12 Travels into L e v a n t . Part 11^ 
way was bad and ftill upwards ; and we foon came in fight of a Caftle upon 
TheCaftleof a high hill before US, which is called Skheip, and is pretty large and fquare; 
Skheip. jf depends on Sefer which is but two days Journey from it : That Caftic is 
Se{et,aTown. ^.^.^j^g fcituation, for it is inacceflible, buç yet was inhabited. We left it 
to the right, and went a great way to find ôùt a defcent in to a place, from 
whence we fa w a very deep Valley, where a River runs, which they call 
Leitani, a Lertani, that makes many turnings and windings ; it is at leaft fife fathom 
Z'^''- broad and very rapid. During a quarter of an hour we defcended by a very 
dangerous way ; for the leaft falfe ftep was enough to make one tumble down 
into the River, and that Jrom a great height too. Being come down we 
kept along that Water, Miowing the current, and a little from thence crofi 
fed it upon a ftone-Bridge of two Arches, about three fathom high, which is 
A Cafare at called Hardala. There, Paflengers pay a Tiafire and a half a head, I mean' 
the Cbriftians, 'for Turks do not pay io much. Having pafTed the Bridge; 
we ftood off a little from the Water, ftill amending, and had in view the 
Hill that we had left on the other fide,which appeared plealanter unto us than 
when we were upon it; for it was very high and ftreight and all covered o- 
ver with Trees. After we had travelled about half an hour in ways where 
it would have been very dangerous to fall ; we came juft over againft the 
Caftle of Skheip, which is upon a very high and fteep Hill : Some time after 
we came into a Plain, and an hour after to another far larger, but uncultiva- 
ted and full of ftones as the former was, though both looked very green. 
In this Plain we met a Caravan of Camels loaded each with a Mill-ftone ; 
Oran, I was told that thefe ftorfes came ïïomOran^ which is five days Journey fronx 
thence, and that they carried them to Saide, to be tranfported into Egyp. 
Having paft that Plain, we came over "bad way to a ftone Bridge of three 
Arches lying over a Brook four or five fathom broad ; when we had crofied 
it, we mounted by a worfe way, full of ftones bad enough to make Mules 
that were not loaded to break their Necks : and that lafted till we came to our 
Lodging at Banias, where we arrived two hours after, during all that way, 
befides ftones we hada great many torrents and fuch dirty deep ground, that 
the Mules often ftuck. I 
Banias. This Village of Banias is very inconfiderable, neverthelefs when hereto- 
fore the Chriftians were Mafters of it, it was a good Town : it lies at the 
foot of a Hill, on the top whereof there is a great Caftle uninhabited ; this 
place depends on the Baflia of Damafcus. We found no better Lodging 
here than the Night before, for having crofted a fquare Court, we entered 
under a Vault two foot deep of Horfe-dung and duft mingled, together ; our 
Lodging was appointed u« in that place, and feeing the Court was vaulted all 
^ • round, under which they had put the Mules, and a. Caravan of AlTes ; wc 
were fo incommoded there, that fo fbon as the Beafts began to ftir, they rai- 
led a duftpthat fpoilt all the Viduals we had prepared to eat ; all the pleafure 
we had, came from a little door that opened towards the fide of a River that 
runs by it, and which is at leaft three fathom broad, but very fhallow, though 
it be rapid : it is called the River of Banias. 
Next morning about five a Clock, we left that nafty Lodging, and after 
about an hours mounting upwards, turning by very bad ways, (though the 
Land about was fowed ; ) we found our felves juft oppofite to our Lodging, ha- 
ving betwixt us and it a very deep Valley, agreeable by its verdure, and the 
many Trees it is filled with, which are watered by a River that runs through 
it. A little after we faw the Caftle of Banias in its full extent, which is large 
and ftrong. We ftill mounted during the fpace of an hour by ways that 
were better than the former ; but we had the lovely Valley always in fight, 
and on the road there were a great many Trees, which by their verdure and 
lhade leffened fomewhat of the fatigue : The truth is there was no falfe ftep 
to be made there, becaufe the way being very fmooth and flopeing to the very 
bottom of theVàlley, one could not ftop before he camiC to the bottom. By 
the way we found many wild Cheftnut-trees withered and without leaves, 
and yet bearing their fruit. Having defcended a little, we entered into a 
large Plain ; and having paffed it, and mounted a little amongft Trees, 
we found ftony Plains, where it behoved us to march on untill about three of 
the 
