■■ ■:<■'■'■■■'■■ ■ Wmsmm mmsm mwm mm iUmnauii mm mm Hi HI UiRflMU Tffl i fa* HUhR I HBte JIhh [mm Hi m. 1HH1 Era ffiffl ■ KKn awn TH ' , V s ', "^ $ A * r\ o j v :^^ -s A-' ri- /, ^ ■y- , - ■tf <*. ^ '%, aN o^ 0^ *, ^ V CV C- V U ^ ■$ ">>. # % - : & <"> y „ _ . ■» .C-i ' *■<* ?•• C' V % V *Kt • ^. 9 / X "> "$> ^ «/> \\ All, .** ^ ^ ■^ o x <•> - \L^ <•- A' ^> •V s '"^ ^ >, \ *j. ^ i-4> ^ A X > \° ">• v V OCT <^ - \ v \ v \y .. V ^ Kr, ' ^ ■ ^ X •*, V- ^ -\ X y • v ■\ -7*^ -^ V ^ X £©, ■\ x •■>, > % .^ THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND THREE VASSAR GIRLS SERIES. BY ELIZABETH W. CHAMPNEY. THREE VASSAR GIRLS ABROAD. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN ENGLAND. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SOUTH AMERICA. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN ITALY. THREE VASSAR GIRLS ON THE RHINE. THREE VASSAR GIRLS AT HOME. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN FRANCE. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN RUSSIA AND TURKEY. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE TYROL. THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. ESTES AND LAURIAT, Publishers, BOSTON, MASS. Three Vassar Girls in THE HOLY LAND BY ELIZABETH WfCHAMPNEY AUTHOR OF "A NEGLECTED CORNER OF EUROPE," "THREE VASSAR GIRLS ABROAD," "THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN ENGLAND," ETC. ILLUSTRATED 9 1892 BOSTON ESTES AND LAURIAT PUBLISHERS V ^o Copyright, 1892, By Estes and Lauriat. FHB LIBRARY^ [OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON SEnibcrstts ^|rcss: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. CONTENTS. Chapter • p AGE I. A Peculiar Girl n II. Egypt, Cairo, and the Nile 27 III. The Mystery Disclosed 53 IV. A Caravan Journey 74 V. Why the Oldest Obelisk Stands 93 VI. In the Footsteps of Moses. — The Desert and Mount Sinai . . . 105 VII. Jerusalem 131 VIII. Jerusalem (Continued) 163 IX. Bethlehem. — Easter Ceremonies in Jerusalem 199 X. The Journey Northward 224 XI. Beirut. — Damascus 248 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page A Vision of Egypt Frontispiece A Daughter of Egypt 13 Old Street in Jerusalem ...... 17 The Summit of Mount Hor ...... 21 An Egyptian Temple 25 Alexandria . . 29 Turkish Merchant 3 1 Karnak, Hypostyle Hall 41 Colonnade, Philas . . 45 A Jew of Palestine 51 Valley of Jehoshaphat. — Tombs of Zech- ariah and Jehoshaphat ..... 54 Interior of a Mosque 63 Pyramids and Sphinx 71 Arabs of the Desert . ....... 81 Medinet, Court of Rameses ..... 85 Medinet, Temple-Palace of Rameses . . 87 Obelisk of On 90 The Sphinx and Pyramids of Memphis . 94 Moslem at Prayer 97 Island of Philae, looking over the Nile . 99 Head-dress of Egyptian Girl . „ . . 106 Egyptian Hieroglyphics 113 Ancient Egyptian Ruins in the Desert . 115 Wells in the Desert 120 Christian and Mahometan Chapels on Mount Sinai 125 Jaffa, from the North ....... 130 Page Jaffa 133 The Tower of Ramleh 137 The Plain of Sharon 139 Entrance to Church of Holy Sepulchre . 141 St. Stephen's Gate, Jerusalem .... 142 Route from Jaffa to Jerusalem .... 143 Tomb of Absalom 146 " David " Tower, Jerusalem 147 Synagogue, Jerusalem 149 Tomb of Saint James 150 Valley of Jehoshaphat, showing Tomb of Absalom and Garden of Gethsemane 151 Interior, Church of St. James, Jerusalem 153 Armorial Ensigns of Jerusalem . . . . 154 Street of the Chevaliers de Rhodes, at Rhodes . . , 155 Quarry under Jerusalem 157 The Jews' Wailing Place 160 Views near Jerusalem . 165 Bida's Interpretation of Christ's Trium- phal Entry into Jerusalem . . . 169 Jerusalem, from the Bethany Road . . 171 Garden of Gethsemane 172 Chapel of the Ascension, Summit of Mount of Olives 173 Bethany 177 Near Bethany 179 The Mosque of Omar , . 181 IO ILL US TR A TIONS. Page Interior of the Mosque of Omar . . . 185 Jewish Almshouses, erected by Sir Moses Montefiore ,.189 Turkish Woman of Jerusalem . . . . 191 Head-dress of a Turkish Woman of . Jerusalem 195 Rachel's Sepulchre ........ 204 Church of the Nativity, at Bethlehem . 207 A Woman of Bethlehem 209 Entrance to Cave of Adullam . . . . 213 Abraham's Oak, near Hebron . . . . 218 Tomb of the Holy Sepulchre .... 221 Arab Camps 225 Maiden of Palestine 227 Jacob's Well 228 Mount Hermon 229 Page Sea of Galilee 231 Hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee . . 233 The Lake of Gennesareth 234 Fountain of Mary. Nazareth 236 The Ruins of Tell Hum 238 Monastery of Mount Carmel .... 241 Promontory of Carmel 242 Mouth of the River Kishon . . , . . 243 Acre 244 Cana 245 Fountain at Cana 246 Mount Lebanon, from Beirut .... 249 A Ford of the Jordan ....... 258 Damascus 259 Cedars of Lebanon 271 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER I. A PECULIAR GIRL. AY what you may, Violet, you cannot deny that there is something very funny about her." " I am afraid I am lacking in a sense of humor, for I see nothing amusing in Bird ; and she herself takes life with great seriousness." " Now, Violet, you know perfectly what I mean by funny. Bird Orchard is fascinating, but she is queer. She is different from any one else we know. You must confess that she is a peculiar girl." " If you mean that she is peculiarly nice — yes." Emma Constant tapped her foot impatiently. " I like frankness and open-heartedness. I never had anything to conceal in my life," she said, " and I am not fond of mysterious secrets and incomprehen- sible enigmas. When there is so much concealed, you may be sure that there is reason for concealment, — that all is not as it should be." " Emma, this is not like you, to suspect evil in any one so sweet and lovely as my dear Bird. She may have some sorrow in her family history, but I am positive that there is no disgrace there." 12 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " I am not so sure," Emma replied sententiously. " I have watched that ino- to do zere ? " He seemed strangely interested for a mere acquaintance, and Frank confided his plans. " I should like to remain and make Syria my home, if I can find some work, either philanthropic or educational, where I can be of service. The college provides facilities, in this department of which I was speaking, where American students can learn the Oriental lan- guages, and for the ' exploration of the geography, archaeology, natural history, ethnology, and religions of the East.' I want to perfect myself in these lines, and in Biblical scholarship ; and I should like nothing better than to become some day a professor in that college." Mr. Baumgarten looked at him quizzically. " I wonder, now, whether you make anysing bractical," he said. " Great many young men, they dream and they dream, zoze great sings they going to do some day, and bime by they don't do nossings already. I don't like no loafers. When you make yourself one brofessor wiz one good salary, then young man you come see me again, ain't it ? " Frank could not see just why he should come to Mr. Baumgarten again at all, but he thanked him for his good will, and turned away rather sadly, having been told that Mrs. Baumgarten was not at home. Mr. Baumgarten called him back. " If you want to write Mr. Orchard," he said, " you might leave me zose letter. I try find zose address." I98 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. It was a forlorn hope, but Frank clutched at it, and hurrying home poured out his soul in a passionate appeal both to Bird and her father; returning, he left both letters in Mr. Baumgarten's care. " Young man," said Mr. Baumgarten, as Frank was leaving, " I tell you one secret maybe you don't know already : zat man Orchard was a Jew." Mr. Baumgarten thought that Frank would be startled, and he was. He had never thought of this ; and it meant so many things. In the first place, why could not Bird have confided in him. The deceit on her part pained him. Then his parents' prejudice, and probable disapproval, came crowding to the front ; then the compre- hension that this was why she had fled from him, and a realiza- tion that it was all a slight matter compared with his own great love for her. He stood silent, his face betraying nothing of his thought, only that strong emotions of some kind were surging within. " See here, young man," said Mr. Baumgarten. " You don't say nossings. If what I tell you make some difference wiz what you write Mr. Orchard, better you take ze letters back." " It makes no difference," Frank replied, — " no difference whatever." Mr. Baumgarten could scarcely wait for Frank to retire before reading the letter. " Well now, zat was one nice young man," he said to himself. " It is one pity Zipporah she don't like him. But then he was not bractical. Such weddings only . makes trouble. Zipporah she decide right when she give up zose Christian ways. It was not bractical." CHAPTER IX. BETHLEHEM. — EASTER CEREMONIES IN JERUSALEM. >HE more Shear Baumgarten reflected, the more discontented he became. He was troubled for his daughter's future, and vexed because everything seemed just now to go contrary to his expectations and wishes. It was certainly pleasant that Zipporah, as he had begun again to call Bird, loved her father and mother so much that she could not bear this un- natural separation, and had given up all her prospects for a new life in America for their sakes. Still, flattering as this was, he asked him- self if, from a worldly-wise point of view, it was not a mistake. What had he to offer her here ? He was obliged to confess to himself that Jerusalem had not given him what he had expected. Hitherto he had been ambitious of money-making ; Jerusalem only afforded a scope for spending money, with no hope of return. He had grown to like the ease and comforts of modern civilization. None of these were to be had in Jerusalem. The streets were filthy and offensive. He must travel everywhere on horseback, and he much preferred a carriage. A house in the Jewish quarter, even with every alleviation that money could procure, was not nearly so comfortable as a much cheaper house in New York. He missed the electric lights, the elevators, the telephone, steam-heat, 200 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. the pleasures of the table, the daily newspapers, the musical privileges, rapid transit, and the thousand and one conveniences and amenities of American life. He had become accustomed to these, and he was crowing: older now ; he had reached that a°;e when a man feels that he has earned ease, and may give it to himself. But a new capacity of delight had awakened in Shear Baumgarten's soul, — the enjoyment which comes from giving comfort to others. He saw so many about him suffering cruelly whom he was able to bless, and he enjoyed the com- fort which he gave far more keenly than if he appropriated it to himself. The delight was all the more vivid that it was a novel experience. All of his old shrewd financiering and business ability was now turned into vast schemes for gathering and dispensing the contri- butions of wealthy and benevolent Hebrews, to aid their distressed brethren in Palestine. Much to the astonishment of every one who knew him, and to his own surprise none the less, Shear Baumgarten had blossomed into a philanthropist, — not an impractical, unsuccess- ful theorist, whose sentimental schemes would end in smoke. Shear was "bractical " even in his charities; and he was backed by men as shrewd and more wealthy than himself. There was indeed no fear that Baumgarten & Co. would become bankrupts. This was all very well for himself. Jerusalem was a place with work in it for him, and a fondly anticipated grave for his father ; and wherever they were his faithful wife would choose to be. But for the younger generation ? His son had solved the problem for himself, and as he thought for Zipporah ; but now that she had come back, it still remained to be puzzled out. What must be the life of this bril- liant, beautiful girl, whom he loved with his entire soul, and for whom no sacrifice on his part seemed great enough ? Why could she not return the affection of this young man to whom her father, her mother, and her grandfather were so strongly drawn ? The answer was evident. In some way the prejudice of the BETHLEHEM. 201 Remingtons had wounded her feelings, — she had admitted as much ; and she had begged that they might never know her ancestry. She would be much displeased if she knew that he had betrayed it ; and yet, would she not be glad to know that Frank's affection had stood the test ? Most certainly, if she cared for him. Why would not girls be open-hearted, and let one know the true state of their feelings, — it would be so much simpler for every one concerned. While Shear Baumgarten meditated, his daughter tripped into the room and leaning on the back of his seat, asked, " What are you thinking about, little father? " " I am zinking zat I haf one letter for you from zat Reming- ton fellow." Bird caught it eagerly, and her father ambled away to allow her to read it alone. Bird was over-wrought. She had heard Frank's voice, and it was very hard not to run in and greet him in the old pleasant fashion. She opened his letter with trembling ringers, and read his passionate appeal through streaming tears. " I cannot bear it! Oh, I cannot bear it!" she cried, and buried her face in the cushions of the divan. " What for you bear it anyhow ? " asked a kindly voice above her, and looking up she saw her father regarding her through his specta- cles like a compassionate owl. She straightened herself instantly and dashed the tears from her eyes ; but she had betrayed herself, and the words could not be recalled. " Zipporah," said her father, gravely, " I don't want no nonsense. Zat young man luffs you, and you luff him. Now, why is n't zat all right ? " " It is the old story, Father. They would despise me if they knew I were a Jewess; and I will not deceive them." " What for you deceive them, then ? Tell them ze truth, and see what they do. Zat young man will not despise you. He don't de- spise us already." 202 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " I know that Frank would say that it made no difference, that he would not care a particle, — but the others! I know how Mrs. Remington would look ; and if I saw her look scornfully at you or at the mention of your name, I should want to kill her." " Ho ! " said Mr. Baumgarten, slowly, " so it is ze old lady. Well, I would n't take bride in what she says. She is n't so very schmart, anyway." " She is Frank's mother." Shear Baumgarten's fingers clinched, and he strode away and looked out at the court. "I'll fix zat old lady," he said to himself; and aloud as he turned to his daughter again : " Zipporah, it takes more as luff to make peoples happy together. What you going to do 'bout religion ? " " I am no Jewess in faith, Father. I really believe that Christ may have been our Messiah, — only the Christianity of to-day is very differ- ent from the religion which he taught." " I don't know," said Shear ; " I don't know about his being ze Messiah. I don't believe God would let his people make such a mis- take as zat; but he was a great prophet, like Hillel, and he was a Jew. I don't find no fault wiz him, but only wiz Christians. Haf you told zis young man what you zink ? " " We have only talked of our differences ; he does not know how nearly alike we believe. I have quarrelled with him, and provoked him, and made contradictory statements, just to see what he would say ; and he has always been most kind and considerate. ' Let us respect each other's opinions and be content to differ,' was what he would always say." " Then I guess zat will be all right," Shear Baumgarten replied cheerfully ; " I guess you are pretty near one good Christian girl already. Well, I eggspect zat when I let you leave us — Zat is all right. ' Ze old order changes.' I cannot believe like my fader; you cannot believe as me. Ze good God he know our hearts. He BETHLEHEM. 2 OX know his children effery time. But better you write and tell him ze truth, ain't it ? " " No, no ! " Bird replied vehemently ; " it can never be. You do not know Mrs. Remington's pride. Let me drop out of their lives. I cannot humiliate myself to them. And Frank, too, though he would forgive me for what I cannot help, would not forgive my deceit." "Then better you get out of zat deceit right off pretty quick. It was all my mistake, Zipporah. I will go tell ze young man all about it." " No, no ! " Bird protested ; and her father, seeing that he only pained her, let the matter drop. He was not without hope that time would mend matters, and he went away to his little office to puzzle over the matter, and to contrive some plan which would aid in the solution of the problem. Circumstances aided him, as we shall see. There still remained a week before Easter ; and as the Remingtons had explored the principal places of interest in Jerusalem, they decided to prepare themselves for their long journey to Damascus by a series of shorter excursions in the neighborhood of Jerusalem. Mohammed had procured the tents and horses, and all the equi- page necessary for the longer tour, and it was agreed that it would be a good plan to test it before they found themselves beyond the. possi- bility of making changes or supplying deficiences. The first excursion decided upon was a two days' trip to Bethlehem and Hebron. There were many delays in getting the train together for the first time, and it was nightfall when they reached Rachel's Tomb, near Bethlehem. They found the spot marked by a square white building with a dome shaped roof. Dr. Prime says of the site : — 204 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " Here the tents of Israel were pitched in the centuries long gone, and here the dying Rachel gave birth to the beloved Benjamin. Close by her couch, on the one side, was the hill on which her children would build the great city, — Jerusalem. Close by her, on the other side, was the hill on which the village would be built, from which would come the Saviour of Israel. The mother of a mighty race lay down in that ground and slept peacefully, serenely, century 'f=^==L. = j=z~~=lR V RACHELS SEPULCHRE. after century, nor have men ever disturbed her repose. We gathered flowers close by the tomb, — the delicate anemone, and starry flowers that might have sprung from the blue eyes of the beloved of the old man Jacob." The Bible account is brief but graphic : — And they journeyed from Bethel ; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath. . . . And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave, that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. — Genesis xxxv. 16-20. Here the tents had arrived before them, and they had agreed to make their camp, not entering the town until the morning. Their BETHLEHEM. 