, to escape the plague. The
Maronites, the real inhabitants of these mountains, are strong
people, gifted with a determined will; they cannot be easily brought
under a foreign yoke, but are ready to defend their liberty to the
death among the natural strongholds of their rocky passes. Their
religion resembles that of the Christians, and their priests are
permitted to marry. The women do not wear veils, but I saw few such
handsome countenances among them as I have frequently observed in
the Tyrol.

On the first mountain-range of Lebanon, in the direction of
Caelosyria, many Druses are found, besides a few tribes of
"Mutualis." The former incline to the Christian faith, while the
latter are generally termed "calf-worshippers." They practise their
religion so secretly, that nothing certain is known concerning it;
the general supposition is, however, that they worship their deity
under the form of a calf.

Our way led onwards, for about six miles from Bscharai, through the
beautiful valleys of the Lebanon. Then the smiling nature changed,
and we were again wandering through sterile regions. The heat, too,
became very oppressive; but every thing would have been borne
cheerfully had there not been an invalid among us.

Herr Sattler had felt rather unwell on the previous day; to-day he
grew so much worse that he could not keep his seat in his saddle,
and fell to the ground half insensible. Luckily we found a cistern
not far off, and near it some trees, beneath which we made a bed of
cloaks for our sick friend. A little water mixed with a few drops
of strong vinegar restored him to consciousness. After the lapse of
an hour, the patient was indeed able to resume his journey; but
lassitude, headache, and feverish shiverings still remained, and we
had a ride of many hours before us ere we could reach our resting-
place for the night. From every hill we climbed the ocean could be
seen at so short a distance that we thought an hour's journeying
must bring us there. But each time another mountain thrust itself
between, which it was necessary to climb. So it went on for many
hours, till at length we reached a small valley with a lofty
isolated mass of rock in the midst, crowned by a ruined castle. The
approach to this stronghold was by a flight of stairs cut in the
rock. From this point our journey lay at least over a better road,
between meadows and fruit-trees, to the little town which we reached
at night-fall.