-
sand years ago, and at the very same season. " When Is-
rael had sown, then the Amalekites, the Midianites, and
the children of the East (that is, from beyond Jordan)
came up against them; they destroyed the increase of the
earth and left no sustenance for Israel ; they came with
their cattle and their tents, and they and their camels were
without number, and Israel was greatly impoverished."
This is one of the chief causes of the present poverty of
the country.
When the sun went down we entered the guest-chamber.
Large lanterns were lighted and placed on two small stools
in the middle of the room. The Governor, Abu Daoud,
and his little son, arrived to greet me. Soon afterward
Salihh Agha came, in his large scarlet cloak, edged with
gold-lace and embroidery. His dark face was deeply
shaded by his lilac and silver shawl, worn like a hood,
bound round his head by a thick white cord of camel's-
hair. His eyelids were kohl-tinged, and he looked rather
fierce, on the whole. He and his brother, the celebrated
Akiel Agha, are the most powerful and formidable people
in the Pashalic of 'Akka. They came originally from
Morocco, and are now in the service of the Turkish
Government They have three or four hundred armed
horsemen under their command. They may be regarded
SUPPER WITH SALIHH AGHA. 197
as the mounted patrols of tlie hills and plains of Galilee;
for it is their duty to keep the roads clear that people
may travel in safety. To a considerable extent they suc-
ceed ; and, thanks to their energy, highway robbery and
murders are rare; but they can not of course keep all
the wanderers out of the country. Over some tribes
Akiel Agha has great influence, but with the Kurds and
other hostile hordes he sometimes comes into collision,
and warfare ensues, and then all the tribes friendly or in
a'lliance with him naturally come to his assistance. Not-
withstanding these outbreaks, it is certain that without the
Agha's somewhat irregular guard affairs in the Pashalic
of 'Akka would be very much worse, and traveling would
be attended with more danger.
Akiel Agha's regiment is a motley crew, formed of des-
perate men from all parts of the country, reminding one
of the four hundred over whom David made himself a
captain 1 Samuel xxii, 2. They are distinguished by
the name of "Hawara," and are, in fact, a tolerated tribe
of marauders, empowered by the Government to keep other
tribes in check.
Salihh Agha told me that he had served on the Danube
for a short time during the previous year, but he did not
like to be so far away from his children. His tents were
now pitched at Abilene, about three miles from Shefa
'Amer. He sent his lieutenant to fetch his youngest son
for me to see, though it was a dark night and long past
sunset. Supper was announced, and we were conducted to
another room. Water was poured over our hands as we
entered; then we, seven in number, sat on the matted floor,
round a circular tray, raised about six inches from the
ground, and literally crowded with food. A very long,
narrow towel was placed in front of the guests, and reached
all round, resting on our knees, and its fringed ends met
and crossed where I was invited to take my seat. There
were six round dishes of heaped-up rice, boiled in butter;
six dishes of boiled wheat, mixed with minced meat and
198 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
spices ; a few plates of fowls and lamb, and bowls of
lebbeny or sour cream, and a good supply of sweet cream,
cbeese, olives, and salad. A cake of bread was placed
before each person. As soon as Salihli Agha was seated,
he began eating silently and as it seemed to me vora-
ciously, quite in Bedouin style, making pellets of the hot
rice or wheat in the palm of his hand, and with a skillful
jerk tossing them into his mouth. He divided the fowls
with his fingers, and did me the honor to pass the most
delicate morsels -^to me. At this rate the contents of the
dishes soon disappeared; for all the gentlemen followed the
example of Salihh Agha, and as, one by one, they were
satisfied, they rose and washed their hands. We then
returned to the large room, where many visitors had as-
sembled. Coffee and pipes were served. Songs were sung
in praise of the Agha, and of the Vice-Consul, and other
guests. The songs which called forth the greatest energy
were descriptions of contending armies and of the chase.
Arrack was handed round to the singers, but none of the
Bedouins partook of it. Little Nimr, the son of the Agha,
arrived. He was about seven years old. He came bound-
ing into the room, and was soon wrapped in the folds of
his father's scarlet cloak, and covered with kisses and
caresses. I was struck by the change in the somewhat
stern aspect of Salihh Agha. He was full of tenderness
and demonstrative afiection for his little son an ugly boy,
but of that piquant description of ugliness which is some-
times so attractive. The lieutenant wished him to go and
have supper with him ; but he said archly, " Did I come
here to have supper or to see the English Sit?" that is,
the lady. He came and nestled by my side; took my
hands in his; felt my dress, and said it was nice and soft.
He showed in every action that he was accustomed to be
noticed very much, and to be lovingly treated.
Wrestling was proposed, and Nimr immediately chal-
lenged Elias, the son of Stephani, a slightly-made, very
pretty boy, also about seven, who deliberately took off his
A HOME AT SHEFA 'aMER. 199
little brown braided and hooded pelisse, while Nimr threw
down his loose camel's-hair cloak. They each wore scarlet
cloth jackets, with hanging sleeves like the hussars', wide-
sleeved, long white cotton shirts, and very full scarlet
trowsers. They took off the latter and their shoes. Little
Nimr that is, the Tiger looked proudly impatient. Young
Elias, quietly in earnest, made a spring on Nimr and threw
him down. The men clapped their hands and shouted.
The wrestling was carried on for nearly half an hour.
Elias was, almost in every instance, the victor. At last
Nimr, with a mortified look, after many falls, ran to his
father and hid himself in the folds of the scarlet cloak.
Elias looked quite calm and unexcited by his success.
He sat quietly by my side.
I find that wrestling is a very common exercise in the
Bedouin tents. Salihh Agha's elder boys, of fifteen and
sixteen years of age, were present. They behaved with
great deference and respect to their father, and did not
sit, or take coffee, or smoke in his presence without his
permission; but since that time the eldest son has dis-
tinguished himself in warfare, and has killed an enemy
of his tribe with his own hand; so he now enjoys the
dignity and privileges of manhood, and equality with his
father.
The room was cleared of the numerous guests at an
early hour, and then the wife of Habib my host and
four women came to see me. One of them offered to
sleep in the guest-chamber with me, thinking I should
be frightened. The Arabs are very timid at night, and
always congregate together to sleep, and burn lamps to
drive away evil spirits when under a roof. They were
surprised that I could dare to sleep in darkness and
alone.
The next morning Habib's wife came tapping at my
door early, and with curiosity examined my garments.
The room would soon have been full of women to assist
and inspect my toilet, if I had not decidedly expressed
200 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
a wish to dress before I received visitors; so only my
hostess remained. She afterward led me to her room on
the ground-floor. It was spacious, but very low. Beds,
bedding, and carpets were piled up on a raised stone bench
on one side, and on the other cooking utensils, dishes, jars,
and stores were arranged. At the end of the room, oppo-
site the door, a carpet was spread, and there I was invited
to sit down to breakfast. In a corner a woman was pre-
paring meat for cooking, and a large charcoal brazier stood
near the door, where a girl was roasting coffee-berries.
This room was evidently the parlor, bedroom, and kitchen,
all in one. A charcoal-cellar and the stables occupied the
other part of the ground-floor.
The mother of my host was busy superintending the
baking of the loaves she had made that morning; so I
went to the baking-house at the end of the street to see
her. Stacks of wood, tree-branches, and thorn-bushes were
piled up just outside the entrance to it. I peeped inside
the low, stone building. It was like a furnace. The flat
loaves were placed on large sheets of iron, which were
heated from beneath by a glowing and crackling wood fire.
Several women, whose faces, all but the kohl-stained eyes,
were vailed, were waiting to take their cakes of bread in
to be baked. They held them on round trays made of
wicker-work and straw. A poor little boy, who looked
>very hungry, came with only one small loaf, and watched
anxiously for his turn.
A white, semi-transparent lizard ran out from between
the stones by the door. I stooped forward to examine it.
The women around shrieked out exclamations of horror
and disgust. In answer to my questions, they said, " Ya
sittee, that is an evil reptile, he crawls over bread or other
food, and breathes his poisonous breath upon it, so that he
who eats that corrupted food may die, or be as one smitten
with leprosy." Mohammed, our Egyptian groom, who ap-
proached at the moment, leading the white mare, said, " God
preserve us! The words of the women are true words."
A GAZELLE HUNT. 201
I hastened to prepare for riding. A gazelle hunt had
been arranged for that day by Salihh Agha, and he had
invited us to accompany him. The kawass and grooms
and the Agha's people had charge of some fine gazelle-
hounds. We met the rest of the party down by the fount-
ain. Three of them were on foot leading boar-hounds.
They soon left us, and entered the hill country of Carmel
to seek for boars. Little Nimr was riding with the lieu-
tenant on a chestnut horse, whose pedigree they say could
be traced back to the time of Solomon. His defense
against fascination was a white shell, called wadat, fastened
to a cord hung round his neck.
We were joined by Habib and Stephani, and our friend
and fellow-townsman Saleh Sekhali. The latter said to me,
" You must take notice to-day, ya sittee Miriam, of the
great difierence between the vision of people who live in
towns and of those who live in the open country in tents."
I soon had an example of this, for Salihh Agha scanned
the horizon, and he and his people discerned in the dis-
tance a horse at full gallop. Before we townspeople could
distinguish that the horse had a rider, Salihh Agha could
describe his dress and even his features, though he was a
stranger to him. His words were entirely verified when
the rider came within the range of our vision. I congrat-
ulated Salihh Agha on the possession of such a faculty,
and told him how much it astonished me. He said, " You
also have a power which is a marvel to me. I have seen
the writing in your book, [he referred to the note-book
which I invariably carried and frequently used ;] the
strokes and figures in it are so fine and small and so close
together that it made my eyes ache to look at them." The
Agha could not even read or write his own language.
Saleh Sekhali remarked, '' The good gifts of Allah are
divided ; praised be Allah !" One of the Bedouins said,
*' Men who live in towns accustom their eyes to look only
from one street to another and from one wall to another,
but we who live in tents see to the ends of the earth.
202 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
When I am within walls I am as one struck blind, or as if
a vail were held before my eyes. There is no space for
sight within the towns."
We rode on quietly along the base of the hills among
low brushwood, thistles, and flourishing thorns. The
grooms had great difficulty in keeping the hounds in, so
violently did they struggle to escape. We traversed a
well-watered valley, where the mallow was growing extens-
ively, to the hight of one or two feet, with lilac, pink,
and silvery gray blossoms, and large, thick leaves. Men
and boys were busy cutting it and rapidly filling their
baskets. This plant is very much used by the Arabs
medicinally. They make poultices of the leaves to allay
irritation and inflammation. Lotions are prepared from
them also. " Khubazi " is the Arabic word for mallows,
and the little, flat, round seed-vessels, so well known to
English children as " cheeses," are by the Arabs called
" Khubiz," that is, " loaves,'^ for the Arab bread is always
flat and round.
While Stephani was explaining this to me, I saw five
gazelles leaping one after another from a thicket of thistles.
They disappeared behind some juniper-trees. We directed
the attention of the now scattered huntsmen to the spot.
They came galloping recklessly over bushes and rocks.
The dogs were set free and soon started the gazelles. I
rested in my saddle with Saleh Sekhali by my side, watch-
ing the graceful bounds of the startled animals, the racing
and leaping of the hounds, and the skillful maneuvers of
the horsemen. They missed the gazelles, but they suc-
ceeded in capturing four fine hares. Then there was a start
in another direction, where a troop of antlered gazelles had
been seen. I followed in the rear with the lieutenant and
his little charge, Nimr, and from a distance we observed
the chase for some time. Then we rode across the plain
between cultivated fields and gardens of wild fiowers. We
paused at the fountain of Jethro, which had been fixed
upon as the place for meeting after the hunt. There we
A BEDOUIN DINNER. 203
found the Aglia's people preparing dinner. They, had dug
two broad, shallow pits in the ground, in which they had
made fires of wood and thorns. In one a lamb was being
baked whole, and over the other a caldron of rice was
boiling.
In a short time the whole party was assembled. The
panting dogs rolled themselves in the grass, the horsemen
dismounted, and with difficulty the frisky and loudly-
neighing horses were tethered. Some were fastened to iron
stakes or pins driven in the ground. Grooms and horsemen
generally carry them when they journey in places where
there are no trees or rocks to which to bind the animals.
All the men, however, had not been equally provident.
Heavy stones were sought for and halters fastened to them,
but not quite securely. The consequence was that two
horses escaped and galloped away. I could not help being
amused with the chase after these runaways, through
marshes and tangled masses of vegetation. I preferred it
to the pursuit of the swift-footed, poor little frightened ga-
zelles, whose escape gratified me more than their capture
did. The horses were caught at last, together, by the
banks of a stream. When we reassembled we took our
seats in the shade of the dome of the fountain, with acres
of wild flowers round us. Dinner was ready. Two men
brought the lamb on a large metal dish or tray ; two others
carried a mountain of rice, yellow with butter. Boys ar-
rived with bowls of sweet clotted cream and new milk, and
dishes of lebbeny. These provisions were arranged on a
carpet of clover and mallows and grass. We washed our
hands, the servants pouring water over them from earthen-
ware jars. Large Bedouin cloaks and saddle-cloths were
spread for. us, and we gathered round the smoking and sa-
vory fare.
