340 EXTRACTS FROM 



riding full tilt into the courtyard, and I had forthwith to 

 give them a full account of my sporting experiences of 

 the last few hours. Count Cahoga gave us an excellent 

 lunch, after which we set out on our short journey to Beth- 

 lehem, some of us driving and some riding along the 

 rough stony road, which kept winding down-hill among 

 old walls, olive-yards, and ruinous houses towards the steep 

 hillside on which lies that famous town, the birthplace of our 

 Saviour. 



The white stone-built houses with their flat roofs, the domes 

 of the church, and the terraces of the monastery make this 

 sacred place look much larger than it really is. After passing 

 its outskirts one reaches a narrow street, where the first things 

 that strike the traveller are the rough pavements, latticed 

 woodwork, gloomy walls, and the perpetual up- and down- 

 hill. 



Leaving the street one comes to a square surrounded by 

 thoroughly Oriental houses, on one side of which is the great 

 Church of the Virgin and the buildings attached to it. The 

 most important of the sacred places are under one roof, and 

 belong to the Latins, Greeks, and Armenians in common. 

 The church is very fine and extremely old, both the main 

 building and the chapels being Byzantine, and therefore 

 dating from the earliest Christian times. Atter taking leave 

 of the Greek and Latin clergy we left the town and went 

 along the hillside between walls and olive-yards to our camp, 

 which was pitched on some open ground near the uncom- 

 monly dirty but picturesquely-situated village of Betsahur. 

 Its inhabitants pressed round us most inquisitively, and the 

 Turkish gendarmes had difficulty in keeping the camp clear. 

 Everything was already unpacked and arranged, so we soon 

 settled ourselves comfortably. 



Two sportsmen now appeared, offering their services ; they 

 were a fine-looking pair of brothers, citizens of Bethlehem, 



