‘A JOURNEY IN THE EAST’ 827 
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 Judea 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 toa 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 Ramleh. 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 Judea. 
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 