Each one of the Arabs on preparing to touch food ut-
tered the words, " In the name of God the most Bountiful."
The lamb was soon skillfully dissected by Saleh with his
hunting-knife. A servant handed a flat, thin, large, leath-
204 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
ery loaf to each of us. The lamb was stuffed with rice
and minced meat, almonds, raisins, walnuts, and spice.
Salihh Agha placed some on my flat loaf, which served me
as a plate, and he gave me a lump of meat in my hands.
He had separated it from the bone with his short hunting-
dagger. The Arabs cook their meat so thoroughly that it
is very tender and easily pulled and torn to pieces.
The men made deep depressions in the pyramidal mount-
ain of rice but each one carefully helped himself from
that part of the dish which was nearest to him, and did not,
if he could avoid it, disturb the rice near to the hole made
in it by his neighbor, except when by way of courtesy he
placed a delicate morsel of meat into it now and then. A
roasted hare was added to the feast and soon distributed.
The cream was eaten voraciously by dipping pieces of bent
bread into it and scooping it up as with a spoon, so the
spoon and its contents disappeared together. Scarcely a
word was spoken by the Arabs during the meal. One by
one they retired, saying, " God be praised," and went to the
fountain to wash their hands and mouths, uttering an invo-
cation to Allah.
We afterward rested for a short time, and pipes and coffee
were handed round. I took the opportunity of putting the
Agha, his little son, and his attendant, Khalil, into my
sketch-book. The latter seemed rather alarmed when he
saw what I had done, and begged of me not to show his
portrait in certain districts, for a price was set upon his
head, and men sought after him to kill him. In the mean
time, the servants and people so far emptied the large
metal trays or dishes, that I could plainly see the Arabic
sentences engraved on them extracts from the Koran, and
words of praise and prayer. Then most of the men cov-
ered their faces and slept, while I wandered about gathering
and pressing specimens of all the flowers I could find, little
Nimr good-naturedly helping me. Besides the ranunculus
and anemone and others equally familiar, I met with many
flowers which were strange to me. One was pink, and
RETURN TO HAIFA. 205
shaped very like a primrose, with pointed, succulent leaves
growing in pairs up the stem. Pressure always changed
the color of the flower from pink to blue. This plant
would be a welcome addition to our gardens in England,
where I have never yet found it. I made a drawing of the
dome over the pleasant fountain, and when the sleepers
woke they said, "Mashallah, the English girl takes no
rest God gives her strength." We took leave of the Agha
and his people and our Shefa 'Amer friends, and rode with
Saleh and our servants toward Haifa, carrying one gazelle
and two hares. We saw many groups of horses and camels
grazing under the care of the Agha's men on the unculti-
vated portions of the plain. Tortoises met us and paused
as if alarmed. They looked about them for an instant and
then drew their heads under their horny shields. Hundreds
of small birds fluttered out of the tall grass, disturbed by
our approach, and flocks of wild ducks and geese now and
then flew across the plain toward the marshes, and sea-gulls
flapped their wings above us. We crossed the drifted sand-
hills, and cantered along the smooth sea-shore toward the
Kishon. Men were standing on its banks, throwing large
floating nets, assisted by boys in a little boat in the middle
of the river. The fishes of the Kishon are rather small,
but abundant, and delicate in flavor.
There were seven ships ofi" Haifa Greek, French, and
Turkish. The sun was low when we went, one after the
other, over the sand-bar. We hastened onward by the
water's edge, letting our horses' feet just touch the fringe
of the sparkling waves, startling hundreds of small white
and sand-colored crabs. Their black eyes are fixed on the
points of movable pinnacles, which are thrust out from the
round eye-sockets, and stand upright. They scampered
hither and thither nimbly, to get out of our way. Their
rapidly-moving forms were repeated on the shining wet
sands, till shape and shadow were lost under the coming
wave. I have often caught and examined these curious
little crabs. They are always very light in color white
206 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
or sandy and they vary from one to three inches in length.
I think that they must be of the kind called " Cancer Yo-
lans." They make holes in the sand, near the sea, and
seem very timid when disturbed. They sometimes, how-
ever, resent interference. I have seen our gazelle-hound,
" Risheh," amuse himself by running after them, torment-
ing them as a cat does a mouse, or peering into their bur-
rows. When they had an opportunity, they used to cling
to his long, delicate nose or lip, and he -had some difficulty
in shaking them off; but I never saw him destroy or injure
one in any way. Fishermen use these crabs for bait, and
make traps for them in the sand, in imitation of their
burrows.
There were many friends to greet us as we entered the
gate of Haifa; for it was the hour of sunset, when people
flock into town after an evening stroll. There was the
Mutsellim, surrounded by his suite, walking slowly, with
his silver and coral rosary in his hand, and his pipe-bearer
by his side. A little group of Jews were there too, some
wearing broad-brimmed hats and long gabardines, others
with dark shawl-turbans and short cloth or silk pelisses
lined with fur. Apart from these were companies of quite
unrecognizable women, shrouded in white sheets from head
to foot. They looked like moving pillars, for they took
such short steps, scarcely lifting their feet from the ground,
that their progress should be called gliding instead of walk-
ing. Even their little children seemed unnaturally demure
and stately.
Short, sturdy-looking oxen, fat sheep, with long, broad,
heavy tails, and black, glossy-haired goats, led by the
herdsmen, were returning from the pleasant but unpro-
tected pastures to seek shelter within the town walls for
the night. The Christians were at the same time entering
in at the opposite gate; for they almost always walk toward
the western hills and plains perhaps because their ceme-
teries are west of the town; while the Moslems prefer the
eastern suburbs, where they bury their dead.
CHURCH SERVICES. 207
The call to prayer was echoing clearly through the town
from the balcony of the crescent-crowned minaret, while
the vesper-bell was ringing from the little belfry of the
Latin church. Some of the people paused from their
work, or stood still in the streets, to cross themselves,
and to mutter an "Ave Maria" in Arabic; while the rest
were declaring, "There is no God but God, and Mohammed
is his prophet."
On Sunday my brother always read the Church service
in Arabic, in the drawing-room of the Consulate, at nine
o'clock. When British vessels were in port, we had service
at eleven, with such of the captains and sailors as could
attend; and English travelers who were passing through
the country occasionally joined us. Saleh Sekhali was
invariably present at the Arabic service, and no one was
excluded from it. We generally mustered about si^ or
seven. People came perhaps the more readily because
they were not pressed or even invited to come. Curiosity
induced many to pay one or more visits. The Arabs, and
especially the Christian Arabs, could not understand how
we could have religion without a Priest; solemnity without
an Altar; how we could worship without a Church; or
realize the presence of God without the elevation of the
Host. They were always quietly and earnestly attentive
while listening to portions of the Old and New Testament.
After prayers, Saleh Sekhali often read by request several
chapters, selecting some history or essay complete in itself.
Women of the Greek or Latin Churches came occasion-
ally, and remained unvailed when only Christians were
present; but if a Moslem was announced they retreated
immediately. The Moslems always expressed themselves
much pleased with the service, on account of its simplicity
and reverential character. I find that, besides the Koran,
they regard al Tora^ the Pentateuch; a' Zahur^ the Psalms;
a' Nabii/eh, the Prophets; and al Anjili, the New Testa-
ment, as holy or inspired books. Those who receive any
one of these are to be tolerated.
208 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
The new Grovernor, Saleli Bek Abd-ul-Hady, an Arab,
came now and then. He said that if there were an
English college in the country, he would immediately send
his boys to it. Many of our neighbors wished to send
their little girls for a few hours every day to my care ;
but I could not undertake the charge ; though, whenever
I had time to spare, I encouraged children to come to the
house the only condition being that they should be clean
and neat.
Moslem boys do not generally play with Christians,
and even the Christian children are divided among them-
selves. Those belonging to the Greek Church have their
street games apart from those who belong to the Latin
Church, and they only unite to persecute the poor little
Jews.
A- gentle-looking little girl, of about six years of age,
whose father was a much-respected European and mother
an Arab, surprised me very much one day by saying,
in Arabic, without any provocation, and with a gesture
of scorn, to a Jewish workman, "Go, thou Jew, and be
crucified!" The child, naturally good-natured and affec-
tionate, shuddered when she partially understood how cruel
and unjust her words had been. By my wish she begged
pardon of the Jew; and then, by her own impulse, and to
his great wonder, kissed his hands, while tears stood in
her eyes.
It was with the hope of checking, as far as I could, this
spirit of hatred, intolerance, and persecution, that I en-
couraged the little ones of Haifa to meet together in my
room.- I prepared entertainments for them, played with
them, told them stories about England, showed them pic-
tures, avoiding reference to their various creeds. By mak-
ing them happy together, I hoped that they would learn
unconsciously to love one another.
I used sometimes to leave the children to amuse them-
selves alone, while I retreated to the end of the room,
whence I could see and hear all that was going on, without
USES OF THE ROSARY. 209
throwing any check on their natural impulses. At such
times, I have heard girls of seven and eight years of age,
and even younger ones, discussing the comparative value
of the wardrobes and jewels of the ladies of Haifa. One
child would say, " Sit Hafifi has the largest pearls and
emeralds," and, " Such a one has the greatest number of
diamonds," and " Um Elia has the handsomest dresses and
embroidered jackets." They could tell how many coins the
women from Nazareth, who lived in Haifa, had on their
head-dresses.
On Sunday, February 24th, a Moslem, of considerable
influence and learning, asked permission to attend the
Morning Service. We welcomed him, and he. Prayer-
book in hand, followed every word attentively, evincing
unusual interest, or curiosity. He even abandoned his am-
ber rosary for the time. Directly after prayers, however,
the beads were to be seen again, rapidly slipping through
his well-shaped, carefully-trimmed fingers. A Moslem does
not appear at ease till he has a pipe in one hand and a
chaplet in the other.
When the Christians had gone, I said to him, "Will
your Excellency tell me the use of tte rosary? Is it sim-
ply a toy, or is it a help to reckon prayer or praise?"
Without showing the slightest unwillingness, he ex-
plained its use, saying, " The attributes or characteristic
excellencies of God are manifold ; but there are ninety-
nine which should be learned, and remembered continually,
by all men. These rosaries consist of ninety-nine, or thirty-
three beads, on which to reckon the attributes, thus" he
took the chaplet out of my hands, and, while passing bead
after bead through his fingers, said, with unusual slowness
and solemnity : " God the Creator God the Preserver
God the most Bountiful God the Deliverer God the
Eternal God the Ever-present God the All-seeing God
the most Merciful God the All-powerful God the King
of Kings " and so on, till the chaplet had passed three
times through his hands ; for it consisted of only thirty-
210 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
three large egg-shaped beads of clouded amber. When he
found how much pleased I was, he took pains to teach me
the attributes.
I said to him, "Now that your Excellency has made me
understand the solemn and beautiful words of the rosary,
I shall be always sorry to hear them said quickly and
thoughtlessly." He answered, " You are right, my sis-
ter. God is to be approached with reverence." But I
could perceive that he found it much more- difficult to re-
peat the attributes leisurely^ than to utter them, as usual,
rapidly. After a pause, he said, " To every man who is
not hateful or erring, one of these Divine attributes espe-
cially belongs, and influences his life." The date of the
birth of an individual, in conjunction with his name, prop-
erly reckoned, discovers the particular attribute. As an
example, he calculated mine, and always afterward called
me " Miriam the Intercessor ^ I asked my Moslem teacher
in what sense the word " Intercessor " was used as an attri-
bute of God. He regarded it simply as mercy and good-
ness, and readiness to pardon. Another Moslem told me,
one day, that it implied mercy pleading with justice. He
acknowledged to me that he did not regard fasts, and forms,
and ceremonies as important. He thought that doing our
duty to man, and giving thanks to God, were all-sufficient.
But he added, " If I did not keep the fasts and feasts, and
perform certain ablutions and prayers three times a day,
my voice would not be heard in the Medjlis that is, the
Council and I should lose all my influence." He assured
me that there were many enlightened men who felt as he
did on the subject, but they hid the thoughts of their
hearts.
My brother scarcely ever spoke to Moslems about their
religion, and warned me to be cautious how I did so;
consequently, I never introduced the subject, directly or
indirectly, except when I found myself with any one of
superior intelligence and judgment, and then only care-
fully, and as an inquirer never as a teacher or proselytizer.
