Byeways in Palestine Part 17

He stayed long, and then went to chat with my Arab secretary in his tent, leaving me to eat my supper. He gave orders for a strong guard to be about us for the night, and a party to guide us in the morning on our way to Carmel.

This personage (as he himself told me) had been the civil governor inside of Acre during the English bombardment of 1840; and his brother had first introduced the Egyptians into the country eleven years before that termination of their government.

In 1852 I had arrived at 'Arabeh from Nabloos by a different route, and turned from this place not seawards as now, but inland to Jeneen: whence I again visited it on my return. It seems worth while to give the details of this route.

Starting from Nabloos at half-past ten we pa.s.sed _Zuwatah_ close on our right, and _Bait Uzan_ high up on the left. Here the aqueduct conveying water from the springs under Gerizim to gardens far westwards, was close to the high-road. Arriving at _Sebustieh_ and going on to _Burka_ we quitted the Jeba' road, and turned to _Seeleh_ which lay on our left, and _Fendecomia_ high up on the right, _Jeba'_ being in sight.

Soon after this we turned sharply north-west to _'Ajjeh_, and thence arrived at 'Arabeh in five and a half hours from Nabloos.

After leaving 'Arabeh for Jeneen we got upon a fine plain, namely, that of Dothan. On this, near to another road leading to Kabatiyeh, is a beautiful low hill, upon which stands Dothan, the only building left to represent the ancient name being a cow-shed; however, at the foot of the hill is a s.p.a.ce of bright green sward, whence issues a plentiful stream of sparkling water, and here among some trees is a rude stone building.

This spot is now called _Hafeereh_, but the whole site was anciently Dothan, this name having been given me by one peasant, and Dotan by another.

On my return hither a few days later I found a large herd of cattle, and many a.s.ses going to drink at the spring. Dothan is well known to shepherds now as a place of resort, and must have been so in ancient times. Here then, in the very best part of the fertile country of Ephraim, is the pasture-ground to which Joseph's brethren had removed their flocks from the paternal estate at Shechem, and where they sold their brother to the Arab traders on their way to Egypt. This may help to mark the season of the year at which Joseph was bought and sold. It could only be at the end of the summer that the brethren would need to remove their flocks from exhausted pasture-ground at Shechem to the perennial spring and green watered land at Dothan; this would also be naturally the season for the Ishmaelite caravan to carry produce into Egypt after the harvest was ended. Be it remembered that the articles they were conveying were produce from the district of Gilead--("balm of Gilead" is mentioned later in Scripture)--and it is specially interesting to notice that Jacob's present, sent by his brethren to the unknown ruler in Egypt, consisted of these same best fruits, "Take of the best fruits of the land, balm, honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds."

Dothan is about half an hour distant from 'Arabeh, and therefore six hours or a morning's walk for a peasant from Shechem.

More solemn, however, than the above interesting recollection, was that of the horses and chariots of fire which had encircled the very hill upon which I stood, when Elisha "the man of G.o.d," lived in Dothan, and smote the Syrian army at the foot with blindness, and led them away to Sebustieh, (Samaria,) 2 Kings vi.

After leaving Dothan, at the falling in of this road to Jeneen with that from Kabatieh, stands a broken tower on an eminence above the well _Belameh_, which Dr Schultz has identified with the Belmen, Belmaim, and Balamo of the Book of Judith, (chap. iv. 4; vii. 3; viii. 3.)

To resume--Away early in the morning. Paid the night-guard and sent a present of white loaf bread and some tea to the Bek.

It was promised that we should reach Carmel in nine hours, across an unknown but pretty country in a different direction from Lejjoon and Ta'annuk (Taanach of Judges i. 27,) which I had designed for my route, and towards the sea-coast.

Our guides were gigantic men, beside whom my tall peasant servant Khaleel appeared to disadvantage, and their guns were of a superior description to what one commonly sees in Palestine. The peasantry also were large men with good guns.

First, due west for quarter of an hour towards _Kubrus_, situated upon a hill, but before reaching it, turned sharply northwards, through a rocky defile of ten minutes, when we fell in with a better road which, they said, came also from 'Arabeh, and on towards a fine village named _Yaabad_ in a lovely plain richly cultivated; there were after the earlier crops young plantations of cotton rising, the fields cleared of stones and fenced in by the most regular and orderly of stone d.y.k.es.

Before reaching _Yaabad_, we turned due west, our guides alone being able to judge which of the many footpaths could be the right one.

Reached the poor village _Zebdeh_, then over a green hill with a prospect of the sea. Caesarea visible at a distance, and in the middle distance _Jit_ and _Zeita_. Near us were ruins of a strong place called _Burtaa_, said to have a supply of delicious water. Our journey was all over short evergreens rising from stony ground. So lonely--none in sight but ourselves for hours after hours. "Green is the portion of Paradise"

exclaimed our people.

