their admiration of the gallant Englishmen who entered the Desert subsequently and captured four of the murderers. There is one vice, at least, common amongst the inhabitants of the British Isles, which amongst the children of the Desert is unknown. Water, milk, or coffee are their only drinks, and as Mahomedans they are free from that temptation which amongst nominal Christians has brought ruin and misery into many a home; and amongst the aborigines of America and other countries has carried off whole tribes when they have come in contact with the "white man." There can be no question regarding the wisdom of the prohibition of intoxicating drinks in the case of the Arabs. Amongst a people whose food is so scanty, and who live under a sub-tropical sun, alcoholic drinks would have been utterly destructive had they been indulged in. The Arab's simple diet is his best safeguard against disease, and when ill the herbs of the Desert are generally sufficient for medicinal purposes. There are, in truth, many qualities in him to admire; such as his abstemiousness, power of endurance under fatigue, fidelity to a stranger when under contract, natural politeness of manner, and (perhaps to a small degree) capability of pereonal attachment. If he is fond of money, and in doing right looks for pecuniary reward, he is not different in this respect from people of more civilised countries.
Ruins of Lebrusch.—On returning one evening from an excursion up the mountains bounding the Wâdy el Hessi, Mr. Hart announced the discovery of "an ancient city," or something of that kind; and, at his request, we all determined to visit it on the following day. The position of these remarkable ruins is several hundred feet higher up the mountain side than those described by Canon Tristram, and about a mile from them on the south side of the valley. It was a lonely and wild spot, the haunt of the ibex,[1] which we reached after a stiff climb. The ruins consist of a series of circular enclosures of rough stone (stone circles), running along the edge of a limestone terrace for a distance of 300 yards, and accompanied by a rude wall, behind which the rocks formed a low ridge. Towards the southern end the enclosures take the form of a rampart of stone work, extending about 400 yards, and at the end of the hill it turns up towards the crest of the ridge for 200 yards further, so as to form a wall protecting the interior.[2]
