.

At first we took the common road northwards, and ascending the hill above
_Burka_, from the summit had a glorious prospect of the sea on one side,
and of the populous village country, well cultivated, stretched before
us; we left the common road to _Sanoor_ and _Jeneen_, turning aside under
_Seeleh_, a double village nearest to us, with _Atara_ further west.

The muleteers had preceded us during our survey of Sebustieh, on the way
to 'Arabeh, and we could see nothing of them before us--the road was
unknown to us, and no population could be seen, all keeping out of sight
of us and of each other on account of the alarm of cholera then raging in
the country.

At Nabloos that morning, two hours before noon, we had been told of
twenty having been already buried that day, and we saw some funerals
taking place. At Sebustieh, the people had refused for any money to be
our guides; one youth said, "he was afraid of the death that there was in
the world."

So my companion and I, with a kawwas, paced on till arriving near sunset
at a deserted village standing on a precipice which rose above a
tolerably high hill, and which from a distance we had been incorrectly
told was 'Arabeh; at that distance it had not the appearance of being
depopulated, as we found it to be on reaching it. Numerous villages were
in view, but no people visible to tell us their names. The district was
utterly unknown to maps, as it lies out of the common travellers' route.
This village, we afterwards learned, is _Rami_, and antique stones and
wells are found there. Though our horses were much fatigued, it was
necessary to go on in search of our people and property, for the sun was
falling rapidly.

Observing a good looking village far before us to the N.W., and a path
leading in that direction, we followed it through a wood of low shrubs,
and arrived at the village, a place strong by nature for military
defence, and its name is _Cuf'r Ra'i_. There was a view of the sea and
the sun setting grandly into it.

For high pay, we obtained a youth to guide us to 'Arabeh; shouldering his
gun, he preceded us. "Do you know," said he, "why we are called Cuf'r
Ra'i?--It is because the word Cuf'r means blaspheming infidels, and so we
are--we care for nothing." Of course, his derivation was grammatically
wrong; for the word, which is common enough out of the Jerusalem district
and the south, is the Hebrew word for a village, still traditionally in
use, and t