At _Cuf'r Kara_, a clean mud village in the fragments of columns lying about, we rested beneath some huge fig-trees while the luggage, guarded by some of the escort, jogged forwards; for muleteers never like resting their animals, or at least do not like unpacking them before the end of the day's march; the trouble is too great in reloading them. The riding horses were tied up under the trees, and we got some melons and eggs from the village.

After an hour we remounted and went on steadily north-west. Soon reached _Kaneer_, where was a cistern with wide circular opening of large masonry, bespeaking high antiquity.

Then to _Subariyeh_ on a small rise from a hollow with one palm-tree.

The well was at a distance from the village, and the women was.h.i.+ng there.

One man asked one of them to move away while he filled our matara (leathern bottle.) She said she would not even for Ibrahim Pasha, whereupon he roared out, "One sees that the world is changed, for if you had spoken in that manner to one of Ibrahim's meanest of grooms, he would have burned down your town for you." The matara was then filled.

In another quarter of an hour we were pacing through a wide Riding (as we use the term in the old English Forests for a broad avenue between woods.) This opened into a plain of rich park scenery, with timbered low hills all about, only of course no gra.s.s: in the centre of this stands _Zumareen_, perched on a bold piece of rock. Many of the trees were entirely unknown to us Southerners; some of the evergreens were named to us as Maloch, etc., and there were bushes of Saris with red berries.

Out of this we emerged upon the plain of the sea-coast, at a wretched village bearing the attractive name of _Furadees_ (Paradise.) Here the people were sifting their corn after its thras.h.i.+ng, and we got a boy to refresh us with milk from his flock of goats. Only those experiencing similar circ.u.mstances of hot travelling, can conceive the pleasure of this draught, especially after having had to gallop round the boy, and coax and threaten him to sell the milk for our money.

The way lay due north, hugging to the hills parallel to the sea, but at a distance from it: numerous wadis run inland, and at the mouth of each is a village. The first was _Suameh_, the next _'Ain el Ghazal_, (Gazelles fountain,) wretched like the rest, but in a pretty situation--then _Modzha_, and _Mazaal_, and _'Ain Hhood_, (a prosperous looking place,) and _Teeri_.

The sun set in the blue water, and we were still far from Carmel--our animals could scarcely move: sometimes we dismounted and led them--pa.s.sed the notable ruins of Tantoorah, (Dora of the Bible,) and Athleet on our left--moonlight and fatigue. There was a nearer way from Zumareen, but it would have been hilly and wearisome. After a long while we overtook our muleteers without the baggage, for the Kawwas Salim, they said, had been so cruel to them that they had allowed him to go on with the charge towards Carmel.

At length we climbed up the steep to the convent. Being very late we experienced great difficulty in gaining admission. There was no food allowed to the servants, no barley for the horses, and for a long time no water supplied.

In the morning we found great changes had taken place since 1846. The kind president had gone on to India--the apothecary Fra Angelo was removed to a distance--John-Baptist was at Caiffa and unwell. The whole place bore the appearance of gloom, bigotry, dirtiness, and bad management.

In the afternoon I left the convent, in order to enjoy a perfect Sabbath on the morrow in tents at the foot of the hill, open to the sea breeze of the north, and with a grand panorama stretched out before us.

And a blessed day that was. We were all in need of bodily rest, ourselves, the servants and the cattle--and it was enjoyed to the full--my young friend and I derived blessing and refreshment also from the word of G.o.d. The words, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," seemed to have a reviving significance, as well as those of "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

Such a Sabbath in the Holy Land is true enjoyment.

VII. ESDRAELON PLAIN AND ITS VICINITY.

_May_ 1851.

From Jeneen, (En-gannim, Josh. xxi. 29,) to Acre, _i.e._, towards the north-west, and skirting the great plain under the line of the hills of Samaria,--thus following the western coast of Zebulon to the south of Asher.

The road was enlivened by numerous companies of native people travelling from village to village.

In an hour and a half from Jeneen we were at _Seeleh_, a cheerful and prosperous-looking place; and in three-quarters of an hour more we were abreast of both _Ta'annuk_ and _Salim_, at equal distances of quarter of an hour from the highway; the former on our left hand, and the latter on the right. These places were at that time tolerably well peopled.

Here we gained the first view of Mount Tabor from a westerly direction, and indeed it was curious all along this line to see in unusual aspects the well-remembered sites that lie eastwards or northwards from Jeneen, such as Zera'een (Jezreel,) Jilboon (Gilboa,) Solam (Shunem,) or Fooleh and Afooleh. In fact, we overlooked the tribe or inheritance of Zebulon from Carmel to Tabor.

