scorching rays, seem to rejoice in the greatest heat wherein it is possible to exist. This is also the case in Egypt, where no desert is so solitary but reptiles and insects may be observed; proving that the ostrich, and other birds found there, are by no means, as some writers have maintained, at a loss for food. It is more probable that the desert offers to them nourishment they could not easily procure elsewhere. A very interesting volume of natural history might be made, relating only to the inhabitants of the desert: they are much more numerous than is commonly believed: and if to these were added the plants which thrive only in such a situation, with an account of those extraordinary petrifactions found in the African deserts; the various jaspers, and other siliceous concretions abounding in the sandy tract betwen the Red Sea and the Nile, as well as all over Arabia Petræa and Mauritania; the description would be truly marvellous. The enterprise of another Hasselquist is not required for this purpose; because, although much remains to be discovered, naturalists are already possessed of sufficient materials for the undertaking.

After three hours walking our horses, we arrived at a poor village, called Lûbi,* situated upon the brow of a range of hills, which bound the valley before mentioned, toward the south. During our ride, we had suffered apprehensions from the tribes of Arabs under arms, who were occasionly seen descending and scouring the opposite hills, as we crossed the valley. We could plainly discern them, by means of our glasses, reconnoitering us from the summits of those hills. They were described at Lûbi as collected in great force upon Mount Thabor; so that our visit to that mountain became impracticable: the guard whom Djezzar had sent with us would not venture thither. We were therefore compelled to rest satisfied with the view we bad of it from Lûbi. Djezzar's troops had, on the preceding day (Sunday), taken many thousand cattle from the Arabs: therefore, beside their natural predatory disposition, they were at this time actuated by mo tives of the most direful revenge, not only for the loss of their property, but also of many of their friends and relations, who had been captured. The mere sight of an escort from their bitter enemy, Djezzar Pacha would have induced them to put every one of us to death. We had lost somewhat of our strength by deserters from the pilgrims of our caravan, who

Pronounced Looby.

had thought proper to remain at Tiberias, intimidated by the state of the country. Our number, upon arriving at Lûbi, amounting only to thirty-three horsemen these, by the advice of the captain of the guard, we had dispersed as much as possible during the journey; and taught them to skirmish at à distance from each other, that the scouts of the Arab army, upon the heights, might not be able to count our whole force. We were at this time in the midst of a country continually overrun by rebel tribes. The wretched inhabitants of Lûbi pretended to be in hourly expectation of an assault, from which they said nothing but their property had hitherto preserved them. We could not, however, place any confidence in these people, and determined to make our stay with them as short as possible. Mount Thabor seemed to be distant from this place about six miles. Its top was described as a plain of great extent, finely cultivated, and inhabited by numerous Arab tribes. It appears of a conical form, entirely detached from any neighbouring mountain, and stands upon one side of the great plain of Esdraelon. We breakfasted at Lûbi, beneath the shade of some mats covered with weeds, set up against the side of a house; not being perfectly tran quil as to our hosts, who, in a rebel country, evidently brought us food with reluctance, and seemed disposed to quarrel with our guard. Our bread was baked upon heated stones, in boles dug in the ground. The women, who were principally ●ccupied in preparing it, and who occasionally passed us for that purpose, were without veils, and of such unusual beauty, that we saw nothing to compare with them in any other part of the east.

Being therefore compelled to alter the plan of our journey, we returned from Lubi, by the way of Cana, once more to Nazareth; passing through the field of bearded wheat before mentioned, where the disciples of Christ are said to have plucked the ears of corn upon the Sabbath day. It lies nearJy opposite to the village of Turan. We collected specimens of the wheat, in imitation of the other pilgrims of our party, who all seemed eager to bear away the produce of the land, as consecrated relique. It was, in fact, the only wheat now standing, for the harvest of the country was by this time genevally collected.

The next morning, Tuesday, July the seventh, we were re fused camels to carry our luggage, by the people of Nazareth upon the plea that the Arabs would attack us, and seize the

camels, in return for the cattle which Djezzar had taken from them. Asses were at length allowed, and we began our jour ney at seven o'clock. Every one of our party was eager to be the first who should get out of Nazareth; for although we had pitched a tent upon the roof of the house where we passed the night, it had been, as usual, a night of penance, rather than of rest; so infested with vermin was every part of the building. The author, accompanied by a servant, set out on foot, leaving the rest of his companious to follow on horseback. Having inquired of an Arab belonging to Djezzar's guard the shortest road into the plain of Esdraelon, this man, who had lived with Bedouins, and bore all the appearance of belonging to one of their roving tribes, gave false information. In conse quence of this, we entered a defile in the mountains, which sepa rates the plain of Esdraelon from the valley of Nazareth, and found that our party had pursued a different route. Presently messengers, sent by Captain Culverhouse, came to us with this intelligence. The rebel Arabs were then stationed at a vil lage, within two miles distance, in the plain; so that we very narrowly escaped falling into their hands. It seemed almost evident that the Arab, whose false information as to the route had been the original cause of this deviation, intended to mislead, and that he would have joined the rebels as soon as his plan had succeeded. The messengers recommended, as the speediest mode of joining our party, that we should ascend the mountainous ridge which flanks all the plain toward Nazareth, In doing this, we actually encountered some of the scouts belonging to the insurgents; they passed us on horseback, armed with long lances, but offered us no molestation. As soon as we had gained the heights, we beheld our companions collected in a body, at a great distance below in the plain; easily recog nizing our English friends by their umbrellas. After clambering among the rocks, we accomplished a descent toward the spot where they were assembled, and, reaching the plain, found Captain Culverhouse busied in surveying with his glass about three hundred of the rebels, stationed in a village near the mouth of the defile, by which we had previously proceeded. It was at this unlucky moment, while the party were delibera ting whether to advance or to retreat, that the author, unable to restrain the impulse of his feelings, most imprudently punished the Arab who had caused the delay, by striking him. It is impossible to describe the confusion thus occasioned. The Mahometans, to a man, maintained that the infidel who had

