AKOURA.
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year; except that in winter they descend from the pastures, and
pitch their tents round the villages of Tanurin and Akoura, which
are situated in a valley, sheltered on every side by the perpendicular -
sides of the Upper Libanus. At Tanurin and Laklouk the
winter corn was already above ground. The people water the
fields for three or four days before they sow the seed.
Akoura has a bad name amongst the people of this country;
its inhabitants, who are all Greek Catholics, are accused of avarice, ¬
and inhospitality. The mountaineers, when upon a journey, ¬
never think of spending a para, for their eating, drinking,
or lodging. On arriving in the evening at a village, they alight at
the house of some acquaintance, if they have any, which is generally ¬
the case, and say to the owner,“ I am your guest,” Djay
deyfak(). The host gives the traveller a supper, consisting
of milk, bread, and Borgul, and if rich and liberal, feeds his mule
or mare also. When the traveller has no acquaintance in the village
he alights at any house he pleases, ties up his beast, and smokes his
pipe till he receives a welcome from the master of the house, who
makes it a point of honour to receive him as a friend, and to give
him a supper. In the morning he departs with a simple “ Good bye.
Such is the general custom in these parts; the inhabitants of
Akoura, however, are noted for refusing to receive travellers, to
whom they will neither give a supper, nor sell them provision for
ready money ; the consequence of which conduct is, that the Akourans, -
when travelling about, are obliged to conceal their origin, in
order to obtain food on the road. My guide had a friend at Akoura,
but he happened to be’absent; we therefore alighted at another
house, where we obtained with much difficulty a little barley for our
horses; and we should have gone supperless to rest, had I not
repaired to the Sheikh, and made him believe I was a Kourdine (my
dress being somewhat like that of the Kourds) in the service of the