A CHRISTENING CEREMONY. 211
I invariably met with good-natured, if not satisfactory,
answers, and gained some interesting information. I was
satisfied that I did not give offense by the fact that my
society was most sought for by those whom I had thus
questioned probably on account of the novelty of the
circumstance.
In the afternoon all the Europeans then in Haifa as-
sembled, and walked in procession to the Latin church,
to witness the christening of Jules, the infant son of the
French Consul. Kawasses led the way. The child was
placed on a crimson silk pillow, and carried by the nurse,
Helwe, an old woman of Nazareth. The father, Mons.
Aumann, conducted me. He said that there had never
before been such a procession of Europeans through those
narrow and crooked streets. It was formed of Consuls,
and captains whose ships were in port, monks from Mount
Carmel, and merchants of Haifa, and two elderly Greek
ladies, with large black lace shawls folded over their red
cloth caps. The godmother was of Greek birth, but she
wore an Arab costume, and was shrouded in a white
sheet. We entered the little square church. Near to
the highly and gaudily-decorated altar a number of bare-
headed men Arabs were prostrating themselves, or beat-
ing their breasts. Behind them a group of women and
girls, almost shrouded in white sheets, kneeled languidly,
with mother-of-pearl rosaries in their henna-stained hands.
Their many-colored mundils muslin vails were thrown
back over their heads, and bright, everlasting flowers, and
jewels, and brighter eyes, in dark settings, of kohl, were
exposed. The men Arabs carefully avoided looking
toward the women ; but some of the latter seemed to
expect to attract the admiration of the less scrupulous
Europeans, and were not disappointed. On a table near
to the font sacred oil and salt, and other necessaries for
the ceremony of christening, were arranged on a white
embroidered cloth. The parish priest read the baptismal
service in Latin, but the little hero of the day somewhat
212 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
disturbed and disconcerted him by screaming lustily. He
strongly objected to the taste of the salt, and to the appli-
cation of the water to his head, and of the oil to his chest.
It was a relief to every one present, especially to the priest,
when the ceremony was over, and the " newly-made little
Christian" as they all called him was comforted in the
arms of his nurse. We returned to the French Consulate.
There was a large gathering in the marble-paved salon^
where the happy mother received the congratulations of
her neighbors, for Judas was her only son. It was quite
a fete-day in Haifa, especially among the Latins. Oranges
boiled in sugar and spice, lemons cut up and preserved in
honey, all sorts of Oriental confectionery made of sweet-
ened starch and gums, and French bonbons and liqueurs,
were distributed.
I took leave of the assembled guests, and strolled with
my brother out at the West Gate. The declining sun was
brightening the green slopes, the trees, and white rocks
of the Carmel range. A small pink flower had sprung up
plentifully in the stony places of the plain. Each blossom
was in the form of a foliated Greek cross, and the small
green leaves were heart-shaped. We sat on the mossy
trunk and in the lengthening shade of a large locust-tree,
discussing the events of the day, enjoying the scene and
the silence; for we had wandered quite out of sight of the
town. We were in the midst of a grove of fig, locust, and
olive-trees. The ground was carpeted with wild flowers;
the hills, fragrant with aromatic herbs, rose behind us,'^
and the broad sea, red with the rays of the setting sun,
was before us.
Our tete-a-tete was interrupted by the approach of our
kawass, who came to announce the arrival of a special
messenger from Jerusalem. The messenger himself soon
appeared. He was a tall, powerful-looking African, very
black and bony, clad simply in a coarse, unbleached cotton
shirt, girdled with a leather strap. A large white turban
protected his head and shaded his face. His wide, pliant
AFRICAN FOOT-MESSENGER. 213
feet were bare. He had walked all the way from Jeru-
salem in three days, and was the bearer of important
dispatches from Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, Mr. Finn.
He drew the packet from his bosom, and kissed my broth-
er's hands as he presented it, and then stood resting on his
long, thick staff.
I found that the letters contained directions for my
brother to proceed immediately to Nablus, to report the
state of affairs there, and to ascertain the true cause or
causes of the disturbances in the town and in the mountain
districts around. A letter from Mrs. Finn advised and
invited me to accompany him as far as Nablus; that an
escort might meet me there to take me on to Jerusalem to
spend Easter with her. Rumors had reached Haifa every
day for some time past of skirmishes, and even pitched
battles, between the supporters of Mahmoud Bek Abd-ul-
Hady, the newly-appointed Governor of Nablus, and the
partisans of his predecessor in office. A tour through
the Jebel Nablus district was in consequence considered
rather hazardous, and rain would be sure to set in in
a day or two. However, I consented to go, on the con-
dition that my brother would promise to travel exactly
as if he were alone, both with regard to the selection
of the route and of the halting-places, and the length
of each day's journey. This settled, he proved to me that
he understood I was in earnest by saying, "Then we will
start at sunrise to-morrow, for that is what I should do if
I were going alone."
This was a sudden change in our plans. Till past mid-
night I was busy packing portmanteaus, and providing for
the safety of the house and furniture for an indefinite
period, and guarding against the intrusion of rats and
mice, moth and rust.
In the mean time my brother was in his office, in
earnest consultation with his agent and our Governor,
Sal eh Bek. The latter asked to see me. I went to him,
and he said, "My sister, you have a brave heart. You
214 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
are going on a difficult journey, but you have no reason
to fear any one, for you have no enemies. After a day or
two you will reach my town Arrabeh and there you will
find rest, and my wives and my children will welcome you,
for they are still there. I have prepared to receive them
here, and have sent for them several times, but they have
not courage to travel, now that war has broken out. If
you reach Arrabeh in safety, and they see you, perhaps
their hearts will be made strong. God be with you and
protect you! May you find rest at Arrabeh, and peace
whithersoever you go!"
FROM HAIFA TO ARRABEH. 215
CHAPTER IX.
FROM HAIFA TO ARRABEH.
After a few hours of perfect rest, I rose before the
sun, on Monday, the 25th of February. Katrine, who had
begged to accompany us, had packed up her bundle of
clothes, and was rejoicing at the thought of spending the
Festival of Easter at Jerusalem, for she was an earnest
devotee. She had newly dressed her eyes with kohl for
the occasion. I told her of the difficulties of the journey.
She assured me that she had no fear, for she had made a
pilgrimage to the Chapel of the Madonna on Mount Carmel,
and wore round her neck a potent charm, which she had
obtained there, believing it would preserve her from all
danger. It was a scapulary, that is, a rudely-printed pic-
ture of the Virgin and Child, on a piece of linen, one or
two inches square, said to be a portion of the smock which
thd blessed Virgin left on Mount Carmel when she gra-
ciously appeared in a vision to one of the monks of old.
This smock must have been a very large one, for it furnishes
an unlimited number of scapularies, which are sold by
thousands to pilgrims from all parts of Europe. All the
native Christians of Haifa wear them, and most of the
Europeans do also. I only know two or three exceptions.
Some scapularies are enshrined in crystal lockets, X)r adorned
with spangles and beads. Others are simply bound or lined
with silk, or embroidered at the edges. Once, when I was
ill, poor Katrine put one secretly round my neck while I
slept; and now, in preparation for the journey, she tried to
induce me to avail myself of its protection.
The court was crowded with well-wishers, who came to
say, "God be with you," and to express their regrets at
216 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
our departure. The general impression was, tliat we were
going on a perilous expedition. Town Arabs, especially
the Christians, are generally rather timid, and being some-
what deliberate in their movements, they were wondering at
the rapidity of ours. All articles of value were deposited
at the French Consulate, the perishable stores were dis-
tributed, and very soon after sunrise we were mounted and
ready to start. A guide, fully armed, furnished by our
governor, with our kawass, Hadj Dervish, led the way. I
followed, with my brother, and the French Consul's Arab
secretary, who had begged to join us. Then came the
muleteer, with the luggage and canteen, Mohammed, our
Egyptian groom, Katrine, shrouded in a large camel's-hair
cloak and mounted on horseback, and the tall African mes-
senger on foot. We had advised him to rest a day or two
at Haifa, but he declared that he was not tired, and he said
that riding would be more fatiguing to him than walking,
for he was not accustomed to it.
When we had taken leave of our friends at the gate of
the town, and had passed the Moslem cemetery, Katrine
had disappeared. On inquiry, I heard that, in spite of her
scapulary, her courage had failed her, and she had turned
back, saying to the groom, that she thought it would rain,
so she would go home again! Our agent, who was riding
with us a short distance on our way receiving final in-
structions undertook to protect her during our absence.
The hills around were capped with bkck clouds, and be-
fore we had passed the gardens of Haifa a heavy shower
commenced. We drew our hooded cloaks over our heads,
and rode on regardless of it. When we reached the rocky
spring of Sa'adeh, the rain-clouds suddenly traveled away
in all directions, leaving a bright bit of deep-blue sky just
above us; but on the mountains and over the sea the rain
still fell dark heavy curtains seemed to be hanging from
the heavens, and they were torn and swayed by the change-
ful breezes. The spring among the rocks and reeds had
considerably increased in force and extent since I had seen
BEDOUIN CAMP. 217
it in December. "We crossed it cautiously and in safety.
Many a tree -had been torn up by tlie roots by the Winter
torrents. Large stone bowlders, which a short time before
were firmly imbedded in the earth, had been undermined,
and stood tottering on the hill-side, as if ready to fall on
us. The rain-refreshed grass and trees and flowers glis-
tened in the gleams of sunlight, and filled the air with
sweet odors.
We left the Nazareth road and took a south-easterly
direction, along the borders of the almost dry bed of a
branch of the Kishon. We entered the " Wady-el-Milh,"
the Valley of Salt. Among other wild flowers on the way-
side, I recognized with strange delight patches of " crimson-
tipped " daisies. It was midday. We were beginning to
feel hungry, and told the guide to pause at the nearest
spring, that we might alight and eat. We met a few
camels grazing on mallows and clover. They were branded
with marks which told us that they did not belong to the
peasantry. " These camels proclaim that Bedouins are in
the neighborhood. We will seek them out, and take our
dinner with them to-day, for wherever we find them, we
shall also find a fountain of good water," said my brother.
When we had rounded the next hill, we saw a number
of square black tents, high up among the rocks and trees
on the opposite side of the valley. We crossed the deep
and stony river-bed, and scrambled up the pathless hill-
side, over the rocks and tangled brushwood. A group of
Bedouins, in their large, heavy, white and brown cloaks,
and red and yellow fringed shawl head-dresses, came leap-
ing down to meet us, and to guide and welcome us to
their encampment, in the midst of which we dismounted.
There were fifteen tents altogether. We were led toward
the sheikh's tent, which, like all the rest, was formed of
very coarse black and brown " curtains of goats' hair,''^
supported by slender trunks of trees and strong reeds from
the banks of the Jordan. A rude palisading, of inter-
* See Exod. xxxv, 26; xxxvi, 14.
19
218 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
woven branches, divided the tent into two parts. In the
lesser compartment some kids and lambs were guarded, and
a group of women hastily retired from the other part, that
it might be prepared for us. A little, half-naked, bronzed
Bedouin boy swept the floor of earth with the leafy branches
of a " box" tree. A weather-beaten old woman, in tattered
garments, but with large silver bracelets on her shriveled
arms, came forward and spread a rug or carpet for us. It
was made of very coarse wool, and looked something like
crochet-work, or close knitting, and was evidently of Be-
douin manufacture. We were soon seated on it, and the
sheikh and a number of men, smoking long pipes, took
their seats opposite to us, in a half-circle, on the ground
just outside the open front of the tent, thus completely
inclosing us. There were between sixty and seventy people
altogether in the encampment. They had large flocks of
sheep and goats under their care ; and, as we anticipated,
they were near to a " fountain of sweet water."
The sheikh wished to have a kid killed for us. We de-
clined, as we were in haste ; but though we were provided
with bread, my brother explained to me that etiquette
obliged us to partake of theirs, and he said, " Go and find
the women, it will be a good opportunity for you to see
the process of Bedouin bread-making." I went to the
other end of the encampment the glow of a red fire
between the trees guided me. Two women were skillfully
stirring and spreading burning embers on the ground with
their hands, as freely as if fire had no power to hurt them.
Another was kneading some paste. The rest of the women
and girls came crowding round me caressingly and won-
deringly. They stroked my face and hair, and especially
marveled at my closely-fitting kid gloves, which I put
off and on for their amusement. They exclaimed re-
peatedly, " 0, work of God 1" One of the elder women said,
"Where are you going, my daughter?" I answered,
" my mother, I am going to ' El Kuds ' ' The Holy' "
that is, Jerusalem. Then she said, as if by way of ex-
BEDOUIN WOMEN. 219
planation to the others, " They are pilgrims. God preserve
them !" The women were all of a dark-bronze color. Their
faces, and arms, and necks were tattooed and stained with
henna, red and orange color. Their rather thick but well-
shaped lips were 'perfectly hlue, indigo having been carefully
pricked into them in little spots close together; it produced
a very unpleasing eflfect. The edges of their eyelids were
blackened with soot. Their only garments were wide,
loose, coarse cotton shirts, open at the bosom; some were
black, others blue and brown. Over their heads black
woolen shawls, edged with bright-colored stripes, were
tastefully and simply worn. Many of the women were
decked with clumsily-wrought silver bracelets and finger
and ear-rings. None of them wore shoes. The dirty,
tawny children were all nearly naked ; but their heads
were covered with white quilted skull-caps or red tar-
bushes, to which shells and beads were fastened amulets
to protect the wearers from harm.
