hot day?” “From whence have you come, in peace?” “What happy day is this to Safita!” and we answer as fast as we can, and dismount and pitch the tent in front of the church door, in the little plot of ground next to the houses of some of the brethren.  The church is built of cream colored limestone, the same color as the great Burj, and contrasts strongly with the houses of the people.  Did you ever see such houses?  They are hardly high enough to stand up in, and are built of roundish boulders of black trap-rock, without lime, and look as if the least jar would tumble them all down.  Each house has but one room, and here the cattle, goats and donkeys all sleep in the same room.  The people are poorer than any fellaheen (peasants) you ever saw.  There is not a chair or table in the village, unless the Beshoor family have them.  They are the only wealthy people here, and in years past they have oppressed the Protestants in the most cruel manner.  Beshoor had a lawsuit with the people about the land of the village.  It belonged to them, and he wanted it.  So he brought Government horsemen and drove them off their lands and took the crops himself.  They thought they would try a new way to get justice.  The Government officials were all bribed, so there was no hope there.  So they decided to turn Protestants and get aid in that way.  They did not know what the Protestant religion was, but had some idea that it would help them.  Down they went to Tripoli to the missionaries with a list of three hundred persons who wanted to become Angliz or Protestants.  The people sometimes call us Angliz, or English, others call us “Boostrant” or “Brostant,” but the common name is “Injiliyeen” or people of the Enjeel, or Evangel, that is, the Evangelicals.

Dr. Post and your Uncle Samuel came up to Safita to look into the matter.  They found the people grossly ignorant and living like cattle, calling themselves Protestants and knowing nothing of the gospel.  So they sent a teacher and began to teach them.  When the people found that the missionaries did not come to distribute money, some of them went back to the Greeks.  But others said no; this new religion is more than we expected.  The more we hear, the more we like it.  We shall live and die Protestants.  Then Beit Beshoor became alarmed.  They said, if this people get a school, have a teacher, and read the Bible, we cannot oppress them.  They must be kept down in ignorance.  So they began in earnest.  The Protestants were arrested and dragged off to Duraikish to prison.  Women and children were beaten.  Brutal horsemen were quartered on their houses.  That means, that a rough fellow, armed with pistols and a sword came to the house of Abu Asaad, and stayed two weeks.  He made them cook chickens, and bring eggs and bread and everything he wanted every day, and bring barley for his horse.  The poor man had no barley and had to buy, and the Greeks would make him pay double price for it.  When he could get