The land of Israel - 1865 Author:Henry Baker Tristram Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. Departure frotn Beyrout—Scene in a Syrian Post Office—Sea-side Wells— Birds of the Shore—Fording a River in the Dctrk—The Tamyras—Companions and G... more »uides—First Night under Canvas—A Sunday on the Phcenician Shore—Deseription of our Camp and Attendants—Hamoud the Muleteer— The Sycamore-tree of Scripture—Its Fruit—Biblical Allusions—Nebi Yunas—Oeology of the HilU—Sidon—A Moslem Funeral—The Gardens of Sidon and their Birds—The Gourd of Jonah—Phoenician Tombs in the Hills —Limestone and Flint Deposits—Syrian Country Priest—Thunderstorm— Birds of the Bostrenus—American Mission—The Doetor's Shelter in a Storm —Ruins of Sidon—The old Quays—Night under Canvas in a Storm— Swollen Ford—Narrow Escape of Moussa. At length, on November 28th, we started from Beyrout on our southward journey. Our stores had been calculated and examined, and the greater portion forwarded by steamer to Jaffa, to be deposited at Jerusalem for future needs; tents, outfits, culinary and table apparatus had been purchased, horses and mules examined and approved, muleteers, dragoman and servants engaged, and contracts sealed at the British Consulate. With everything paid in advance to Christmas, the golden stream which had unceasingly flowed for a week past, ran dry; and light in heart as in pocket, we charged Hamoud, our chief muleteer, to be jeady by ten A. M., with every mule laden. We had to do with a man who understood his business, and at ten minutes past the hour, he quitted the yard, mounted on his tall ass, behind the last mule. A formidable cavalcade it looked, seven horsemen, ten baggage mules, five asses, and last, but not least, our good watch-dog Beirut. M. and I having seen the cortege depart, lingered behind, to pay a farewell visit to the Consulate, where in friendly keeping my valuab...« less