A young mother, more intelligent-looking than her
companions, came forward and saluted me gently. She,
unlike the rest, wore a crimson shawl on her head, and
the edges of her long blue shirt were embroidered round
the sleeves and round the neck and bosom with coarse
thread, wrought in quaint patterns, such as we see on
very old-fashioned samplers in cross-stitch. She proudly
showed me her little swaddled son. The complexion of
his face was surprisingly fair; in fact, it was of a deathly
whiteness. This, I was told, is usually the case in infancy
among the Bedouins. I took the unyielding, stiffened,
mummy-like little figure in my arms. His swaddling-
clothes were of coarse indigo-colored cotton, bound round
symmetrically with narrow strips of crimson leather, such
as I had seen entwined about the Bedouin spears. The
mother evidently had considerable taste in the arts of
adornment, and in every respect she was superior-looking
to the rest. In the mean time the bread was being made.
A brisk wood-fire was kindled in the open air, on a small
220 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
circular hearth, formed of smooth round pebbles, spread
evenly and close together. When this primitive hearth
was sufficiently heated, the embers were carefully removed,
and well-kneaded paste, flattened out by the hand, was
thrown on to the hot stones, and quickly covered with
the burning ashes. In this way several large cakes of
unleavened bread were soon made ready.
I returned to the tent. Our canteen and provisions had
been unpacked, much to the amusement of the men, who
were especially pleased with the knives, and forks, and
spoons. "Wooden bowls of cream and milk were brought,
and the flat cakes of bread were served quite hot. They
were about half an inch in thickness, and had received
the impression of the pebbles of which the hearth was
composed. This most likely was the same sort of bread
which Sarah of old made for the strangers, in obedience
to Abraham's desire, when he said, "Make ready quickly
three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes
upon the hear thy
The women stood in a group at a little distance looking
on while we cut up our cold roast chicken. They had
never seen people eat with knives and forks before. It
must have appeared very barbarous to them. They laughed
shyly, and hid their faces with the ends of their shawl
head-dresses when they were noticed, and suddenly they
disappeared altogether, as if in obedience to a given
signal. I made a sketch of Kasim, the handsomest and
most stately-looking of the men. He blushed like a girl
when he saw his face in my book. He expressed great
curiosity about our intended movements, and was very
communicative. The other men asked no questions
neither did they seem willing to answer any, except in
the usual words ^^Tdllem Allah'' "God knows."
After a final cup of cofi'ee had been passed round we
remounted, and went on our way at about two o'clock,
riding over hills covered with wild thyme, and through
valleys where grain sown by the Bedouins was springing
ON THE ROUTE. 221
up; but it was thirsting for rain. We rose high on to
the Carmel range, overlooking the plain of Esdraelon, and
sometimes catching glimpses of the great sea on our right.
We rode for a considerable distance without seeing any
towns, or villages, or even tents, or the slightest indication
of a road or track ; so that I could fancy that I was
traveling in an uninhabited country, except when we saw
a long string of camels laden with charcoal, or a line of
donkeys carrying such large burdens of thorns and brush-
wood that they looked just like hedges moving briskly
along. They were evidently conveying fuel from a well-
wooded district to towns and villages in the treeless plains.
We were in a part of Palestine rarely, if ever, trodden
by strangers, where the peculiarities of Eastern traveling
are more apparent than in the more frequented roads.
We discovered that our guide, who had been directed to
conduct us toward Arrabeh, had misled us, and was taking
us by a circuitous and unmarked route in order to avoid
passing near to certain villages, where his life would have
been in danger, for a price was set upon his head by his
enemies in that district. He led us into the fertile plains
west of the Carmel range.
Rain began to fall in torrents. Mohammed, our groom,
threw a large Arab cloak over me, saying, " May Allah
preserve you, lady, while he is blessing the fields." Thus
pleasantly reminded, I could no longer feel sorry to see
the pouring rain, but rode on rejoicing for the sake of the
sweet Spring flowers and the broad fields of wheat and
barley.
For two or three hours we had not seen a building of
any kind, not even a ruined khan in a valley, nor a watch-
tower on the hill-sides. At last we passed a small walled
town, built on a low rounded hill, the eastern slope of
which was dotted with white grave-stones. Olive-trees,
fruit gardens, and plowed land encircled it. In a quarter
of an hour we came to a little village, where the rude
dwellings were crowded closely together, as if for safety,
222 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and flocks and herds fed in the neighborhood, guarded by
shepherds fully armed. The rain ceased, and the sun shone
out for a few minutes, with a red glow, over a waving field
of wheat, and then went down. We desired the guide to
halt at the next village. We rode on southward, and in
about twenty minutes reached a place called " Khubeizeh,"
on account of the abundance of mallows growing wild in
the neighborhood. A barricade of mud surrounded the
village. The houses were so low that even I could not
have stood upright in any one of them. Some were merely
hollow cones of earth, others were square and roofed with
brushwood. Some were like burrows, scarcely above the
ground, and all were desperately dirty. The narrow streets,
or paths between the houses, were mud and slime and
standing water. The wretched-looking inhabitants followed
us about or peeped at us from their miserable abodes, and
a troop of dogs barked in loud chorus as we traversed the
village in all directions. We found no spot suitable for a
halting-place, so we hastened onward and soon arrived at
Mehaf, a crowded hamlet, quite as uninviting as Khubeizeh.
The guide assured us that we should find safe shelter at
Kefr Kara, a Moslem village about three miles further
south. No Christians inhabit any of the villages in this
district. We decided to go on, although it was already
very dark. Red, blinking watchfires could be seen here
and there on the hills around, and rain began to fall as we
rode across the plain as quickly as the darkness would let
us. We sent our kawass on before, to announce our ap-
proach to the sheikh of Kefr Kara. When we arrived he
was at the entrance of the village, attended by a lantern-
bearer, ready to receive us, and he said, " Welcome, and be
at rest, we are your servants, all that we have is yours."
We found Kefr Kara larger and rather superior to the
other villages. There was only one stone house in it, how-
ever, and to that we were immediately conducted. We
gladly dismounted at the open door, within which we could
see the glow and smoke of a large wood fire. I found that
NIGHT IN A MOSLEM VILLAGE. 223
the house consisted of only one very lofty room, about
eighteen feet square. The roof of heavy beams and tree-
branches, blackened with smoke, was supported by two
wide-spreading arches. The walls were of roughly-hewn
blocks of stone, not plastered in any way. Just within the
door, a donkey and a yoke of oxen stood. I soon per-
ceived that rather more than one-third of the room was set
apart for cattle, where the floor, which was on a level with
the street, was of earth, and partly strewed with fodder.
We were led up two stone steps on to a dais, twenty-two
inches high, where fragments of old mats and carpets were
spread, and where three venerable-looking old men one
of whom was quite blind sat smoking. They rose and
welcomed us, and then resumed their pipes in silence.
They wore large white turbans and dark robes. Their long
beards were bushy and gray. Their feet were naked, for
they had left their red shoes by the steps leading on to the
dais. The sheikh took down some mats and cushions from
a recess in the wall, and arranged them for us on the floor.
In the mean time, the mule was led in and unladen, and
our two horses were unsaddled and lodged in the lower
part of the room ! The sheikh asked us to allow his oxen
to remain there, as it was likely to be a wet night. My
brother consented, but desired that no others should be
brought in, and that shelter should be found elsewhere for
the horses of our servants and attendants. Nearly in the
middle of the raised floor, the large fire made of piled-up
wood and "thorns, and resinous evergreen shrubs, was burn-
ing briskly. The deep troughs, or mangers, about three
feet by one, were hollowed out of the broad stone coping
at the edge of the dais. Mohammed, our groom, filled
these troughs with barley, and our tired animals enjoyed
their evening meal.
While our supper was in course of preparation, the
sheikh, at my request, took me to see his wives. He led
me out into the darkness. A little lantern, which he car-
ried, partially lighted the muddy streets, and was reflected
224 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
in many a pool of standing water. My guide paused in
front of an irregular building of mud and stone, and, with-
out saying a word by way of introduction, left me alone at
the threshold of the wide-open door. Just within it I saw
a group of harsh-voiced, loudly-talking women standing in
front of an immense wood fire, which was burning on a
raised floor, about three feet high. They were evidently
entertaining another group of women, who sat on the dais
round the fire, silently and eagerly listening. The leaping
flames lighted up their large dark eyes, their long glisten-
ing teeth, and the silver coins of their head-dresses. I
stood for a moment watching them, before I claimed their
attention. There was no outlet for the smoke, except a
hole over the door; so it was rather difficult, at first, to
distinguish the shape of the room. There were curiously-
irregular projections, and niches, and recesses, where mat-
tresses were piled up, and jars and cooking utensils were
arranged. The walls were of baked mud or clay, black-
ened with smoke.
When I announced myself, some of the young girls ut-
tered exclamations of wonder and fear, imagining me to be
a spirit; but the elder women silenced them, and welcomed
me calmly and kindly, without showing any signs of sur-
prise, though I was afterward assured that I was the first
Afranji that is, European lady who had ever paid a visit
to Kefr Kara.
The women who stood below lifted me on to the dais,
the roof over which was so low that I could only just stand
upright. I sat down with the group round the fire, and
took off my hat and hooded cloak, and one of the women
undertook to dry them. They were all exceedingly aston-
ished that I only kept my head covered when out of doors
heads are never uncovered in the East, except as a sign of
deep mourning. The women were dark, dirty, and rather
haggard-looking, but dignified in their manners and move-
ments. The girls were strong and handsome, but their
well-shaped mouths and lower jaws were disproportionately
MOSLEM VILLAGERS. 225
large. They all wore head-dresses of silver coins, like the
women of Nazareth, with the addition of three or seven
chains of silver links and coins, hanging from the end of
the head-dress on each side, in the same way that unfast-
ened bonnet-strings hang. Their dresses were of dark
indigo-colored cotton, very thick and coarse, open at the
front, like loose pelisses, girdled and worn over white shirts
and dark cotton trowsers. Their arms and faces were tat-
tooed with spots and stars, their eyebrows were blackened
with a thick pigment, and their eyelids stained with soot.
Many of them wore silver bracelets. The ragged and half-
naked tawny children were agile and rapid in their move-
ments, observant, and mischievous. The young girls were
soon satisfied that I was not a spirit, and they became very
demonstrative and caressing, and were full of curiosity.
One of them took a flaming brand from the fire, and held
it near to my face, that she and the rest might see me more
plainly. A very old woman, who seemed to have authority
over them, rebuked them, saying, " Be silent, foolish
ones ! if the stranger had a hundred tongues she could not
answer all your questions ; and do you not see that the
poor child is tired ? Let her rest in peace." Then they
made cofi"ee for me ; and while I was taking it, a boy, bet-
ter dressed than the others, came bounding in, exclaiming,
"Where is the white lady? The Afranji will not eat till
she comes." So I rose and followed him into the street,
where the sheikh awaited me with the lantern.
I returned to the house. My brother had caused the
wood fire to be removed, for the smoke almost sufibcated
us. A small red-clay lamp stood in a niche in the wall,
and the lantern was placed in a recess near to the door.
Our supper of grilled chickens, hot bread, and sweet cream,
was spread for us on the floor of the dais. At the same
time a large wooden bowl of dried peas boiled in oil, and
a dish of lebbany, or sour milk, and cakes of bread, were
brought for our attendants and servants, who were grouped
together with the horses in the lower part of the room.
226 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
After we had eaten, a number of the villagers came to see
us. They all smoked their pipes, and drank their coflfee,
almost in silence, with the exception of the old blind man,
who asked many questions. He, as if privileged by his
blindness, begged me to put my hand in his, and then told
me to tell him what I was like, that he might see me in
his thoughts. He said, "Are you young, or are you old?
Your voice is soft, like the voice of a little child ; but your
words are wise."
By degrees our silent guests left us. Last of all, the
;^-entle old blind man, led by the sheikh, went away, wish-
ing us rest and peace. The latter promised that he would
send us some pillows and mattresses to sleep on. No
women had visited us.
