when, throwing off my slippers at the threshold, and kissing the reputed emerald in the wall, I entered the mosque.

The interior of this building offered little to repay the curiosity of a visitor; its walls were plain, and from the ceiling hung numerous paltry lamps, ostrich eggs, shells, &c. The tomb of Abu-el-Beady is an elevated mass, rising from the floor, spread over with a covering of cloth, ornamented with Arabic inscriptions worked into it. The ceremony enjoined on the visitor is simply to circumambulate the tomb barefooted; to salute the ashes of the saint by kissing the cloth, and placing the forehead on the corners of it, exclaiming at each salutation" Ya, Allah! Ya, Abu-el-Beady!" Though tradition calls this departed being a king of Yemen, and states that he died here on his way to Damascus, the present guardians of his remains were ignorant of any further details of his history. The tomb has the appearance of considerable antiquity; and the Arabic inscriptions seen around it, were too intricately written for me to make out any date, or decypher more than the name of God, and of the saint who lies interred there.

The family residing here in charge of this sanctuary, were remarkable for having (with the single exception of the father only) negro features, a deep black colour, and crisped hair. My own opinion was, that this must have been occasioned by their being born of a negress mother, as such persons are sometimes found among the Arabs, in the relation of wives and concubines; but, while I could entertain no doubt from my own observation, that the present head of the family was a pure Arab of unmixed blood, I was also assured that both the males and females of the present and former generations were all pure Arabs by descent and marriage, and that a negress had never been known, either as a wife or a slave, in the history of the family. It is certainly a very marked peculiarity of the Arabs that inhabit this valley of the Jordan, that they have flatter features, darker skin, and coarser hair than any other tribes; a peculiarity rather attributable, I con

ceive, to the constant and intense heat of that deep region than to

any other cause.

We remained here the whole of the day, and at night slept on the outside of the building, there being no accommodation within, from the females and cattle occupying every inch of the room. As our clothes were still wet, and we had no changes with us, we suffered much from exposure to the cold wind that blew, and passed altogether a most uncomfortable night.

Friday, Feb. 23.—We prepared to depart from Abu-el-Beady before day-light, without even the common enjoyment of a pipe and coffee, which few among the Arabs forego on such occasions. We started with the earliest dawn, and still pursued a course of S. S. E. along the foot of the eastern hills. We had not proceeded far before we met a party of robbers driving home the cattle and the camels that they had stolen during the night. There were others still further on, who called out to those to arrest us, so that we were once more obliged to assume an attitude of defence. As we were yet within reach of assistance, we returned to Abu-elBeady to see if we could procure from the neighbourhood a horseman or two to strengthen our party. Being under the walls of the venerated tomb, by the time the robbers passed it, they did not venture to molest us there, though they were loud and lavish in their abuse of us for daring to travel alone without seeking their protection and paying them for the same, consoling us with the assurance that unless we did so, we should be certain of being plundered before we reached Assalt.

We could procure no assistance or additional escort at Abu-elBeady, and were consequently in great doubt as to what course we should pursue. As we sat smoking and conferring together under the walls, a third party of Arabs passed by on foot, and these sent two of their number to us to examine and report. From these we learnt that the two first parties which had gone by were outlaws or outcasts of the tribe of Beni-Szakker, who Occupy the

Desert to the east of the Dead Sea; and that those who now addressed us were of the tribe of Beni Abad, who were on friendly terms with the people of Assalt, and derived their chief supplies from the market of that town. Even these, however, had been on a plundering excursion, and had carried off some goats and kids from the camps through which we had passed on the preceding day. We succeeded, after some negotiation, in obtaining two of these Arabs to accompany us as guides, and as a security also against our being molested by any of their own tribe in our way, while we counted on their forming some addition to our strength in the event of our meeting with any of the Beni Szakker, who were likely to plunder us if we crossed their way. The pledge of fidelity was mutually exchanged between us by our eating and drinking together; and the sum agreed to be paid to each of the men that accompanied us was three piastres only. Their companions continued their way in charge of their plunder of the night, and we set out from Abu-el-Beady a second time, about nine o'clock, with our new companions, going now about southeast inclining easterly.