205 cook proved to be an excellent one. His name was Khowaja, and Violet ascertained that he was a native of northern Syria, and was endeavoring to work his way back in order to attend the college at Beirut. Although a nominal Christian he was very superstitious. Learning that Mrs. Remington was not strong, and that the ride from Jerusalem on the hard trotting animal which Mohammed had provided for her wearied her excessively, he was most assiduous preparing for her some mulled Lebanon wine, which proved an excellent restorative. He suggested respectfully to Violet that her mother would be perfectly restored to sound health if she would only try the " pillow remedy." " What is that ? " Violet asked, and Khowaja explained that if any one threatened with disease wished to escape, he or she must go to a ceme- tery in the evening and say, " Good-evening, ye who never say ' good- evening.' Lend me a pillow; your guest has come to visit me." The invalid must then carry home a stone from the burying-ground and use it as a pillow. In the morning the stone must be taken back and this formula repeated, " Good-morning, ye who never say ' good-morn- ing.' Take your pillow ; your guest has left." " If your lady mother will do this," said Khowaja, " all evil disease will be warded off." " Mother wears a little amulet now that was given her in the desert. I think that will do in the way of charms, though perhaps its efficacy may be affected by the fact that we do not believe in it." " But the young lady wears an amulet also," said Khowaja, pointing to her bangle. " Is it to keep off the evil eye ? " " No, indeed ! As I told you, I have no faith in such things. I only wear it because a friend gave it to me." " Then it is to keep the evil eye from your friend, who will be safe while you wear it, is it not ? " Violet shook her head, persisting that it was from no belief in magic whatever that she wore the amulet. As she protested she glanced at the bangle, and was surprised to see that she had lost the 206 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. turquoise. In spite of herself she could not repress the thought, " I wonder whether in the omens of magic this means that something has happened to Captain Blakeslee ? " Then she scolded herself for her superstition, and put the matter from her mind. She thought enough of the incident, however, to record it in her journal with the date, April ioth. That evening they paid a brief visit to the tomb of Rachel. Kubbet Rahil, the ' Dome of Rachel," as Mohammed called it, is a small white building with an arched entrance and a domed roof. It is revered alike by Jew, Mahometan, and Christian, and has been restored by all three at different periods; Sir Moses Montefiore has been the last to put it in order. As they were entering, Khowaja handed Mrs. Remington a stone from a pile of debris and asked her to repeat a few Arabic words after him. Violet comprehended that he was trying his charm, and when Mrs. Remington demurred, she said coaxingly, — " If it will please the good-hearted fellow, please do it, Mamma. It can do no harm." Mrs. Remington complied, and Khowaja grinned from ear to ear. The country near Bethlehem, and the town itself, is so well described by Dean Stanley that we cannot do better here than to refer to his description : — " The region south of Jerusalem is the ' hill country of Judaea,' and dis- plays many rounded hills with ruins of walled towns and fortresses on their summits, and vineyards on their slopes with watch-towers in their midst. This was the region in which the patriarchs lived. In these mountain fastnesses the Hebrews dwelt safely during the time of the Judges, and later it was to. the caverns of these hills that David fled with his band of outlaws." Bethlehem is spoken of by Stanley as a good example of these "fenced cities of Judah." " Its position on the narrow ridge of the long, gray hill, which would leave no room for crowded travellers to find shelter ; the corn-fields below, the scene of Ruth's adventure, and from which it derives its name, — "the house of bread; " BETHLEHEM. 207 the well close by the gate, for whose water David longed ; the wild hills east- ward, where the flocks of David, and of the ' shepherds abiding with their flocks by night ' may have wandered, — all of these features are such as it shares with every village of Judah." The great pile of the convents and Church of the Nativity was at once recognizable. The church is shared by three sects, — the Arme- nians, the Greeks, and the Roman Catholics, — whose three convents are built so as to communicate with it. The main part of the church CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY AT BETHLEHEM. is bare and uninteresting ; but beneath the church is a subterranean chapel, dimly lighted with silver lamps, containing two niches nearly opposite each other. In one of these Christ is said to have been born. A silver star marks the spot, and over it hang sixteen silver lamps, — six belonging to the Greeks and five to each of the other sects. In the other niche the sacred manger is supposed to have been discovered. Quarrels sometimes take place between the adherents of the different faiths, and Turkish guards are stationed here to keep the peace. " How much of all this tradition do you imagine is true ? " Violet asked. " We cannot say,'' Frank replied, ; ' we only know that so early as the second century this cave was supposed to have been the stable where Christ was born. The convent was founded by Saint Jerome, who came to reside here as a hermit, and remained here for more than thirty years, gathering other hermits about the spot in which he so devoutly believed, and founding conventual life in the Holy Land." 208 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. The monks showed the cell in which the saint fasted and prayed and studied; and the visitors passed out of the convent into the narrow streets of the little town. " It seems quite as if we had been celebrating Christmas," Violet said ; but all sentiment was speedily driven away by an onslaught of pedlers who endeavored to sell them little articles inlaid with mother- of-pearl, and carved crucifixes and rosaries. The women of Bethlehem wore peculiar and picturesque gowns of dark blue cotton cloth, embroidered with red. Violet bought one of them at the little bazaar, and then they descended the hill and lunched beside David's well, — the one from which he so longed to drink, but would not because the water was brought at the peril of his friends' lives. Later in the afternoon the little caravan broke camp, and they started for Hebron, farther in the south country. As they were leaving, Khowaja drew Violet aside, mysteriously, and asked, " What have you done with the pillow ? " . " Nothing," Violet replied. " What do you mean ? " " Only that I placed the stone from the Kubbet Rahil under the pillow of Madame ; and this morning when I went to return it, behold it had dissolved." " Perhaps Mother did not like sleeping with a stone for a pillow, like Jacob, and threw it away. I will ask her." But there was no time to do so just then, for Mohammed was assisting Mrs. Remington to mount. None of the travellers were quite pleased with their horses. Violet's had a bad habit of shying, Frank's was hard in the mouth, Mr. Rem- ington's was a sorry nag ready to drop with exhaustion, and Emma's stumbled alarmingly. But Mrs. Remington was the only one who found hers absolutely unendurable, and a halt was called when only a few miles from the town. It was decided that they must return to Jerusalem and procure better animals. They had not proceeded far in this direction when they met Shear Baumgarten pacing sedately A WOMAN OF BETHLEHEM. BETHLEHEM. 211 along on a handsome palfrey, followed by a servant leading a train of five laden pack horses. Frank explained their plight, and Shear imme- diately offered to exchange horses. It seemed a most fortunate coin- cidence that all of Shear's were fine specimens, — much better than are usually put to the service which they were performing. Violet's saddle was removed to a finely built Arabian horse, delicate and graceful ; Frank was given a heavy bay, sound and fleet; Mr. Remington was transferred to a gentle, easy-paced white horse ; Emma received a plucky little pony ; and Mr. Baumgarten insisted that Mrs. Remington should use his own gentle gray mare. He tightened the girth himself, and assisted the lady to mount with great gallantry. " But what are we to pay for all this ? " Mr. Remington asked ; for he had his theory about not entering upon business transac- tions, especially with Jews, without making a definite bargain in advance. Mr. Baumgarten explained that he was on his way to Hebron, to carry provisions to some suffering Jewish families in the south of Palestine, and that as they had the same destination, the exchange of beasts need only be made until they reached that point, and should be without money and without price. His servant transferred the packs to the animals which the Remingtons had lately ridden, and they proceeded on their journey in company. Mr. Baumgarten quietly took his position by Mrs. Remington's side. He proved an excellent guide ; for all this country was well known to him, and he talked about it very entertainingly. They were constantly reminded of David, for this was David's land, — his home as a boy, and over to the west was Adullam, and to the east was Engedi. The fastnesses in rocks which gave him a shelter during the persecution of Saul lie between and beyond. They passed several caves which might have hidden his band of outlaws. " If Bird were only with us," said Mrs. Remington, " she would write us up a romance founded on the life of David as interesting as 2 12 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. her Moses and Joseph legends. Why don't you girls try your hand at it ; I am sure the material is just as suggestive." " The exile period or David's life was certainly more romantic than any other," Emma replied, " and I have been looking it up in anticipa- tion of this trip. I cannot write romances as Bird does, but I love to compile, — to bring together what has been written, and make one author serve as a commentator to another. I believe I would make a good editor. You know David really wrote his own autobiography in the Psalms, and with the record which we have in the historical books we can trace with great probability the occasions and places where they were written. I have been aided in my researches by a little book entitled ' The Life of David as Reflected in his Psalms,' written by Alexander Maclaren. While in Jerusalem I made a few notes relating to the region through which we are to journey to-day, which I will read you at our luncheon if you like." Mr. Baumgarten was pleased to find that Bird was kindly remem- bered and her absence regretted. He pointed out all the spots associ- ated with David's exploits, and related some interesting Talmudic legends. He spoke too of Rachel's tomb, which they had lately seen, and said that the Rabbi Pethacin related that a stone removed from it would miraculously find its way back again. Violet started at the mention of the miracle. She would have liked to have gone back and hunted for the pillow-stone. A moment later Mrs. Remington explained the mystery by remarking, " I think one of those returning stones must have found its way by mistake into my tent, for I found one under my pillow. I assisted it on its journey, for I threw it in the morning at one of those savage-looking dogs that was skulking about the camp." Mohammed had chosen a cave in the side of an overhanging cliff for their noon-day rest. A little stream trickled from a spring which welled at its side. If the cave had only extended more deeply into the hill it might have served to represent Adullam. BETHLEHEM. 213 " Mr. Maclaren observes," said Emma, " that the general characteris- tics of the Psalms attributed to David's exile are the same. The scenery and life of the wilds are reflected in their imagery. He de- scribes his enemies as wild beasts, and himself as a poor hunted crea- ENTRANCE TO CAVE OF AUULLAM. ture amongst pits and snares. : Their confidence in God, too, has in it a ring of joyousness that went with him through all the desperate adventures and hair-breadth escapes of the Sauline persecution. We see him in the first flush of his manhood, — somewhere about five-and- twenty years old, — fronting perils of which he is fully conscious, with calm strength and an enthusiasm of trust that lifts his spirit above them all.' 214 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " David fled to Adullam, whence he could look down over the vast sweep of the rich Philistine country. Gath lay at his feet ; close by was the valley where he had killed Goliath. There he gathers his band of four hundred desperate men, whom poverty and misery, and probably the King's growing tyranny, drove to flight. They were wild, rough soldiers, according to the picturesque description, ' whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.' " Frank turned to i Samuel xxii. i, 2, and read the account of the gathering of the outlaws at Adullam, and Violet asked what psalm was written in this Ali Baba's cave. " The thirty-fourth," Emma replied. " It is full of exhortation and counsel to the desperate men under his guidance. If they followed its admonitions they must have been even gentler outlaws than Robin Hood." Mr. Baumgarten immediately recited the psalm, and Mr. Reming- ton remarked. " These are indeed remarkable sentiments for a band of political refugees. ' Depart from evil and do good ; seek peace and pursue it.' As you say, the references to wild beasts come in with vivid appropriateness, when one realizes that their cave had probably been the lair of some of the gaunt lions whom they could see slink- ing about among the rocks, waiting for a chance to fall upon one of the intruders who had dislodged them from their den. Listen : ' The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger ; but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.' " " We don't haf no lions now," said Mr. Baumgarten, " but I haf shot wolves in zeze mountains ; I could tell you some stories, but I won't make no interruptions. Zat was one grand psalm. What you zink of zat verse, ' Ze Angel of ze Lord encampeth round about them zat fear him, and delivereth them'? Zere was no fear to David for reinforcements wiz one reserve guard like zat" BETHLEHEM. 21 5 " To notice a minor touch," said Frank. " David would not have used that term ' encampeth ' if he himself had not been in camp. It is a true picture of the bivouac, c round the glimmering watch-fires beneath the lucid stars.' " " In like manner, 1 ' said Emma, " I have traced the psalms attributed to Eno-edi, — the cliffs of the wild goats, where David spared Saul's life when he had him in his power. Can we not take in Engedi on our return from Hebron ? " " I think not," replied Frank ; " it lies in the midst of almost inac- cessible mountains. It would necessitate very rough travelling. What does your author say about it which interests you so much in the locality ? " « Only that, fleeing from Saul, David left Adullam, and after various adventures made his way to the inhospitable wilderness which stretches from the hills of Judah to the Dead Sea, and skulked there in ' lurking- places ' among the crags. He made his headquarters, as we would say, in a little plain which slopes to the Dead Sea, and is fortified by a natu- ral amphitheatre of savage cliffs. The plain is covered with luxurious vegetation; the vine, the fig-trees, canes, and maiden-hair ferns festoon the rocks, down which a slender waterfall dashes. This is the fountain and plain of Engedi, and the ibex still haunt the plain and the crags as they did when they first gave the spot its name." All of their journey that day was through this interesting outlaw region, and at night they camped near the ancient city of Hebron. Mr. Baumgarten took from his saddle-bags some English news- papers of a later date than they had yet seen, and they interested them- selves in reading the news from the outside world. Mrs. Remington quickly pounced upon a personal which pleased her greatly. Captain Blakeslee was reported as making explorations in Petra, which were expected to be of great interest ; and a certain noble lord was said to be on his way to Beirut where he hoped to meet Captain Blakeslee on his return from Petra, and to persuade him to take command of an 2i6 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. expedition to Baalbec. Other explorations of the young Captain were spoken of with great praise, and a brilliant career predicted for him. Mrs. Remington was delighted. " We shall meet Captain Blakeslee without doubt at Beirut," she said, " for though he has not yet reached Jerusalem he will probably proceed to Beirut by steamer from Jaffa ; and as we loiter along by land he may even reach that point before us." Mr. Baumgarten noticed her enthusiasm, and led her to talk of the young explorer. Mrs. Remington praised him in unmeasured terms, and assured Mr. Baumgarten that if he could ever confer a favor on Captain Blakeslee or on Dr. Trotter, it would be received as done to herself. Violet was silent, but her eyes were eloquent. The next morning they walked through the town and saw the exterior of the great mosque which covers the cave of Machpelah. They were not permitted to enter the mosque, but Violet made a rapid sketch of it, the others shielding her while they bargained with some fruit sellers for dried apricots and dates. Hebron is one of the oldest cities in Palestine. The Hittites lived here when Abraham camped in the plain of Mam re ; and when Sarah died, Abraham " stood up and spoke to the children of Heth and said, 'I am a stranger and sojour- ner with you ; give me a possession of a burial-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.' ' Here the patriarch himself was buried after his wanderings ; and his grandson Jacob, dying in Egypt, far from the family tomb, charged his sons, and said, — "I am to be gathered unto my people : bury me with my fathers ... in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah . . . which Abraham bought ... for a possession of a burying-place. There they buried Abraham, and Sarah his wife ; there they buried Isaac, and Rebekah his wife ; and there I buried Leah. . . . And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people." In obedience to this command hither came the funeral train from Egypt, bearing the mummy of Jacob, BETHLEHEM. 