THE 1VKATII OF THE BEYS. 59 



there were tliirty-three Christian bishops in the Hauran 

 alone. The population which built the churches and the 

 theatres was quite numerous enough to have filled the ruined 

 houses which now remain. If any buildings older than our 

 era still exist in the Hauran, they are, I believe, exceptions, 

 and do not disprove our conclusion that a false impression 

 is given by describing the ruins of Bozrah, Kunawat, 

 Suweideh, and Shuhba — in fact, those of Eoman provin- 

 cial towns — as ' Giant Cities.' It is not of Og but of the 

 Antonines, not of the Israelitish but of the Saracenic 

 conquest, that most modern travellers in the Hauran will 

 be reminded. 



Mismiyeh is mhabited, at present, by a few families of 

 beggarly Sulut Arabs, who have so far abandoned the tra- 

 ditions of their race as to condescend to live within walls. 

 They are great rascals, and much addicted to petty thieving. 

 Our muleteers got into a dispute with some of them during 

 the afternoon, whereupon Elias, on bis own responsibility, 

 ordered the arrest of the leading villager, and proclaimed 

 that ' the Beys willed he should be carried to Damascus.' 

 The elders came down to represent the yovith of the 

 culprit, and to beg Elias to deprecate the wrath of the 

 Beys. No reference was in reality made to us, but the 

 prisoner was released, with an admonition to the natives 

 in general, that they had better be careful for the future, 

 as a word from us to the Pasha would ensure their ruin. 



March 27th. — We now finally turned our backs on the 

 Lejah, and prepared to cross the strip of ' debateable 

 ground ' which lay between us and Deir Ali, the frontier 

 village of the Damascus district. The plain across which 

 we rode was for some miles covered with scrub, bright 

 yellow flowers, and green herbage, on which immense 

 flocks of sheep and camels were feeding. We passed close 

 t6 the tents, seventeen in number, of their owners. A tall 



