Page:Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine.djvu/179

Rh away from our feet for several miles; beyond, was the broad blue streak of the Mediterranean, our pathway to Europe and home! Gaza itself looked inviting; charmingly situated on a low range of hills amongst palm-trees and olive gardens, while numerous flocks of sheep and goats, together with herds of cattle, were pasturing at intervals upon the plain. The sight of the sea raised our spirits, notwithstanding the prospect of imprisonment. Cantering along we passed a picket of soldiers belonging to the quarantine, and soon were winding our way through the gardens and hedgerows of cacti towards the sand-hills on the west of the city, where arrangements had been made by Bernhard Heilpern, who had preceded us, for our encampment. To the last we had flattered ourselves with the hope that our friends in Jerusalem had succeeded in getting a remission of the order for our imprisonment, and that Heilpern would have good news for us upon our arrival. But no! On the contrary, orders had come that we were to put in our fifteen days at Gaza. Amongst other letters was one from the British Consul, Mr. Moore, confirming the tidings, and recommending that, as he was unable to effect our release, I should telegraph to Lord Dufferin, the British Ambassador at Constantinople, asking his intervention on our behalf. This I lost no time in doing; and, as will be seen in the sequel, had an immediate reply of the most friendly kind. The delay to this extent would have proved a serious loss of time as well as of money, as we should have had to pay for, and support, not only ourselves, but our muleteers, and even our guard of soldiers, of whom three were placed as sentries round our camp. We estimated that, for the whole time, the cost would amount to £150, or possibly more.

We found our tents pleasantly situated, beneath a small grove of locust trees, tamarisks, and sycamores, in a hollow, bounded on one side by gardens, and on the other by sand-hills which stretched towards the sea-shore, and formed an excellent protection from the westerly winds. From the sand-hills behind our tents we had a good view of Gaza and the district towards the east, but the sea was completely hidden from our view. The Rev. Mr. Schapira, of the Church Missionary Society, was waiting to receive us, and to offer us every assistance in his power, and during our stay we were indebted to him for numerous friendly others. A budget of letters and papers, the first we had received since leaving Suez, gave us abundant occupation for the rest of the day, and we awaited with some equanimity the result of our application to Lord Dufferin.