217 which the princely Yusouf had brought with " all the elders of the land of Egypt," for " there went up with him both chariots and horse- men ; and it was a very great company." It was one of the most famous of funerals, and when the inhabitants of the land saw it they said, " This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians." A grander procession was granted to Joseph himself, for Moses caused the coffin of the great vice-regent to be carried, through all that forty years wandering through the desert, to the Promised Land ; for Joseph had said, " God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones with you." Violet thought it strange that Joseph had not been buried with his ancestors ; but Frank explained that the children of Israel entered Palestine farther north, and promised that they should see Joseph's tomb at Shechem. Mr. Baumgarten told them that Benjamin of Tudela who visited the cave of Machpelah in 1163 wrote, — "The Gentiles or Christians have erected six sepulchres in this place, which they pretend to be those of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. The pilgrims are told that they are the sepulchres of the fathers, and money is extorted from them. But if any Jew comes who gives an additional fee to the keeper of the cave, an iron door is opened, — which dates from the times of their forefathers, who rest in peace, — and with a burn- ing candle in his hands, the visitor descends into a first cave which is empty, traverses a second which is in the same state, and at last reaches a third which contains six sepulchres, — those of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah, — one opposite the other. And you there see tubs (or arks) filled with bones of Israelites; for to this day it is a custom of the House of Israel to bring thither the bones of their forefathers and to leave them there." After inspecting the town the party were shown an ancient oak- tree in the vicinity, which Mohammed solemnly assured them was there in Abraham's time. As they turned northward again Moham- med pointed away to the south : " That is Mt. Hor," he said. " And Mt. Hor is almost in sight of Petra." Violet thought, " Captain Blakes- 2l8 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. lee and I may be looking at the same object. It is time for him to be on his way ; for he expected to reach Jerusalem before Easter, and he may be nearer us than we think. How pleasant it would be if they should overtake us to-day." But Violet looked in vain for any caravan approaching from the south, and the next day they turned their faces northward. Mr. Baumgarten had been very kind to them during their stay in Hebron, giving them a little banquet in a house which he hired for ABRAHAMS OAK, NEAR HEBRON. the purpose, and filling their luncheon hampers with many good things for the return journey. More than this, he insisted on their keeping his horses for their trip through northern Palestine. Mr. Remington offered to purchase them, but Mr. Baumgarten would only accept a manifestly inadequate sum and the miserable beasts which he had taken in exchange. Mr. Remington could not under- stand such business dealings, but he was most favorably impressed by Mr. Baumgarten's kindness. Mrs. Remington too had much to say in his favor. " If only all Jews were like Mr. Baumgarten," she said, as they BETHLEHEM. 219 rode away, " I would not object to them at all. I even liked his funny broken English. I am sure he was a great deal easier to under- stand than that Polish count, Polo-whiskey." " Perhaps," suggested Frank, " the reason that you like Mr. Baum- garten better than other Hebrews is that you know him better. Don't you remember, you thought him a disagreeable man of the mercantile type when you first met him in Jaffa." "He is a very interesting man," Mrs. Remington insisted; "and how learned he is in all that abstruse literature." " He comes of a learned family," Frank replied. " His father is a great scholar ; but I fancy that he shines rather more as a financier." " He is good company," said Mr. Remington ; " as your mother says, if all of his people were like him there would be no prejudice against them." They had a long and rather fatiguing ride, returning to Jerusalem by the way of Solomon's Pools, which supply water to Jerusalem. They are three great tanks or reservoirs, and archaeologists think that Solomon probably had a country-seat and gardens here. A picturesque old Saracen castle stood near the upper pool, but they did not linger long, for a stormy evening was shutting down upon them from the north ; and a Syrian storm struck them when they were an hour's dis- tance from the city. They were thoroughly soaked when they reached their hotel ; but fresh clothing, hot foot-baths, and a good dinner re- stored them all to comfort and good humor. Even Mrs. Remington was none the worse for the trip the next day, and Khowaja's suggestion of a stone pillow from the graveyard seemed quite uncalled for. They had all visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Violet had walked through it several times. It was true that she did not believe the chapel, which is the chief object of adoration, really covered the rock-hewn sepulchre in which Christ was laid ; still she could not witness the real emotion shown by pilgrims who devoutly believed in it without a feeling of sympathy and respect. .2 20 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. The church is a vast aggregation of buildings, and covers some thirteen supposed sites of sacred places. In a little crypt at one end the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, believed that she dis- covered the true cross. Both the Latin and the Greek church share in the edifice, but they celebrate Easter on different days. It was the Greek Easter which the Remingtons saw, with its false miracle of the Sacred Fire. Instead of describing their experience, we will quote the account which Dean Stanley gives of the descent of the Sacred Fire at Easter. " The interior of the chapel [of the Sepulchre] is solemnly beautiful in the soft light of forty-three gold and silver lamps hung from chains, and shining through red, yellow, and green glass, — the colors marking the sects to which the lamps be- long; thirteen each for Franciscans, Greeks, and Armenians, and four for the Copts. "The chapel rises from a dense mass of pilgrims, who sit or stand wedged round it; whilst round them, and beneath another equally dense mass, which goes round the walls of the church itself, a lane is formed by two lines, or rather two circles, of Turkish soldiers stationed to keep order. About noon this circu- lar lane is suddenly broken through by a tangled group, rushing violently round till they are caught by one of the Turkish soldiers. It seems to be the belief of the Arab Greeks that unless they run round the sepulchre a certain number of times, the Fire will not come. Possibly also, there is some strange reminis- cence of the funeral games and races round the tomb of an ancient chief. Accordingly, the night before, and from this time forward for two hours, a suc- cession of gambols takes place, which an Englishman can only compare to a mixture of prisoner's base, foot-ball, and leap frog, round and round the tomb of the Holy Sepulchre, First, one sees twenty, thirty or fifty men starting in a run, catching hold of each other, lifting one of themselves on their shoulders, rushing on with him till he leaps off, and some one else succeeds ; some of them dressed in sheepskins, some almost naked ; one usually preceding the rest as fugleman, clapping his hands to which they respond in like manner, adding also wild howls of which the chief burden is, 'This is the tomb of Jesus Christ. God save the Sultan, Jesus Christ has redeemed us.' What begins in the lesser groups soon grows in magnitude and extent, till at last the whole of the circle between the troops is continuously occupied by a race, a whirl, a torrent of these wild figures wheeling round the sepulchre. Gradually the frenzy subsides, or TOMB OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. BE THLEHEM. 223 is checked; the course is cleared, and out of the Greek church on the east of the Rotunda a long procession with embroidered banners, supplying in their ritual the want of images, begins to defile round the sepulchre. Thrice the pro- cession paces round ; at the third time, the two lines of Turkish soldiers join and fall in behind. One great movement sways the multitude from side to side. The crisis of the day is now approaching. The presence of the Turks is be- lieved to prevent the descent of the Fire, and at this point they are driven, or consent to be driven, out of the church. In a moment the confusion as of a battle and a victory pervades the church. In one small but compact band, the Bishop, who represents the Patriarch, is hurried to the Chapel of the Sepulchre and the door is closed behind him. At last the moment comes. A bright flame as of burning wood appears within the hole (opening into the chapel), — kindled by the Bishop within, but as every pilgrim believes, the light of the descent of God himself upon the Holy Tomb. Any distinct feature or incident is lost in the universal whirl of excitement which envelopes the church, as slowly, gradually the Fire spreads from hand to hand, from taper to taper, through the vast multitude, till at last the whole edifice from gallery to gallery, and through the area below, is one wide blaze of thousands of burning candles. It is now that a mounted horseman, stationed at the gates of the church, gallops off with a lighted taper, to communicate the sacred fire to the lamps of the Greek Church in the convent at Bethlehem. It is now that the great rush, to escape from the rolling smoke and the suffocating heat, and to carry the lighted tapers into the streets and houses of Jerusalem, through the one entrance to the church, leads at times to the violent pressure which in 1834 cost the lives of hundreds. For a short time the pilgrims run to and fro, rubbing their faces and breasts against the fire, to attest its supposed harmlessness. But the wild enthusiasm terminates from the moment that the fire is communicated. Such is the Greek Easter." CHAPTER X. THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. ND now the time had come when they must leave Jeru- salem. Mrs. Remington was piqued because Dr. Trot- ter and Captain Blakeslee had not arrived. She chose to consider herself slighted, and was certain that they could have hastened their journey if they had so de- sired. " They are simply more interested in old ruins and in the vesti- ges of the Amalekites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites than they are in our society," she affirmed, " and I do not propose to let them think that they are of enough consequence to our happiness for us to alter our plans on their account." Frank was sure that their delay was not intentional. " Dr. Trotter was very anxious to see the Easter ceremonies," he explained. " I trust that nothing has happened." His chance remark filled Violet with vague anxiety. What could have happened ? Sickness, accident far from friends ; in either case Dr. Trotter's skill was all that could be desired. There might have been trouble with their equipage or servants ; there were a thousand and one hindrances incident to travel of this kind which might have detained them, — a strayed baggage camel, a deserter among the servants, impassable fords, instruments lost for which it was necessary to return, delays in obtaining permission to visit desirable places, etc. She tried to comfort her heart with such explanations ; but she knew that Captain Blakeslee was as anxious to reach Jerusalem before Easter as she was to have him do so, and she was convinced that the delay was on account of no trifling incident. THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 225 The Remingtons had only been gone two days when a dusty Arab courier arrived in Jerusalem. He had ridden far and fast, and was the bearer of important letters, to the American consul and to Mr. Remington at the Mediterranean Hotel. When the courier delivered the letter, stating that it was from an English- man named Captain Blakeslee, the hotel clerk could only say that the Remingtons had left for Beirut, ^r-pg j where they expected to ar- rive in two weeks. " Had they any friends in Jerusalem who might Kj know of their present whereabouts ? " " Yes, an old rabbi named Bariah Baum- fjjt garten who had been a friend and teacher of the young Mr. Rem- ington and came often to see him." The courier repaired at once to the home of the Baumgartens. " If there is any one here who can send this letter to Mr. Reming- ton," he said, " pray let him do so. The affair requires haste ; friends of theirs, Dr. Trotter and Captain Blakeslee, are in trouble." Bird heard the courier say this to her mother, and came forward at once, explaining that she was acquainted with both the gentlemen named. " Then read the letter," said the courier, " and tell me what answer I shall take back." Bird had already told her mother of Captain Blakeslee's attach- 15 ARAB CAMPS- 2 26 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. ment to Violet, and the warm-hearted woman felt the deepest interest in the situation. The missive which they now read ran as follows : Dear Mr. Remington, — My uncle and I have been taken prisoners by a tribe of Bedouins, who demand a thousand pounds in ransom for us. They say that if the money is not sent them in two weeks' time they will cut off a finger and a toe from each of us for every day until it arrives. We have every reason to believe that they will carry out their threat, and that if they find that their torture is unavailing, that they will finally kill us. If you can possibly raise the money, I know you will do so. My uncle will of course see that you are reim- bursed as soon as he is at liberty. I do not think it will be of any use to bring soldiers and attempt to rescue us by force, as the bandits would simply kill us and fly into the desert. Frank had better come personally with simply a small guard, and the courier will conduct him to a spot where negotiations will be made. I enclose a note for Miss Violet. Do not be too much alarmed about us. All the rascals want is money ; if that is forthcoming I do not think we will be injured. Yours, Albert Blakeslee. " What a pity that your father is away in Hebron," said Mrs. Baumgarten. " I do not see zat we can do anysing eggscept to notify ze American consul here and forward zis letter to Beirut." " But mother ! " exclaimed Bird, " they would begin the torture before the Remingtons could respond to a letter sent in that way, and I do not believe that the consular agent can do anything. Some one must overtake Mr. Remington. They are loitering along, and a swift and trusty messenger would surely find them." The courier declined to undertake this task. He had been sent only to Jerusalem ; but he would wait a few days until Mr. Remington could be found. " Then I will follow them myself," said Bird, with sudden decision. " I will go with Daniel and Miriam." " But I thought you did not wish to see them again." " I did not ; but I must leave no stone unturned to save Captain Blakeslee's life. When I have found the Remingtons, I shall tell THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 227 Violet why I ran away from them. They will never want to see me again ; but I shall feel better to have them know all the truth." " Why go yourself when Daniel can take a letter ? " " Daniel is so stupid he may not be able to find them, while I feel as if I could tell the difference between the hoof-prints of their horses and those of any other travellers." Mrs. Baumgar- ten did not object, for she hoped the journey would have a different result from the one which her daughter antici- pated. Daniel was a muleteer who went to Naz- areth every month with a train of pack mules, and it so happened that he was to set out on one of these trips the next morning. MAIDEN OF PALESTINE. Miriam was Mrs. Baumgarten's maid-servant, who had followed her around the world, and would have done or suffered anything for her mistress. Miriam hur- riedly cooked provisions, while Mrs. Baumgarten saw the muleteer and made arrangements for saddle mules. Early the next morning they joined Daniel at the Damascus gate, and Mrs. Baumgarten gave her daughter her blessing and sent her on her way. 228 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. Bird was three days behind the Remingtons, and she was not quite sure of their itinerary. She guessed however that they would be sure to visit Nazareth and Capernaum, and that the detours and delays which they would make upon the way, would be such that she would be able to overtake them at one of these places. Meantime the Remingtons journeyed serenely along, quite unaware JACOB'S WELL. of the desperate plight in which their friends lay away in the Arabian desert, except for the nameless uneasiness which Violet was unable to shake off or explain. They made a long day's journey, and stopped for their first night in the plain of Shechem, camping beside Jacob's Well, where Christ talked with the woman of Samaria. It was a beautiful spot, full of sacred associations ; and as they descended from the hills the first view reminded them of Stanley's description of the most beautiful of the plains of the Ephraimite Mountains, — one mass of corn, unbroken by boundary or hedge, from the midst of which start up olive-trees. Over the hills which close the northern end of this plain, far away in the distance, is caught the THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 229 first glimpse of the snowy range of Hermon. Its western side is bounded by the abutments of two mountain-ranges, running from west to east. These ranges are Gerizim and Ebal ; and up the opening between them lies the modern town of Nablous. A valley, green with grass, gray with olives, gardens sloping down on each side, fresh springs rushing down in all directions ; at the end a white town ~^~\ MOUNT HERMON. imbosomed in all this verdure, lodged between the two high moun- tains, — this is the aspect of Nablous, the most beautiful, perhaps it might be said the only very beautiful spot in central Palestine. Here