whom gave the customary “Peace be with you!” but once a Syrian Christian saluted me with, “God go with you, O Pilgrim!” For two hours after entering the mountains, there was scarcely a sign of cultivation.  The rock was limestone, or marble, lying in horizontal strata, the broken edges of which rose like terraces to the summits.  These shelves were so covered with wild shrubs—­in some places even with rows of olive trees—–­that to me they had not the least appearance of that desolation so generally ascribed to them.

In a little dell among the hills there is a small ruined mosque, or chapel (I could not decide which), shaded by a group of magnificent terebinth trees.  Several Arabs were resting in its shade, and we hoped to find there the water we were looking for, in order to make breakfast.  But it was not to be found, and we climbed nearly to the summit of the first chain of hills, where in a small olive orchard, there was a cistern, filled by the late rains.  It belonged to two ragged boys, who brought us an earthen vessel of the water, and then asked, “Shall we bring you milk, O Pilgrims!” I assented, and received a small jug of thick buttermilk, not remarkably clean, but very refreshing.  My companion, who had not recovered from his horror at finding that the inhabitants of Ramleh washed themselves in the pool which supplied us and them, refused to touch it.  We made but a short rest, for it was now nearly noon, and there were yet many rough miles between us and Jerusalem.  We crossed the first chain of mountains, rode a short distance over a stony upland, and then descended into a long cultivated valley, running to the eastward.  At the end nearest us appeared the village of Aboo ’l Ghosh (the Father of Lies), which takes its name from a noted Bedouin shekh, who distinguished himself a few years ago by levying contributions on travellers.  He obtained a large sum of money in this way, but as he added murder to robbery, and fell upon Turks as well as Christians, he was finally captured, and is now expiating his offences in some mine on the coast of the Black Sea.

Near the bottom of the village there is a large ruined building, now used as a stable by the inhabitants.  The interior is divided into a nave and two side-aisles by rows of square pillars, from which spring pointed arches.  The door-way is at the side, and is Gothic, with a dash of Saracenic in the ornamental mouldings above it.  The large window at the extremity of the nave is remarkable for having round arches, which circumstance, together with the traces of arabesque painted ornaments on the columns, led me to think it might have been a mosque; but Dr. Robinson, who is now here, considers it a Christian church, of the time of the Crusaders.  The village of Aboo ’l Ghosh is said to be the site of the birth-place of the Prophet Jeremiah, and I can well imagine it to have been the case.  The aspect of the mountain-country to the east and north-east would explain the savage