worship which alike superseded the vile rites of ancient superstition, as well as the dreamy mythology of polished Greece, with all its vague aspirations after an ideal morality. The sacred story of that exodus of the chosen, rendered ever memorable by the great and miraculous deliverance in the terrible passage of the Red Sea, and culminating in the sublime revelation from Heaven amidst the awful glories of Mount Sinai, can surely never fail to attach supreme interest to the fertile valley of the Nile. To one privileged as I was to follow the wanderings of the children of Israel, from the land of Goshen, along the sterile Arabian peninsula, until I stood on the summit of that majestic mountain where once the Almighty himself condescended to appear in His glory, it may be allowed to dwell with reverential fondness. upon so magnificent a theme. The awe-stricken traveller stands overcome amidst the soul-stirring associations of this scene, overwhelmed by the towering, precipitous, red granite crags, the profound chasm-like valleys, the unutterable desolation and silence which reigns around; above all, by the sight of the vast isolated form of the sacred mountain, which rocked to its adamantine centre at the dreadful presence of Jehovah, while the trumpet sounded 'exceeding loud and terrible.'

By the side of so tremendous a Revelation, how utterly do the miserable sneers of sceptics, the drivellings of modern atheists, the presumptuous deductions of science, the cold speculations of vague rationalism, sink into nothingness! Only allow the infidel ideas—which, alas! are becoming but

too prevalent in our land-to prevail unchallenged, and to what avail would be our boasted prosperity, our gigantic national wealth, our vast international trade, our iron girdles transmitting the keen electric spark from hemisphere to hemisphere ?

CHAPTER IV.

ON THE TRACK OF THE ISRAELITES TO SINAI.

THE latter half of February is an excellent time to prepare for the start for Mount Sinai and the Desert, because the excessive cold felt in the high latitudes of the peninsula during December and January will be avoided, and the traveller will reach the Holy Land after the early rains' are over.

His first care, of course, will be to secure an efficient dragoman, whom he should have engaged previous to his voyage up the Nile, so that on his return all will be ready for a start. Dragomans abound in Alexandria, Cairo, Beyrout, and Jerusalem; but the difficulty is to get good ones. They hang about all the hotels-pleasant-spoken, agreeable Orientals, with their testimonials ever at hand to exhibit to intending travellers. Their charges vary according to the number of gentlemen of the party, the time to be occupied on the journey, and other circumstances. From 17. 10s. to 21. per diem, for each member of the party, is a very usual charge; but if you propose to go to Petra, the scale will be immediately raised. One crack Alexandria dragoman gave me his terms as follows:-for a single gentleman, 41. per

diem; two gentlemen, 5l. per diem; three, at 61. a day; and four, at 71. each day. But a good deal will depend upon the fact of there being many dragomans disengaged at the time they are wanted, and especially upon the length of the engagement. The one that we were fortunate enough to get was Achmet-el-Fichawi, an inhabitant of Cairo, and an excellent specimen of the liberal, good-tempered and obliging dragoman, so difficult to fall in with. It is usual in the contract a very elaborate document, divided into some twenty heads, containing minute specifications-to fix what sum of money shall be paid before leaving Cairo, what at Mount Sinai, and Jerusalem, and other places. This arrangement, however, we did not adhere to; and, in fact, with a trustworthy dragoman, such as our excellent Achmet, the provisions of the agreement become a mere matter of form.

We had arranged, before starting on our Nile expedition, the day we would be ready to leave Cairo, and Achmet had been busy laying in the necessary stock of provisions for the journey. He had negotiated with one of the sheikhs of the Tawarah tribe of Arabs, who have the right to convey travellers all over the peninsula of Mount Sinai, for the proper escort and supply of camels which would be needed. There are always a number of these Arab magnates hovering near the principal hotels, and they soon get together the necessary number of their followers. Camels, tents, and Bedawin are all at hand; and the traveller has the satisfaction of seeing his tent set up on the most convenient plot of waste ground

near his hotel; and may entertain, as we did, his friends to luncheon or dinner in the canvas dwelling which is to be his home for the next sixty days.

Of course it will be understood that the sum per day, quoted above, does not include wine or liquors of any sort; therefore those who propose to indulge in something more stimulating than the infrequent springs of the desert, will do well to pay a visit to some of the establishments where the juice of the grape may be procured to any amount. We eschewed beer, which is expensive and does not go nearly so far as wine, and laid in a good supply of marsala and claret, either of which, mixed with water, forms a refreshing beverage. In the Holy Land no one need desire a better drink than a draught of the glorious pure water which gushes forth so liberally almost in all parts of Palestine; but I must onfess that the water of the desert, though drinkable, is not inviting. The dragoman will go to the shop with his new employers, and submit a list of what he proposes to take with him in the shape of supplies, and assuredly we had no reason to complain of want of liberality in the cuisine department. A good supply of tobacco is most necessary, to dispense in gifts to various sheikhs and men in authority who will be encountered en route; and a few trifling presents, such as a good clasp knife, a silk kufiyeh, or a cheap pistol or two, will be found very much appreciated, and may surmount some awkward difficulties.

As for clothing, very few articles are needed beyond those I mentioned in a previous chapter; but it will be well to see