Sport in Syria. 351 



any remuneration for things supplied, but when we 

 left, by advice of my Greek friend, I gave them some 

 powder, shot, and caps, for which they were very 

 grateful. These people make no secret of it, but say 

 openly, that if they were certain other powers would 

 not interfere, they would drive the Turkish garrisons 

 into the sea. Turks seldom go into their mountains, 

 or trouble their inhabitants to pay taxes. The 

 country we were in was most peculiar, like the 

 Giant's Causeway, only ten times magnified, rocks 

 upon rocks, deep gullies and narrow passages. A 

 sanguinary fight had taken place there about ten 

 years before, when a Turkish force had been annihi- 

 lated. We had very good shooting too, principally 

 red-legged partridges. We were told that about five 

 miles inland there were the ruins of an immense city, 

 which they called " The City of the Sons of Israel.'' 

 It had only once been visited by a European, a 

 Frenchman, who had taken photographic views of 

 portions of it. We gladly consented to go, walking 

 through what I may still call the Giant's Causeway, 

 but constantly ascending. We went on for three 

 hours over the water-shed, and, after descending, 

 came to a tableland, the extremity ending in an 

 abrupt precipice. The pinnacles around, and the 

 plain, such as it was, were a mass of ruins, inferior to 

 Baalbec alone in the stupendous nature of their con- 

 struction, but far grander in the variety and the 

 ornamental work of the buildings. There was not 

 one edifice intact, but all showed with what 

 skill they had been built ; and the taste displayed 

 was marvellous. Truly there must have been giants 

 in those days. How otherwise account for the 