Abraham halted on his way from Chaldea, and built the first altar which the Holy Land had known. He bought the parcel of the field where he had spread his tent, of the children of Hamor, for an hundred pieces of money. When the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land the blessings and the cursings were proclaimed from Gerizim and Ebal. In their humble svnagogue at the foot of the mountain, the Samaritans still worship, — the oldest and the smallest sect in the world. And up the side of the mountain is to be traced 230 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. the pathway by which they ascend to the sacred spots where they yearly celebrate the Paschal Service. At the mouth of the Valley of Shechem two slight breaks are vis- ible in the midst of the vast plain of corn, — one a white Mussulman chapel; the other a few fragments of stone. The first of these covers the alleged tomb of Joseph; the second is Jacob's Well. The next morning the party visited Nablous, while Frank climbed to a white church on Mt. Gerizim. The spot was so charming that they did not leave that afternoon, as they had planned, but spent an- other night beside Jacob's Well. The next morning another party of tourists joined them, — a Mr. Barker and his two daughters whom they had met in Cairo. Such chance meetings in a strange country make slight acquaintances seem like old friends, and they welcomed the new-comers cordially. A few hours sufficed for the Barkers to survey the vicinity, and they rode on in company in the forenoon of the same day that Bird left Jerusalem. They rode easily, and at night when Bird was stopping at an inn at Nablous they were camping at Shunem, not very far away. Here the Remingtons and the Barkers parted company, the latter turning towards the right, to Tiberias, while the Remingtons diverged to the left. If they had gone straight on they would have reached Nazareth at noon, and Bird would have overtaken them at nightfall ; but the weather was so perfect, and they were enjoying their excursion so greatly, that when Mohammed proposed a detour taking in Haifa and Acre on the sea-coast, and returning to Nazareth by way of Cana, the plan was eagerly adopted. It would only lengthen the itinerary by two days, and all felt that a view of the Mediterranean would be re- freshing, while the vicinity of Acre and Haifa was one of the most fascinating fields in Palestine for the antiquarian and the historian. Bird rose very early and rode steadily on, her hope inspired by the information that she had obtained at Nablous in reference to the trav- ellers. They had left there only the day before. She was on their THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 2\\ track, and would surely overtake them at Nazareth. She halted at Shunem for her midday meal, and bought some dates of a woman who had sold fruit to Frank Remington. She described the party so that Bird easily recognized the different individuals. " Yes, they had left Shunem that morning." " Probably for Nazareth ? " The woman did not know ; and Bird made her first divergence from their real route, hastening faster and SEA OF GALILEE. faster, farther and farther away from her friends. She reached Naza- reth late at night, utterly worn out with her rapid riding. As she ap- proached the town, she scanned the vicinity eagerly for any signs of a camp, and experienced a cold sinking of the heart when she saw only some Bedouins seated by their camp-fire in the suburbs, their striped tents arranged in a circle. Perhaps she would find them at the inn ; but here again she was disappointed. She had no appetite for supper, and though cruelly weary, could not sleep. Daniel made inquiries throughout the town ; the Remingtons were not there, and apparently had not been there. She was off the trail. What could she do ? every hour was precious. How could she guess in which direction they had gone ? 22,2 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. Daniel, who felt a sincere pity for her distress, agreed to postpone his return to Jerusalem and to put himself at her disposal for a few days. Bird had no desire to visit the Chapel of the Annunciation, the Mount of Precipitation, and other equally doubtful sacred spots. Even if she had been convinced of their authenticity, another consuming desire possessed her now, and she would have had no time for pilgrimages of faith or curiosity. She tried to think what locality in the neighbor- hood would have the strongest attraction for her friends. Daniel said that tourists generally went from Nazareth to Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, and asked her if she had one of the little red guide-books which marked out the desirable routes. Bird knew what guide-book Frank would use, and she had brought his Testament with her. She opened it again and sought eagerly for names of localities in the vicinity. The Sea of Galilee occurred most frequently. Yes, she would go to Tiberias. The region bordering the Sea of Galilee is thickly sown with places which Christ visited, — Naza- reth, Cana, Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida, the plain of Gennesaret, the Mount of Beatitudes; Frank would not fail to visit these. She read the little Testament with avidity at every pause in her journey, seek- ing for every trace of the wandering of the blessed feet ; and though she read, preoccupied, with this one purpose in view, the beauty of the life of the Wanderer smote her consciousness as never before. Again and again she said to herself : " No wonder that Frank loves and worships him ; if I had been brought up differently, I too would worship him.'' She could not find that Christ had ever visited the city of Tiberias. In his day it was a new and elegant resort of the Roman nobility, — a summer watering-place like our Newport, built by the younger Herod and his brother Philip, in imitation possibly of the splendid Roman villas along the shores of the Lucrine Lake. The hot springs doubt- less decided the site, and the new pleasure city was named for the emperor. Christ's mission was not to the rich and pampered, and he would naturally avoid this haunt of fashion and luxury. The city is still picturesque from a distance, with its white walls THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 233 its ten round towers on the west, five on the north, and eight on the south ; but it was indescribably filthy within. Even the warm baths, which she visited simply in her quest, were rendered disgusting by the presence of lepers, and others afflicted with almost equally loathsome diseases. HILLS OVERLOOKING THE SEA OF GALILEE. Bird felt sure that her friends would wish to sail upon the lake. On inquiry she ascertained that there were only two sailing-boats in Tiberias, and one had been engaged the day before to take a party around the lake. Bird immediately engaged the second boat, and de- termined to sail in the opposite direction, hoping to meet the first one. The description of the tourists was vague enough to fit the Remingtons. There were several ladies in the party, one old gentle- man and a Turkish dragoman. 2-4 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. The Sea of Galilee is only twelve miles long and six wide. It is pear-shaped, with the large end to the north. It was Sabbath, and the water was very quiet. As the boat glided peacefully over the dimpling surface, Bird could hardly realize that.it was frequently con- vulsed by violent storms, such as the one of which she read, when the Saviour walked upon the waves and bade them, " Peace, be still . . . and suddenly there was a great calm." Such a calm brooded over the lake now. Snowy Hermon rose in the north, cloud-like and faint on the distant horizon. The water- walls of Tiberias formed new groupings behind her as the boat tacked and veered to catch the whisper of wind, — a mere breath, — which carried it lazily toward Gamala on the eastern shore. The ruins of this £_~"_ -'^*s*^^^« THE LAKE OF GENNESARETH. ancient city possessed a keen interest for Bird for it had been the scene of one of the most cruel tragedies which had ever befallen her unfortunate people. Dr. William M. Thompson gives this thrilling account of the capture of that strongest of Hebrew fortresses : — " It was the last that was sacked by Vespasian and Titus before the siege of Jerusalem, and it has remained to this day just as they left it. Josephus in- forms us that the people of Gamala refused to surrender to the Romans. ' They relied upon the difficulty of the place, for it was situated upon a rough ridge of a high mountain, insomuch that it is like a camel in figure.' " In the year sixty-nine of our era the invincible legions of Rome closed around it, never to leave while a living man remained in Gamala. The Fif- teenth Legion fortified their camp on the ridge to the east; the Fifth did the THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 235 same farther round toward the north; and the Tenth was engaged in filling up the ditches on the south-eastern part, along the narrow neck which connected the citadel with the mountain on the south. When the way was thus levelled up to a part of the wall, the battering-rams were made to play upon it in three places with such fury that it soon fell. Through the gap rushed the iron -clad legions with \ mighty sound of trumpets and noise of armor and shout of soldiers.' But despair and frenzy nerved the hearts and arms of the Jews. The Romans, hard pressed, rushed into the houses that hung, one over another, along the steep declivity, in such numbers that the foundations gave way, — those above falling upon those below, house upon house, in horrible confusion, burying and crushing to death whole ranks in a moment. Josephus was then a prisoner in the Roman camp, and witnessed the awful scene. The Romans retreated to their camps, and the Gamalites celebrated their victory with the most extrava- gant rejoicings. Brief was their triumph. Vespasian encouraged his army in a set speech. Titus came back from Syria with reinforcements ; the soldiers rushed in again, led on by Titus himself. Everything went down before the ten- fold fury of the onset, — the outer city first, and then the wonderful citadel itself was taken. Five thousand of those miserable people, seeing escape impos- sible, destroyed themselves. Husbands threw their wives over the walls ; parents seized their children and leaped madly from the ramparts and were crushed into hideous masses in those yawning gulfs below. So fell Gamala on the twenty- third of October, A. D. 69, after a siege of twenty-nine days. Of the entire pop- ulation that thronged that city and citadel only two women escaped. The next act in the drama of Israel's destruction opens on the hills around Jerusalem, where the long bloody tragedy winds up with the total overthrow of that city and the holy temple, amidst agonies and carnage never seen before, and never to be repeated while the world stands." Bird looked with great interest up toward the ruins of this historic city of the cliffs, whose overturned columns remain to this day as the Roman legions left them. Many of these columns are very large and beautiful, cut from Egyptian granite, with Doric, Ionic, and Co- rinthian capitals. It must have been a work of expensive engineer- ing to hoist them to the top of this cliff. Bird did not land at Ga- mala, for there was no other boat anchored by the shore at the foot of the cliffs. The helmsman changed the course and made for Magdala on the other side of the lake, as the next point likely to interest tourists. He assured Daniel that there were immense treas- 236 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. ures buried in the ruins of Gamala, but they were guarded by jinn, or spirits, who would twist the necks of any adventurous searchers. Magdala is pointed out by tradition as the home of Mary Magda- lene. Great misapprehension exists in the minds of many persons in regard to this Mary. She is frequently confounded with gentle Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and friend of Jesus ; and it is taken for granted that she was the unnamed woman who was a sinner, who anointed Christ's feet, and wiped them with her hair. Mary Magda- lene should be confused with neither of these. She was a wealthy woman of Magdala, afflicted by evil spirits (possibly insane or epiliptic), and cured by our Lord ; but it is nowhere stated that she was a woman of evil character. On the contrary, she is mentioned as the companion of Joanna the wife of Herod's steward and other honorable wo- men, "who ministered to the Lord of their substance." She was a friend also of Mary the mother of Jesus, and the aspersion which rests upon the character of Mary Magdalene is without foundation. The two women who were sinners were not named in the sacred record. Possibly this omission was intentional. FOUNTAIN OF MARY, NAZARETH. " He would not have the sullied name, Once fondly spoken in a home, A mark for strangers' righteous blame ; Branded through every age to come. " And thus we only speak of them As those on whom his mercies meet, — She whom the Lord ' would not condemn,' And she who bathed with tears his feet. As Bird read the sacred guide she felt herself more and more im- THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 237 pressed with the character of Jesus; but a lucid commentary of his life and teachings had been afforded her in Frank. She saw now where the young man had gained his peculiar unworldliness. It was a reflex of the spirit of his Master, and her heart found its way through the reflection to the divine original. " I can never say ' my Frank,' " she thought, " but I can say, ' my Christ, my Messiah.' " They were nearing the head of the lake. There at length was the other boat, moored a little distance from the shore, and the tents pitched on the beach. At last she had found them, and she nerved herself for the task before her. She was thankful that she had found them in time to rescue Captain Blakeslee ; but after she had given that message she must tell them just who she was, and bid them good-by. She was as eager now to throw off the long deceit as she had been to preserve it. She had come to look at it in its true light, and to feel ashamed before her own soul of having ever allowed herself to countenance it. She could hardly wait for the boat's keel to grate upon the sand to spring to the shore and hurry to the camp. What was her disappointment on recognizing the Barkers, whom she had met at Shepherd's Hotel in Cairo. They were delighted to see her, but she could not keep the tears from welling to her eyes. " I thought that I should find my friends the Remingtons here," she said, in explanation of her evident disappointment. " We have been travelling in their company," Mr. Barker replied, " but they left us at Shunem to strike across to the Mediterranean. They are going up the coast to Beirut by way of Haifa, Acre, and Tyre. We expect to meet them again, for we start for Tyre to-mor- row. Will you not go with us ? " Bird hesitated. She had not thought of prolonging her journey so far, but the need was great ; and if she met them at Tyre, there was still ample time for Mr. Remington and Frank to return by steamer to Jaffa, and thence to Jerusalem and the desert, before the torture began. She could return home in the same way ; and she could send 2 3 S THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. a message back by Daniel, explaining the change in her plans. She was a resolute girl, and her mind was quickly made up. Daniel was easily persuaded, by the prospect of additional gain, to take her as far THE RUINS OF TELL HUM. as Tyre ; and he returned to Tiberias in the boat, promising to be on hand by ten o'clock the next morning with the beasts. After dinner Bird walked with the Barkers over the ruins of Tell Hum, the ancient Capernaum, near which they were encamped, — only a mass of fallen THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 039 stone and debris, overrun by nettles and blossoming oleanders. Mr. Barker pointed out the remains of a synagogue, which Colonel Wilson asserts is the finest in Upper Galilee. The exterior was decorated with pilasters, and there were twenty-eight columns within with Co- rinthian capitals. This is believed to be the synagogue built by the Roman centurion, mentioned in Luke vii. 4, 5. (•' And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this : For he loveth our nation, and he, hath built us a synagogue.") " It was in this building," says Colonel Wilson, " that our Lord gave the well-known discourse in John vi. ; and it was not without a cer- tain strange feeling that on turning over a block (in the ruins) we found the pot of manna engraved on its face, and remembered the words, ' I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead/ " Mr. Barker pointed out Kherazeh, the an- cient Chorazin, in the distance. As they came back to the camp in the twilight they noticed stray Arabs skulking about watching them. " I don't like the looks of those fellows," said Mr. Barker. " There is a set of bandits over to the east of the lake, and these men may be sent to ascertain whether we are worth capturing. Come girls, let us show them a little pistol practice." The Misses Barker and their father accordingly set up a mark at some distance, and began firing at it. Two of the Arabs approached, and noticed the young ladies' accuracy of aim with evident surprise. They slipped away chattering, as the dragoman told them, compli- ments on the marksmanship of these surprising females. The stars came out one by one, and were reflected in the lake. The eerie feeling of insecurity passed away, and was replaced in Birds mind by a feeling of calm trust. She felt that they were all, even the poor captive in Petra, in the hands of One mighty to save. The eldest Miss Barker read aloud in a soothing voice a poem by Mc- Cheyne, and stray lines from it came to her during the intervals of sleep that night. 