Byeways in Palestine Part 20

There were fortunately no roaming Arabs to molest us in this night pa.s.sage across the _Merj ibn 'Amer_.

2. PLAIN OF SHARON TO CAIFFA.

_June_ 1859.

As before, we left the northern extremity of the plain of Sharon, but this time at the eastern and minor village of _Baka_, and thus we missed the ruined town before noticed, but got into the same valley of _'Arah_; and in the great heat of summer, confined between the two ridges of hills, we crept on to the extremity of the valley, and mounted a hill to the village of _Mushmusheh_, opposite to _Umm el Fahh'm_. All the villages in that region are situated on hills, and are of no easy access.

This place enjoys abundance of water springing out of the ground, and at any risk so precious a treasure ought not to be lost; therefore, although the houses were abandoned and the people scattered, they come there stealthily, and as opportunity arises, to do the little service to the ground that it required, and watch its oranges, lemons, and pomegranates, (from the name it would seem that formerly this place was famous for apricots.) As we halted and pitched tents there, one by one some of the people came about us, although they had been preparing to leave for the night, in order to sleep at "Charcoal's Mother," (the village opposite.) They stayed under our protection, and got for us certain supplies from over the way.

Close beside us was a gigantic mulberry tree, around which two very large vines climbed to a great height, and a channel of running water almost surrounded the roots.

I never heard such sweet-toned bells as the flocks about there carried, and which gave out their music near and far at every movement of the goats and sheep.

In the morning we left this very pleasant spot and went on to _Lejjoon_; crossed the Sufsafeh and the other streams with their oleander borders, and enjoyed the magnificent prospects of Hermon, Tabor, and the plain; rested on the hill of _Kaimoon_ under the fine oak-tree of former acquaintance, and at length arrived in Caiffa.

IV. FROM CARMEL SOUTH-EASTWARDS.

_April_ 1859.

The usual way by _'Ain Sa'adeh_, _Beled esh Shaikh_ and _Yajoor_; the woody sides of Carmel diversified in colour at this season of spring; there was the dark green of the bellota oak, the yellow of the abundant broom, the dark red-brown of the sprouting terebinth and the pale green of young-leafed trees of many other kinds. There was, moreover, the fragrance of an occasional pine, and of the hawthorn, (Za'aroor,) which is of stronger scent than in England; and the ground was sprinkled with purple and yellow crocuses; also with anemones of every shade of purple and white, besides the scarlet, which alone are found in Judaea, but there in profusion.

Turning off from the road to Jeneen, I rose upon high ground, and came to _Umm ez Zeenat_, (mother of beauties.) Our people were of opinion that this name did not apply so much to the daughters of the village as to the landscape scenery, for near it we commanded an extensive prospect, including Hermon with its snows one way, and the "great and wide sea" in the opposite quarter.

We lost our way for a time, leaving _Rehhaneeyeh_ on our left, and straying as far as _Daliet er Rohha_; on recovering the right road we arrived at _Cuferain_, (the "double village") and to _Umm el Fahh'm_, marching among silent woods often tangled by neglected growth, and abounding in a variety of unknown trees, besides the Seringa and the oaks with much broader leaves than are ever seen in the south; also, for a long period we had frequent recurring views of snowy Hermon in the N.E.

The considerable village of _'Aneen_ we found almost entirely broken up, by the recent warfare between the partisans of Tokan and 'Abdu'l Hadi.

At length our repeated calls and promises echoing among the apparently forsaken houses, brought out an old man, and he promised to procure a guide to take us within sight of _'Arabeh_, after which several women peered out of their miserable dwellings.

The guide conducted us through large woods on heights and in depths, among fragrant herbs and blossoming trees growing wild, till some time after sunset, when we stopped for the night at a poor village called _Harakat_; we were all tired, but especially the two women of a Christian party going to Jerusalem, who had attached themselves to us all the day for the benefit of our protection.

The ground on which the tent was set up was wet, as there had been some rain at the place that day, and springs of water were running to waste near us; the village people served as guards around us, on being fed at our expense; the pilgrims spread their beds in one direction outside the tent, and the kawwases in the opposite.

By the light of a brilliant morning we marched forwards to _'Arabeh_, which was being besieged by the Turkish government, in force of infantry, cavalry, and artillery.

VIII. BELAD BESHARAH.

This is the mountainous district lying east and south of Tyre, probably the "Galilee of the Gentiles;" bounded on the north by the river _Kasimiyeh_, the ancient Leontes; on the west by the plain of Tyre; on the east by the plain of Hhooleh and of the Upper Jordan; on the south by hills around Safed: the district is very little known to Europeans, and was much less so in 1848.

In that year I entered it from the North, after traversing the Sidon country, crossing the pleasant river with its rose-coloured border of oleander and wild holly-oak at a ford wider than the average breadth of the Jordan.

