nd great was our just wrath on
finding ourselves every few minutes in augmented trouble in utter
darkness; for there was no moon, and the stars were hid by clouds. The
horses' feet were sometimes caught between close-wedged rocks, so that we
had to lift them out with our hands, and our boots were with difficulty
extricated from the same catch-traps; nevertheless the traitor trudged on
nimbly a-head of us, heedless of our embarrassments. Had he not led us
up to Rama at the beginning we should have kept upon a pleasant,
well-beaten road on the level of the general plain.

At length by our own efforts we got down to this highway, and trudged on
at a good pace, the guide still trotting on in advance, out of reach of
our hands, fearful of consequences, until we reached _Mejdal Croom_, (or
_Migdol_, or Tower of the Vineyards in Hebrew,) where he swore that Yerka
was still three hours before us, and that he was exhausted with fatigue.
As we were so in reality, we halted, and with great trouble obtained a
room in the village for the night.

In the morning it was discovered that Yerka was only half-an-hour in
advance, but the mischievous fellow was already gone back to where we had
unfortunately picked him up.

In the house of our lodging I was amused by seeing rude paintings upon
the white-washed walls, rather good for native Palestine artists of the
nineteenth century. The principal object was a three-masted ship,
actually containing what were intended for human figures; (perhaps it was
a Christian, not a Mohammedan house.) On the masts were very large flags
of no special nationality, but one of them in exactly the opposite
direction from the others. The three men, (constructed of lines for
limbs and a dot for the head,) looking through telescopes, were taking
observations in different quarters; but perhaps this may be allowed--two
men formed the crew. There were no sails, and the mainmast had one
yard-arm, the rest had none. Up in the air, near the ship's masts, were
two Arabs on horseback carrying spears; the whole tableau was coloured,
as such works in the East always are, of a uniform dull red.

_N.B._--We were within sight of the sea and the fortress of Acre.

* * * * *

The three previous chapters, and this one at its commencement, relate in
no inconsiderable proportion to woods, glens, and glades included in
proper forest scenery; but inasmuch as travellers in Palestine,
desc