n Saviour met the disciples, and where we find a ruin of a
Christian church in a tolerable state of preservation. The building
is now used as a stable. Some years ago this was the haunt of a
famous robber, who was scheikh of the place, and let no Frank pass
before he had paid whatever tribute he chose to demand. Since the
accession of Mehemet Ali these exactions have ceased both here and
in Jerusalem, where money was demanded of the stranger for admission
into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other sacred places. Even
highway robberies, which were once on a time of daily occurrence
among these mountains, are now rarely heard of.

We took possession of the entrance-hall of a mosque, near which a
delicious spring sparkled forth from a grotto. Seldom has any thing
strengthened and refreshed me so much as the water of this spring.
I recovered completely from my indisposition, and was able to enjoy
the beautiful evening.

As soon as the scheikh of the village heard that a party of Franks
had arrived, he despatched four or five dishes of provisions to us.
Of all these preparations we could only eat one--the butter-milk.
The other dishes, a mixture of honey, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs,
onions, oil, olives, etc., we generously bestowed upon the dragoman
and the muker, who caused them quickly to disappear. An hour
afterwards the scheikh came in person to pay his respects. We
reclined on the steps of the hall; and while the men smoked and
drank coffee, a conversation of a very uninteresting kind was kept
up, the dragoman acting as interpreter. At length the scheikh
seemed seized with the idea that we might possibly be tired with our
journey. He took his leave, and offered unasked to send us two men
as sentries, which he did. Thus we could go to rest in perfect
safety under the open sky in the midst of a Turkish village.

But before we retired to rest, my companion was seized with the
rather original idea that we should pursue our journey at midnight.
He asked me, indeed, if I was afraid, but at the same time observed,
that it would be much safer for us to act upon his suggestion, as no
one would suspect our departure by such a dangerous road at
midnight. I certainly felt a little afraid, but my pride would not
allow me to confess the truth; so our people received the order to
be prepared to set out at midnight.

Thus we four persons, alone and totally unarmed, travelled at
midnight through the wildest and mos