76

DESCRIPTION OF THE CAMEL.

which is set low and arches downward, is very slender; and the head, which is carried almost horizontally, is diminutive, out of all proportion to the size of the body. The hip bones are prominent, the tail flat, short, and tapering, and nearly without hair. The rough skin also is only partially clothed with a thin coat of scattering hair, which, however, appears in thick, shaggy tufts, like coarse wool, upon the shoulders, flanks, and belly. The high bunch upon which the load is placed, and which forms a sort of arch, adds to this general deformity and awkwardness of motion.

The camel lies upon the breast, with his legs extended under his body, to receive his burden, and he rests in the same posture at night. He utters cries of impatience and anger upon being compelled to kneel down to receive his heavy load, and often starts suddenly to his feet before it is arranged, as if resolved to receive no more, or to throw off what he already has. One can but feel sympathy for the reluctant, complaining brute; and as he rises with his burden, and begins to reel along upon his diminutive, misshapen, crooked legs, he has the appearance of being a cripple throughout, and seems likely to be crushed to the earth in his attempt to travel. He goes on, however, rocking and swinging all day, showing no symptoms of fatigue, and never making a misstep. He needs constant guiding where the way is not very broad and quite unobstructed, as he goes down a steep, or thrusts his rider into the thick, thorny top of an acacia-tree, without ceremony.

There is no difference between a camel and dromedary, except that the latter is lighter, more supple and active, and commonly younger, qualities which render him more fit for riding; while the heavy, stiff, and hard-paced animal is, on these accounts, devoted to carrying burdens.

Camels are formed for the desert, to which they are admirably adapted, and for which God evidently designed

HABITS OF THE CAMEL.

them. They eat less than any other animal, and do well upon such food as could not sustain life in any other form. They are indifferent to water, even when they have travelled several days under a burning sun without any. Their broad, spreading foot sustains them upon plains covered with deep, yielding sand, and it holds to the smooth, steep rocks with the greatest tenacity. I never knew one to stumble or fall, except in the single instance I have already mentioned. The Bedouins appear to understand that the camel, no less than themselves, is fit only for the Desert, and they can seldom be induced to advance, even for a few miles, into an agricultural region. We tried to induce our guides to proceed with us to Jerusalem, as we found it would be difficult to obtain horses for so large a party at Hebron. They declined it, however, though we offered high pay, alleging a variety of reasons, but influenced evidently by their reluctance to come in contact with improved life. They have an evident aversion to walled towns and permanent stone habitations, and are only happy in the unrestrained freedom of the Desert.

The camel is much used about commercial places for transporting heavy articles; and he loses, under these circumstances, many of his peculiar habits and characteristics. He attains to double the usual size and strength, is more fat and clumsy, consumes large quantities of hay and grain, and drinks with nearly the same frequency and copiousness as other beasts of burden.

Hebron, the frontier town of Palestine, and the capital of the "hill country," is built of square, rough stones, the common limestone, of which the mountains around it are composed. The houses are usually not above two stories high, covered with flat roofs or domes formed of stone, and coated with plaster or cement. Many are in a dilapidated state, and uninhabited. The streets are very narrow, seldom more than two or three yards in width; the pavement,

78

DESCRIPTION OF HEBRON.

where one exists, is rough and difficult, being formed of stones of all shapes and sizes, laid without any reference to forming a smooth surface. The bazars are, to a considerable extent, covered either by some kind of awning, or arches springing from the top of the houses and spanning the street. They are thus secured from the effects of summer heats, and, to some extent, against rains; but the streets are rendered dark and gloomy, as well as damp. The shops much resemble those of Egypt in their size and arrangement, as well as in the kind of merchandise exposed for sale they seem to be even better supplied with goods than towns of the same class upon the Nile. There are gates, not only at the entrances of the city, but in different parts of the interior, which are closed at night to intercept communication between the different districts, and for the better preservation of order.