With respect to the circ.u.mstance of numerous pa.s.sengers, whom we met this morning, it was a pleasant exception to the common experience of that district, where it is often as true now as in the days of Shamgar the son of Anath (see Judges v. 6), that the population fluctuates according to the invasions or retiring of tyrannical strangers. That vast plain affords a tempting camping-ground for remote Arabs to visit in huge swarms coming from the East with their flocks for pasture; and in the ancient times this very site between Ta'annuk and Lejjoon, being the opening southwards, gave access to the Philistines or Egyptians arriving in their chariots from the long plain of Sharon, or a pa.s.sage over this plain to that of the great hosts of Syria under the Ptolemies, with their elephants.

In all ages the poor peasantry here have been the victims of similar incursions, "the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byeways." Yet though chased away from their homes, the populations returned, whenever possible, with pertinacious attachment to their devastated dwellings, and hence we have still the very names of the towns and villages perpetuated by a resident people after a lapse of almost thirty-three hundred years since the allotment made by Joshua, (xiii.-xxi., etc.,) and the names were not then new.

I have myself known villages on the Plain of Esdraelon to be alternately inhabited or abandoned. At one time Fooleh was a heap of ruins, while its neighbour Afooleh had its residents; on my next visit it was Fooleh rebuilt, and the other a heap of overthrown stones, or next time both of them lying in utter silence and desertion. The same with _Mekebleh_, sometimes inhabited, but more frequently a pile of broken-down houses, with some remains of antique sculpture lying on the surface of its hill; and the same occasionally, though not so frequent in vicissitude, with _Iksal_.

From this exposure to invasion of royal armies or of nomad tribes, ("children of the East," Judges vi. 33,) it has always been the case that no towns were built in the central parts of this plain; and even when the kings of Israel had their country residence at Jezreel, that situation was selected because it was nestled close to the hills, and had ravines on two sides of it, serving as fortifying trenches made by nature.

At the present time there are no trees upon that broad expanse, not even olives, to furnish lights for dwelling, either of villages or tents. The wretched people grow castor-oil plants instead for that purpose, sown afresh every year, because these afford no temptation to the hostile Arabs.

That year, however, of 1851, and probably for some time previous, the plain (Merj ibn Amer is its Arabic name,) had been at peace, unmolested by strangers; consequently I saw large crops of wheat there, and fields of barley waving in the breeze. These were mostly the property of a Turkoman tribe, who, like the Kenites of old, reside there in tents, neither building houses nor planting vineyards, though to some extent they sow seed. They have been long upon that ground, but move their tents about, according to the exigencies of pasture for their flocks and herds. I believe, however, that they pay "khooweh" (brotherhood,) _i.e._ tribute and military aid, to the Sukoor Arabs for protection and peace under common circ.u.mstances.

We had frequently to cross small streams issuing from the ranges of hills, along the base of which our road lay; but they accomplished only short courses, for they were soon absorbed into the ground or settled into mora.s.ses, which emitted strong miasma under the influence of the sun. Some petty springs were seen rising from the ground itself, and near each of these were sure to be met some relics of antiquity, such as good squared building stones, or door-posts, or broken olive presses, or fragments of sarcophagi, while the adjacent hills exhibited the hewn lines in the form of steps, remaining from ancient quarrying. The deep alluvium of the plain furnishes no stone whatever for such purposes.

In forty minutes from Ta'annuk, we came to the small mills of _Lejjoon_, (the Roman _Legio_, named from a military station there.) At that time of the year the body of water was not considerable, and there is no village there.

In fifty minutes more we crossed a rivulet named _Menzel el Basha_, (the Pasha's halting-place,) and in twenty minutes more, the _'Ain Kaimoon_ with abundance of water. This is at the foot of a hill which has on its summit the vestiges of the large ancient town _Kaimoon_.

This hill is long, narrow, and curved like a cuc.u.mber, lying at the south-east end of Mount Carmel, and having the Kishon river on its outer or north-eastern side. Here, therefore, we come distinctly upon the western geography of the Zebulon tribe. In Joshua xix. 11, the border of Zebulon is given as reaching "to the river that is before Jokneam." I do not doubt that this river is the Kishon, or that Jokneam is the "Jokneam of Carmel," in chapter xii. 22, which was given to the Levites "out of the tribe of Zebulon, Jokneam with her suburbs," (chap. xxi. 34.) This place, Kaimoon or Yokneam, must have been one of particular value in a military point of view, commanding as it did the pa.s.s of the Kishon valley on one side, and the _Wadi Mel'hh_ on the other. Such a post would be in good hands, when intrusted to the bold and warlike tribe of Levi. In the same way several other defensible posts were committed to their charge all over the country. {230}