hen David was driven to this side the river!

Before breakfast I bathed in the Se'eer, among bushes of oleander and the
strong-scented _ghar_--a purple-spiked flower always found adjoining to
or in water-beds. Then read my Arabic Psalms as usual.

Before starting, young 'Ali and his party asked us all for presents, and
got none. We gave answer unanimously that we meant to give presents to
his father when we should see him. Strange how depraved the Arab mind
becomes on this matter of asking for gifts wherever European travellers
are found!--so different from the customs of ancient times, and it is not
found in districts off the common tracks of resort.

Our road lay up the hills, constantly growing more steep and precipitous,
and occasionally winding between large rocks, which were often overgrown
with honeysuckle in full luxuriance. The Arabs scrambled like wild
animals over the rocks, and brought down very long streamers of
honeysuckle, Luwayeh, as they call it, which they wound round and round
the necks of our horses, and generally got piastres for doing so. About
two-thirds of the distance up the ascent we rested, in order to relieve
the animals, or to sketch views, or enjoy the glorious scenery that lay
extended below us--comprising the Dead Sea, the line of the river trees,
Jericho, the woods of Elisha's Fountain, and the hills towards Jerusalem.
The Bedaween have eyes like eagles; and some avouched that they could see
the Mount of Olives, and the minaret upon its summit. They indicated to
us the positions of Es-Salt and of Heshban.

We had now almost attained a botanical region resembling that of the
Jerusalem elevation, instead of the Indian vegetation upon the Jordan
plain; only there was _ret'm_ (the juniper of 1 Kings xix. 4) to be
found, with pods in seed at that season; but we had also our long
accustomed terebinth and arbutus, with honeysuckle and pink
ground-convolvulus. The rocks were variegated with streaks of pink,
purple, orange, and yellow, as at Khatroon, on the Jerusalem road.
Partridges were clucking among the bushes; and the bells on the necks of
our mules lulled us with their sweet chime, as the animals strolled
browsing around in the gay sunshine.

When we moved forward once more, it was along paths of short zigzags
between cliffs, so that our procession was constantly broken into small
pieces. At length we lost sight of the Ghor and the Dead Sea; and after
some time traversing miles