805
MOUNT SERBAL.
the ruins of a small village, the houses of which were built entirely ¬
with hewn stone, in a very solid manner. Some remains of
the foundations of a large edifice are traceable ; a little lower down
in the valley are some date trees, with a well, which probably was
the first cause of building a village in this deserted spot, for the
whole country round is a wilderness of rocks, and the valley itself is
not like those below, flat and sandy, but covered with large stones
which have been washed down by torrents. From hence an ascent ¬
of half an hour brought us to the Djebalye Arab, who was of
the Sattala tribe : he had pitched here two tents, in one of which
lived his own, and in the other his son’s family ; he spent the whole
day in hunting, while the women and younger children took care
of the cattle, which found good pasturage among the rocks. It
was near sunset when we arrived, and the man was rather startled
at our visit, though he received us kindly, and soon brought us a
plentiful supper. When Iasked him if he would show me the way
to the summit of the Serbal, which was now directly before us, he
expressed great astonishment, and no doubt immediately conceived
the notion that I had come to search for treasures, which appears
the more probable to these Bedouins, as they know that the country ¬
was formerly inhabited by rich monks. Prepossessed with this
idea, and knowing that nobody then present was acquainted with
the road, except himself, he thought he might demand a most ex
orbitant sum from me. He declined makingany immediate bargain,
and said that he would settle it the next morning
June 1st.—We rose before daylight, when the Djebalye made
coffee, and then told me, that he could not think of accompanying ¬
me for less than sixty piastres. As the whole journey was
to last only till the evening, and I knew that for one piastre any of
these Bedouins will run about the mountains on messages for a
