18
MOUNT LIBANUS.
October 2d.— The tobacco of Deir el Akhmar is the finest in Syria.
There is no water in the village, but at twenty minutes from it,
towards the plain, is a copious well. After ascending the mountain -
for three hours and a half, we reached the village Ainnete :
thus far the mountain is covered with low oak trees (the roundleaved, ¬
and common English kinds), and has but few steep passages.
Nearly one hour from Ainnete begins a more level country, which
divides the Upper from the Lower Libanus. This part was once
well cultivated, but the Metaweli having driven the people to
despair, the village is in consequence deserted and in ruins.
A few fields are still cultivated by the inhabitants of Deir Eliaout
and Btedai, who sow their seed in the autumn, and in the spring
return, build a few huts, and watch the growing crop. The walnut ¬
tree abounds here.
There are three springs at Ainnete, one of which was dried up ;
another falls over the rock in a pretty cascade; they unite in
a Wady which runs parallel with the upper mountain as far as the
lake Liemoun, two hours west of Ainnete ; at this time the lake
was nearly dry, an extraordinary circumstance ; I saw its bed a
little higher up than Ainnete.
From Ainnete the ascent of the mountain is steep, and the vegetation ¬
is scanty; though it reaches to the summit. A few oaks
and shrubs grow amongst the rocks. The road is practicable for
loaded mules, and my horse ascended without difficulty. The
honey of Ainnete, and of the whole of Libanus, is of a superior
quality.
At the end of two hours and a half from Ainnete we reached
the summit, from whence I enjoyed a magnificent view over the
Bekaa, the Anti-Libanus, and Djebel Essheikh, on one side, and
the sea, the sea shore near Tripoli, and the deep valley of Kadisha
on the other. We were not quite upon the highest summit, which
lay half an hour to the right. Baalbec bore from hence S. by E,
