1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 327 



but poorly cultivated fields, occasional draw-wells, a few palms, 

 stony tracts, a very ill-kept Moslem cemetery, and as a back- 

 ground to the barren scene the blue mountains of Judaea in 

 the far distance. 



Among the fields one might have imagined one's self in 

 Europe, for the vegetation lacked the almost tropical cha- 

 racter of that of the Nile and everything was backward. 

 Storks, too, were standing about them in numbers, but of other 

 animal life there was but little to be seen. 



We soon came to a few small wretched-looking villages, 

 passed some burial-places and the watch-towers of the Turkish 

 Gendarmes, and in three hours arrived at the ruinous little 

 town of Kamleh. Our caravan merely skirted its outer 

 houses, although it is the usual place where travellers to 

 Jerusalem pass the night, for we had no desire to sleep in the 

 neighbourhood of such a notoriously dirty place, and had 

 decided to go on to the village of Latrun, which lies at the 

 foot of the hills. 



By degrees the character of the country began to change 

 and the road descended in a gentle slope to a broad valley, 

 on the further side of which rose the mountains of Judaea. 

 The fields began to be here and there studded with large 

 masses of stone, and perfectly smooth slabs of rock peeped 

 out from among the evergreen bushes. 



Near a sheikh's tomb I bagged a brace of fine large Chukar 

 Partridges with a lucky right and left; and soon after sunset 

 we reached the village of Latrun, which is picturesquely 

 situated among rocks and green bushes at the base of the 

 hills. 



Our splendid camp stood close to the ruins of an old 

 fortress of very uncertain origin, and formed a regular 

 town of Turkish tents, made of such beautiful materials, and 

 so provided with every comfort that it made one think of the 

 days of Soliman ; while the numerous pack-animals, mostly 