Just as we were wondering what sort of bedding we
should have that night, to my great surprise and delight,
the Arab-Jewish upholsterer, who had worked for me at
Haifa, made his appearance, carrying a nice new mattress,
quilt, and red-silk pillow. He was a peddler upholsterer,
but his head-quarters were at Haifa. He had been engaged
at Kefr Kara making a stock of lehaffs and mattresses for
an approaching wedding. As soon as he heard of my ar-
rival, he insisted on bringing one of the new mattresses
for me. He spread it in a corner of the dais. Then he
brought another for my brother, and a third for the French
Consul's secretary, and did all that he could to make us
comfortable.
I was so tired, that I was glad to lie down directly, on
the sbeetless mattress, resting my head on the red-silk pil-
low. I covered my face with a handkerchief, and tried to
forget where I was; remaining resolutely still, notwith-
standing the attacks of a multitude of fleas. I had often
encountered large assemblies of these lively little tormentors,
but their numbers were as nothing in comparison with the
fieas of Kefr Kara.
A large cat, walking gently and cautiously over my head,
startled me out of a dreamy and restless sleep. I roused
OUR night's lodging. 227
myself and looked about. It was midnight. The lamp
was still burning, and by its dim light I could make out
the strange groups around. The first object upon which
my eyes fell was the tall African messenger. He was on
the opposite side of the dais, standing upright, leaning his
back against the wall. His arms were folded, his eyes
were wide open and staring. He looked immovable as a
statue. His white turban, and the shining light of his
eyes, made his head appear the most conspicuous object in
the room. My brother was soundly sleeping on a mattress
not far from me, and beyond him the Arab secretary, quite
concealed under heavy quilts, was loudly snoring. The
armed guide and our kawass, rolled up in their cloaks and
carpets, were lying on the edge of the dais, their saddle-
bags and saddle-cloths serving as pillows. The muleteer,
resting on the luggage, and our groom, Mohammed, on a
heap of fodder, were just below, with the tethered horses.
The air of the room was heated and oppressive, and dense
with tobacco smoke. There was no window, but over the
closed door there were five small round holes. There were
two deep, arched recesses in the walls for mattresses, cush-
ions, and jars. In a recess in the lower part of the room
the saddles and horse-trappings of our little party were
piled up. In the stone wall, close to my resting-place, was
the trap-door of a corn granary. I could hear rats and
mice within, nibbling and scratching, and the gray cat
again and again returned to post herself on my pillow.
I sat up. My horse started out of his sleep, neighed and
shook himself walking as far as his halter would let him,
disturbing the repose of all the rest, and especially of the
donkey.
The groom rose, trimmed the lamp, spoke a few com-
forting words to his favorite horse, then rolled himself up
in his camel's-hair cloak, and crouched down on the heap
of fodder. In a little while there was silence and sleep
all around again. But I was sleepless. The mysterious-
looking figure of the black man completely fascinated me;
228 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
I could not long together keep my eyes turned away from
him ; he did not move a muscle or blink his great shining
eyes. I could not decide whether he was asleep or awake,
though I looked at him till I was almost mesmerized. I
rested my head on my pillow, full of thought. Suddenly
the idea entered my mind that it must have been in such
a house as this that Christ was born, and in a manger,
such as I saw before me, that he was cradled. It was
Winter-time when, in obedience to the decree of Caesar
Augustus, Joseph the carpenter, of the house and lineage
of David, went up from Gralilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem, to be taxed or enrolled with Mary, his
espoused wife.
I imagined Joseph anxiously seeking shelter and rest
for her after her long journey. All the guest-chambers
were already filled, and there was no room in the inn
that is, there was no room for them in the "house of rest
for wayfarers" ^'the place of unlading^ The raised floor
was crowded with strangers, who had, like them, come to
be taxed. But Joseph and Mary may have taken refuge
from the cold in the lower part of the room. In imag-
ination I could see them, half-hidden by the cattle, and
warmed by the blazing fire of wood and crackling thorns
burning on the raised floor close by. "And so it was,
that while they were there the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered ; and she brought forth her
first-born Son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and
laid him in a manger," The manger was very likely close
by her side, hollowed out at the edge of the dais, and
filled with soft Winter fodder. I raised my head and
looked at one of the mangers, and I felt how natural it
was to use it as a cradle for a newly-born infant. Its
size, its shape, its soft bed of fodder, its nearness to the
warm fire, always burning on the dais in mid-winter,
would immediately suggest the idea to an Eastern mother.
I fell asleep, picturing to myself the whole scene "the
ARAB CUSTOM. 229
babe, wrapped in swaddling-clothes," ''''lying in a manger i^''
Joseph and Mary joyfully watching over him, and the
strangers and shepherds pronouncing blessings and con-
gratulations.
When I awoke in the early morning, the level rays
of the sun were streaming in at the wide-open door. The
black man had gone. The Yice-Consul was sitting up
on his mattress, performing his toilet under difficulties
his kawass acting as valet. The dragoman beyond was
shaking the long purple silk tassel of his red tarbush
into shape. The horses and other animals had been led
away; and crowds of people stood at the door looking in.
I kept quietly concealed under my quilt till my brother
and all the men had disappeared; then some women came,
bringing water to pour over my hands. At my request
they closed the door, and the five round holes above it
admitted daylight and a number of silvery-winged doves.
They came one after the other, fluttered once round the
room near to the rafters, and then flew away again in
regular order. The women were exceedingly interested
with the contents of my dressing-case, and wished to make
experiments with them, but to this I decidedly objected.
They had never heard of such a thing as a tooth-brush ;
yet their teeth which reminded me of the teeth of wild
animals, especially of the feline race were as bright,
regular, and healthy-looking as possible. Perhaps one
of the causes of this is, that they invariably wash and
cleanse their mouths thoroughly immediately after every
meal.* Almost all Orientals adopt this excellent custom ;
but by the Moslems it is regarded as a religious and
obligatory ceremony, and the act is accompanied by an
ejaculatory prayer for purity. I had necessarily slept in
my clothes. I shook myself into order as well as I could,
and resumed my riding-habit, while the women rolled up
the mattresses and lehaffs, and carried them away. Then I
* Is this custom indirectly alluded to in Amos iv, 6, where it is written: "I
have given you cleanness of teeth and want of bread in all your places?"
230 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
was led to the house which I had visited on the previous
evening. The hostess wore a striped silk red and purple
pelisse, or open dress, instead of the cotton one in which I
had seen her before. She received me very cordially, and
would not allow any intruders to enter, while I had some
new milk, bread, and coffee, and made notes of my night-
thoughts. It was rumored that the manuscript book which
I carried contained talismanic directions for seeking treasures.
It had a patent lock and key, and a book thus guarded had
never before been seen there.
In the mean time, my brother was breakfasting with the
sheikh elsewhere, gleaning valuable information, and plan-
ning the day's journey. We afterward met in the large
room of which I made a rough sketch and measurements.
It had been swept, and the dais was garnished with reed
matting and cushions, and two old fringed carpets, about
the size of ordinary hearth-rugs. We sat down together,
and consulted our maps Robinson's and a French one.
As regarded that district, they proved very contradictory,
and did not assist us much.*
At eight o'clock, our horses and attendants were ready.
We mounted, and rode slowly. We were surrounded and
followed by a great number of the villagers. The sheikh
was in earnest conversation with my brother. The old
blind man walked by my side, with his hand resting on the
neck of my horse, which was carefully led by the wander-
ing Jew upholsterer along the uneven and crooked streets.
We paused when we came to the thrashing-floor, outside
the village, and there took leave of our Kefr Kara friends.
The blind man pressed my hand to his lips and to his fore-
head, saying, " May Allah preserve you, my daughter,
and keep you from all harm !" With blessings and pleas-
ant words ringing in our ears, we cantered quickly over a
broad cultivated plain, across a stony river-bed, and then
Even on the chart illustrating Murray's delightful Handbook, Kefr K&ra and
Khubeizeh are not marked. But on a map in the WeeJchj Dispatch Atlas, Khubeizeh,
and the villages in its neighborhood, may be found, and they appear to me to bo
quite correctly placed.
GIPSY ENCAMPMENT. 231
rose on to a range of hills, dark with evergreen oaks, and
carpeted with wild flowers. We rode eastward, overlooking
plains and valleys. The black man was still with us. I
was informed that he was an inveterate opium-eater, and
always slept in a standing or sitting posture, with his eyes
wide open.
In half an hour, we came to a little, crowded, mud and
stone village, at the edge of a wood. Here we dismissed
our guide, for we could not depend upon him. He had
enemies in the district, and traveled in fear. We alighted.
A carpet was spread for us on a, grassy and shady slope,
just above a thrashing-floor, and there we took pipes and
coff'ee with the sheikh. The elders and chief men of the
village, in their great camel's-hair cloaks and white turbans,
sat on the ground in a half circle opposite to us. They
were fully armed. After the usual greetings and compli-
ments, they eagerly asked for " khubber," that is, news,
saying, "Whence do you come, my lord, and what tid-
ings do you bring?" They were all very active and ener-
getic-looking, communicative, and inquiring. They difiered
in these respects from the Bedouins we had met in the
Valley of Salt, and from the villagers of Kefr Kara.
I asked my brother how this striking contrast could be
accounted for. He said, " This valley is in a very lonely,
unprotected, and fertile spot. It is on the confines of the
Jebel Nabltis, a district which is very frequently disturbed,
as at present, by civil war. The inhabitants are obliged to
be constantly on the alert, and prepared for any emergency.
This, perhaps, gives them that look of activity and intelli-
gence which is common to all people who are habitually
exposed to great dangers, and who energetically but cau'
tiously prepare to meet them." An animated exchange
of news took place. The young men and boys stood in
little groups around, while the elders smoked and talked
by turns.
Just beyond the village, there were some ragged black
hair tents among the trees. They belonged to a party of
232 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
gipsy tinkers and blacksmiths, who journey from village to
village, just as their brethren do in the lonely parts of
England ; committing depredations in the farm-yards, and
sometimes breaking into houses. These gipsies came out
of their tents to look at us. Their complexions were very
dark. The 'men had rather a sullen and stern expression
of countenance, and were clothed in sackcloth, girdled with
leather straps. Black shawls were fastened on their heads
with ropes made of camel's-hair, in Bedouin style. The
women and girls seemed hardy, bold, and daring, but good-
natured. Their features were strongly marked. They ap-
proached and examined me with curiosity, and expressed
surprise that I traveled without any female attendants. In
their greetings I observed that they did not utter the name
of Allah, though it is generally the first word on the lips
of an Arab woman. The women wore long, heavy, dark,
ungirdled shirts, made of coarse wool not unlike the
shapeless gowns provided for female bathers at English
watering-places. They had no other garment, except a
shawl or kerchief tied over their heads, from under which
their straggling unbraided black hair escaped. Broad silver
armlets adorned their tattooed arms, and clumsy cabalistic
rings were displayed on some of the swarthy hands, to pro-
tect the wearers from harm.
The boys were naked, or nearly so. They tried to attract
my notice by vigorously turning summersaults, walking
on their heads, and suspending themselves from high tree-
branches by their pliant feet.
These gipsies, besides attending to their tinkering, per-
form most astounding feats of jugglery, gymnastics, and
magic. When they visit towns or large villages, they are
gladly engaged by the inhabitants to tell fortunes, inter-
pret dreams and dark sayings, and to give entertainments
in private houses or in the market-places.
I have several times seen companies of this mysterious
race of people in Haifa, and have witnessed their exhibi-
tions of necromancy, or rather sleight-of-hand, by torch-
GYMNASTICS AND JUGGLING. 233
light in the open air. Among other performances, they
call a boy out of the midst of the crowd. Then, to all
appearance^ they cut him into six pieces ! After a few
minutes of intense excitement and suspense of the lookers-
on, the separated portions of the body are reunited, and
the restored boy jumps up and runs away. The Arabs
generally, and especially of the lower classes, firmly believe
in the occult power of the gipsies. They are hated and
feared, yet patronized and encouraged to a remarkable de-
gree. These people speak Arabic, but they also have a
language peculiar to themselves. The late learned Dr. Duff
told us that the language of the gipsies in India, of which
he had made a vocabulary, was somewhat similar to it, and
many words were identical. These people are very mis-
chievous, and when they are in the neighborhood, it is
necessary to look well after the fowls, lambs, and kids, and
to set a double watch in the orchards and vineyards, and
the gardens of cucumbers.
The village sheikh provided us with a guide to conduct
us to Arrabeh, and we remounted. The gipsy women could
not understand how I could ride with both my feet on the
same side of the horse. They said, " The hills round about
Arrabeh are very steep, my lady; you will fall from your
horse if you sit like that."
