MONUMENT OP JOSHUA's CONQUEST OF CANAAN/^ 243 



there bad been a bishopric of Tigisis, and urged that possibly 

 the title on the stone at Ain el Bordj " senate of Tigisis " 

 referred to a Avhole district which had really taken its name 

 from the well still called " Ain Tagasa." We therefore 

 decided to visit this well in the first place. Arriving at the 

 spot, we found the ruins of a Roman well — many squared 

 stones forming a right angle about the spring; while a 

 single squared stone about six feet long by two wide and 

 thick was lying prostrate hard by. I wished at once to lift 

 this and examine the hidden side ; but I was told that we 

 must wait until an official, who lived in a house close by, 

 had returned home, in three hours' time. So, being informed 

 that there Avere ruins upon a ridge within a kilometer of tlie 

 well and remains of a wall, we ascended the ridge which 

 rose from a point about a quarter of a mile away and 

 presently came, upon its crest, to the bases of several houses, 

 from which parallel walls, seeming to continue theirs, ran 

 on for a great distance, keeping to the top of the ridge. We 

 learnt at the same time that a great quantity of stone from 

 former ruins there had been carried off to make roads with ; 

 so we Avere the more convinced that Avhat we saw were the 

 bases of demolished Avails. Moreover, on the crest of a 

 parallel ridge starting from the other side of the Avell there 

 seemed very clearly to be a wall standing up scA^eral feet 

 above the short grass all the way along. But Avhen we had 

 coA'ered about 5 kilometers up to another small set of ruins 

 in the intervening valley, and saAV the parallel walls on both 

 ridges running more than as far again Avithout meeting, we 

 Avere convinced that, after all, our Avails were only denuded 

 edges of rocky strata ! On the opposite ridge, by which 

 we returned, Ave found the phenomenon still more striking, 

 for the face of the rocky Avail AA^as divided into oblong 

 blocks in tAvo tiers Avith joints both vertical and horizontal, 

 the vertical joints not being continuous in the tAvo tiers, but 

 a joint being over a block and a block over a joint. It was 

 only Avheii one carefully examined the top of the rocky wall 

 that one Avas uudecei\'ed by seeing the joint end about 

 two feet back and tAvo blocks unite into one great block in 

 the rear. On subsequent journeys I saAv once or tAA'ice like 

 formations on other hills. 



Picnicking upon this ridge Avith our Arab guides, Ave had a 

 short siesta, and then returned to the Avell, Avhere the French 

 official noAv alloAved and superintended the raising of the 

 stone. Alas ! there Avas no writing upon it ; and he declared 



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