THE FLOODED SALOON.

125

was the fire-place. Now it came to pass that, having spent several hours in heavy slumber, strange dreams visited me, which led me to believe that some one was taking unwonted liberties with my head, dropping web-like nets upon me, and, after painful exertion, my half-opened eyes discovered the same hanging lamp still burning amid myriads of sparkling jewels that reflected a mystic splendour all around; and yet I was uneasy, and awoke more fully, and, lo! what a scene presented itself! Droppings and drippings from all parts of the ceiling, stream after stream, plash after plash, forming little "wadys," nay, rivulets; and, finally, a new break in the ceiling brought a cold stream fully into my face, bringing me to my waking senses and to the perception of the truth that the ceiling was a sieve and the rain was pouring in on all sides. Everything was wet-divans, beds, bed-clothes, carpets, baggage, and wearing-apparel. D. had taken up his bed and emigrated. I was exceedingly fatigued, and persisted in sleeping, but the place was rapidly flooding; and this was no dream, as I found on attempting to wrap up again in my soaking mattress; so, picking up my wet coverlet, I retired to the heights of the niche and lay cold as the mortar and wall until morning.

In the morning the scene was as if a tempest of rain and wind had passed through the room; and yet, despite our forlorn condition, we saw something to laugh at in the idea of such a reception at the castle of Tibnin, the headquarters of the sheik of Besharah, the governor of Tyre. Leakiness, however, is a defect to which all the flat roofs in Syria are liable, unless attended to carefully. We now determined on leaving without delay. Hanna, as usual, was ready with an excuse for remaining.

"The bey has sent a messenger saying that you must take breakfast with him. The clouds threaten rain, and he wishes to see more of you."

We determined on setting out for Safed, a town six hours south-south-east; and my friend being of the same

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PAYING FOR THE WHISTLE.

mind, we agreed to prove both the sheik and Hanna by leaving immediately, unless force were used against us. We descended to the lower room. The bey's son was already there, enjoying his pipe and surrounded by his servants. We ordered Hanna to load the mules and prepare to reach Safed that night. We informed our host of our determination, at the same time presenting our reasons and our apologies. A magnificent falcon was before us, perched upon the hand of a servant, and having a bell fastened to its foot. The servant was ordered by his master to bring a more handsome specimen, which was a splendid bird and quite tame, permitting me even to stroke it. I took a sketch of the bird and the servant, and, on exhibiting it to the sheik's son, he placed a glove upon his own hand and received the falcon, as a gentle hint to renew my sketch, which, for want of time, I declined doing. He then offered it to me on condition of my remaining till the morning, telling me that the bird would go out and hunt partridges and bring them in to his master. But our time and comfort would not permit us to alter our decision, and he returned the hawk to the slave. Hanna has our coffee ready, and, with thirty servants looking on, we partake of it and the bread and butter with all the haste of men escaping from the plagues of Egypt. Hanna has just informed us that the sheik wants one hundred piastres for our night's lodging; and he inquires whether we will pay one-half. Now we consider this downright imposition; for, from this same authority, we learned last night that the sheik took nothing for his hospitality. I had the assurance to inquire, having before heard of such tricks. But now Hanna gets out of the dilemma by remarking that the sheik takes nothing for himself, being so wealthy, even the wealthiest in all Syria. His servants, however, may want a trifle, and his interposition is made on their behalf. The bill is one hundred piastres for a night's soaking, and this for the servants. But necessity requires that we should acquiesce. Before leaving, the sheik presented him

self; and, with our tarpaulins on and hat in hand, we salute as usual. He expresses his astonishment at our determination, asserting that it will reflect discredit upon his hospitality, as the weather and the shortness of our stay will afford occasion to the inhabitants to accuse him of treating us badly. We inform him of our plans and the necessity for reaching Safed by night if we intend to accomplish our journey to Bethlehem in time for the festival. After requesting us to shake hands in the European manner, and to promise to make his castle our home for many days on our return, he bids us farewell.