"We rode for a short distance southward, with the Great
Sea now and then visible on our right hand. Then we
turned abruptly eastward, and pursued our way for about
two miles in single file, in a narrow path, under the shade
of trees. The glossy-leaved evergreen oak and the haw-
thorn were the most conspicuous. Cyclamen, ferns, maze-
reons, mosses, and lichens grew on and round the rocks in
the deep shade ; while here and there in sunny glades
wide-open ranunculi, anemones, dandelions, and daisies ap-
peared. Some of the tree branches were covered with gall-
berries. We lingered to examine the ruins of an ancient
town, of which no tradition even is left. There were large
beveled blocks of stone foundations of walls, small tesserae,
20
234 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
and ofher traces of human art,, extending for about half a
mile along the hill-side. We did not see any sculptures or
inscriptions. Our guide could not tell us any thing about
the place. He said it was called "El Khirbeh," "The
Ruin." A shepherd whom we saw seated on the edge or
parapet of an ancient cistern gave us the same unsatisfac-
tory answer. We descended into a broad plain, where
thorns and thistles flourished. Lilies of the valley, the
first I had seen, and a great variety of the orchis tribe
grew among them. The gnat and bee orchis were beauti-
fully developed. Hundreds of tiny birds were disturbed
by our approach, and flew out of 'their nests in the low
bushes, chirruping and singing. We gathered wild thyme,
and gladly ate it with the bread which we had brought
from Haifa, for the morning air had sharpened our appe-
tites. Lizards ran over the white rocks, and a hare now
and then darted across our path.
As we rode onward my brother carefully explained to me
the difficulties attending the government of the Jebel Nab-
lus district, which we were then approaching. He said,
" The town of Nablus, the seat of government, contains
about twelve thousand inhabitants. Of these only three
hundred are Christians, fifty are Jews, and nearly two
hundred are Samaritans. The rest are Moslems of the most
fierce and fanatical class.
" In the surrounding mountains there are four great fac-
tions always at enmity with each other. They are, first,
the Abdul Ilady family, whose head-quarters are at Arra-
beh ; and, second, the Jerrars, who possess a fortress at
Senur. They each sprang from the peasantry, and have a
large number of followers in almost every village in the
district. Third. The Tokan tribe, which has great influence
among kindred tribes in the eastern desert. Fourth. The
Rayan^ who are of Bedouin origin, and very powerful ;
they congregate west of Nablus. From one of these great
rival factions, the governor of Nablus is generally chosen,
and duly appointed by the Pasha of Jerusalem.
GOVERNMENT OF NABLUS. 235
" When a governor, for some oflFense, or through inability
to satisfy the rapacity of the efFendis, and other followers
of the pasha, is put out of oflfiee, some member of a rival
faction immediately repairs to head-quarters. With large
sums of money, and presents, he buys the good-will of the
pasha's secretaries and chief councilors, and through their
mediation and influence succeeds to the governorship. As
soon as he is installed in office he uses all means in his
power, just or unjust, to recover with interest the money
which he had dispensed in bribes. He levies impositions
on the poor and unprotected, and plunders with impunity
all who dare not or can not resist his power. It devolves
upon him to appoint the sheikhs of all the villages in the
district. Those who were already in office under his pre-
decessor are allowed to remain if they make sufficient and
appropriate presents to him at the time of his accession.
If they neglect to do this the offices are given to those
who make larger offers.
"This state of affairs has lasted for many years, and
in the year 1851 five hundred people were killed and as
many wounded in a conflict between these rival factions.
The consequence was that a decree was made that none
of either family should ever again fill any important office
in Jebel Nablus. But," continued my brother, " this
decree has been disregarded, and the Abdul Hady family
has succeeded in ingratiating itself with the Government;
Mahmoud Bek Abdul Hady is chief Grovernor of Nablus;
his cousin, Saleh Bek whose brother, Mohammed Bek,
reigns at Arrabeh, the stronghold of the family is Gov-
ernor of H,ifa. On account of the present rebellion of
the people against Mahmoud Bek, the chief Governor,
Kamil Pasha has encamped at Nabliis with a large body
of cavalry, but he is in great difficulty. He is surrounded
by intriguing councilors, who do not scruple to take bribes,
and bind themselves to factions. My mission just now is
simply to watch carefully, and report to Mr. Finn all that
is going on, and to find out, if possible, the real position
23d DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
of affairs, without interfering or taking any part in them.
In this you may be able to help me a little by quietly
observing the state of the towns; for we shall probably be
apart from each other in Arrabeh and Senur. The fact of
your being my fellow-traveler will perhaps induce people
to receive us into their strongholds the more readily and
unsuspectingly."
Thus informed, I felt a greatly-increased interest in the
expedition. We were still riding in the plain, but thorns
and thistles had given place to fields of wheat and barley,
and plowed land. The sun was shining overhead, but
rain was falling on the terraced hills before us, where
olive-groves and blossoming fruit-trees flourished. As we
approached them we felt the heavy drops, and were soon
in the midst of a shower. We rode quickly through it,
and descended into a narrow valley, at the end of which,
on a rocky hill, brightened by a gloam of sunshine, we
could see the town of Arrabeh, with its embattled walls
and towers. After a very diflicult ascent over smooth
slabs of rock and loose stones, like a steep and irregular
stairway, we reached Arrabeh. It was past mid-day, and
rain poured down in torrents as we entered its great iron-
bound, well-guarded gates. This is one of the best-walled
towns in Palestine, but is almost unknown to travelers,
being out of- the usual route. It is not even mentioned in
Murray's Hand-Book, but is marked on his map.
The houses all looked like small castles; they are square,
and with parapets round their flat, terraced roofs. We
went direct to the residence of Mohammed Bek Abdul
Hady, the Governor of the town. His house, like all
Moslem town-houses, was divided into two distinct parts;
the men occupying one part, called the divan, and the
ladies living in the other, which is called the harem. The
ground-floor was occupied by horses and soldiers, and there
our attendants and servants were lodged. We mounted an
uncovered stone staircase, crossed a large court-yard, and
entered the divan a vaulted chamber, with wide, arched
THE HAREM. 237
windows on three sides, commanding views of the valley
and the town-gate. The deep, low window-seats were
cushioned and carpeted. Here no ladies ever appear; I
was told afterward that I was the only woman who had
ever crossed its threshold. We found that the Governor
himself was absent, but we were very courteously received
by his relations; and they said, kissing our hands, "This
house is your house, and we are at your service." They
expressed great surprise to see us on a journey while the
country was so disturbed. They said that every day there
were skirmishes in the neighborhood, and at least one
hundred and fifty people had been killed within a few
days. Flocks were stolen, and camels were constantly
waylaid and robbed of their burdens. A battle had been
fought on the previous day, near to Arrabeh, and many
lives were sacrificed. The sons and nephews of the Grov-
ernor told us about it. They were engaged in the fight.
One boy of about sixteen years of age showed us how he
threw himself on the ground and pretended to be dead,
and thus escaped a death-blow. He exhibited his spear
stained with blood, and his pistols, of which he was very
proud. They were of English manufacture.
The younger sons, about ten and eleven years of age,
were told to conduct me to the harem. They carefully
led me over terraced roofs, through courts, and halls, and
passages, till we reached the female quarter. I was taken
to a large vaulted room, with whitewashed walls and stone
floors, lighted only from the wide-open door; for, as glass
casements are not used, the wooden window-shutters were
closed to keep out the rain. My young guides, Selim
and Said, ran before me, and cried out exultingly, "An
English girl! an English girl! come! see!" I entered,
and in a moment was surrounded by a little crowd of
women, dressed in very brilliant costumes. They were of
various complexions from the dark Abyssinian slave-girls
in crimson and silver, to the olive and bronze-colored Arabs
in violet and gold.
238 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
They pounced upon me as if I were a new toy for
them ; they kissed me one after the other, and stroked
my face. They had never seen a European, and told me
that no daughter of the Franks had ever entered their
town before. They said, "Be welcome, sister from a far
country; this house is yours, and we are your servants."
Then they asked me with whom, and how, and whence I
had come. The ladies wore full, long trowsers, made of
colored silk; short, tight jackets, made of cloth or velvet,
embroidered with gold; and flowers and jewels in their
head-dresses. The servants wore cotton suits, and the
slaves red cloth. They wondered to see my plain, long,
dark riding-dress and hat. I told them that I wished
to change my clothes, as they were wet.
The boys went to order my portmanteau to be brought
to the precincts of the harem, and then two slaves fetched
it. As soon as I had unlocked it, the ladies, servants, and
children, one and all, began examining its contents. In
a minute or two it was actually almost empty. Mantles,
morning and evening-dresses, night-gowns, and collars were
passing from hand to hand; and, as the uses of them were
not known, they were put on in all sorts of fantastic ways.
One of the girls took a little lace-collar, and placed it
tastefully on her forehead. She thought that it was part
of a head-dress. I was very much amused, but was
obliged to put a stop to their mischief by telling them
to put every thing back into the box; they did so directly.
I had already discovered that Arab women are like chil-
dren; they almost always submit immediately to gentle but
unhesitating firmness.
Then I dressed in the same room; for they said that
they had not any other for their use. I fancy it was
because they wished to see all my clothes, and how I put
them on; theirs being so very different from ours. They
told me that I wore too many dresses at the same time.
They wear only a shirt of thin cotton or crape, made high
to the throat, open at the bosom, and with long, wide
SIT HABIBI. 239
sleeves; very full trowsers, drawn in and tied round the
waist and below the knee, but falling in graceful folds
nearly to the ground ; and an open, short jacket, with a
shawl tied round the waist like a sash or girdle. They
kindly sent away my wet garments to be dried at the
oven, and made a comfortable seat of cushions for me
on the floor. One lady made some sweet sherbet of
pomegranates, and handed it to me. A second brought
me coffee in a little china cup without any handle, held
in another one, exactly of the shape and size of a common
egg-cup, made of prettily-embossed and chased silver.
Then Sit Habibi sat by my side smoking a nargihle, and
in answer to my questions she told me that she was the
eldest wife of Mohammed Bek, the Grovernor of Arrabeh,
and she pointed out to me two other ladies who were also
his wives. Then, at my request, she introduced to me the
three wives of Saleh Bek, the Grovernor of Haifa. They
were very much astonished when I told them that I knew
their husband, Saleh Bek, very well, and brought messages
from him. They could not understand it, as they never
had heard of a woman seeing any men except her own
relations. A Moslem lady may not even see her future
husband till the wedding-day. One of the wives asked
me rather suspiciously if Saleh Bek had established a
harem at Haifa. I soon reassured and satisfied them on
that point. They all showed much curiosity respecting
English people. Werdeh, which means rosy, said, "Is
your brother handsome and strong? Is he fair to look
upon ? Are all the people of your country white ?"
And one said, "Why do you travel about without your
women?"
While I was answering these questions I was taking
notice of the room. It was rather low and long, the floor
was nearly concealed by fine matting. On the side oppo-
site to the door a narrow mattress was spread, it was cov-
ered with a strip of soft carpet, like stair-carpeting. Cush-
ions and pillows cased in Oriental silks, placed on the
240 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
mattress, were leaning against the wall, and thus a sort of
low sofa was formed, and on the middle of this I was
seated, surrounded by the ladies. Opposite to us on each
side of the door there were similar seats or divans, where
several women and girls were sitting smoking. At the end
of the room, on my left hand, there were two very large
wooden chests, painted bright red and garnished with brass
locks and hinges of pretty design. Behind them was a
wide, deep, arched recess in the wall, where mattresses and
wadded quilts were piled up one on the other. Mirrors
from Constantinople, in gilt frames, were hanging on each
side of this recess. On my right hand, at the other end
of the room, black slaves and servants sat on a rug, taking
care of some infants and young children who were crying
and quarreling. They were keeping up a continual buzzing
chatter, and every now and then bursting out into little
shrieks and exclamations. The floor of the room was raised
about six inches above the level of the court without, ex-
cept a square space just within the door, where the women
put off their high clogs or shoes before they entered.
Werdeh and Habibi sat by me, stroking my hair and
face caressingly. They wondered that I wore no head-
dress or ornament in my hair. The youngest wife of Saleh
Bek of Haifa, named Helweh, which signifies sweetness,
sat close by the open door in a graceful attitude. She was
only sixteen, and looked so pretty, and bright, and merry,
that I opened my sketch-book and took her portrait.
When the women saw what I was doing, they were very
much astonished, for they had never seen any one draw a
face or any thing else ; indeed, it is contrary to the law of
the Moslem religion to do so. They cried out, " work
of Allah ! There is the face of Helweh ! There are her
eyes looking at us, and there is the coin of gold on her
neck, and her hand holds the narghile. 0, wonderful !"
Then Helweh came shyly to see the drawing, and she asked
me if I drew her because she was the prettiest. I told her
that I should like to draw any one who would sit near to
HELWEH, THE YOUNGEST WIFE. 241
the door, where the sunlight was streaming in. Then the
others took the same seat in turn, and I made two more
sketches, but Helweh was by far the prettiest. She had a
sweet voice, which is rather unusual among Arab women,
and was simple and frank in her manners. She wore yel-
low silk trowsers, ornamented at the sides with black silk
braid. Her yellow pointed slippers were turned up at the
toes. She wore no stockings. Her black velvet jacket was
embroidered beautifully with gold thread, and a purple, red,
and green shawl, twisted round her waist rather low, served
for a girdle. A wide collar of gold coins encircled her
throat, and a little, shallow, red cloth cap was arranged
coquettishly on one side of her well-shaped head. A long
tassel, springing from perforated gold balls, hung from it.
