unknown to me.

The trees were not of large dimensions, but mostly evergreen and of slow
growth; many were very wide-spreading, and all dense enough to afford
good shelter from either sun or rain.

After six hours and a half of uninterrupted forest we arrived at a small
trickling spring called _'Ain Noom_, when large trees began to give place
to shrubs and underwood, and human inhabitants again cheered the sight,
they bringing cattle to the water for drinking.

At _Bait Jan_ we were overtaken by the missing member of our party. At
this place there is considerable vine cultivation. Very soon afterwards
we were suddenly upon the brow of a deep descent--sheer steep down to the
plain of _Battoof_, and the prospect from that spot was amazing, not only
beyond expectation, for we had not expected any remarkable scene to come
in our way, but beyond all previous experience.

The whole of Lower Galilee, Samaria, and Gilead, was laid like a map at
our feet; and from so great an elevation the Mediterranean and the Sea of
Galilee were brought close together. Among the most conspicuous
geographical points were Tabor, a very small object beneath; then the
line of Carmel; and Ebal in Samaria; there was Hhatteen, the last
battle-field of the Crusaders; King Baldwin's castle of Cocab; the
entrance of the Jordan into the lake, and both the supposed sites of
Capernaum; also Acre with her blue bay, and a small amount of shipping
off Caiffa. Pity that I had no aneroid barometer for ascertaining the
elevation of that site.

The map-like appearance of the wide panorama suggested to memory the song
of Deborah the prophetess, with her recapitulation of the succours
furnished or omitted by the several tribes of Israel at the battle of the
Kishon and Harosheth of the Gentiles. From such a site she would turn to
the left hand for expostulation with Reuben, and to the right for
rebuking Dan and Asher upon the sea-coast, after that the Lord had
defeated the national foe without them, and sold Sisera into the hands of
a woman.

Our descent was by a narrow path of zig-zags, veering alternately towards
Acre or Tiberias, although those towns were soon concealed by intervening
hills; the plain below was a large dark patch of olive plantation.

In an hour and ten minutes of wearisome toil in leading the horses down,
with no possible interval of rest, we came to the village of _Rama_;
having long before lost sight of the Mediterranean.

We to