and sand and
nothing else. A mingling of gorgeous tones: a vast expanse of blue and
yellow; a molten sun burning down upon all by day, at night the infinite
repose of darkness and star-lit skies. How endless were those sandy
wastes, broken only by the wild broom and acacia yielding its gum
arabic, the wild palm and manna-giving tamarisk!

"We traversed the desert in which the Israelites wandered for forty
years, and crossed the Red Sea over the very spot where Pharaoh and his
host were drowned. We ascended Mount Serbal and the cluster of Jebel
Musa, and therefore must have trod the very Sinai of Israel. We stayed
for days at the wonderful convent of St. Catherine, a strange building
to exist in the very centre of the desert, with its massive walls,
gorgeous church and galleries, monkish cells and guest chambers, its
wonderful gardens. We spent much time in the Library, examining its
ancient and singularly interesting MSS. We conversed frequently with the
monks, and wondered why they should be Greek and not Arabian; and
whether, so far removed from the world, temptation and sin and sorrow
still assailed them.

"In the Valley of the Saint we visited the tomb of Sheikh Saleh, the
'great unknown,' where the tribes of the Desert assemble once a year and
hold their races and dances and offer up burnt sacrifices. We looked
upon Hebron, that wonderful sepulchre of the Patriarchs, and passed
through the Valley of Eschol, once so abundant in the fruits of the
earth. We visited the three Pools of Solomon on our way to Bethlehem.
Never can I forget the gorgeous splendour of the scene, the wonderful
undulations of those vine-clad hills. In the vast depression lie the
sleeping pools, square and regular, and sky and atmosphere seem full of
flaming colours, and one realises the true meaning of the glories of the
East. Beyond lies Rachel's tomb, and from the top of a neighbouring hill
one looks down upon Jerusalem the Golden. We feel that we are treading
the holiest ground on earth.

"We went up the Passage of Michmash to Bethel; that dreary and barren
spot where Jacob made him a pillar of stones and dreamed his dream. You
remember his words: 'Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it
not.... This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate
of heaven.' The spot is very desolate; no wonder Jacob feared as he
gazed around.

"We visited Lebanon, and in its grove reposed under the few remaining
cedars, listened to