the same, and so there was an
end of this dangerous affair. We climbed from one fragment to
another, and certainly spent more than two hours among the ruins,
without sustaining the slightest injury at the hands of these
people. Of the threatened snakes we saw not a single one.

Ruins, indeed, we found every where in plenty. Whole side-walls,
which appeared to have belonged to private houses, but not to
splendid palaces or temples, stood erect and almost unscathed.
Fragments of pillars lay scattered about in great abundance, but
without capitals, pedestals, or friezes.

It was with a feeling of awe hitherto unknown to me that I trod the
ground where my Redeemer had walked. Every spot, every building
became invested with a double interest. "Perchance," I thought, "I
may be lingering within the very house where Jesus once sojourned."
More than satisfied with my excursion, I returned to our bark.

By three o'clock in the afternoon we were close under the walls of
Joppa. To enter this harbour, partially choked up as it is with
sand, is described as a difficult feat. We were assured that we
should see many wrecks of stranded ships and boats; accordingly I
strained my eyes to the utmost, and could discover nothing. We ran
safely in; and thus ended a little journey in the course of which I
had seen many new and interesting objects, besides gaining some
insight into the mode of life among the sailors. Frequently, when
it fell calm, our Arabs would recline on the ground in a circle,
singing songs of an inconceivably inharmonious and lugubrious
character, while they clapped their hands in cadence, and burst at
intervals into a barking laugh. I could not find any thing very
amusing in this entertainment; on the contrary, it had the effect of
making me feel very melancholy, as displaying these good people in a
very idiotic and degrading light.

The costume of the sailors was simple in the extreme. A shirt
covered them in rather an imperfect manner, and a handkerchief bound
round their heads protected them from a coup de soleil. The captain
was distinguished from the rest only by his turban, which looked
ridiculous enough, surmounting his half-clad form. Their diet
consisted of a single warm meal of pilau or beans, eaten in the
evening. During the day they stayed their appetites with bread.
Their drink was water.

The town of Joppa, extending from the sea-shore to the summit of a
rather considerable and completel