356 EXTRACTS FROM 
friable earth, and below it a marshy depression covered with 
almost impenetrable thickets of reeds and underwood. 
A large wild boar crossed over into one of these dense 
clumps of bushes close to the riders. As soon as I saw the 
big beast I jumped off my horse to examine its tracks ; and 
finding that it had not left this patch of cover, which was not 
above a few hundred yards in circumference, I quickly 
posted the gentlemen, and got the guards to drive it ; but we 
soon saw how hard it was to force game out of even such a 
small portion of these truly impenetrable thickets of reeds, 
undergrowth, and grass, for all our efforts were fruitless. 
Evex firing it was no use, as only the grass burnt and sent 
up enormous columns of smoke, while the inner bushes, full 
of spring sap, would not kindle, and so afforded the game a 
safe retreat. It was a pity that this attempt failed, for these 
spendidly luxuriant thickets of the Jordan plains, which are 
quite undisturbed by man, harbour all the animals of the 
steppes and the barren rocky mountains. The tracks which 
we found in the muddy soil showed what numbers of wild 
beasts frequent them ; and I saw, within a small area, the 
footprints of various Wild Boars, Hyzenas, Wolves, Jackals, 
Asiatic Panthers, Lynxes, and other smaller predatory 
animals which I could not identify. A pair of Wild Geese, 
too, and several Sandpipers rose from a pool of water, and a 
flock of Pelicans and an inquisitive Osprey cruised about 
over the fire in the clouds of smoke. 
These Pelicans came suddenly up from the Dead Sea, circled 
round the fire for a few minutes, and having been greeted by 
some ineffectual rifle-shots flew heavily up the valley north- 
wards. 
As we had but little time to spare, we quitted this locality, 
and rode on at a steady gallop over splendid ground con- 
sisting of sandy stretches and grassy flats, past thick bushes 
and small patches of very low trees, almost like miniature 