lifted his hand against one of the faithful, should atone for the sacrilegious insult by his blood. The Arab, recovered from the shock he had sustained, sought only to gratify his anger by the death of his assailant. Having speedily charged his carbine, although trembling with rage to such a degree that his whole frame appeared agitated, he very deliberately pointed it at the object of his revenge, who escaped assassination by dodging beneath the horses, as often as the muzzle of the piece was directed toward him. Finding himself thus frustrated in his intentions, his fury became ungovernable. His features, livid and convulsed, seemed to denote madness: no longer knowing what he did, he levelled his carbine at the captain of Djezzar's guard, and afterward at his dragoman Signor Bertocino, who, with Captain Culverhouse, and the rest of us, by this time had surrounded him, and endeavored to wrest it from him. The fidelity of the officers of the guard, added to the firmness and intrepidity of Captain Culverhouse and of Signor Bertocino, saved the lives of every Christian then present. Most of our party, destitute of arms, and encumbered by baggage, were wholly unprepared either for attack or defence; and every individual of our Mahometan escort was waiting to assist in a general massacre of all the Englishmen, as soon as the affront offered to a Mahometan had been atoned by the death of the offender. Captain Culverhouse, by a violent effort, succeeded in wresting the loaded carbine from the hands of the infuriate Arab; and Signor Bertocino, in the same instant, with equal intrepidity and presence of mind, galloping among the rest of them, brandishing his drawn sabre over their heads, and threatened to cut down the first person who should betray the slightest symptom of mutiny. The captain of Djezzar's guard then secured the trembling culprit, and it was with the greatest difficulty we could prevent him from putting this man to death. The rest of them, now awed into submission, would gladly have consented to such a sacrifice, upon the condition of our concealing their conduct from Djezzar, when we returned to Acre. These men afterward confessed, that if any blood had been shed, it was their intention to desert, and to have joined the rebel army. A fortunate piece of policy put an end to the whole affair. One of our party, riding off at full speed into the plain, threw his lance into the air, and thus began the game of djirit; the rest soon following, and expressing, by loud shouts, their readiness to restore good will among us. Nothing, however, could conciliate the offended Arab. He continued

riding aloof, and sulky, holding no communication even with his own countrymen and companions; until at length, having advanced to a considerable distance into the plain of Esdraelon, we espied a large camp; this our conductors recognized as consisting of cavalry belonging to Djezzar. We therefore directed our course toward the tents.

east.

As we crossed this immense plain to the camp, we had a fine view of Mount Thabor,* standing quite insular, toward the The Arabs were said to be in great number upon all the hills, but particularly upon or near to that mountain. We found Djezzar's troops encamped about the centre of this vast plain, opposite to some heights where the French were strongly fortified during their last campaign in Syria. The camp contained about three hundred cavalry, having more the appearance of banditti than of any regular troops; and indeed it was from tribes of rovers that they were principally derived. Two days before our arrival, upon Sunday, July the fifth, they fell upon the Arabs who were tending their numerous herds of cattle, seized their property, and killed many of them. They justified themselves, by urging that these Arabs never pay the tribute due to Djezzar, unless it be exacted by force; and upon such emergencies all is confiscated that falls into the hands of the conquering party. Their battles exactly resemble those recorded in Scripture. A powerful prince attacks a number of shepherd kings, and robs them of their possessions; their "flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men servants, and maid servants, and camels and asses In the earliest ages of history, we find such wars described as they happened in the same country, when "Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnrim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in the plain of Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto the plain of Paran, which is by the wilderness." In the battle of July the fifth, after a skirmish, wherein forty Arabs were killed, and many wounded,

*Reland writes this word Tabor; but I have preferred following the orthography of Eusebius (in Onomast.) as cited by him, and of the other Greeks, who wrote aßúg; because this exactly agrees with the name of the mountain as it is now pronounced in the Holy Land. It is somewhat singular, that Reland, who cites Adamnanus (de Locis Sanctis) should have omitted to notice the following passage; because it occurs immediately after the extract he has inserted from that author, in his chapter De TABORE." (Vid. Palæst. Hlust. lib. i. c. 51.) Sed inter hæc et hoc est notandum, quod illius famosi montis nomen, Græcis litteris sic oporteat scribi per et longum, aßug Latinis verò litterulis cum asperatione Thabor, producta & littera. Hujus orthographia vocabuli in libris Græcitatis est inventa." (Vide Mabillon. tom. iv. Actor. Sanctor. Orh. Bencdicti, p. 517. L. Par. 1672.) A philologist in the seventh century, upon a rock in the Hebrides, is a curious circumstance in history; yet this is the fact; for, in this instance, it is evidently the Abbot of Iona, and not Arculfus the French bishop, who makes the observation.