There we found abundance of n.o.ble trees, and some cottages near them, the vines belonging to which climbed up those trees to a surprising height; and the thickness of the vines exceeded any that I had any where or at any time seen.

In front was the village of _Boorj_, and we mounted into a high table-land commanding prospects of indescribable grandeur, which comprised parts of both Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, the extreme heights of Sannin and Hermon being visible at once.

The day was one of hot shirocco, and there were fires of lime-kilns visible in several directions, this season (late in autumn) being that appropriated to such employment, after all the harvests are gathered in.

There were innumerable villages appearing in every direction. We pa.s.sed _Abasiyeh_ on our right; _Dar Meemas_ and _Izereiriyeh_ distant on the left; _Tura_ on the right; _Dar Kanoon_ we almost entered; _Bidias_ near us on the left; _Dair Thecla_ on our right; _Bursheen_ on the right; _Durtghayer_ on the left; _Arzoon_ further on the left; then we rested under some olive trees, with _Dar esh Shems_ on the right; _Mezra'a_ on the left; _Dar Zibneh_ with a castle on our right.

In the distance appeared the mighty old castle of _Shukeef_ (_Belfort_ of the Crusaders) upon an eminence, with Jebel esh Shaikh, or Hermon, rising majestically behind it.

As we descended into a deep glen between verdant hills, the partridges were clucking in mult.i.tudes, and so unaccustomed to intrusion, that sometimes they came running up towards us; magpies were flying about, and we were told that the glen abounds in wild beasts, which there seemed no reason to doubt. For hours we wound round and round within this cool and refreshing labyrinth of arbutus, bellota or evergreen oak, aspen, clematis, broom, and what looked like the sloe, besides other and unknown vegetation. The bellota was often respectable-sized timber in girth, though of no considerable height; sometimes our path was overshadowed by their branches stretching across, and we had to stoop beneath them. On the sides of the hills were many fires of the charcoal burners.

As evening came on, we could see our lofty green prison walls tipped with the setting sun.

At length the glen seemed to be terminated by a fine round hill, crowned with a village standing across the pa.s.sage. The appearance improved as we drew nearer; inhabitants were not few; large flocks and herds were winding by several ways towards it. The people named it _Khirbet Sellim_, (Sellim in ruin) but how could all this cheerful scene belong to a ruin?

The sun set and we had another hour of the lovely glen to thread by starlight. At last we emerged by a gently inclined plain, which gradually became rougher, and we mounted the steep hill on which _Tibneen_ is built. There we determined to halt for the night, as our cattle were unable to hold on to _Bint el Jebail_.

We pitched on the threshing floor between the village and the castle.

This castle is the citadel of all the Belad Besharah, from the Leontes to Safed, and Ahhmad Bek, its owner, is called by his people "the Shaikh of Shaikhs;" by the Turkish government he is recognised as Kaimakam of the province.

The people were of ill behaviour, and talked about quarantine, but the population of the district are at all times a churlish race, being of the Sheah or 'Ali sect of Moslems; they curse and loathe our Mohammedans, and oppress the spa.r.s.e families of Christians within their reach. They are called the Mutawaleh.

At first they refused to let us have anything, till the governor, on ascertaining who we were, sent us down some lemonade; still we got but few articles of food, and our horses were left without water.

My kawwas Salim was then taken ill from the effect of having slept the preceding night with his head uncovered, and with reluctance our own people put up the small tent that travelled with us, on purpose for them; they always prefer sleeping in open air, only covering the head well with the cloak.

This was Sat.u.r.day night, and we had not an agreeable prospect for a Sabbath rest on the morrow.

The wind was strong all night on that lofty situation, but there was no dew.

In the morning, the people would not supply us with milk, even for the horses, and so it was impossible to stay there; we marched on towards Bint el Jebail, about three hours' distant, a considerable place, which often contests with Tibneen for supremacy in the local government, and where the governor is a distant relative of him at Tibneen.

From the tents, before starting, we could see the following villages in a curved line from S.E. to N:--

Haddata or Haita ez-Zoot.

Bait U'oon.

Berasheet.

Hhooleh.

Shakrah.

And they told us of _El Yehudiyeh_ on the N.W. behind the castle. The Mediterranean in sight [I became better acquainted with Tibneen, and on better relations with the people in after years.]

Pa.s.sed on through a pretty country, like all the Belad Besharah, with numerous villages in sight; excellent beaten roads, and plenty of them; with everywhere the magnificent objects in view of Mount Hermon, and part of the Lebanon, but not always the Mediterranean.

Rested at half-way of our short journey under a large evergreen oak on the summit of a rising ground, with a refreshing breeze blowing; thence descended to a plain where there were about a dozen wells, and people drawing water for large herds of neat cattle. Here our horses got drink.