In the coure of our way we noticed several artificial mounds, which had the appearance of ancient tumuli, and many hewn grottos in the rocky cliffs on our left; these were originally perhaps excavated tombs, and may have been subsequently used as retreats for anchorites, of whom these solitudes are known to have been once the favourite region.

In about an hour after quitting Abu-el-Beady, we turned up to the eastward to ascend the hills, passing at the same time by the remains of a double aqueduct, with many vestiges of former buildings strewed around, and a small square chamber in the cliff above. There was also a singularly formed passage through a rock here, resembling a natural arch, under which we passed; the name given to this was Makhrook.

About a league further on, going now in an easterly direction, we came to the stream of the Zerkah, which I had crossed before,

much further to the eastward, on my journey from Jerusalem to Jerash; from which I could discover that it discharged itself into the Jordan much farther to the southward than is represented in the maps. We observed at this place an artificial canal of nearly a mile in length, for carrying the waters of the Zerkah to the ruined aqueduct described. The main stream itself was narrower here than we had found it farther to the east; but, on the other hand, it was deeper and more rapid in its course. At the spot where we forded it, there were appearances of walls and buildings on its banks, now half-hidden by tall reeds from twelve to fifteen feet in height, oleanders, and other trees and shrubs. On both sides of the stream were seen patches of partial cultivation; the corn on its banks being now green.

From this ford of Zerkah we went up a steep ascent on the south, over a hill called Arkoob Massaloobeah; this hill forming the southern, and Jebel Adjeloon the northern boundary of the

stream.

While we were ascending the hill, our new Arab guides discovered a fray in the plain, between their companions, whom they had left in charge of their spoils, and the owners of the stolen cattle, who had pursued the robbers and overtaken them. Nothing could surpass the ardour and animation with which these men rushed instantly down to the assistance of their fellows. Both Georgis and myself were off our guard at this moment, so that the Arabs, taking advantage of this circumstance, rushed on us, seized our muskets, and ran violently down the hill. I alighted from my horse to pursue the man who had taken mine, and after a hard struggle recovered it, though Georgis, making no effort, suffered his to be carried off without resistance. The Arabs had thrown aside their upper garments to be light for the chase, and my companion taking possession of these as some compensation for the loss of his musket, we pursued our way, not even staying to see the result of the contest, as we were anxious to reach Assalt before the night closed in.

We were nearly two hours in getting up this steep hill, though it was of inconsiderable height. When we reached its summit, we could perceive from thence the mountains of Jerash to the N.N.E. of us, with two ruined villages to the eastward, called Hharatein; and a little further on were pointed out, to the northward of east, the positions of Sihhan and Ullan, two ruined buildings that I had before passed on my way from Jerusalem to Jerash.

On the summit of Jebel Arkoob Massaloobeeah, we found a level plain extending to the southward and eastward, having a fine light red soil, with turf and thistles, besides a number of oak trees scattered over its surface. The unexpected appearance of such a plain on this high level was an agreeable contrast to the low and barren ground that we had just left, particularly as this elevated tract bore every mark of having once enjoyed, and being still capable of maintaining, the highest degree of fertility.

We found on this fine plain the remains of some apparently very ancient place, the traces of which were but barely visible. They were unquestionably, however, the remains of a town of some consequence; for, besides the vestiges of walls, marks of foundations, and lines of enclosures in the land, there were several fragments of stone columns scattered around. The shafts of these were perfectly plain, and composed of circular pieces placed one above the other; the capitals were rude square masses, in some instances detached from, and in others formed out of, the same block as the upper part of the shaft; there were no traces of sculpture on any of the blocks, either as mouldings or flutings: all was plain and rude, and bore the marks of the highest antiquity.

The spot is called by the Arabs, Massaera, and Mashaera; and as its position corresponds with that assigned to the ancient city of Machaerus, there can be little doubt but that the remains are those of the city of that name.

After passing over this plain about a mile to the south-east, we began to ascend another range of hills, the base of which lay on this high level tract, and which was called Jebel Assalt. On the brow of

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