contributions raised among her credulous admirers and
followers, she erected two spacious stone buildings,
which soon became filled with proselytes of both sexes.
The patriarch of Lebanon was named the director of this
establishment, and for twenty years Hendia reigned with
unbounded sway over the little community--performing
miracles, uttering prophecies, and giving other tokens
of being in the performance of a divine mission; and
though it was remarked that many deaths yearly occurred
among the nuns, the circumstance was generally
attributed to disease incident to the insalubrity of the
situation. At last, chance brought to light the cause of
this very great mortality, and disclosed all the secret
horrors which had so long remained covered by the veil
of mystery in this abode of monastic abominations. A
traveller, on his way from Damascus to the coast,
happened to arrive one fine summer night at a late hour
before the convent gates, which he found closed, and not
wishing to disturb its inmates, who had apparently
retired to rest, he spread his travelling rug under some
neighbouring trees, and laid himself down to sleep. His
slumbers were, however, shortly disturbed by a number of
persons, who, issuing from the convent, appeared to be
clandestinely bearing away what seemed to be a heavy
bundle. Prompted by curiosity, he cautiously followed
the party, who, after going a short distance, deposited
their burden, and commenced digging a deep hole, into
which having placed and covered with earth what was
evidently a dead body, they immediately took their
departure. Astonished, and rather dismayed, at an
occurrence of so mysterious a nature, the traveller lost
no time in mounting his mule, and on arriving at Beyrout
made known the extraordinary occurrence to which he had
been witness the night before. This account reached the
ears of a merchant who happened to have two daughters
undergoing their noviciate at El Kourket, and reports
had lately reached him of the illness of one of his
children; this, together with the numerous deaths which
had lately taken place at the convent, coupled with the
traveller's narrative, excited in his mind the most
serious apprehensions. He gave information on the
subject, and laid a complaint before the Grand Prince at
Dahr-e