240 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave, O sea of Galilee ! For the glorious One who came to save Hath often stood by thee. Fair are the lakes in the land I love, Where pine and heather grow. But thou hast loveliness above What Nature can bestow. Graceful around thee the mountains meet, Thou calm, reposing sea ; But ah, far more ! the beautiful feet Of Jesus walked o'er thee. Those days are past. Bethsaida where ? Chorazin, where art thou ? His tent the wild Arab pitches there ; The wild reeds shade thy brow. Tell me, ye mouldering fragments, tell ! Was the Saviour's city here ? Lifted to heaven, has it sunk to hell, With none to shed a tear ? O Saviour gone to God's right hand, Yet the same Saviour still, Graved on thy heart is this lovely strand, And every fragrant hill." Early the next morning Daniel appeared with the beasts, and a lit- tle later the entire party set out in a north-westerly direction for Tyre. All this time the Remingtons had been following the River Kishon across the plain of Esdraelon to the sea. Many of the scenes through which they passed reminded them of the great battle between the forces of Sisera and Barak, which took place here, and is so graphi- cally described in Judges iv. and v. Just what part Deborah took in the conflict beyond prophesying Barak's victory, and composing the celebrated paean which follows it, we do not know ; but her name and that of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, are inseparably connected with it. Sisera and his host and his nine hundred chariots fled precipitately down the valley of the Kishon. That there must have been a terrific storm at the time is proved by the fact that the bed of the Kishon where the battle took place would have been nearly dry under ordi- THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 241 nary circumstances ; and from Deborah's song, " They fought from heaven ; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera." The army of Sisera retreated toward " Harosheth of the Gentiles." This place Dr. Thompson locates at Tell Harothieh, — a village at the lower end of the narrow pass, through which the Kishon issues into the plain of Acre. " The victorious Barak was behind them; on their left the hills of Samaria in the hand of their enemies; on their right was the swollen river and the marshes of Eth Thorah : they had no alternative but to make for the narrow pass which led from Esdraelon to Harosheth. A castle there would command the pass up the vale, and such a castle there probably was at that time ; the tell is still covered with remains of walls. The hills of Samaria bend round to the base of Carmel, while those of Galilee do the same on the opposite side. The vale becomes more and more narrow, until within the pass it is only a few rods wide. There horses, chariots and men became mixed in horrible confusion, jostling and treading down one another ; and the river, swifter and deeper than above runs zigzag, from side to side until, just before it reaches Tell Harothieh, it dashes against the perpendicular base of Carmel. There is no longer any possibility of avoiding it, and rank upon rank the flying host plunge madly in, those behind crushing those before. ' The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon.' ' All the country, as one approaches Carmel, is identified with Elijah. The altar which he built when the great test was made between the 16 MONASTERY OF MOUNT CARMEL. PROMONTORY OF CARMEL. 242 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. power of Jehovah and that of Baal is located at a place called El Muh- rakah, on the south-eastern end of Mount Carmel. It is reverenced by Jews, Christians, Moslems, Druses, and Bedouins alike, as the site of the great miracle of Elijah. Our pilgrims did not climb the mountain to visit the spot, but went directly to the hotel in the town of Haifa. They found Haifa a sleepy, Oriental city, whose white walls extend to the water's edo-e. At its back rises a hill dominated by a castle. Palm-trees waved above . the domes and minarets, and boats with picturesque lateen sails glided by. A colony of Germans, similar to the one at Jaffa has settled here. The hotel in which the Remington's lodged was in this quarter, and it seemed very pleasant after their long experience of Oriental living to find themselves in a neatly kept German home. The next day the younger members of the party climbed to the convent of Mar Elyas, — an ancient house of Carmelite monks, named in honor of Elijah. There were hermits here dwelling in caves as early as the Crusades, and in 1340 the Carmelites built a fine monas- tery here. In 1799 a convent on the same site was used by the French as a hospital, but was destroyed in 182 1 by the Turks. ^ The present convent was built by the efforts of Padre Giovanni Battista, of Frascati, who travelled for fifteen years soliciting funds for its erection. They were told, and could well believe, that it is the handsomest convent in Palestine. It is of stone, and the rooms are spacious and dignified. The party lunched in the hospice, and were well served by the breth- ren, and were afterwards shown the convent library, the refectory, and THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 243 MOUTH OF THE RIVER KISHOX. the chapel, beneath which, they assured their guests, was the veritable cave of Elijah. From the cupola that crowns the dome, they obtained a magnifi- cent view. At their feet lay Haifa, and across the bay the city of Acre. In the distance, Lebanon's snowy top blended with the clouds. To the south, Frank pointed out a hill behind which Nazareth lay hidden. He did not know that Bird was there seeking for him, but his heart cried out for her. He had anticipated so much enjoyment from this journey in explaining and showing places familiar to him to her, and now the zest was sone. They sent the camp equipage and horses around the bay by land to Acre, while they sailed across the bay in one. of the picturesque sailboats. 244 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. Acre is situated on a peninsula, and is a strongly fortified city. It was the last fortress evacuated by the crusaders when they left the Holy Land. It has been successively destroyed and rebuilt by Chris- tians and Moslems since that time. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte took Acre, and on the plain of Esdraelon, near by Kleber, with about two thousand men defeated a Turkish army of twenty-five thousand. Ibrahim Pasha endeavored to convert Acre into an island by cut- ting a fosse across the narrow neck which connects it with the main- ACRE. land; but Commodore Napier bombarded the town in 1840, and again reduced the fortifications to ruin. The Remingtons walked about the walls, and examined the four hundred cannon which sweep land and water. One of these is said to bear the inscription, " Ultima ratio regum," — the last argument of kings. Away to the north lay the ancient cities of Tire and Sidon, which they would visit later ; but all the party felt that they preferred now to turn their faces eastward, for further journeying on the sea-board would take them too far from Galilee. The villages to the east of Acre had each its legend of the Cru- THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 2 45 sades. Here was the ruined castle of Akil Aga, where the banner of Richard the Lion-Hearted waved during the siege of Acre. Farther on Mohammed pointed out the castle Shefa Omar, where Saladin made his headquarters. They made their noonday rest at the ruined CANA. village of Cana, deserted now of all inhabitants except the little wild creatures of the desert. Mohammed warned them that it was not safe for the young ladies to explore the village alone, for leopards couched in sunny windows of the ruins, and wild boar rooted among the foundation-stones. The water from the fountain of Cana was very poor. " I do not wonder that Christ changed it to wine," Mr. Remington said, making a wry face as he set down his glass. " Don't you think," Violet asked after a moment, " that it would be a beautiful thousrht to be married here ? It would seem as if Christ had really sat at one's wedding supper and blessed one's wedded life." 246 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " The sentiment, my dear, is admirable," said Mrs. Remington ; " but when you are married I trust it will be in a more civilized reaion — somewhere where the conveniences for obtaining a real sup- per will be a little more apparent." Violet rambled away to the fountain with Frank. " Some way Mother never quite understands me," she said. " It would be more to me all my life to know that my wedding had taken place where Christ once blessed a marriage, even if I drank only the brackish water of this foun- tain, than to have had the most magnificent ceremonies in the greatest of cathedrals and the most sumptuous ban- quet in the grandest of pal- aces." " I understand you, Violet," Frank replied ; " but after all, the place does not matter, — only the spirit." " It matters to me," Violet replied with enthusiasm ; " and I am going to bottle some of this water to be served at my wedding, — if I ever have one ; and to me it will be the best wine of the feast." Frank picked up some broken fragments of water jars near the fountain, suggesting that they would make pleasant souvenirs to give as wedding presents to friends. " And I will write something appropriate on each one," Violet replied. " What shall it be besides the reference, John ii. 1-1 1. ? " " There is nothing better than the prize poem which Milton wrote on this miracle when he was a boy — " FOUNTAIN AT CANA. THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD. 047 "I know: 'The conscious water saw its Lord, and blushed.' It is exquisite." Mohammed was calling them, and they hurried back to their horses. They were to spend the night at Seffurieh, near Nazareth; and it seemed indeed an irony of fate that on the same morning that Bird turned away from the Sea of Galilee, the Remingtons reached its shores. CHAPTER XL BEIRUT. — DAMASCUS. [RD'S journey to Tyre was quickly made. The Barkers were not interested in looking up obscure sites of ancient places. Indeed, it would be difficult to guess why they, and so many like them, made this journey. After it was over, Bird could only remember one object of historic interest which they paused to visit, — Hiram's tomb, near the city of Tyre. It looked old enough to be authentic; and Bird could well believe that this was the resting-place of King Solomon's great friend, who gave him all his desire " concerning timber of cedar and concerning timber of fir " from Mount Lebanon, (i Kings, v.) Bird at any other time would have felt a scholar's interest in Tyre, the ancient capital of Phoenicia. As it was, she could not forget that Queen Dido fled from this country with some of the noble and wealthy families of Sidon, and founded the city of Carthage, in Libya, about 813 B.C. If Virgil's romance of the /Eneid is chiefly fabulous, it has at least this foundation-stone of truth. Tyre was one of the greatest commercial cities of ancient times. Ezekiel gives us a strik- ing picture of her mercantile character in the twenty-seventh chapter of his prophecy, in which the word merchant and merchandise are repeated seventeen times. Tyre was especially noted for her purple dye, and Sidon claims the honor of having invented glass. Whether this be true or not, the Sidonians early stained glass by means of metallic oxides, and imitated precious stones. Their mining opera- tions were famous, as was their brass-founding and ship-building. BEIRUT. — DAMASCUS. 249 Bird was doomed to disappointment at Tyre, for no trace could be found of the Remingtons. The Barkers were positive that Frank had told them that Beirut was their ultimate destination. The Barkers dismissed their dragoman at Tyre, who returned with the horses and camp equipage to Jerusalem, while they took passage by steamer for Beirut, and urged Bird to accompany them. It was a forlorn hope, but Bird knew that Frank would sooner or later lead his family to Beirut, for he had spoken so often and so enthusiastically of the college MOUNT LEBANON, FROM BEIRUT. and the missions located there. They were a lode-star, whose attrac- tive influence he could not possibly resist. If she waited in Beirut long enough, Frank would certainly come. The only question was, whether he would be in time to help his friends. The trip would only take a few hours, and she felt that she must try this last resource. She accordingly dismissed Daniel with a letter for her mother, explaining the situation, and taking Miriam with her, embarked with the Barkers for Beirut. The city, as seen by one approaching it from the sea, is very beautiful. Its white, flat, or tiled-roofed houses step upward in terraces intermingled with gardens and shrubbery, and the range of 250 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. Lebanon throws its mighty arm around the amphitheatre. The pic- ture at sunset, with the flush crimsoning the snowy peaks, or in the evening when the gaslights glitter like fire-flies amidst the foliage, rivals the famous views of the cities of Lisbon and Naples. High walls shut the gardens from the view of the passers in the streets, but oleanders and lantanas, roses, and other gorgeous flowers, trail from the tops of the walls; and in some instances blossoming- cactus hedges take the place of the walls themselves. The houses of the wealthier class are very handsome, with tessellated marble pave- ments, fountains, high ceilings, and beautiful carvings. The bazaars are fascinating, the public garden a dream of beauty, but the chief interest in Beirut to the American is the Syrian Protestant College, — a wonderfully complete and successful institution. It was opened in 1866, and is managed by a board of trustees consisting of five promi- nent and philanthropic New Yorkers. Under the able presidency of Dr. Daniel Bliss, assisted by a large faculty of professors and instruc- tors, the college has thriven in a phenomenal manner. Among its buildings are : — I. A large main building, containing the library, the geological and antiquarian collections, the hall for literary societies, recitation and study rooms, and dormitories. II. The Medical Building, containing large lecture rooms, chemi- cal laboratory and museums. III. An Observatory. IV. Marquand House, the President's residence. V. The Ada Dodge Memorial Hall for the use of the Preparatory Department. VI. The Chapel. All of these buildings are finely equipped. The Library contains 4,500 books in different European languages, and 800 in Arabic and Turkish, including the valuable library bequeathed by the late Nofel Effendi, of Tripoli. The museums illustrating the department of BEIR UT.~ DA MA SCUS. 2 5 I archaeology are very valuable. These museums had been a favorite •resort of Frank's during his former visit. Bird had heard him speak of the ancient pottery collected here, of the glassware, bronzes, and sarcophagi, and knew that he was especially interested in the immense collection of coins. The geological, botanical, zoological, and surgi- cal museums are also most amply provided with interesting and instructive specimens ; but more entertaining even than the rich equipment of the college were the students who had flocked to its doors from widely distant cities. They are chiefly Turks, and the course of study included instruction in Arabic as well as French and English. They are bright-looking young men, with fascinating Ori- ental names, — Iskander Constantine, Salim, Rashid, Khali], Ibrahim, Hazquiral Ayyub, Hasan, Muhammed, Suleiman, Abdallah, Fadhlu, and the like, many of them recalling heroes of the Arabian Nights, or of the Tales of the Alhambra. The medical department of the college has been a great favorite, and has graduated a class every year since 1871. These young men have gone to fill positions of usefulness and honor throughout the land, and have filled them well. The Presbyterian Mission in Syria has given the healing of the body with one hand, and the healing of the soul with the other. Bird went directly to the college, feeling that she must find the Remingtons here. Calculating the possibilities in the most favorable light, there was just time for Frank to get to the Bedouin camp, if he took the steamer for Jaffa now lying in the harbor. Bird was overwrought with the long tension; the supreme moment had arrived. Her limbs trembled so that she could scarcely drag her- self up the front steps of Marquand House. If only the first person whom she met might be Frank or Violet! She prayed earnestly in her heart, " O God, let me not be too late ! " She was shown into a quiet room full of books, and the President lifted his venerable white head from his writing to attend to her. She 252 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. told her hope of hearing news of the Remingtons. " I am glad that you are not to be disappointed," Dr. Bliss replied. " Fortunately, I can give you authentic information, for I received a few days ago a letter from Frank Remington, written at Acre, detailing his itinerary from that place to this." Bird read the letter, and understood at a glance how she had played at hide-and-seek with her friends. And now they were probably rid- ing leisurely northward toward Damascus, for it still lacked a week of the time at which Frank wrote the President that they might be expected at Beirut. Bird turned faint. Everything was dark and swam about her. When she came to herself, Mrs. Bliss was bathing her forehead. The poor girl looked about her in a startled way, and when consciousness completely returned, cried out, " Then after all, I am too late — too late ! " " What is it, my dear? " Mrs. Bliss asked kindly; and Bird told the entire story. " How unfortunate," Dr. Bliss exclaimed, " that we did not know of this two days ago, when Sir Neville Fitzgerald called, hoping to find some news of Captain Blakeslee. He had come out from Eng- land expecting to meet the Captain in Beirut and to organize with him a party to explore the ruins of Baalbec and Palmyra. Not find- ing any trace of his friend, he was at loss what to do, until I advised him to secure the services of Frank Remington, who is one of the most able young explorers that I know of. It is possible that Sir Neville would have been quite as willing, and even better able, to as- sist in this juncture than Mr. Remington ; but he left yesterday for Damascus." " Everything happens just wrong," moaned Bird. " I am indeed most unfortunate." " Perhaps not," said Mrs. Bliss, cheerfully. " If you take the dili- gence for Damascus to-morrow morning, you will overtake Sir Ne- BEIR UT. — DA MA SCUS. 253 ville in time to enable him to rescue his friends from death, if not from mutilation." Bird shuddered at the word. " Is it not something to have saved their lives ? " Dr. Bliss asked. " Yes, yes," Bird replied feverishly ; " and then I shall find the Rem- ingtons in Damascus, too. Yes, I must go on at once." " The stage does not start until early to-morrow morning," replied