In several places the route was over rocky ridges, where all the earth had been swept or washed away, leaving the ledges entirely bare. Frank observed that the feet of the camels had worn broad holes in the rock; the Doctor recalled to him the proverb hitherto quoted, that a continual dropping will wear away stone, and said the feet of the camels had dropped for hundreds of years in the same places, so that it was no wonder the stones were worn away.
From Jerusalem to Nabulus is a ride of eleven hours; it is customary for travellers to pass the night at Bireh or Ramallah, as the majority of tourists are unwilling to make the entire journey in a single day. But our party had tested its ability to endure fatigue, and determined without hesitation to reach Nabulus before night if possible. It was for this reason that an early start was made, and the halts along the road were few and short.
BY BABEL'S STREAM.
The farewell view of the Holy City was taken from the side of the Hill of Scopus, which was reached by ascending from the Valley of the Kedron. Its domes and minarets stood out clear and distinct under the deep-blue sky of Palestine, and every member of the party was reluctant to turn away his eyes from the place which is sacred in the thoughts of every Christian, and familiar to his ears since he first heard the stories of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of the Saviour of mankind. Frank called to mind the words of the Israelite by Babel's stream: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth."
From the crest of Scopus they looked down upon a broad plain or plateau, where the first view seemed to be one of desolation. Limestone rocks were spread in ridges, one beyond the other, until they appeared to leave but little space for arable land. Close observation showed that between every ridge and its neighbor there was a strip of soil which might be made productive with a little care and industry, and the sides of the hills and valleys were terraced till they sometimes resembled a series of broad steps.
"This land is full of promise," one of the boys remarked.
"Yes," responded the Doctor, "and by cultivation it can be made to answer the scriptural description. The Land of Promise was a land of 'vines, and fig-trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil-olive, and honey,' as we read in the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy.