this was a ford to the eastern bank. The river has many interruptions certainly, but yet in two days’ ride we had seen a good deal of smooth water for boating. At half-past one was reached the village of Abadîyeh.
Near the village we saw people cutting twigs of tamarisk and willow. At the village were large plantations of the kitchen vegetable, Bamia, which is a hibiscus, (called ochra in the West Indies,) the plants four feet high, with bright yellow blossom. Near the regular houses were suburb huts made of reeds. This is often seen along the Ghôr; they are tenanted by wanderers at certain seasons of the year.
There was a profusion of good wheat straw lying wasting upon the ground; it is here too plentiful to be cared for.
We saw afterwards a low wall of masonry entirely crossing the Jordan, but having now a broken aperture in the middle. In former times these artificial works were common, and served to irrigate the lands on each side. The river was never used for navigation.
At two o’clock we reached one well-known rendezvous, the old broken bridge, popularly called “Mother of Arches.” The ford was now low in water. Here we rested under a neb’k tree; and on getting out the luncheon, discovered that all our stores of bread, coffee, sugar, and arrow-root had been soaked by the splashing of streams and fords that we had this day encountered.
The horseman fell again to his prayers. Several Arabs from the Hauran with their camels, crossed the Jordan while we were there.
Another hour took us to the baths of Tiberias; the heat very great, and by our roadside there was a whole mountain with its dry yellow grass and weeds on fire.
Near the south end of the lake are some palms growing wild. We dismounted at a quarter to four.
* * * * *
Next day I ascended the hills to Safed, a well-known station. The place is exceedingly healthy, enjoying the purest mountain air, as is evinced by the healthy complexion of the numerous Jews residing there; and the landscape views are both extensive and beautiful.