Mrs. Bliss. " Come away, my dear, and rest." She led Bird to a quiet chamber, simply furnished. The wearied girl thanked her, bathed her face, and lay down on the white bed. As she did so, her eye was caught by a strip of violet silk on the opposite wall, on which were printed these soothing lines. " Sleep sweet Within this quiet room, O thou, whoe'er thou art ; And let no mournful yesterdays Disturb thy quiet heart. Nor let to-morrow scare thy rest With dreams of coming ill ; Thy Maker is thy changeless friend, His love surrounds thee still. Forget thyself and all the world ; Put out each feverish light. The stars are watching overhead. Sleep sweet, Good-night ! Good-night ! " As we already know, the Remingtons continued their caravan trip northward from the Sea of Galilee, passing Huleh and circling the range of Hermon, until they came to Damascus. During this part of their journey they saw much that was interesting which we must pass over, but a memorable conversation which took place be- tween Frank and his mother must be recorded. They were riding apart from the others, through stretches of crimson Huleh lilies, — the lily of the field, of which Jesus spoke. The day was very lovely and calm, and Mrs. Remington looked up sud- 254 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. denly, and asked, " What could be more beautiful ? Are you not perfectly happy ? " " No, Mother, I am not happy," Frank replied ; " and it would all be so much more beautiful if Bird were here." Mrs. Remington started. She had only half guessed Frank's secret ; but he could keep, it no longer, and he poured all his trouble out, even to Mr. Baumgarten's statement that Bird was of Jewish extraction. " I do not believe it," Mrs. Remington replied emphatically. " What proofs has he to offer for such an astonishing assertion. It is not at all a likely story." " The more I think of it," said Frank, " the more probable it seems. I shall not be surprised if it proves to be the case." " Well," said Mrs. Remington, in her trivial, fatuous way, " there is one comfort, — no one would ever suspect it, and not a soul need know it. Bird has kept her secret very cleverly." " Mother ! " Frank exclaimed in a tone of real anguish, " how can you look at the matter in that way ? What possible disgrace is there in the fact that Bird is a Hebrew ? I consider it, on the contrary, an honor that she can trace her ancestry back for ages to a race which gave us Christ and the Christian religion, and which alone held the true knowledge of God, and was noted for its refinement and learning when our own ancestors were besotted savages." Mrs. Remington shrank visibly before this outburst. " Yes, I know," she murmured feebly ; "you love her, Frank, — I 've seen it all along, — and I don't wonder, for she is very bewitching ; and if this is not generally known, I don't think it need make any difference. You naturally see nothing objectionable in anything or anybody at all related to her; but I fear society would hardly look at her Hebrew connections in that way." " Society ! " Frank exclaimed with infinite scorn, " what do we care for the opinion of society when a grand issue like this comes wrong BEIR UT. — DA MA SCUS. 2 c c up, and we know that we are in the right, and that society is all ! " " If you feel that way," Mrs. Remington replied, " I don't see why you should be at all troubled by Mr. Baumgarten's information." Frank was silent. If his mother could not see that it was Bird's attempted concealment of the truth which pained him, it was useless for him to explain it to her. Sometimes mother and son, in their mental and moral attitude, stand miles away from each other, and are as really alien from one another as if they spoke dif- ferent languages. Mrs. Remington prattled on. " There is such a difference in Jews. Now, if Bird's people are the Baumgartens, I am sure that neither your father nor I would object ; but I fear they are very disagreeable persons indeed, or she would not have been ashamed of them." " I don't care How objectionable they are," Frank cried impetu- ously. " That would make no difference to me, as it ought not to her. The thing that pains me is that she is ashamed of her parents, — that she has used deceit. The girl that I thought she was, — the girl whom I really loved, — could not have done that." " You are too silly for anything! " Mrs. Remington exclaimed pet- tishly, " I am sure it was very natural under the circumstances ; and indeed, her er — er — her reticence may have been quite as much out of consideration for our feelings as on her own account. If you love her so much, I should think you would want to protect her from unfriendly criticism by helping her to keep the facts from coming out. Indeed, if you possessed the delicacy that I gave you credit for, you would pretend that you suspected nothing. You will find such a course quite as much to your own advantage as to hers; for though I am fond of Bird per- sonally, and would like to see you both happy, I give you fair warning that if this comes to be generally known through either of you, I will never consent to your marriage, — never! " " Are you in earnest ? " Frank asked. 256 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " Perfectly." " Then, God forgive me, I am ashamed of my own mother, — the very fault for which I blame poor Bird." They rode on in silence. The revelation which had come to each of the other's character was mutually painful. If it was a bitter thing to Frank to find that his mother's ideals were lower than his own, it was mortifying to Mrs. Remington to feel that her own code of morals was lower than her son's, and that she had lost his respect. Love was still there, and tender, dutiful regard, and a pity such as one feels for a deformed child ; but the reverent admiration, which is a mother's proudest tribute from her boy, she had lost, and she knew it. " I have come down from my pedestal," she said to herself, bitterly ; "he will never look up to me again." After this, Frank confided Mr. Baumgarten's information to his father, and to Violet. " Singular man, that Baumgarten," said Mr. Remington. " He knows so much about Bird's relatives that I suspect he knows more. I wish you had told me this when we were in Jerusalem, and I believe I could have found out from him just who and where this mysterious Orchard is. I cannot conceive why Bird should have concealed the facts from us if it is only such a thoroughly immaterial matter as Jew- ish ancestry. Surely, she could see that we are persons of sense enough not to be influenced against her on that account. Your mother is the only one in our family who has any prejudice of that kind; and she is too fond of Bird to let it make any difference. I very much fear, my boy, that there may be worse concealed than you imagine." Frank looked at his father, distressed by new and vague apprehen- sions. It is one of the penalties of concealment that when we learn that it has been practised, the imagination always conjures worse possi- bilities than the real facts. BEIRUT. — DAMASCUS. 257 But while his father and his mother only added to his trouble, Violet was as usual a real comfort. " I shall never believe any wrong of Bird," she insisted. " It will all be explained, I know. In some way you will find that it is all right. 1 ' " I don't see how it can be," Frank replied despondently. " If it were as bad as Father seems to fear, I could still forgive her anything but deceit ; but unfortunately deceit is the one thing that we are sure of." " No," Violet replied stoutly, " we are not at all sure of it. Perhaps she is not a Jewess at all, or if she is one, perhaps she has only just been informed of the fact herself. Whatever the trouble is, I think it very honorable of her to break off the engagement instead of continu- ing it when there was something which she could not tell you. If she loved you, and I know she did, it must have been very hard for her to do that. And since there is no engagement, and she has gone away from you forever, I ask you what obligation there is for her to tell you her family secrets ? If she had seen fit to accept you, it would have been different, and you might have had some right to know her affairs." Frank looked more cheerful. He had never thought of the matter in just this light. " What a darling you are, Violet; you have taken a great load of trouble from my heart, angel sister that you are." " Moreover," Violet continued, " I am not only sure that Bird is good and true, but I am quite as firmly convinced that everything will end satisfactorily, — only you must believe in her, and stand by her through evil and through good report ; ' for richer or for poorer, for better or worse,' you know, Frank." Frank smiled, he hardly knew why ; the situation had not greatly changed, but there is such help in sympathy that he felt far more hopeful. Violet meantime, after the manner of sisters, locked her own anxieties in her heart and comforted her brother all the more cheerily that she was herself sorely in need of comfort. 17 25§ THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. Emma has not been mentioned for many pages, but she was not an altogether uninterested spectator of the little drama. She was pleased that Bird had dropped out of their company. Her old preju- A FORD OF THE JORDAN. dice held ; and though she bided her time and said nothing of her suspicions, she was only waiting to strengthen them by proofs, to explode them like a dynamite bomb upon her friends. The conversations just indicated took place after they had left the source of the Jordan and the Castle of Banias, and were approaching BEIRUT. — DAMASCUS. 259 the city of Damascus. The famous first view, renowned the world over for its surpassing beauty, effectually turned the current of their thoughts. Dr. Green thus describes the scene which they beheld from a hill called the Katuin : — " The prospect is wonderfully fascinating, its charm being that of an oasis in the mountain desert. An expanse of the most vivid green contrasts with the grey and yellow tints of the Anti-Libanus slopes, and girdles the city like a belt. On the outskirts of this bright enclosure rise multitudes of tall poplar- DAMASCUS. trees, their dark and stately forms being a chief feature in the landscape. As the city is approached, these are succeeded by rich groves and orchards of walnut, figs, pomegranate, citron, and apricot, while from the branches of the tallest trees hang the clustered branches of the vine. The herbage of the fields is inconceivably rich; flowers of every hue are springing into blossom, and innumerable artificial water-courses from the Barada (the ancient Arbana) intersect the fertile scene, carrying life everywhere in their flow." This beautiful garden enclosed the city, whose white walls, domes, and minarets rose within its embrace like clustered pearls set in a border of emeralds. This is the view which Mahomet beheld, and refused to enter Damascus, saying as he turned away : " It is permitted 260 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. to men to enter but one Paradise ; should I avail myself of this one it might abate my longing for the heavenly." As they were wearied from their long caravan journey our travel- lers went directly to Dimitri's Hotel, the most comfortable quarters which they had found since leaving Jerusalem. Cool baths and an appetizing dinner refreshed them greatly, and prepared them to enjoy a stroll through the historic city. First, they sauntered down the " street called Straight," and wondered why it had been so inappro- priately named, for it meanders through the city like a brook which has not quite made up its mind as to its destination. This street led them to the picturesque Bab (or Gate) esh-Sherky. They passed bazaars filled with the silks of " Damask " pattern, so named from the city, and Damascus blades, none of which, however, possessed the wonderful pliability which allowed the old scimitars to be bent hilt to point or tied in knots. Some of the swords, however, bore mottoes and fanciful devices damascened, or inlaid in gold or silver. They were shown the Christian quarter, where occurred the terrible massacre of i860; and Mohammed pointed out some ruins which had not been restored, and remained eloquent monuments of that inunda- tion of fire and blood. The next day they looked up the places connected with the history of Saint Paul. As they approached the city, Mohammed had shov/ed them the spot assigned by tradition to his conversion, where " as he came near Damascus, suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth " (Acts, ix. 3.), blinded by that terrible glare. They found their way very easily to the window in the wall, — now built up, — from which the apostle is said to have been let down in a basket (Acts ix. 25). They looked into the great mosque which occu- pies the site of an ancient heathen temple, " perhaps," says one writer, " the very House of Rimmon, in which Naarnan was wont to bow down beside his royal master Benhadad." (2 Kings, v. 18.) One of the min- BEIR UT. — DA MA SCUS. 2 6 1 arets of this mosque the Moslems have named after Jesus, acknowl- edging him as a prophet. Frank took them to the missions of the Irish Presbyterian Church ; but while admiring the noble work done here, he assured them that Beirut was, par excellence, the city of missions and the goal of his hearts desire. Their host obtained permission for them to inspect the interior of a very beautiful house owned by a wealthy Jewish family. The house from the street had a very plain and even shabby appearance; but as soon as they were admitted to the central court they felt themselves transported to fairyland. " It is a chapter out of the Arabian Nights ! " Violet exclaimed, and Emma looked about her with the keen curiosity and pleasure of an archaeologist. Both girls especially admired some wonderful old enamelled tiles of blending peacock blues and greens. They were of genuine Saracenic workmanship, and resembled the faience of the Alhambra. The carved lattices, bubbling fountains, rich embroideries, and the exquisite flowers, all received a share of their admiration, and Mrs. Remington received new ideas regarding the taste of refined and culti- vated Hebrews. Though all acknowledged the charm of Damascus the Remingtons did not linger long in the city. A hot wave surged in from the desert, whitening the leaves of the apricots with dust. The snowy heights in the distance tantalized their sight. Mrs. Rem- ington, who had stood the long ride from Jerusalem remarkably well, was poorly again, and insisted, with the pettishness of an invalid, on going directly to the sea-shore, and that she must travel on wheels. She was very sure that she had injured her spine by so much riding; she never wished to mount a saddle again. The truth was, that Mrs. Remington was dissatisfied with herself, and chose to veil her dis- content under the guise of invalidism. She was not entirely selfish, however, for she insisted that the rest should not give up their plan of visiting- Baalbec on her account. 262 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. " I will go in the diligence," she said. " Those very pleasant French people who sit at the table next to ours are going that way to-morrow morning. I am sure they will let me call upon them if I need to do so. You can make the Baalbec detour, and join me later at the hotel in Beirut." Emma had been pondering over her suspicions in regard to Bird, and had almost made up her mind to divulge them to Mrs. Remington when this change of plan was agreed upon ; and she suddenly realized that if there was to be a disclosure it must be made immediately. Emma was not ordinarily a mischief-maker, but now some malign influence seemed to possess her, which achieved its utmost when Frank made some pleasant allusion to Bird, and Mrs. Remington replied with intention, " Bird is a most charming girl. I always said so, and I want you to distinctly understand that she is a great favorite of mine, and that I regret her absence from our party. I am so sorry that we did not meet Mr. Orchard in Jaffa. I had looked forward to making his acquaintance. Bird is such a distinguished girl that I am sure she must come from an aristocratic family." Frank rose and left the room abruptly, and an instantaneous con- viction flashed through Emma's mind : " Frank knows that Bird is a Hebrew." So far she was right ; but she erroneously carried her con- clusions still further, and took it for granted that Frank, knowing his mother's foibles, had not admitted her to his confidence. Emma had dreaded telling her famous discovery, for fear that Frank would meet it with explanations which would remove all of Mrs. Remington's objections ; but here was a golden opportunity. Emma would write a note and give it to Mrs. Remington to read after she would be quite out of the reach of her son's influence ; and she felt sure that such a surprise would have a great effect. Mrs. Remington was a little woman mentally ; but though incapable of grand ideals, she was perfectly capable of intense pique and perverseness. Emma wrote her note with the utmost circumspection, excusing her intrusion BEIRUT. — DA MA SCUS. 263 on the ground of duty. She felt that Mrs. Remington had been basely deceived, and that she ought to know the entire truth. She beo-o-ed her not to trouble Frank with the knowledge, which would doubtless be a most cruel surprise for him, but only investigate the matter for herself. Mrs. Baumgarten, when charged with the truth, would doubtless confess. Emma had had a thought of making this an anonymous letter. She hesitated for some minutes before signing her name to this mean and underhand communication; but she knew that an anonymous letter might be treated with contemptuous disregard, or very easily traced to its source, and she felt very willing to stand by all that she had said. She accordingly hastily signed her name and thrust the evil-intentioned missive into Mrs. Remington's hand as she took her seat in the diligence. The little lady opened her eyes in wide surprise at this singular conduct on Emma's part, but promised not to read the note until she arrived at Beirut. In her journey that day she passed the diligence which was bring- ing: Bird to Damascus, and Bird, the better to enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery, had taken a conspicuous seat on the outside. They might easily have recognized each other had not Mrs. Reming- ton indulged in a little nap just at the time that the two vehicles met. Bird went directly to Dimitri's Hotel, and was rejoiced to find that her friends were still there, though the proprietor informed her that they were preparing for an early start on the following day. " What name shall I send up ? " asked the proprietor; and Bird without an in- stant's hesitation wrote " Zipporah Baumgarten " on the blank card which he handed her. Then she stepped into the vacant, marble-paved parlor, where the cool plash of the fountain had no power to calm her excited feelings. She paced back and forward, becoming every instant more flushed and nervous. It was only three minutes, but it seemed an eternity, before Frank appeared. He had evidently expected to meet a stranger, for he started when he recognized her. His first overmas- 264 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. tering impulse was to spring to her side and give her a lover's greet- ing ; but Bird gently but firmly held him aloof. " What does all this mean, Bird ? " he asked anxiously. . " It means," she replied, hurriedly, almost incoherently, " that I am Bariah Baumgarten's granddaughter, and Shear Baumgarten's daughter, and that I have come all this way to tell you of it, because I cannot bear the thought of having deceived you, and because you must understand now how impossible it is for us to think of marriage ; and it will be easier for you to give me up, knowing just why. I could not write it ; I felt that I must see you and tell it, and hear you say that you forgive me, and bid you good-by." Bird had intended to be very brave and calm, but the tears came to her eyes and her voice broke. And Frank, who had also meant to be dispassionate and even stern, felt all the barriers of his displeasure give way before the flood of his returning love. He held her closely, saying only, "My poor dear Bird, what unnecessary suffering you have taken upon yourself." Bird gave way only for a moment, then rising, she crowded back her tears with a wilful toss of her imperious little head : " You have heard my confession very kindly, more leniently than I expected, and for this I thank you." " I only wonder, dear, that you should have ever thought that there was any need of concealment. You have a learned grandfather, an estimable father, and a most lovely mother. Why did you not tell us this before, dear Bird ? " " Because I could not bear to have you scorn them and me." " But you surely did not imagine that I could think the less of any one of you for this relationship, when you knew how I loved you, and how I honored them ? " " No, you could not despise us for being related or for being Jews, but you would and you do scorn us for the long deception we have practised." BEIRUT. — DAMASCUS. 