more surprised at finding these
plants here, as I had found it uniformly stated that animal and
vegetable life was wholly extinct on the shores of the Dead Sea.

Five cities, of which not a trace now remains, once lay in the plain
now filled by this sea--their names were Sodom, Gomorrah, Adama,
Zeboin, and Zona. A feeling of painful emotion, mingled with awe,
took possession of my soul as I thought of the past, and saw how the
works of proud and mighty nations had vanished away, leaving behind
them only a name and a memory. It was a relief to me when we
prepared, after an hour's rest, to quit this scene of dreary
desolation.

For about an hour and a half we rode through an enormous waste
covered with trailing weeds, towards the verdant banks of the
Jordan, which are known from a distance by the beautiful blooming
green of the meadows that surround it. We halted in the so-called
"Jordan-vale," where our Saviour was baptised by St. John.

The water of the Jordan is of a dingy clay-colour; its course is
very rapid. The breadth of this stream can scarcely exceed twenty-
five feet, but its depth is said to be considerable. The moment our
Arab companions reached the bank, they flung themselves, heated as
they were, into the river. Most of the gentlemen followed their
example, but less precipitately. I was fain to be content with
washing my face, hands, and feet. We all drank to our hearts'
content, for it was long since we had obtained water so cool and
fresh. I filled several tin bottles, which I had brought with me
for this purpose from Jerusalem, with water from the Jordan, and had
them soldered down on my return to the Holy City. This is the only
method with which I am acquainted for conveying water to the
farthest countries without its turning putrid.

We halted for a few hours beneath the shady trees, and then pursued
our journey across the plain. Suddenly a disturbance arose among
our Arab protectors; they spoke very anxiously with one another, and
continually pointed to some distant object. On inquiring the reason
why they were so disturbed, we were told that they saw robbers. We
strained our eyes in vain; even with the help of good spy-glasses we
could discover nothing, and already began to suspect our escort of
having cried "wolf" without reason, or merely to convince us that we
had not taken them with us for nothing. But in about a quarter of
an hour we could dimly discern figures emerging, one b