Solitude-Enormous Burial Ground-Arrival at Homs-Host and his Daughters-Lake of Kades-Mode of making Coffee-The Greek Doctor and his Antiquities-The Christian and the Turk compared -Stupidity of the Homs People exemplified-Ancient Tomb----Vast Cemetery-Town and Castle of Homs-I explore the latter-Asmodean View Cemetery of the Greeks-Greek Church-Conduct of the Congregation-House of the Bishop-Population of Homs-Visit the Bazaars-Prepare to start from Homs with an Escort of Soldiers Early History of Emessa-Bassianus-HeliogabalusZenobia and her Husband-Close of the Career of Zenobia-Heraclius and the Moslems-The Cousin of Kaled-Chivalry of Kaled, "the Sword of God"-Food of the Homs People.

AND now my companions are far behind; I am alone, not a living creature within my horizon: the stillness is oppressive, no bird, no bee breaks the awful silence; the sun is hid by clouds; so vast and overpowering seems the solitude,

"That God himself

Scarce seemed there to be."

But now a mound,-long, jagged, and broken,―rose on the northern horizon. Minaret and tree grew up by its side. Our soldiers, as if there was no sun, no lameness, no hard stones in the track, dashed about in chase of one another. We passed a most desert-looking Arab on his dromedary, another on

156

ARRIVAL AT HOMS.

his mare. Corn and plough succeed to desert and flowery sward, the towers were now full grown into monuments; the jagged mound to an imposing Acropolis in picturesque ruin.

We passed through an enormous Moslem burial ground, with ruins in it; from the top of these, women crowded to see the arrivals, closely veiled; one, old and ugly, thrust her face at mine, cursing my respected father (illan abouk); for this I thanked her beauty and her youth, which caused a loud titter among her friends. Here we bade a kind farewell to the officers, who with their men filed by in the plain beyond, where they were to encamp, and entering by an old arched gate, rode along the deserted streets of Homs. They were clean, and had, like many of the streets in Syrian towns, a raised paved trottoir on either side.

A Mussulman offered to receive us into his house: he had a good room, and we were soon reposing on the carpets within it. The house was kept by a man named Machmoud: his brother and family occupy the next within the same court, and-dreadful to relate-beat his wife, because she liked watching us. Fatma and Cadija (Anglice, come and take), the daughters of our host, eleven and four

THE DAUGHTERS OF MY HOST.

157

teen years of age, after a proper hour of coyness. and coquetry at the door, came in, soon found their veils uncomfortable, and we were speedily on good terms. We give them some English coins for their hair; Fatma looks down, then up, and blushing runs off to put them among her other treasures; Cadija retires and asks our servant how much they are worth, and if he will change them for base current coin of the realm.

Fish for dinner, from the Lake of Homs or Kades, whose blue waters we saw in the distance. to-day the Lebanon opens behind it, and you may pass to the sea, on the plain, without a hill. This plain, but rarely visited, is among the most interesting portions of Syria, containing numerous convents, castles, and ruins, and its people are still but little known. Maszyad, the principal seat of the sect called Ismayly, the Ansayrii also, and Koords, besides Turks, Christians, and gipsys, may be found among its varied population. The ancient castle of El Hoshn, supposed, by the lions over its gates, to have been built by the Count of Thoulouse, is well worth a visit. The Orontes taking its rise in a rock, from whence it gushes just west of the Tel of Khroumee,-true bearing from

158

MODE OF MAKING COFFEE.

Homs from south 60° 32′ east,-flows through the Lake of Kades and passes about 2° to the west of Homs: it is called Nahr El Aazzy, or the rebel river, some say because of its running north, while all the other rivers run south; more probably, however, on account of its rapidity and strength of current. It is an historical stream; on its banks were altars, and the country it waters is almost unmatched for beauty

"Oh, sacred stream! whose dust

Is the fragments of the altars of idolatry.”

Coffee is burnt here over a charcoal fire in an iron spoon, and pounded directly with a wooden pestle in a wooden mortar, which is sometimes handsomely carved; just enough is done for immediate use water is then put on in a small tin or copper pot. When boiling, the pounded coffee is put at the top, a moment or two is allowed for it to settle, and it is served up,-it is burnt, pounded, and drunk within half an hour. The oven is a square brick or stone pile, in which is a circular hollow, whose opening is in the upper front. One woman sets on the pile and kneads the dough; she deposits round lumps of it on a cloth; another passes these from one hand to the other rapidly till they become

THE GREEK DOCTOR.

159

flat, then wetting them with water, she dabs them on the upper sides of the oven, removing them as fast as she requires their space; thus the bread is a half baked, flabby stuff, like thick damp brown paper. The oven is heated with sticks; when these are half burnt and form a smouldering mass at the bottom, the baking begins the bread, however, is said to be wholesome. By rebaking it till hard and crisp, I found it very palatable-when there was no other, at least.

A Greek doctor, in the service of the Porte, paid us a visit. He complained sadly of many things of the service he was in, of the pay of the people, who considered they ought to be paid for taking the vile stuff he ordered, instead of being disgusted and paying also. He told us of vast hidden treasures at the Lake Kades, but-what was more immediately profitable-of a stream of water he had found, and which he hoped to dispose of advantageously; for there is no water at Homs-it has all to be brought from a distance. He expatiated long and earnestly on the lax morals of the whole community, and related how a poor girl who had fallen had been so badly treated by her parents and the priesthood, that he had called