265 u How did it come about, Bird dear ? I do not understand it at all." Bird told all the miserable story, and Frank listened with the ut- most consideration. " It was all a mistake, my darling," he said at last, when she had finished. " Concealment of the truth is always a mistake, but in this instance it is not an irrevocable one. I love you all the more for not being able to live away from your father and mother, for not being able to live a lie, or even the least shadow of one. I love you all the more and am proud of you. Why do you say you have come to bid me good-by ? There must never be any good- bys between us now forever." " But I am proud too," Bird replied, — " very proud of my dear mother and father, and you must be proud of them, too." " I am," Frank replied promptly. " And all of your family," Bird urged. " No one must be the least bit ashamed of my relatives ; I could never bear it." " My parents love you," Frank replied evasively, " and Violet is longing to give you a sister's welcome." "Violet! Oh, Frank!" Bird exclaimed. "In seeing you I have forgotten half, and the most important half, of my errand. But for this I might never have come at all. Dr. Trotter and Captain Blakes- lee are in danger of their lives." She could hardly tell the story fast enough ; but Frank comprehended it quickly, and made a rapid calcu- lation. " If the Arabs carry out their threat, there is only the barest chance of my arriving in time to prevent the death of my friends ; but I must attempt it. I will not wait for to-morrow mornings diligence, but will start at once, and ride all night, — though that will be foolish, for the next boat for Jaffa does not sail until the arrival of the diligence." " Sir Neville Fitzgerald is in Damascus," Bird suggested. " He is a friend of Captain Blakeslee's; perhaps he will accompany you." " I will see him immediately ; and in the mean time come up to 266 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. Violet's room. Break as much of this news to her as you think best, only do not tell her of the threat of torture and death." " Need we tell her any part of the bad news at present ? " Bird asked. " Why will it not do to say simply that Captain Blakeslee wishes you to join him at Petra. The evil tidings, when they come, will travel swiftly enough." " As you please ; but she will ask a perfect catechism of questions, and is bright enough to guess everything." But Violet for once was not quick to discern the truth. Her de- light at seeing Bird gave her no room for gloomy forebodings ; and she was so curious to ascertain whether all was satisfactorily settled between her friend and Frank that she put her own affairs quite out of consideration. She did say that it must be a matter of great con- sequence which could demand that Frank should take so long a jour- ney, and she charged her brother to remember her most cordially to the Captain. " Is all right between you and Bird ? " she managed to ask Frank, as he hurriedly packed a few necessaries. " Yes, " he replied. " All is right between us, thank God ! Bird will tell you about it; and I depend upon you, little sister, to bring Mother into accord. But here is Father, and I want to talk money matters; run away to Bird, that is a good girl, and be sure you keep her with you until I return." Frank spent part of the evening with Sir Neville, and that gentle- man decided to leave with him early in the morning and to put forth every effort in his power for the rescue of their friends. Frank was naturally preoccupied during the evening, but Violet filled all gaps in conversation. Her delight that Bird had come to them overflowed to the rest, and made the group a very cheerful one. Bird herself had never expected such a welcome, or fancied that her pilgrimage could have so happy a termination. To do her jus- tice, she had undertaken it with no hope of a reconciliation. She had expected coldness, and even scorn, and had found in its place a for- BEIRUT.— DAMASCUS. 267 giveness so complete, that it was not recognizable as forgiveness, but only as joyous, welcoming love. Mr. Remington received the intelligence in a way that was most gratifying to Bird. " You had a perfect right to change your name," he said. " It is done very frequently in our country to fulfil the con- ditions of wills, and in adoption to prevent certain family names from becoming extinct. The only mistake in the matter was concealing the fact. You are still legally Bird Orchard, but that should not pre- vent your acknowledging your family, or imply any rupture between you. The change was not so far-reaching in its consequences in your case as in that of your brother, who founds a new family, and whose grandchildren will probably have forgotten or have never heard that the Orchards could not be traced in one unbroken line to some com- panion of William, the Conqueror." Violet had interviewed Emma privately, and besought her not to say anything sarcastic, and Emma restrained herself until Mr. Rem- ington made the remarks just reported, when she could not refrain from saying that the next time Bird decided upon changing her name she hoped that cards would be sent out announcing the fact. Violet laughed merrily, and assured Emma that she would not be forgotten. Emma was angry that she had not divulged her suspicions to all the family, and forestalled Bird's confession. She had laid such a clever mine, but she had waited a little too long before applying the match. How stupid she had been ! While they talked so happily together, both Violet and Bird felt that the real opposition was to be anticipated from Mrs. Remington. Neither had dared to refer to the attitude she might take. For the time she was tactily ignored in their conversation, though the thoughts of each was busy with her. Bird kept saying to herself, " It all depends upon how Mrs. Remington will regard my father;" while Violet thought, " I do hope Bird will not mind anything Mother may say or do, for she is sure not to be pleased by this new development." Once 268 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. again the subtle magnetism which sets a current of thought darting from one brain to another without the vehicle of speech suggested Mrs. Remington to Emma also, and she could hardly refrain from maliciously referring to her. In spite of the background of cloud the evening closed pleasantly, and early the next morning Frank and Sir Neville set out for Beirut. Frank was the bearer of a letter to Bird's mother, in which she announced her intention of spending a few days with Violet. She longed to say more, but she restrained her desire. " I must wait," she said to herself, " until I have seen Mrs. Remington ; it all depends upon her." Later in the day the caravan was formed again, and Mohammed led them out on the road to Baalbec. Little is known of the early history of this ancient and beautiful city. It is thought to derive its name from Baalbeit, the house of Baal, and was doubtless the seat of a great temple to that god ; but the beautiful temple whose ruins are still the wonder and admiration of the traveller, was of Roman origin. The city was fortified by Augustus, and a century and a half later Antoninus Pius built the far-famed temple. David Roberts, R. A.,- whose sketches are reproduced in the illus- tration of this volume, writes in his journal : — " It must be difficult to convey, even with the pencil, any idea of the magnificence of this ruin, the beauty of its form, the exquisite richness of its ornament, or the vast magnitude of its dimensions. The whole is contained within an irregular oblong enclosure, which has once been obviously used as a place of defence, a comparatively small portion of it being occupied by the Temple. The portico originally contained eight pillars in front, and fourteen on each side, each pillar being six feet three inches in diameter, and reaching, base and capital included, a height of seventy feet. The grand doorway is of immense size, formed of vast stones, and sculptured with the richest decoration. From the marks of fastenings, the entrance was probably with a Curtain or veil, as in the Jewish Temple, and in some of the Spanish churches at this day. The enclosure is divided into three great courts, in the innermost of which the principal building stands." B EIR UT. — DA MA SCUS. 269 This temple has had an extremely varied history. In the reign of Constantine it was consecrated as a Christian church ; the Saracens captured it and it became a fortress; earthquakes have shattered it, but enough remains, after seventeen hundred years, to give an idea of its early magnificence. The columns of the western portico show of what enormous size were the marble blocks which composed the portico, most being of two parts only. No cement was used, but the faces were so smoothly polished that a knife blade can scarcely be inserted between them. The doorway has been described as " perhaps the most elaborate work, as well as the most exquisite in its detail, of anything of its kind in the world. One scroll alone of acanthus leaves, with groups of children and panthers intertwined, might form a work of itself. We are lost in wonder at the size of the stones and at the nature of the machinery by which such masses were raised. An eagle with expanded wings hovers in the centre of the lintel, bearing festoons of fruits and flowers." It was a long and hard day's ride from Damascus, and the party only pitched their tents just in sight of the magnificent ruins which we have described, reserving a nearer acquaintance with them until the next day. While they are inspecting the immense columns and stones, we will follow Mrs. Remington to Beirut. She had hardly ensconced herself in her pleasant room at the hotel when she indulged her curiosity by reading Emma's letter. Great was her indignation ; but contrary to Emma's expectation, it was all turned against the writer of the letter. She had known the facts for some time, and they had not troubled her so much as the fear that they might become known. And now this had come to pass, not through any agency of Frank's or Bird's, but through Emma's meddling. Mrs. Remington was no longer opposed to Frank's acknowl- 270 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. edging Bird's parentage. Indeed, it would be better to announce it at once, before Emma could generally report it. All her displeasure was diverted from her son to this new mischief-maker who had rendered concealment no longer possible. As if this was not vexation enough for the little lady, a new and real trouble presently fell upon her; for on calling upon Mrs. Bliss, on the next day, she learned of Captain Blakeslee's peril. Mrs. Reming- ton was really much attached to the young man, and had built many air-castles in which he was always the fairy prince and Violet the happy princess. She knew that his death would be a heavy blow for Violet, — perhaps more than her affectionate, clinging nature could bear. Mrs. Remington suffered acutely. All of her annoyance in regard to Frank's affairs took a secondary place. To complete her despair she met Frank on her way to the hotel. One glance told each that the other knew the evil tidings, and Frank had more to give ; for he had arrived too late to take the Jaffa steamer, which had sailed a few hours before. They strolled aimlessly toward the wharves together. "There is a boat just in," Mrs. Remington exclaimed; " perhaps it is going south." " No," Frank replied ; " it is the steamer that was expected from Jaffa." They stepped into an archway and waited while the tide of pas- sengers poured up the streets. Suddenly Frank sprang forward and seized a young man by the shoulder. It was Captain Blakeslee, alive, and in full possession of his entire complement of legs and arms, fin- gers and toes. Dr. Trotter walked beside him, also a complete man, physically. The meeting was a very joyful one, and while Frank pulled off his friend's gloves to be sure that not so much as a little finger had been left with the Arabs of Petra, Captain Blakeslee explained his rescue. " We owe it all to a gentleman, — at the time a perfect stranger, but now a very good friend of ours, — who happened to be in Hebron BEIRUT. — DAMASCUS. 271 and to hear of our trouble. He ventured into the camp, paid the heavy ransom demanded, and lugged us away triumphantly. We have brought him to Beirut with us, for he says he is to meet his daughter here. It is entirely owing to him that we are alive at this present moment. Allow me, Mrs. Remington, to present my good friend, Mr. Baumgarten." It would have done Bird's heart good if she could but have seen the enthusiasm with which Mrs. Remington greeted her father ; and CEDARS OF LEBANON. she was satisfied a little later, for Mrs. Remington's gratitude was not a momentary impulse. " And how did it happen," Mrs. Remington asked, " that you were moved to pay this heavy ransom for perfect strangers ? " " Oh, zat was one leetle thing," Shear Baumgarten replied mod- estly. " I zink how I like to haf my own fingers cut off. and I zink I much rather haf my fingers as ze best investment I can make wiz zat leetle two three thousand dollar." " It is the best investment you ever made, my friend," said Dr. Trotter, smiting Mr. Baumgarten upon the shoulder ; and he spoke more truly than he knew. 272 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN THE HOLY LAND. "And now, where is mine daughter?" Mr. Baumgarten asked. " My wife she write me zat Bird set out to tell you ze bad news. I haf made myself much anxieties for fear she get herself into some trouble already." " Bird is safe," Frank replied ; " with my father and sister. Let us go to meet them ; it will be a most pleasant surprise." They all met in the beautiful cedar grove on Mount Lebanon, — the last that remains of the forests that once covered its slopes. No more beautiful spot could have been chosen for the double betrothal than the aisles of this noble natural cathedral. The giant trees, of unknown age, waved their patriarchal arms as in blessing as the young lovers wandered in their odorous shade, and the older peo- ple rested and chatted together. Even " bractical " Mr. Baumgarten was satisfied; for Sir Neville had been moved to create a " travelling pro- fessorship " in connection with the college at Beirut, whereby Ameri- can and English students of archaeology might be conducted through the most interesting fields for exploration in the Orient. Dr. Bliss had suggested the advisability of appointing two associate professors to this chair, and Captain Blakeslee and Frank Remington had been chosen, and the beloved land would henceforward be their home. THE END. CELEBRATED WAR STORIES. THE BOYS OF '61. Or Four Years of Fighting. A record of personal observation with the Army and Navy ivom the battle of Bull Run to the fall of Richmond. By Charles Carleton Coffin, author of "The Boys of '76, " " Our New Way 'Round the World, " " The Story of Liberty, " " Winning His Way, " " Old Times in the Colonies, " etc. With numerous illustrations. 1 vol., 8vo, chromo-lithographed board covers and linings . . • . • . • $1-75 1 vol., 8vo, cloth, gilt 2 -S° THE SAILOR BOYS OF '61. By Prof. J. Russell Soley, author of "The Bovs of 1812," etc This volume contains an accurate and vivid account of the naval engagements of the great Civil War, and the deeds of its heroes. Elaborately and beautifully illustrated from original drawings. 1 vol., 8vo, chromo-lithographed b sard covers, $1-75 1 vol., 8vo, cloth gilt, . . 2.50 THE BOYS OF 1812. By Prof. J. Russell Soley, author of " Blockaders and Cruisers," " The Sai- lor Boys of '6 1," etc., etc. This "most successful war book for the young, issued last year," is now made boards with an illustrated cover designed by Barnes. 1 vol., 8vo, chromo-lithographed board covers .... $1-75 1 vol., 8vo, cloth gilt, . . 