for those of our party who had prudently taken an easier route round the base of the hill. They presently overtook us, and we were reminded that Amos, the herdsman and prophet, who said, "Shall horses run upon the rock?" dwelt not far from here, and very likely he had often seen them stumbling or stepping cautiously over such hills as this. We rode all together up a narrow winding valley, where wild thyme and heath, and blue, yellow, red, and white salvias, grew abundantly among the gray rocks, which were half-covered with orange-colored lichen. The air was warm and fragrant.
At the head of the valley there was a rounded hill, crowned by a low clump of trees, which sheltered a white tent. The northern and western slopes were green with bearded barley. This lovely patch of cultivated land contrasted strangely with the wild hills around, where there was not any sign of human industry. Mr. Meshullam enjoyed our surprise, and then explained how he had cleared the land and sown it, and made a little garden on the top of the hill. The soil was very rich in quality, but rather thinly spread over the surface of the rock.[1] There were higher hills rising beyond, and sheltering this retreat. We ascended gradually, till we reached the
- ↑ This ground has been greatly improved since, and when I visited it in 1859, I found that Peter, one of Mr. Meshullam's younger sons, a brave and enterprising young man, had, on his return from service in the Crimea, built a little stone house there, and inclosed a large portion of cleared land. He often lived on the hill for weeks together, his only companions being two or three native peasants, and his favorite dog, and a few other domestic animals. He adopted the Bedouin costume, and lived quite like an Arab, except during his occasional visits to Jerusalem and other towns. He has lived from childhood in Palestine, and his physical strength, quickness of action, and foresight have endeared him to the Arabs. He is known and respected by most of the Sheikhs in the district. He has more than once been requested to become the chief of a small tribe. He told me that he would have accepted the office gladly, if he could have done so without becoming a Mohammedan. He was dreaded by the doers of mischief for miles around. He found the neighborhood infested with wild boars, jackals, foxes, and other beasts of prey. He killed a great number, and very often succeeded in shooting hawks and eagles.
When His Royal Highness Prince Alfred was in Palestine, in the Spring of 1859, Mr. Peter Meshullam was one of his most constant companions on the inland journey from Jerusalem to Tiberias, and thence to Hâifa, where the Euryalus was at anchor.
