A WEDDING PARTY. ~ 98 ridge of rocky hills, ranning close to the sandy shore, which is here and there enlivened by a group of palm-trees. We kept close to the sea till we came, in about one hour and a half, to Athltte, or Castellum Pelegrinum, @ curious motley pile of rains standing out on a rocky headland. The foundation stones are so massive, that they have resisted the storms of centuries, and tell of » time anterior to the Romans, who no doubt erected the fortress, built the walls, and fashioned the columns which are now falling to decay. The crusaders, too, have left some of their handiwork here—the pointed arches and the ruins of a Christian church still speak of them. Within the walls of the church, and under the shadow of the fortress, mod- ern houses are rudely built, and inhabited by a poor Moslem population. A group of women were resting by a well of sculptured stone, just outside the walls. Opposite to this interesting place we found a narrow defile cut through the rocks, leading eastward direct from the shore to the plain. Deep ruts, for chariot wheels, were cut in the road, which was just wide enough for two horsemen to ride freely abreast. The white limestone walls rise abruptly on each side, garnished with patches of fragrant herbs and amber- colored lichen. Lintels at each end of this passage show that formerly it was protected by gates, and ruins of strong fortifications surmount it. We passed out of this curious defile into the fertile but not very extensively-cultivated plain, or “Vale of Dor,” between the mountain range of Carmel and the rocky coast- hills under whose pleasant shade we pursued our way. We could see that the two chains of hills met at an acute angle far away in the north. Now and then, natural fis- sures in the rocks, or little valleys made fertile by Winter torrents, revealed to us the sun and the sea. ‘We stopped to water our animals at a little spring, called Ain Dustrei, which forms a tiny lake, and then finds its way between the hills to the shore. A group of gostherds, with reed pipes, were assembled round a clay94 DOMESTIC LIFE IN PALESTINE. trough, where their flocks of goats were crowding to drink. The vegetation by this stream and fountain was wild and luxuriant. Oleandors, lupins, tall grass, and the arbutus abounded. The monks soon pointed out, with delight, the white convent of Mar Elias on the headland of Carmel. Pleasant sounds of voices, songs, and bells, and laughter reached us, and we saw an animated little party approach- ing, mounted on camels, whose nodding heads and necks were decorated with beads, shells, crimson tassels, and strings of little tinkling bells. I paused by the wayside to watch them, as they slowly passed. There were thirteen camels strung together, each carrying two or three women and children, all in gala dresses, made chiefly of soft crim- son silk, with white Vandyked stripes on it. On their heads, they wore scarfs or vails, of various colors and ma- terials—silk, muslin, and wool—folded across their fore- heads, just meeting the eyebrows, thon thrown over the back of the head, and brought forward again to cover their faces, all but the shining eyes. The fringed or bordered ends were allowed to fall gracefully over the shoulders. Some of the women had slipped these vails, or wimples, - down below their lips, so as to join in the chorus of the songs improvised by the two professional singing-women who accompanied them. My brother could perceive that it was a bridal party, by these songs, which very much resem- bled in style the “Song of Songs which is Solomon's.” A number of men were in attendance on foot, forming a picturesque body-guard to the exalted women. They were people of one of the villages of the plain or vale of Dor, and had been to Haifa, to purchase dresses, trinkets, and furniture for two approaching weddings, in a family of some local importance. They were scarcely out of hearing when we met another noisy group, consisting of men and boys, with a few camels, mules, and donkeys, clumsily laden with the purchases for the weddings—cooking utensils, baskets of rice, reed mats, bales of goods, and two red wooden boxes, ornamented with gilt hinges and strap-work.THE KHARUB TREE. 95 The largest camel carried, high on his back, two little wooden cradles, painted blue, red, and yellow; one for each of the brides. This piece of furniture is regarded in the East as the most important and necessary item of a trousseau; and she is an unhappy wife who does not soon see rocking in the gaudy cradle an infant son, whose name she may take, and through whom she may become honored among women.* ‘As we proceeded northward, the plain was so much more narrow, that we could distinguish the deep caverns and excavations in the limestone hills opposite, which have, in turn, served as places of refuge or retreat for prophets, saints, and anchorites, banditti or robbers, and beasts of prey. ‘The village of Tireh was pointed out to me, surrounded by cultivated ficlds and orchards, Groups of palm-trees grew here and there, and the hill-sides were clothed with dwarf oak, wild fig, and locust trees. The fruit of the locust, when ripe, is like a large crooked bean-pod, brown and glossy, filled with large seeds. It is so nutritious, that the children of the poor live entirely on it, during the season, requiring no other food, for it contains all the necessary elements for the support of life—starch, sugar, oil, ete. in proper proportion. I found it, when new, rather too sweet to suit my taste. Children seemed to enjoy it, and they thrive on it, eating the shell as well as the seeds. When this fruit is stored, it becomes somewhat dry, and less sweet, but on being soaked in honey, it is like new fruit. The Arabs all like sweet food, and of many s man of Judea and Galilee, as well as of John the Baptist, it might be said, His meat [for a season] was locusts and wild honey.”+ Just before sunset, we reached the foot of the headland which forms the southern boundary’ of the bay of Akka. On its summits the convent stands. It was too late, and Bee page 63. The Arabic name for the locust-treo is ‘Kharab,” and the beans are commonly called “St, John’s bread.”