2.50 " Prof. Soley's books should be read by every American boy, who cares for the honor of his coun- try." — Boston Beacon. " He must be a dull boy who can read such records of heroism without a quickening of the pul- ses." — San Francisco Chronicle. " We are in no danger of cultivating too much patriotism, and such a book as this is an excellent educator along an excellent line of thought." — ■ Chicago Daily Inter-Ocean. ^ ^^ ^ Regimen t passing through Baltimore. MY DAYS AND NIGHTS ON THE BATTLEFIELD. By Charles Carleton Coffin. With eighteen full-page plates. Small quarto. Bound in illuminated board covers $ l - 2 S FOLLOWING THE FLAG. By Charles Carleton Coffin. With eighteen full-page plates Small quarto. Bound in . $1.25 illuminated board covers, WINNING HIS WAY. By Charles Carleton Coffin. With twenty-one full-page plates Small quarto. Bound in illuminated board covers, THE CARLETON SERIES OF JUVENILES, $1.25 WINNING HIS WAY. MY DAYS AND NIGHTS ON consisting of following the flag, the battlefield. 3 vols., i6mo, cloth, in a box, Any volume sold separately, ■71 .25 ESTES & LAURIAT, Publishers, Boston, Mass. the rem great annhaus CHATTERBOX FOE 1892. This name, a household word in every home in the land, has become endeared in the hearts of Lwo generations, and the readers of the early volumes are now men and women, who know that no books will delight their children more, or instruct them to a greater extent, than these dear old annual volumes, whose sales have long since mounted above the million mark. This authorized reprint from duplicates of the original English plates, contains a large amount of copyright American matter, which cannot be reprinted by any other firm. The Genuine Chatterbox contains a great variety of original stories, sketches and poems 'or the young, and every illustration which appears in it is expressly designed for this work, by the most eminent English artists. It has over 200 full-page original illustrations. This year, to add to the enormous sales, no expense or trouble have been spared in securing a paper that would do entire justice to this royal juvenile, and make the illustrations appear to their best advantage, and if possible, bring the book nearer the zenith of juvenile perfection. 1 vol., quarto, illuminated board covers, . . . $1—5 1 vol., quarto, cloth, black and gold stamps, 1.75 1 vol., quarto, cloth, extra, chromo, gilt side and edges, 2.25 LITTLE ONES ANNUAL, Illustrated Stories and Poems for the Little Ones Edited by William T. Adams (Oliver Optic). This beautiful volume con- sists of original stories and poems by the very best writers of juvenile literature, care- fully selected and edited. It is embellished with 370 entirely original illustrations, drawn expressly for the work by the most cele- brated book illustrators in America, and engraved on wood in the highest style, under the superintendence of George T. Andrew. 1 vol., quarto, illuminated board covers, . ■ . . . $1.75 1 vol., quarto, cloth and gilt, . . 2.25 " Little Ones Annual is by all odds the best thing of the season for children from five to ten years old." — Boston Journal. THE NURSERY -U. For 26 years the Nursery has been welcomed in thousands of families as the favorite picture book for our little folks, and the best of it is it improves in quality every year. It is now enlarged in size and crowded with charming stories and original artistic illustrations. Edited by Oliver Optic 1 vol., royal octavo, illuminated covers, #1.25 OLIVER OPTIC'S ANNUAL, 1892. A volume edited by Oliver Optic appeals at once to the heart of every boy and girl, with all of whom his name is a synonym for everything bright and entertaining in juvenile literature. This is the leading book of its kind of the year, with original illustrations. 1 vol., quarto, illuminated board covers and frontispiece, . . . . . . $1.25 ESTES & LAURIAT, Publishers, Boston, Mass ENTERTAINING JUVENILES. THROUGH THE WILDS . By Capt. Charles A. J. Farrar, author of "Eastward Ho," "Down the West Branch," etc. A fascinating narrative of the adventures of a party of young men, travelling through the Woods of Maine and New Hamp- shire. Stories of their camp life, fishing, shooting, etc. Over 300 illustrations made specially for this work. The author is himself an ardent sportsman, as well as a popular and vigorous writer. 1 vol., quarto, cloth, black and gold, $2.50 AT THE SIGN OF THE WHITE SWAN . By Olivia L. Wilson. An exciting story of life and adventure in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania, told in a healthy but spirited style. Interesting alike to boys and girls. Illustrated from original designs by Copeland. 1 vol., i2mo, cloth, $t 25 RUBY AND RUTHY. By Minnie E. Paull, author of "Prince Dimple," " Cribsie Bye Tales," etc. The adventures and mishaps of two little country girls and a friend from the city. Illustrated by Jessie McDermott. 1 vol., i6mo, cloth, black and gold, jjSi.oo TALES OF ANCIENT TROY , And the Adventures of Ulysses. Edited by Walter Montgomery. A most valuable book, at the same time entertaining and instructive. The stories of the ten years' siege of Troy, by the Greeks, and the wanderings of Ulysses and his companions returning homeward after the Trojan war, the subjects of Homer's great poems " 1 he Iliad " and " The Odyssey," are here told in simple sketches, assisted by numerous graphic illustrations, depicting Ulysses, Hector, Achilles and the other heroes of the war. 1 vol., small quarto, illuminated board covers, . • if 1.25 ELFIE'S VISIT TO CLOUDLAND AND THE MOON . By Francis Vescelius and E. J Austen. A strikingly original story of an imaginary visit of a little girl to the " Realm of Fancy " and the abode of Santa Claus, which originally appeared in St. Nicholas. Illustrated with nearly a hundred original drawings. 1 vol., quarto, cloth, gold and ink, $1.25 T HE BOYS OF THE MIRTHFIELD ACADEMY . Edited by Laurence H. Francis. A book of adventure of students in an English school, describing their school life, sports, &x. Fully illustrated with original engravings by well known English artists. 1 vol., small quarto, illuminated board covers, $1.25 HILDEGARDE'S HOME. By Laura E. Richards. Another volume of the popular " Queen Hildegarde " series, giving an account of the haps and mishaps of the heroine in her city home. Illustrated with original designs by Merrill. 1 vol., 121110, cloth, $1.25 SIX GIRLS. By Fanny Belle Irving. A charming story of every-day home life, pure in sentiment and healthy in tone. A "beautiful book for girls. Fully illustrated from original designs. 1 vol. , small quarto, illuminated board covers and linings, #1.50 HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES. The standard authorized edition. A new translation from the original Danish edition, complete and unabridged. fully illustrated with engravings made from the original drawings, with an appropriate cover designed by L. S. Tpsen. 1 vol., quarto, cloth, $2.25 FEATHERS, FURS, AND FINS; Or, Stories of Animal Like for Children. A collection of the most fascinating stories about birds, fishes, and animals, both wild and domestic, with illustrations drawn by the best artists, and engraved in the finest possible style by Andrew. 1 vol., quarto, chromo-lithographed board covers, $1-75 1 vol., quarto, cloth and gilt, 2.50 ESTE5 & LAURIAT, Publishers, Boston, Hass. THE FAMOUS ZIGZAG SERIES. The Most Entertaining and Instructive, the Most Successful and Universally Popular Series -of Books for th Young Ever Issued in America. Over 300,000 Volumes of the Series have already been sold in this Country alone. Vacation Zigzag Journeys on tne Mississippi. From the Site of the World's Fair to the Tom b of Columbus." An account of a trip down this famou^ river, across the Gulf of Mexico to Havana. Full o 1 stories about Columbus and the historic places visited- Completely illustrated. i vol. small quarto, illuminated board covers and linings, . • • Price reduced, i vol., small quarto, cloth, bevelled and silt, Price reduced, |i-5° Uniform in style and price with the above, the other volumes of the series can be had as follows : Zigzag Journeys in Australia ; Or a Visit to the Ocean World. Describing the wonderful resources and natural advantages of the fifth continent, giving an insight into the social relations of the people and containing stories of gold discoveries and of the ani- mals peculiar to this fascinating country. Zigzag Journeys in the Great North-West ; Or a trip to the American Switzerland. Giving an ac- count of the marvellous growth of our Western Empire, with legendary tales of the early explorers. Full of inter- esting, instructive, and entertaining stories of the New Northwest, the country of the future. Zigzag Journeys in the British Isles. With excursions among the lakes of Ireland and the hills of Scotland. Replete with legend and romance. Over ioo illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in the Antipodes. This volume takes the reader to Siam, and with delightful illustration and anecdote, tells him of the interesting ani- mal worship of the country. Ninety-six illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in Acadia and New France. In which the Zigzag Club visits Nova Scotia and Acadia — "The Land of Evangeline," — New Brunswick, Can- ada, the St. Lawrence, Montreal, Quebec, etc., with romantic stories and traditions connnected with the early history of the country. 102 illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in India ; Or, the Antipodes of the Far East. A collection of Zenana" Tales. With nearly 100 fine original illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in the Sunny South. In which the Zigzag Club visits the Southern States and the Isthmus of Panama. With romantic stories of early voyagers and discoverers of the American continent. Seventy-two illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in the Levant. An account of a tour of the Zigzag Club through Egypt and the Holy land, including a trip up the Nile, and visit to the ruins of Thebes, Memphis, etc. 114 illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in Northern Lands. From the Rhine to tiie Arctic Circle. Zigzag Club in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, with picturesque views, entertaining stories, etc. 119 illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in the Occident. A trip ot the Zigzag Club from Boston to the Golden Gate ; including visits to the wheat-fields of Dakota, the wonders of the Yellowstone and Yosemite. 148 illustra- tions. Zigzag Journeys in the Orient. A journey of the Zigzag Club from Vienna to the Golden Horn, the Euxine, Moscow, and St. Petersburg; contain- ing a description of the Great Fair at Nijni- Novgorod, etc. 147 illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in Classic Lands ; Or, Tommy Toby's Trip to Parnassus. An account of a tour of the Zigzag Club in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. 124 illustrations. Zigzag Journeys in Europe ; Or, Vacation Rambles in Historic Lands. In which the Zigzag Club travels through England, Scotland, Belgium, and France; with interesting stories and legends. 126 illustrations. ESTES & LAURIAT, Publishers, Boston, Hass. THE FAMOUS VASSAL GIt*h SERIES. J^=* Mrs. Champney's fame as the authoress of the delightful series of travels by the " Three Vassar Girls," has extended throughout the English-speaking world. ^*%w^ Th ree Vassar Girls in the Holy Land. The Vassar Girls in this volume travel through the East, from Egypt and the mouth of the Nile through Palestine to Jerusalem. Illustrated with characteristic pictures of scenery, etc. i vol., small quarto, illuminated board covers and linings, ........ #1.50 1 vol., small quarto, cloth, bevelled and gilt, . . 2.00 Uniform in style and price with the above, the other volumes of the series can be had as follows : Three Vassar Girls in the Tyrol. An entertaining description of the travels of our Vassar friends through this well known country, giving an inter- esting account of the Passion Play at Ober Ammergau. Illustrated by " Champ "and others. Three Vassar Girls in Switzerland. By Elizabeth W. Champney An exceedingly inter- esting story interwoven with bits of S' the Guadalquivir, the Palaces of the Moors, the Alhambra, Madrid, tfull-nghts, etc. Full of original illustrations, many full page. ' THE KNOCKABOUT CLUB IN THE ANTILLES. ^aJcomi^ied^^ from FIorida to South America, accompanied by a Special Artist. 78 illustrations. ' THE KNOCKABOUT CLUB IN THE EVERGLADES. By Fred A. Ober A visit to Florida for the purpose of exploring Lake Okechobee, on which trip the bovs en counter various obstacles and adventures with aligators, etc. 55 illustrations. P ° THE KNOCKABOUT CLUB IN THE TROPICS. %?.' A A /J, T »l H 7* Fr T ^ Ic ?- fields ° f the North to the plains of New Mexico, thence through the "Land of .tecs, and the wonderful rums of Central America, to the Queen of the Antilles." 105 illustrations. THE KNOCKABOUT CLUB ALONGSHORE. By Sc C enet, S a^i^ «*» Ascriptions of seal-fishing, Arctic THE KNOCKABOUT CLUB IN THE WOODS ESTES & LAURIAT, Publishers, Boston, Hass. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORIES YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS. A concise history of Holland and Belgium, from the earliest times, in which the author goes over the ground covered by Motley in his standard histories of these most interesting countries, and brings the narrative down tl > the present time. By Alexander Young. 150 illustrations. fOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF AMERICA. v rom the earliest times to the present. A new edition. With a chapter and additional illustrations on the Life and Death of President Garfield. Edited by H. Butterworth, author of "Zigzag Journeys." With 157 illustra- tions. Over 10,000 copies sold in one year. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF MEXICO. Comprising the principle events from the sixth century to the present time By Fred. A. Ober, author of " Camps in the Caribbees." With 100 illustrations. The intimate relations of our country with Mexico, which the railroads and mines are developing, make this volume one of the most important in the entire series. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF RUSSIA. By Nathan Haskell Jole. With no illustrations. THE CREAT CITIES OF THE WORLD. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF LONDON. With graphic stories of its historic landmarks. By W. H. Rideing. With 100 illustrations. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF BOSTON. By H. Butterworth, author of "Zigzag Journeys," etc. With 140 illustrations. CHARLOTTE M. YONGE. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORIES. YOUNG FOLKS' BIBLE HISTORY. With 132 illustrations. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. With 60 illustrations by De Neuville, E. Bayard and others. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTOKY OF FRANCE. With 84 illustrations by A. De Neuville, E. Bayard and others. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTOKY OF ROME. With 114 illustrations. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTOKY OF GREECE. With 51 illustrations. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF GERMANY. With S2 illustrations. YOUNG FOLKS' EPOCHS OF HISTORY. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. A concise and impartial account of the lat2 war, for young people, from the best authorities both North and South By Mrs. C. Emma Cheney. Illustrated with 100 engravings, maps and plans. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. In Germany, Fra\ce, England and othhr Countries By Fred H. Allen. A graphic account of the men and the movements by which the great religious revolution which resulted in the establishment of Protestantism was carried on, from the early centuries of Christianity to the end of the Reformation. Fully illustrated. YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE QUEENS OF SCOTLAND. These valuable books are condensed from Strickland's Queens of Scotland by Rosalie Kaufman, and are at once reliable and entertaining to both old and young folks. Fully illustrated. 2 vols., 161110, cloth. . *•> 00 . YOUNG FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. From the Norman Conquest. Founded on Strickland's Queens of England. Abridged, adapted and continued tn the present time. By Rosalie Kaufman. With nearly 300 illustrations. 3 vols., i6mo, cloth . #4.50 LIBRARY OF ENTERTAINING HISTORY. Edited by Arthur Gilman, M. A. INDIA. By Fannie Roper Feudge. With 100 illustrations, . EGYPT. By Mrs. Clara Erskine Clement. With 10S illustrations, SPAIN. By Prof. James Herbert Harrison. With hi illustrations, SWITZERLAND. By Miss Harriet D. S. Mackenzie. With 100 illustrations, HiSTORY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE. Wi.h , 75 illustrations, . All the above volumes are published as 16mos, in cloth, at $1.50. ESTES & LHURIHT, Publishers, BOSTON, MASS. 51.50 i.so 1.50 1.50 1.50 HOUSEHOLD NECESSITIES. SOCIAL* CUSTOMS. New edition, reduced in price. Complete Manual of American Etiquette. By Florence Howe Hall, daughter of Mrs. Julia Ward Howe. Handsomely printed, and neatly bound in extra cloth, gilt top, uncut. Small 8vo. $1.75 Do you always know just what to do ? Do you know how tp encourage Mrs. D. Light" ful, accept and return her courtesies, as they deserve ; and politely but firmly avoid and defeat Mrs. Bore in her inroads on your privacy and more agreeable engagements? If you do not, let us recommend for every social question the above entertaining and instructive book, or its new baby relative, "The Correct Thing," mentioned below, for with these two books, one can make no mistake in life, as every possible question may be answered from their combined wisdom. They are comprehensive, practical, reliable and authoritative. THE COP^ECT Tfll^G. By Florence Howe Hall, author of "Social Customs." i8mo. Very neatly bound in extra cloth, gilt top, $0.75 Same, Bound in full flexible morocco, gilt edges (in a box). $1.25 This new manual is neatly printed in a size not too large to be slipped into the pocker, and is arranged so that one page reminds the reader that " It is the correct thing " to d& this, while per contra the opposite page tells him that ' % ■ =» ,\V ^ ^ ? x°°- -V' % P" ^ & ■ \\ v '■ ,0 * .A -A' -*-* -r- > ^. 1 vV ^ ■%< <£y i)i> ■V ^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS • 020 676 595 1 ffilHuHH IBI vHHEBHBBL HI! fe Wmffl SHUSH Mm? mm mm HHr Ban] rIhBSB