The giant cities of Bashan; and Syria's holy places (1874) (14776996634)

Identifier: giantcitiesofbas00port (find matches)
Title: The giant cities of Bashan; and Syria's holy places
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Porter, Josias Leslie, 1823-1889. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: London, Edinburgh and New York, T. Nelson and sons
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



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re only a few stonesor heaps of rubbish mark the site of great cities, yet still visiblein crumbling wall and prostrate column, and in those verybrambles that weave a beauteous mantle round the fallenmonuments of mans genius and power. Thorns shall comeup in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses there-of.—They are here. And other evidences of the curse were there too. As weapproached the ruin not a living creature was visible. The airwas still, and the silence of death appeared to reign over glenand mountain. A solitary fox leaped from his den by thegreat gateway as our feet crossed the threshold, and took refugein a neighbouring thicket, but this seemed to be the only tenantalike of temple and forest. So it seemed, and so we thought;yet, before we were fifteen minutes among the ruins, three orfour wild:looking heads were observed peering over a cairn ofstones, and the sunbeams glanced from the barrels of theirlevelled muskets. We went on with our examinations, and the
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ADVENTURE WITH BED A WIN. 41 wild heads and glittering barrels went on increasing. Mah«mood, our Druse guide, fortunately saw them, and stepping outfrom the shade of the portico, where we had left him with thehorses, he hinted that it would be well for us to keep near him,and complete our researches as speedily as possible. We soonmounted, and as we defiled through the forest a score of fierceBedawin, armed with gun and pistol, leaped from their hidingplaces, and lined our path. We were startled, and began tothink that our tour was about to come to a speedy and un-pleasant termination; but Mahmood rode on in silence, notdeigning to turn his head, or direct a single look to these daringoutlaws. We followed in close file, and as I broughjt up therear, I thought it well to give them the customary salutation,Ullah makum, God be with you. Not a man of them re-turned it; and plainly, as if the words had been written ontheir scowling faces, I saw that they were cursing inwardly thestern nec