Her hair, intertwined with silk braid, was divided into nine
plaits and fell straight over her shoulders. Little jewels
and pearls were fastened to it. Round her head, over her
red cloth cap, or tarbush, she wore strings of pearls and
coins and diamond and emerald sprays, and little bunches
of red, yellow, and violet everlasting flowers, which grow
wild on the hills in Palestine. She had large, dark eyes.
The eyebrows were painted thickly, and the eyelids edged
with kohl. She had spots of blue dye on her chest and
on her chin, and a blue star tattooed on her forehead. The
women were all thus ornamented, more or less, and they
very much wished to paint and tattoo me in the same way.
I wrote down in my book the names of all the women
and their children and servants in Arabic, and a descrip-
tion of their dresses in English. I found that Helweh was
born at Kefr Kara, and she told me how all the villages
near to it were called. I explained the use of my map, and
how by looking at it I could tell the direction of Senur
and other towns. Then they cried out more and more,
" work of God !" for they had never heard that it was
possible for a woman to learn to read or write. They knew
that men could do so, and their own sons went to a day-
school at the Mosque, where a learned dervish taught them
21
242 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
to intone the Koran and to write a little. But the women
believed that boys possessed some peculiar faculty which
enabled them to study and to understand the mystery of
unspoken words. Even Selim and Said, my little guides,
were surprised, and said, " Mashallah ! the stranger knows
the writing of our language."
At about three o'clock, which they call the ninth hour,
some black women, almost hidden in white sheets, brought
in dinner. The first woman carried a little low wooden
stand, inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. She put it
down on the floor opposite to me. Then another woman
placed on it an old, round, heavy metal tray, engraved with
sentences in Arabic from the Koran. A large towel, em-
broidered with gold thread, was handed to me. After these
preparations I was glad to see something to eat, for I was
very hungry. The tray was soon quite covered with the
following dishes: a small metal dish of fried eggs a
wooden bowl of lebbany, or sour milk a bowl of sweet
cream made of goat's milk a dish of very stiff starch, like
hlanc mange^ sweetened with rose-leaf candy, with almonds
and pistachio nuts chopped up in it a large dish of rice
boiled in butter, with little pieces of fried mutton all over
the top and a plate of walnuts, dried fruits, sugared al-
monds and lemon-peel.
A black slave girl, with short scarlet cloth trowsers and
scarlet jacket, silver necklace, armlets and anklets, stood
by me, holding a silver saucer in her hand, filled with
water, ready for me to drink whenever I wished for it.
There was not a knife nor even a spoon to be seen, and I
could find no plate foT my especial use. I washed my
hands and was invited to take up the food from any of
the dishes, with a piece of a large flat loaf, very much like
leather. They soon perceived that I was not much accus-
tomed to that mode of eating, so they brought me a large
wooden cooking spoon, at which the little ones laughed
heartily. I wished the ladies to eat with me, but they
would not. They allowed Selim and Said to do so, how-
SMOKING PIPES. 243
ever, and they soon twisted their flat loaves into the shape
of spoons, and helped themselves to milk and eggs, but the
meat and rice they took up neatly in their hands. The
ladies stood round all the while, to see that I had every
thing I required.
When I had eaten, the tray was moved into the middle
of the room, and a large metal basin with a perforated
cover was placed before me. On the top of it was a cake
of native soap stamped with a sign commonly called
" Solomon's seal " and as I rubbed my hands with it,
water was poured over them, from a curious silver jug,
something like an old-fashioned cofiee-pot, with a long,
thin, curved spout. One continuous stream ran over my
hands, and disappeared through the cover of the basin.
The embroidered towel was handed to me again, with some
water to rinse my mouth.
The three wives of the Governor and the three wives of
his brother Saleh Bek, with their children, then sat down
on the matted floor round the tray, and dipping their hands
together into the various dishes, they soon finished the sim-
ple meal. Two or three more dishes of rice were brought
in. Each woman rose as soon as she was satisfied, had
water poured over her hands, and washed her mouth.
Afterward strong coff"ee without milk or sugar was passed
round. The servants and slaves then assembled at the
tray, and ate with astonishing speed and voracity, and
quickly all traces of dinner were cleared away.
Chibouques pipes with red earthenware bowls and long
tubes made of cherry-stick or jasmine, with ebony mouth-
pieces were handed to the elderly ladies, and two or three
narghiles to the others, who took them in turn. After
Helweh had smoked for a few minutes, she inclined her
head gracefully, placed one hand on her bosom, touched
her forehead with the pliant tube, and then handed it to
the lady sitting next to her, who happened to be the second
wife of her own husband, Saleh Bek. Thus it was trans-
ferred from one smoker to another, even to the hand-
244 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
maidens, with the words, "May it give you pleasure I"
This ceremonious politeness is strictly observed among the
Moslems, even between the nearest relations. The pre-
scribed forms of greeting in habitual use appear to me to
have the effect of keeping comparative peace and harmony
in the harems.
A very beautiful narghile was prepared especially for me.
It was at least half a yard high. The glass vase or bottle
was clear as crystal, and well cut. It was filled with water,
in which rose-leaves were floating. At the top of the
long -necked vase was a well-chased solid silver bowl, hold-
ing the burning charcoal and Persian tumbac. The pliable
snake-like tube or hose connected with it was covered
with red velvet and bound with gold wire. It was about
four yards long. The mouthpiece was of amber, set with
rubies and turquoise. The smoke passed through the
water, bubbling and disturbing the red-rose leaves, and then
traveled up the long tube. Thus the fragrant fumes of the
tumbac were cooled and purified before they reached my lips.
I observed that there was a little whispering and con-
sultation going on among the women, and then Helweh
came and sat by me and said, "Are you married?" I said,
"No," and they answered, "Why then have you left your
father and mother? are they not kind to you?" I told
them how good they were, and how my mother taught me
to speak and read and write my own language, and the lan-
guages of other people. I tried to make them understand
how English parents educate their children.
Werdeh said, " It is much better to marry and to stay
at home than to travel about the country. The dangers are
great now in this time of war, and the women should stay
at home."
Sit Sara said, " Werdeh has spoken wisely. Why do you
not marry?"
I answered, " Ya sitta, there are no men of my country
here. How can I marry?"
Sara then said, " You speak our language like a stranger,
SONGS OF REJOICING. 245
but you speak it sweetly. An Arab would take you. Why
do you not marry an Arab?"
I replied very much amused "My mother is not here
to find a husband for me. How can I marry?" I thought
that this answer would settle the question at once in their
estimation ; but Sit Sara said, " I will be your mother, and
bring you to a husband. My brother is a Cadi, a great
Judge of Nabliis. He looks for a wife. He has only three.
He will love you because you are white."
I answered, laughingly, "Thank you, my mother! what
preparations must I make, and when must I be ready?"
Sit Sara considered for a moment, and then said, "How
many camels has your father got?"
I replied, " My father has no camels. In my country
there are only three or four living camels kept as curiosi-
ties, in a house in a beautiful garden, with servants to
watch over them and take care of them. We have a few
stuffed camels also, in a large glass house." At this they
all laughed loudly, and cried, "0 most marvelous!"
Sara continued, "Are your father's olive-trees new and
fruitful?" "My father has no olive-trees." At this they
were still more surprised. Sara said, "Your father has
gold. He will give you of his gold, and precious stones,
and a red box, full of clothes and towels, some silk cush-
ions, a red wooden cradle, and much soap. My brother
has great wealth, and he will give camels to your father
for your portion, and gold coins."
I found that they thought that I was in earnest. They
all clapped their hands, and one of the women sang a song
of rejoicing, thus :
Lady Miriam, child of a far-off land
Dwell with us and we shall have joy !
You shall be cherished above all the women
In the house of my brother !
You shall be his queen and his chief delight !
For your face is like the moon,
And your words are precious as pearls !
Lady Miriam, child of a far-off land,
Dwell with us and we shall have joy 1"
246 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
Then all the women rose and stood in a circle, forming
a chain by slipping their hands into each other's girdles.
They first moved slowly and gently round, in a measured
step and to a monotonous tune, which they sang, while
the servants and children, seated on the floor, were beating
time by clapping their hands. They sang thus :
" Let us dance ; let us sing ;
He is looking from the lattice.
He will throw to us showers of silver ;
He will throw to us showers of gold !
Let us dance, let us sing :
Faster, faster ; louder, louder !
Let him hear our mingling voices ;
Let him hear our twinkling footsteps.
Let us dance, let us sing ;
Faster, faster ; louder, louder !
He will throw to us showers of silver ;
He will throw to us showers of gold 1"
They sang this over and over again, and the dance grad-
ually quickened till it became very animated, but the
dancers always kept in step. At last they sat down quite
tired. While they rested I told them how I passed my
time at Haifa, and I tried to give them an idea of my home
in London, and how it was quite possible to live there,
without camels or olive-trees. They asked me if the people
ever danced in England. They were very much shocked
when they heard that men and women danced at the same
time and together.
At sunset little Selim told me my brother wished to speak
to me. He led me to him. He was in the vaulted cham-
ber, with several Effendis and Moslem gentlemen, who
asked me if I did not feel afraid to travel in a country
where the people were fighting and plundering each other.
I said, " I am not afraid, your excellencies, for I have found
that all in this land are kind to the stranger." Then they
said, "May Allah make a straight path for you!"
Supper was brought into the divan for the gentlemen, so
I returned to the harem. It was cheerfully brightened by
little red clay lamps, placed in niches in the walls, and a
large lantern stood on a low stool in the middle of the
EXPLAINING ENGLISH CUSTOMS. 247
room. The women were wondering how I could dare to go
to the men's quarter of the house. I explained to them
that it was the custom in England for men and women to
meet together constantly, and that we walked, or rode, or
drove abroad unvailed. They were exceedingly surprised.
I added, " We are governed by a Sultana, named ' Nassi-
rah,' (Victoria,) a lady so much loved and respected by her
subjects, that when she appears in the streets, or public
places, the people cry aloud for joy, and shout, 'God save
the Sultana!' Then her face is bright with pleasure, and
she looks graciously around, bowing her head to rich and
to poor alike. And on certain days the nobles, and the
learned men and her officers, are allowed to kiss her hand."
They cried, "0 most wonderful!" and Sara said, "Is your
Sultana a girl?" I answered, "No, she is married, but the
Prince, her husband, takes no part in the government." A
sudden light seemed to break in upon them, and I found
that I had unwittingly given them the idea that the women
of England rule and take the lead in every thing, and are
superior to the men. I could not entirely remove this im-
pression, for they said, " Your Sultana could not keep the
scepter in her hand, if she were not stronger and wiser
than the men." One of the women said, "Can your brother,
the Consul, write?" I tried to give them a more favorable
opinion of my countrymen, but I do not think I succeeded
very well, for they still seemed to fancy that women were
their superiors.
Supper was brought for me in the same order as dinner,
except that we had, in addition, a large dish filled with
little green sausages. They were made of minced meat
and rice, rolled up in leaves, dressed in butter. They
were very nice. Asme, a beautiful girl about eight years
of age the eldest daughter of Saleh Bek and Selim, ate
with me. The ladies stood in attendance. I described
how English people sit on chairs, round a high table,
and eat from separate plates, using knives, and forks,
and spoons; and how men and women eat together. They
248 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
cried out, "0, wonderful!" For they had never heard of
a woman eating in the presence of a man not even with
her husband or father.
After supper they talked about the war. They told
me how much they feared for their two eldest sons, who,
though only fifteen or sixteen, went constantly to engage
in the skirmishes in the mountains. These boys had
often been slightly wounded, and every day their mothers
expected to hear of one of them being killed. Then they
sang a song about the Governor, Mohammed Bek, who was
absent from Arrabeh, and they sang thus:
^' May our enemies perish before him ;
May the arm of our prince be strong;
May he be mighty in the battle-field ;
May his enemies perish before him :
That our shepherds may pasture
Their flocks in peace,
And our camels carry
' Their burdens in safety
May our enemies perish before our prince,
Our prince and our protector I
May he return to us with joy,
With great joy, and as a conqueror!
And all the dwellers in the mountains
Shall tremble before him 1"*
Then the black slaves danced, each one standing alone,
a little apart from the others. They moved their arms
above their heads slowly and gracefully, bending the body
forward gradually; then suddenly they raised their heads,
and rose to their extreme hight, with their hands high.