There are nine mosques in Hebron, none of which possess any architectural or other interest, with the exception of the massive structure which is built over the tombs of the Patriarchs. This is esteemed one of the holiest places by the Mohammedans, and Christians are rigorously excluded from entering it. It is not always permitted them even to approach near enough to examine satisfactorily the exterior of the edifice; and I was prevented from measuring its dimensions, and those of some of the massive hewn stones of which it is constructed, by the interference of a company of boys, who are ever the watchful guardians of the mosques, and especially rude and intolerant towards strangers. I conjectured that the largest of the stones employed in constructing the walls might be twenty feet in length, and that the quadrangle must be about two hundred feet long by half that breadth. The construction is exceedingly massive, and has an ancient appearance. Square pillars, half imbedded in the wall, extend all around the building, sixteen on each side and eight upon either end. They are surmounted by a sort of en

THE GREAT MOSQUE.

79

tablature, which runs all around the edifice. The height of the wall has been increased by an addition ten or fifteen feet high, in the Saracen style, with turrets at the angles.

The whole height may be fifty feet. The mosque, as we learned, is within this lofty enclosure, and is, of course, inferior to it in size. It is supposed to have been a Greek church before its conversion to Mohammedan worship.

We approached the main entrance by a broad and noble flight of marble steps, and were met at the door by a person who seemed to have charge of the mosque, from which he came out to demand our business. We informed him that we wished to examine the interior of the edifice, and especially to see the tombs of the Patriarchs. He said that this was a privilege never granted to Christians, and one that none but a Mussulman can enjoy without express orders from the government. We expressed great anxiety to be indulged with admission, and offered to pay liberally could we be gratified. . He held some conversation with another man who was listening to our negotiation, and then beckoned to us to follow him, with a look which I was disposed to construe favourably, more especially as some boys who were standing by appeared disposed to interfere and oppose the movement. He led us along a passage, formed of walls like the exterior of the edifice, towards a door, which I presumed opened into the interior of the mosque. Before arriving at that point, however, he called our attention to a hole in the left-hand wall, directing us to look into it, as if to see some highly-interesting object. We looked as directed, but saw nothing, as the hole is hardly more than a foot deep, or closed on the opposite side of the wall, if it is even a vista to anything beyond. We turned away, and, after seeking in vain for permission to pass the door, walked out of the mosque, doubtful whether the place shown us is connected with some tradition which renders it interesting in the eyes of Mussulmen, or whether

80

INSOLENCE OF THE PEOPLE.

our guide designed it as a hoax. I was inclined to adopt the latter opinion, as the by-standers appeared to be amused, and evidently enjoyed our disappointment.

In walking around the precincts of this venerable pile, we were met by a company of boys, apparently just let out of school, which is usually kept in or near the mosque. Without any plausible pretext, they rudely demanded bucksheesh, which we of course declined giving. We had proceeded only a few rods from them and entered a street, when they commenced throwing stones at us. This they continued, running along upon the flat roofs of the houses, until we had reached the bazar, where a turn in the street sheltered us from their missiles. A number of respectablelooking men were present, who made no attempt to rescue us from insult. The Mussulmen of Hebron are noted for insolence and intolerance.

This mosque is said to contain the tombs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with their wives, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. They are known, on Scripture authority, to have been interred in Hebron, "in the cave of the field of Machphelah, before Mamre, the same is Hebron." (Genesis, xxiii., 19.) A church, the present mosque, was erected upon the spot, covering, as is alleged, the cave, purchased and converted into a family cemetery by the father of the faithful. The identity of the spot has been called in question, and respectable writers reject the tradition as a fiction of the monks. It is a question which affords little scope for erudition or criticism; and, after having compared the Scriptural accounts with the natural features of the place, I am quite satisfied to give credit to the current opinion upon this subject. Hebron, we know, occupies the plain of Mamre, which it nearly covers. The cave was in the end of the "field before Mamre, which is Hebron." The present city stands on the slope of the hills as well as on the plain. The surface which it occupies is far from being level, a cir