ut to-day I thank them for their kind severity.

Not having spent more than a few hours on horse-back in the previous
ten years, I found, after riding a few miles, that it required more
than a beautiful horse to make riding comfortable to an inexperienced
rider. But our way led through such a beautiful valley, and on either
hand were mountains so suggestive of Bible narrative that there was
much in the earlier part of the afternoon to divert my attention from
any physical discomfort. Where we were riding there was no
road,--simply bridle-paths, and frequently not even a path.

After we had been riding for an hour a young Arab on camel-back joined
us. I did not like his searching looks from a face almost hidden in his
head-garment. But he stayed with us for a half-hour, and in that time
had raced his camel with our horses; then he suddenly turned from us
toward the near mountains of Gilead. We met a number of caravans in the
earlier part of the afternoon, and I noted that every man that I saw
carried a gun, or some sort of sword, or large knife. They were ready
for defense, if occasion should arise.

About two o'clock we passed a "memorial heap," or cairn. Some tragedy
occurred there, and the custom of the region is that the passer-by
places reverently on the pile of rocks already formed an additional
stone. Elsewhere I had seen this done when it seemed to me the actor
was under the spell of a superstitious fear.

About the middle of the afternoon a soldier, full armed, dashes up to
us in a mad gallop, hands a message to my dragoman, and then as rapidly
rides back again. I am a little alarmed at this until I learn that he
has entrusted a writing to us to be delivered in Jerusalem. A little
later I see another soldier leave the group in which he is riding and
gallop ahead across the open way to the brow of a hill. There he
dismounts, lays down his gun, takes the robe, or blanket, on which he
rode, spreads it upon the ground, faces toward Mecca, and prostrates
himself in prayer. The prayer over, he dashes down to his party and
they are off like the wind.

About four o'clock we passed near a little village, the only place
where I saw a house on that long afternoon ride. It is not safe for any
one to live outside the villages; hence there are no isolated dwellings
in all this region. We did not halt for one moment, but kept pressing
steadily on.

After five o'clock the plain was deserted; we saw from that time
neither