irdle, who
reached out his hand toward me. I was uncertain at first how to
understand it; but his only object was to press my hand to his lips with
a fervent '_salam aleikum_' (Peace be with you,) to which I responded,
according to usual form, '_aleikum salam_,' (with you be peace.) Meeting
with others of his party, they asked us if we were Nesrani,
(Nazarenes--Christians,) and saluted us with the same respect, going
some distance back on their path with us to show us a cool water spring.
'They then went their ways, and we saw them no more;' but I shall not
easily forget the satisfaction which they showed in recognizing us as
fellow believers here in the land of the infidel, and the kindness with
which they went out of their way to offer us a 'cup of cold water in the
name of a disciple.'"

That night they spent on the banks of the river Zab. The next day,
after traversing a wild pass, hemmed in by perpendicular rocks, more
than a thousand feet in hight, they reached the village of Bizeh, in a
valley of the mountains, and secured a house-top for the night:

"About the middle of the night, Mr. Marsh was waked by a slight noise,
and, lifting his head, saw a party of five or six armed men creeping
stealthily toward our roof, which, on the side toward the hill on which
they were, was only four or five feet from the ground. The foremost man
stopped short for a moment at Mr. Marsh's movement, and turning to his
followers, called out 'Khawaja!' (the gentlemen!) Then seeing that our
old guard was asleep at the stepping stone, he climbed upon the roof at
another corner, and stood for a moment with his long gun at his side.
Mr. Marsh raised himself upon his arm, and demanded in Arabic, 'What do
you want?' The man probably did not understand the language: at any
rate, he made no answer, but turned to the old man, and conversed
earnestly with him in a low tone. The other men gathered near them, as
if to listen and take part. But they all finally went away without doing
any mischief."

The next morning the sentinel who had kept watch over their baggage
attempted to dissuade them from going the direct road, as the people of
the next village had heard of their coming, and were determined to kill
them. However, they kept on; and, in the course of two or three hours,
their guide was stopped by a company of six armed men:

"The place was admirably chosen for the purpose. The narrow path along
the cliff by which we had come, here wide