Their limbs seemed very supple and pliant, and I think
they enjoyed dancing very much; but it was not a pretty
or lively dance. They sang about a beautiful Bedawi girl
with teeth like lightning. I sang English songs at their
request, and showed them a few of the measures and
figures of our Western dances. They were most pleased
* Arab songs are very difficult for foreigners to understand. I could make out
little more than the subject and spirit of the above while the women were singing
them. Helweh, at my request, explained the words in simple language, assisted
by signs; and a year afterward, when she was my neighbor at Haifa, she helped
mo to understand them sufficiently to enable mo thus to render them into English.
A MOTHER AND HER INFANT SON. 249
with the Spanish waltz, which I danced slowly, with
imaginary partners. They clapped their hands, beating
time while I sang.
After this I was very tired, and I asked Sit Sara to
let me sleep. She said, "Let us walk out on the terrace.
The rain is over; the stars are shining. Let us walk out,
my daughter ! and the room shall he made ready."
So we strolled on the terrace of the harem with Helweh.
There were red watch-j&res on the hills around. By look-
ing through the round holes in the parapets we could
see people in the streets below us, with servants carrying
lanterns before them. Bright stars shone in the deep-
purple night sky.
I was led across the court into a square room, and intro-
duced to the fourth and youngest wife of the Governor
of Arrabeh. I had not even heard of her before. She
was surrounded by her women and attendants, and was
sitting on a mattress propped up by pillows and cushions,
and partly covered by a silk embroidered lehaff. Her
head-dress was adorned with jewels, and roses, and ever-
lasting flowers; and her violet velvet jacket was richly
embroidered. Her cheeks were highly rouged, and her
eyebrows painted. Her eyelids were newly dressed with
kohl and her hands with henna. She lifted a little swad-
dled figure from under some heavy coverings, and handed
it to me. It was her first-born son; he was seven days
old, and his father had not yet seen him. The mother
had hoped and prepared for the pleasure of placing her
boy in his arms that night, but he had not returned to
Arrabeh. A week is usually allowed to elapse before a
Moslem father sees his new-born child or its mother, and
the eighth day is generally kept as a day of rejoicing and
congratulation. Professional singing women are hired for
the occasion.
Coflfee was made for me, and a narghile prepared ; but I
did not linger long with the young Moslem mother and her
infant son, for the room was so overheated that I could
250 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
scarcely breathe. A large open brazier, filled with glowing
charcoal, stood near the door, and the air and every thing
in the place seemed to be impregnated with an oppressive
odor of musk. Even the coiFee and the fumes of the nar-
ghile were strongly flavored with it. I was very glad to
be in the fresh air again on the starlit terrace.
When we went back into the large room, I found that it
had been nicely swept. In one corner, five mattresses were
placed, one on the top of the other, with a red silk pillow,
and a silk embroidered wadded quilt, lined with calico, ar-
ranged nicely as a bed for me. I rejoiced inwardly, think-
ing that I was to have the room to myself. But very soon
I was undeceived, for seven other beds were spread on the
floor, each formed of a single mattress only, with a quilted
coverlid and pillow. (If a Moslem wishes to pay great
honor to a guest, several mattresses are piled up for him
or her to sleep upon, and these gradations of respect are
curiously observed. Five is rather a high figure, but I
have known my brother to have seven spread for him.)
I found that all the ladies, and children, and servants,
and slaves, were to sleep in the same room with me ! Two
narrow hammocks, each about a yard long, were taken
from a recess, and, fastened to ropes, suspended from iron
rings in the ceiling. The hammocks were oblong frames,
made of the strong stems of palm fronds, with coarse can-
vas stretched over them. To these, two swaddled and
screaming children were securely bound. Ropes, made of
palm-fiber, were fastened to the corners, and united and
plaited together, about one yard above, and then fixed to
strong ropes hanging from the ceiling. The four corner
ropes formed a tent-like frame-work to support a piece of
muslin for a musketo curtain.
When I began to undress, the women watched me with
curiosity, and when I put on my nightgown they were
exceedingly astonished, and exclaimed, " Where are you
going? What are you going to do?" and, "Why is your
dress white?"
EVEND^G PRATER. 251
They made no change in their dress for sleeping, and
there they were, in their bright-colored clothes, ready for
bed in a minute. But they stood round me till I said,
" Good-night !" They all kissed me, wishing me good
dreams. Then I kneeled down, and presently, without
speaking to them again, I got into bed, and turned my face
toward the wall, thinking over the strange day I had spent.
I tried to compose myself for sleep, though I heard the
women whispering together.
When my head had rested for about five minutes on the
soft red silk pillow, I felt a hand stroking my forehead, and
heard a voice saying, very gently, " Ya Habibi !" that is,
" beloved !" But I would not answer directly, as I did
not wish to be roused unnecessarily. I waited for a little
while, and my face was touched again. I felt a kiss on my
forehead, and the voice said, " Miriam, speak to us. Speak,
Miriam, darling !" I could not resist any longer, so I
turned round and saw Helweh, Saleh Bek's prettiest wife,
leaning over me. I said, " What is it, Sweetness ? what
can I do for you?" She answered, "What did you do
just now, when you kneeled down and covered your face
with your hands?" I sat up, and said very solemnly, "I
spoke to God, Helweh!" "What did you say to him?"
said Helweh. I replied, "I wish to sleep. God never
sleeps. I have asked him to watch over me, and that I may
fall asleep, remembering that he never sleeps, and wake up
remembering his presence. I am very weak, God is all-
powerful. I have asked him to strengthen me with his
strength."
By this time all the ladies were sitting round me on
my bed, and the slaves came and stood near. I told
them that I did not know their language well enough
to explain to them all I had thought and said. But,
as I had learned the Lord's Prayer by heart in Arabic,
I repeated it to them, sentence by sentence, slowly. When
I began thus, "Our Father who art in heaven," Helweh
directly said, " You told me that your father was in
262 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
London." I replied, "I have two fathers, Helweh: one
in London, who does not know that I am here, and can
not know till I write and tell him; and a Heavenly
Father, who is with me always who is here now, and
sees and hears us. He is your Father also. He teaches
us to know good from evil if we listen to him and obey
him." For a moment there was perfect silence. They
all looked startled, and as if they felt that they were in
the presence of some unseen power. Then Helweh said,
*' What more did you say?" I continued the Lord's
Prayer; acd when I came to the words, "Give us day
by day our daily bread," they said, "Can not you make
your bread yourself?" The passage, " Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,"
is particularly forcible in the Arabic language, and one
of the elder women, who was rather severe and relentless-
looking, on hearing it said, "Are you obliged to say that
every day?" As if she thought that sometimes it would
be difficult to do so. They said, "Are you a Moslem?"
I answered, "I am not called a Moslem; but I am your
sister, made by the same God, who is the one only God,
the God of all, my Father and your Father." They asked
me if I knew the Koran, and were surprised to hear that
I had read it. They handed a rosary to me, saying, " Do
you know that?" I repeated a few of the most striking
and comprehensive attributes very carefully and slowly.
Then they cried out, " Mashallah " " The English girl is
a true believer;" and the impressionable, sensitive-looking
Abyssinian slave-girls said, with one accord, " She is in-
deed an angel !"
Moslems, both men and women, have the name of " Al-
lah " constantly on their lips; but they do not appear to
realize the presence and power of God, or to be conscious
of spiritual communion with him. Their common greetings
and salutations are touching and beautiful words of prayer
and thanksgiving, varied with poetic ffeeling and Oriental
sentiment, to suit any occasions. But their greetings, after
MOSLEM PRAYERS AND SALUTATIONS. 253
all, seem to me only to express politeness, respect, kindness,
good-will, or affection, as the case may be. Even as the
old English '^ God he with you T' has lost its full signifi-
cance and more, it has even lost its sound,'clipped as it is
into a commonplace '-'good-hyT The Moslem ejaculations
before and after eating, and during the performance of ab-
lutions, though beautiful and appropriate, are now merely
like exclamations of self-congratulation, without reference
to any superior or unseen power. And the regular daily
prayers so scrupulously said by men, though generally
neglected by women, are reduced to ceremonial forms ;
while the words uttered are, in many instances, sublime
and magnificent.
If this my notion be correct, it will explain why these
women were so startled, when, in answer to Helweh's ques-
tion, I said simply and earnestly, " / sj^o/ce to God^ This
took them by surprise, and gave them the idea that I be-
lieved that my words were really heard. Whereas, if I
had ans^rered in commonplace language, such as, " / was
saying my prayers," or " I was at my devotions," probably
they would not have been impressed in the same way;
though they might have wondered that a Franji should
pray at all to their God. One of the women remarked,
that no people, except Moslems, ever prayed to the one
true God.
After talking with them for some time, and answering,
as clearly as I could, their earnest, shrewd, and child-like
questions, I said "good-night" once more. So they kissed
me, and smoothed my pillow. But though I was fatigued
bodily, my mind was so thoroughly roused and interested,
that I could not immediately sleep. I watched the women
resting under bright-colored quilts, with their heads on
low, silken pillows. The lantern on the stool in the middle
of the room lighted up the coins and jewels on their head-
dresses. Now and then, one of the infants cried, and its
mother or a slave rose to quiet it; and it was fed without
being taken from its hammock. The mother stood upright
254 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
while the slave inclined the hammock toward her for a few
minutes. Then there was silence again. The room was
very close and warm, and the faces of some of the sleepers
were flushed. At last I slept also.
When I awoke in the morning I found that all the beds
had been cleared away. Helweh and Sit Sslra stood by
mine, as if they had been watching for me to wake. A
number of boys almost blocked up the doorway, where the
sunlight was streaming in. Servants and slaves were chat-
tering, and piling up the mattresses in the recess. Little
children were quarreling. The boys alone were silent. A
black girl was sitting on the floor, pounding some freshly-
roasted coflee-berries in a marble mortar. Their fragrant
aroma filled the room. I think that the mortar was made
out of an ancient capital. It was beautifully carved, like
Roman work. Another girl was making a kind of porridge
of bread, milk, sugar, and oil, for the children.
When Helweh perceived that I was awake she called out
to the boys to clear the doorway ; and a group of women,
shrouded in white sheets, who had been waiting in the
court outside, entered. They were neighbors, who had been
paying visits of congratulation to the young mother whom
I had seen on the previous night. They had been invited
to come in " to hear the English girl speak to Grod."
My garments were examined with curiosity, and I had
very much more assistance than I required in making my
toilette. When I was dressed Helweh said, " Now, Miriam,
darling, will you speak to God, that the women, our neigh-
bors, may hear?"
So I kneeled down, saying, "God, the one true God, is
the Creator and Father of all; and those who seek him
truly shall surely find him." Then, in a few simple words,
I prayed that he would keep us in continual remembrance
of him. That we might feel his presence; and that he
would write his law in our hearts, and lead us to seek
earnestly to understand and to obey his will concerning us.
That we might be inspired to love him more and more,
THE lord's prayer. 255
with a trustful and reverential love, and live in harmony
with all people.
After a pause I said, "Will you say Amen to that
prayer?" They hesitated, till Helweh exclaimed, "Amin,
Amin!" and then the others echoed it.
Sara said, "Speak yet again, my daughter. Speak about
the hread.'" So I repeated the Lord's Prayer, explaining
it as I understand it sentence by sentence, at their re-
quest. They asked me some very curious and suggestive
questions, and they prayed that I would stay with them
always. But while I was taking coffee, and hot bread and
cream, one of the boys brought me a note from my brother,
to tell me that he would be ready to start in half an hour,
and that I was to go to him in the divan as soon as pos-
sible. So Sara brought me my cloak and habit, which had
been nicely dried and smoothed. With regret I took leave
of my warm-hearted friends of the harem. They said, "Go
in peace," and "Return to us again, Miriam, beloved!"
256 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE.
CHAPTER X.
FROM ARRABEH TO NABLUS.
All the little boys went with me into the divan, where
my brother sat, surrounded by effendis and young men of
the Abdul Hady family. He had dismissed the guide who
had conducted us to Arrabeh, and decided to travel with-
out one. We were safer alone. It might have compro-
mised us to have in our party any one who had been en-
gaged in the late skirmishes, or who belonged to a faction.
It was pouring with rain when we started ; but the sun
shone now^and then, tracing vivid rainbows in the clouds.
The undulating highlands which we traversed reminded me
of the Sussex downs; while beyond them bare rocks and
rugged slopes appeared. Far away on the right, the Med-
iterranean could be seen, between grayish-blue hills. Oc-
casionally we passed quite an English-looking bank of
grass and wild flowers; and wherever the poterium spino-
sum grew, it sheltered the sweetwilliam, the Chinese pink,
and the forget-me-not. We rode over a large, well-culti-
vated plain, and met two horsemen, who courteously ex-
changed salutations with us, and then said, "What is the
news?" and "Whence do you come?"
Rain fell heavily, as we rode on to a steep ridge, which
commanded a view of the fortress of Sen 