The Metawileh Arabs were formerly extremely careful to avoid contact with any person of another faith, never drinking from the same vessel after them without washing it if of glass or metal, and destroying it if of earthenware. The sheik's request was therefore quite unexpected; and, joined with other tokens of kindness, it led us to admire his liberality, to trust in his honesty, and to lay our suspicions aside, or rather to transfer them to our dragoman. This sheik or governor has the character of a courageous man; and we were informed during our visit of several instances wherein he has exhibited his strength and wisdom.

The blood-feud in this land is terrible even at the present day. If an Arab kill another of a different tribe, his life must be the forfeit; and sooner or later his enemy will find him out. It was in reference to this place that the following incident was related. During a skirmish a son of a sheik, residing at this castle, was slain. The man who committed the deed was known, and the blood-feud established between the sheik and the slayer. It happened that the latter, desirous of reaching the coast by a short route, came within sight of this castle, and, ascending the fortythree steps with his few followers, entered, and was the guest of the sheik. For several days he received unremitting attention, and not a word was said in reference to the feud until the morning of his departure, when his host, pointing to a low range of distant hills, remarked, "There

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IMPORTANCE OF A BEARD.

is the limit to my hospitality: beyond that there is vengeance." The chieftain departed; and just beyond the "limit" the sheik engaged in conflict with the chieftain and lost his life in the contest. The incident exhibits the inviolable nature of hospitality even among the Turks.

The castle Tibnin was built A.D. 1107 by Hugh of St. Omar, then lord of Tiberias, to afford protection to himself and his followers in their attacks upon the territory of Tyre, then in possession of the Turks. It was by this lord called Toron, though now by the Arabs Tibnin. In 1187 it came into the possession of the famous Saladin, after an assault of six days. In 1197 the Christians attempted its recovery. By making excavations under the castle the walls were put in great danger of falling, and the Turks were brought to the very verge of surrender. But shameful dissension in the ranks of the Christians caused them to relinquish the attack and to leave for Tyre. In 1219 it was partly dismantled by the Turks to prevent any future occupancy by the Christians; but there are portions of the building which have evidently remained entire from its foundation.

It is said that, when the Saracens were on the point of surrender and in great distress, a Turkish spy in the Christian camp shot an arrow into the castle with the following sentence inscribed upon it :-" There is not a beard in the camp ;" by which he indicated the fact that the Christians were in the very extremity of distress from discord and desertion; the loss of the beard being so disgraceful that some Arabs would as soon lose their life as their beard.*

*An Arab, having seriously injured his jaw, was told that it would be necessary to have a part of the beard removed; and, though in danger of his life and in great pain, he refused to submit to what he considered so great a dishonour.

CHAPTER X.

ROUTE TO SAFED.

As we wind down the hill and near the base, we lose sight of the castle, a cloud setting around it; and we ride on, meditating upon the contrast between the present and the past. The liberties permitted us and the apparent welcome given us by this sheik in his mountain fortress, are the more interesting to us when we remember the records of the terror once excited in many hearts throughout Europe by the very name of the Turk.

"Cruel as a Turk" is a phrase, which has had more than one illustration to sustain its right to be numbered among the proverbs. And the accounts of pride on the part of former Sultans are in strange contrast with the present instances of condescension. Yet there still remains with many a large proportion of that inveterate hatred and contempt for the Christian, which is never so apparent as when religious differences are made prominent; and hence it is a great error to suppose that forbearance on the part of a Mohammedan, when no offence is given to his religious ideas, is indicative of any change in his moral feelings.

In three-quarters of an hour after leaving the gate we arrive at a reservoir about twelve feet square, supplied by a spring. Nicolo, with immense saddle-bags containing a variety of articles, approaches the crumbling edge of the pool, and, the wall giving way, he slides with his horse and his load completely into the water. D. narrowly escaps the same accident. This gives us an idea of the depth of the water, as poor Nicolo has to swim for the shore, and the 129

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