manded thirty piastres; whereas, if we
had bargained with them at first, they would certainly not have
asked ten. We gave them fifteen piastres, to get rid of them; but
this did not satisfy their greediness; on the contrary, they yelled
and shouted, until the Count's servants threatened to restore peace
and quietness with their sticks. At length the fishermen were so
far brought to their senses that they walked away, scolding and
muttering as they went.

Adjoining the warm springs we found a bathing-house, built in a
round form and covered with a cupola. Here we also met a
considerable number of pilgrims, mostly Greeks and Armenians from
the neighbourhood, who were journeying to Jerusalem. They had
encamped beside the bathing-house. Half of these people were in the
water, where a most animated conversation was going on. We also
wished to enter the building, not for the purpose of bathing, but to
view the beauty and arrangements of the interior, which have been
the subject of many laudatory descriptions; but at the entrance such
a cloud of vapour came rolling towards us that we were unable to
penetrate far. I saw enough, however, to feel convinced, that in
the description of these baths poetry or exaggeration had led many a
pen far beyond the bounds of fact. Neither the exterior of this
building, nor the cursory glance I was enabled to throw into the
interior, excited either my curiosity or my astonishment. Seen from
without, these baths resemble a small-sized house built in a very
mediocre style, and with very slender claims to beauty. The
interior displayed a large quantity of marble,--for instance, in the
floor, the sides of the bath, etc. But marble is not such a rarity
in this country that it can raise this bathing-kiosk into a wonder-
building, or render it worthy of more than a passing glance. I
endeavour to see every thing exactly as it stands before me, and to
describe it in my simple diary without addition or ornament.

At eight o'clock in the evening we returned tired and hungry to our
comfortable quarters, flattering ourselves that we should find the
plain supper we had ordered a few hours before smoking on the
covered table, ready for our arrival. But neither in the hall nor
in the chamber could we find even a table, much less a covered one.
Half dead with exhaustion, we threw ourselves on chairs and benches,
looking forward with impatience to the supper and the welcome rest
that was to follo