Page:Folk-lore of the Holy Land.djvu/85

Rh was too confiding and ostentatious. The loss of his silver basin will be a lesson to him. Our second host was a skinflint. He will now begin to be hospitable in the hope of gain; but the habit will grow upon him, and gradually change his nature. As for the boy whose death so angers you, he is gone to Paradise, whereas, had he lived but two years longer, he would have killed his benefactress, and in the year following he would have killed you.”

The “former” rains having failed during the months of November and December 1906, prayers for rain were offered up in all places of worship, Moslem, Jewish, and Christian. About that time the following tales were circulated at Jerusalem. A woman who had just filled her pitcher, drop by drop, from a scanty spring near Ain Kârim was suddenly accosted by a horseman bearing a long lance, who ordered her to empty her vessel into a stone trough and water his horse. She objected, but yielded to his threats. To her horror it was not water but blood that ran from her pitcher. The horseman bade her inform her fellow-villagers that had Allah not sent the drought, pestilence and other calamities would have befallen them. Having given her this charge, he vanished. It was El Khudr.

A Moslem woman at Hebron, giving drink to an aged stranger at his request, was told to give to the Hebronites a message similar to the above, and to add that Allah would send rain after the Greek New Year. We certainly did have some very wet weather after that date.