Page:Travels from Aleppo, to the city of Jerusalem, and through the most remarkable parts of the Holy Land, in 1776.pdf/17

 have gone away without their Holy Ghost; but this difficulty being overcome, he made the Dove descend among us, which being done, after a prayer they began to undress the father guardian again, reading all the while his robes were taking off; and so this days service was done.

Now we began to think of going to the Dead Sea, and the river Jordan, demanding what our expence would be the fathers say 25 livres, but we all agreed not give above 20. The fathers sent our resolution to the Baffa. and he returned answer that if we would go, we should pay 22 livres, and if we would not, he would have 10 livres a man. We thinking ourselves under his command, were not willing to embroil the convent, who bear all damages, as they have done to severals; but thanks to God, none happened in our time. We all resolved to go, except Mr. T. H. one Englishman more, and a Dutch-man, not thinking the Baffa had been in earnest; but because they went not, they were forced to pay 10 livres for nothing. We then came to Bethany, two miles east from Jerusalem, now a small village, where entering into a grot under ground, we saw a tomb, from whence they say our Saviour raised Lazarus, after he had been dead so man days. A little further, they show you the house of Mary Magdalen, and the well which the apostles used to drink. Here we had the Bassa’s guard to wait upon us, for fear of the Arabs, who are on the other side of the land of Moab, and often make incursions, and have sharp dispute at the end of the lance, with those that live on this side, in the land of promise. The Bassa pretended he must send fifty men with us, but it proved but fifteen or sixteen. Having reposed a little on the ground, about nine at night we mounted our horses, and passing through the turning and winding of the mountains, came in the morning to the foot of the Quarantine mountain, where we dismounted and making the cold earth our bed, slept two or three hours, having our horses made fast to our hands; and at the sun rising we rose also, and walked to Elisha’s fountain, a stones throw off, and before the sun was too hot, we mounted our horses at the foot of the mountain,and so began to ascend it, being very steep; having ascended a great height, we came to the place where they say our Saviour slept, when he fasted forty days, and from that the mountains received its name. This place is near the height of the mountain; but the passage to the top is only known to the Arabs: there is a church over it, where some fathers have lived, till they were murdered by the Arabs. Below are several cisterns of water, and frontispieces of chapels, but the passage to them is cut off. As we were going up, the thoughts of the danger of descending enters into our heads, and the emperor of Germany’s druggerman or interpreter, for these country languages being fearful, got two Turks to conduct him down, and so, having