to boast of as to their pleasantness, yet, as one passes between them, Gerizim seems to discover a more fruitful aspect than Ebal. My own impression, from seeing both these hills from several points of view, was, that Gerizim was by far the more agreeable, and might be made the more productive of the two, not only from its principal side, or that hanging over Nablous, having a northern aspect, and being therefore less burnt up by the sun in summer, but from its slope of ascent being less abrupt than that of Ebal, and from the soil being therefore more liable to accumulate, and less subject to be washed down by the vernal and autumnal rains.* Their altitudes appeared to be nearly equal, and neither of them exceeded seven or eight hundred feet from the level of the valley, though much higher from the sea, as the whole country here is elevated. We had not an opportunity of ascending either of the hills ourselves; but from all the information I could collect regarding them, no one knew of any great stones or other vestiges of buildings remaining on them, though it must be confessed

* When Benjamin of Tudela visited this spot, he says that Mount Garizim was full of fountains and gardens; while Ghebal, as he writes it, was arid and rocky.-Bergeron's Collection.

that we met with only two persons out of at least fifty whom we consulted, that had ever been on the summit of both these hills; and to these the subject, as well as the motive of our enquiry, was alike strange and unaccountable.

CHAP. XXX:

RETURN FROM NA BLOUS TO NAZARETH.

THE call to afternoon prayers was heard as we re-entered Nablous, and as there was no time to be lost, we mounted and set out on our way back to Sanhoor. We now went out at a northern gate in the side of the town, and ascending a hill there, to go by a shorter road, we had a commanding view of the city, and of the valley in which it stands, from the heights above. Nothing could be more interesting than this sight; the lofty hills of Ebal and Gerizim approaching close to each other; the beautifully fertile valley at their feet, covered with olivewoods, and corn-fields of the freshest green, and the white mass of flat-roofed dwellings and tall minarehs, which the busy town offered in contrast to the rest of the scene, formed altogether a new and charming picture.

When we lost sight of the town, the remainder of our way was over rude and barren hills, almost constantly ascending and descending; and as it was altogether an unpractised road, we

neither saw a human habitation, nor a single living being, till we came out at the village of Jubbagh, near to Sanhoor. It was now already sunset but spurring our horses across the rest of the way on plain ground, we arrived in time for supper, which had been retarded for us by our kind host, from the moment that advice had been given him of our being seen from the Castle-gate, galloping towards the fort with all speed across the valley.

Nothing could exceed the welcome with which we were received on our return; and there appeared to be as much sincerity as warmth in the gladness of the chief and of his dependants. We supped together on several excellent dishes, and when we had finished, all the rest partook in their turns, as is usual among them. Our conversation was as interesting as that of the preceding evening; and I only regretted, as I had done a thousand times before, the impossibility of remembering all the new and curious observations which occur in interviews and parties of this kind.`

My disappointment in not finding the caravan, and the best route of proceeding to the northward, were also talked of; and Hadjee Ahmed pressed me, by the kindest invitation, to remain with him for the next month, until the Damascus caravan should again depart from Nablous,