mpared to those made upon embossed maps, but that the whole scene
was vast, savage, and abandoned to sombre desolation--both the hills and
the desert--in every direction.

The atmosphere was too thick and hazy to allow of very distant views.
Neither of the two waters--the Red Sea or the Dead Sea--was visible.

Let those who take pleasure in doing so, doubt that on that peak lies
interred Aaron, the first high priest of Israel, "the saint of the Lord,"
and that there was effected the first personal transfer of the pontifical
office from him to Eleazer his son. Rather let me believe that there my
unworthy footsteps have been placed on the same pieces of rock with the
two venerable brothers who led up the redeemed people from Egypt, "the
house of bondage," and that it was there they parted, leaving Moses to
carry on the task alone.

"Three Hebrew cradles, the Nile-palms under,
Rock'd three sweet babes upon Egypt's plain:
Three desert graves must those dear ones sunder,
Three sorrowful links of a broken chain.
Kadesh and Hor, and Nebo yonder,
Three waymarks now for the pilgrim train." {309}

I seated myself, and wrote a brief letter to a dear relative in England.

Entering the weli, we found near the door a common-looking tomb, with an
Arabic inscription,--which, however, I found too illegible to allow of
its being copied; and over the tomb was spread a pall of silk, striped in
red, green, and white, but much faded. Against a pillar, which supports
the roof, were hung rows of coloured rags and threads of yarn, with
snail-shells and sea-shells strung among them by way of further ornament.
A wooden bowl, at one end of the tomb, was probably intended to receive
alms for the support of the devotee who claims the place, and who
practises the curing of diseases by charms among the wild Arabs.

The floor of the chamber has been handsomely paved with tesselated bits
of coloured marble, much of which still remains. Over the tomb are
suspended some ostrich eggs on a line, as is common in oriental churches;
and near it is a mihrab, or niche in the wall, to indicate the southerly
direction for Moslem prayers.

In a corner of the floor, a flight of steps leads down to a crypt; and,
providing ourselves with a light, we descended thither, in expectation of
finding there the more ancient tomb, believed to be genuine, as it is the
usual practice in Moslem welies to have an imitation tomb on the com