A messenger met them at the entrance of the town with the announcement that they were to put up at the Russian convent. As they rode along the Doctor explained to the boys that the "convents" were more properly hostelries, or hotels for the accommodation of pilgrims on their way to and from the holy places of the country. They are sustained by the churches to which they belong. Those who can afford to pay for their entertainment are expected to do so, the same as at a hotel: but no bill is presented, nor is any payment demanded. Poor pilgrims are received free, but their accommodations are much inferior to those for the traveller with a well-lined purse. The large number of Russians, Greeks, and other Christians annually visiting Palestine renders the maintenance of these convents a necessity.
Our friends found the Russian convent so much like a hotel that they would never have known the difference if they had not been told of it. The lower story of the building served as a stable; the second story was reached by a flight of steps on the outside, which brought them to an open court surrounded by rooms that greatly resembled the cells of a prison. But the rooms were comfortably though plainly furnished, and as the youths were fatigued with their ride, and the other exertions of the day, they had no difficulty in sleeping. There was an hour to spare before supper, and the party went to see the curiosities of the place. Frank said they would take a walk to get up an appetite, to which Fred retorted that he thought the ride was enough to satisfy any reasonable being on that score.
THE TOWER OF RAMLEH (FROM THOMSON'S "THE LAND AND THE BOOK").
The principal sight of Ramleh is the Tower, which is visible for quite a distance, and forms a conspicuous landmark. Its history is not definitely known, but it is supposed to have been originally the tower of a Christian church. The church was destroyed by the Moslems, and the tower left standing, in order that it might serve as the minaret of the mosque erected on the site of the Christian edifice. The Tower is about a hundred feet high altogether, and its summit can be reached by means of steps in the interior. Ivy and other vines give it an appearance of age and neglect, and on the top bushes have sprung up from seeds carried there by the birds.
Doctor Thomson gives a fine view of this structure in "The Land and the Book," and says he was once detained for some time at Ramleh. Nearly every day he ascended to the summit of the Tower, and was enchanted with the view. He wrote as follows in his journal:
"The view from the top of the Tower is inexpressibly grand. The whole plain of Sharon, from the mountains of Judea and Samaria to the sea, and from the foot of Carmel to the sandy deserts of Philistia, lies spread out like an illuminated map. Beautiful as vast, and diversified as beautiful, the eye is fascinated, and the imagination enchanted, especially when the last rays of the setting sun light up the white villages which sit or hang upon the many-shaped declivities of the mountains. What a paradise was here when Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, and sung of 'the roses of Sharon!'"
Our friends ascended the Tower and found that the description was by no means overdrawn. The mountains on one side, the undulating ground at their feet, the plain between them and the waters of the Mediterranean—all were there, and above them spread the clear blue dome of the sky of the East. They lingered till the lengthening shadows told them the sunset was near and it was time to depart.
Descending from the Tower, they were shown some vaults beneath the site of the mosque that once stood here. According to tradition, these vaults were the sepulchres of many Christian martyrs, and there is reason to believe that the underground chambers were formerly much more extensive than at present, many of them having been filled up and abandoned. Various attempts have been made to identify Ramleh with some of the places named in sacred history, but none of them have been successful. Some writers think it was the Arimathea mentioned in the Bible, and the monks claim that the Latin church occupies the site of the house of Joseph of Arimathea. The Arab writers say the town was founded in the eighth century by one of their rulers, and they assert that its name is purely Arabic, and without the slightest trace of any other language. Dr. Bronson suggested that it was hardly worth their while to investigate the origin of Ramleh, and, after looking at the bazaar, and studying the exterior of a few of the principal buildings, they returned to the Russian convent, and prepared for a good rest, with the view of making an early start for Jerusalem in the morning.