SYRIA 107 



attempt, though amusing to plan. The river was very 

 small and shallow, but carried the light raft well ; how- 

 ever, it was soon whirled under overhanging trees, and 

 I was nearly combed off it. Then matters grew worse, 

 and decidedly dangerous. The horsemen rode by the 

 side, and were highly amused at my difficulties. At 

 length I became convinced that it would be madness 



o 



to persevere, so I left the raft, dressed myself, 

 mounted my led horse, and we rode on down the 

 valley. It is all so perfectly known and mapped now 

 that it would be absurd to recount the little that I 

 could tell, but I became more and more impressed 

 with the weirdness of the great fissure in the earth's 

 crust through which the Jordan flows. Even the 

 Lake of Tiberias is 300 feet below the level of the 

 sea, and the Dead Sea is about 1000 feet deeper still, 

 and its climate very sultry in consequence. 



My first camping-place was among the- tents of 

 the Emir Rourbah. It was an important encamp- 

 ment of Bedouins, whose dress I had been instructed 

 to wear, and on no account to appear in the hated 

 Turkish fez. When I arrived, there were watchers 

 on every point of vantage. I was kindly received 

 and shown much of their everyday life. The Emir 

 had a quantity of chain armour, such as was in 

 common use among the chiefs in the Soudan. I was 

 surprised to find how effectual it was in spreading 

 over a large surface the sensation of what otherwise 

 would have been a painfully sharp blow. Matters 

 progressed very pleasantly until the thoughtless 

 omission of a Moslem ceremony soured my welcome. 

 It may sound trifling, but it was effective all the same. 

 I had shot a desert partridge, but not killed it, so, 



