-ground to which Joseph's brethren had removed
their flocks from the paternal estate at Shechem, and where they sold
their brother to the Arab traders on their way to Egypt. This may help
to mark the season of the year at which Joseph was bought and sold. It
could only be at the end of the summer that the brethren would need to
remove their flocks from exhausted pasture-ground at Shechem to the
perennial spring and green watered land at Dothan; this would also be
naturally the season for the Ishmaelite caravan to carry produce into
Egypt after the harvest was ended. Be it remembered that the articles
they were conveying were produce from the district of Gilead--("balm of
Gilead" is mentioned later in Scripture)--and it is specially interesting
to notice that Jacob's present, sent by his brethren to the unknown ruler
in Egypt, consisted of these same best fruits, "Take of the best fruits
of the land, balm, honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds."

Dothan is about half an hour distant from 'Arabeh, and therefore six
hours or a morning's walk for a peasant from Shechem.

More solemn, however, than the above interesting recollection, was that
of the horses and chariots of fire which had encircled the very hill upon
which I stood, when Elisha "the man of God," lived in Dothan, and smote
the Syrian army at the foot with blindness, and led them away to
Sebustieh, (Samaria,) 2 Kings vi.

After leaving Dothan, at the falling in of this road to Jeneen with that
from Kabatieh, stands a broken tower on an eminence above the well
_Belameh_, which Dr Schultz has identified with the Belmen, Belmaim, and
Balamo of the Book of Judith, (chap. iv. 4; vii. 3; viii. 3.)

* * * * *

To resume--Away early in the morning. Paid the night-guard and sent a
present of white loaf bread and some tea to the Bek.

It was promised that we should reach Carmel in nine hours, across an
unknown but pretty country in a different direction from Lejjoon and
Ta'annuk (Taanach of Judges i. 27,) which I had designed for my route,
and towards the sea-coast.

Our guides were gigantic men, beside whom my tall peasant servant Khaleel
appeared to disadvantage, and their guns were of a superior description
to what one commonly sees in Palestine. The peasantry also were large
men with good guns.

First, due west for quarter of an hour towards _Kubrus_, situated upon a
hill, but before reaching it, turned sharply northward