237 
Jerusalem two long days' journey, and Jaffa one and a 
half. 
I stopped several days at Gaza to complete the heal, 
ing of my wound; it had closed up, when on Sunday 
the 19th of July, at half past five in the morning, I left 
Gaza without the caravan, and after having made a 
thousand turnings among the gardens and olive grounds, 
during an hour and a half, I found myself in the open 
country, and directed my course towards the E. N. E* 
At eight o'clock in the morning, after having passed 
over a small bridge, I stopped at a village to breakfast. 
I set out half an hour afterwards, changing my course 
in a direction sometimes N. E. and sometimes N. 
At ten I passed through a village, and at half past one 
in the afternoon I halted at Zedoud, a village somewhat 
larger than the former. 
All the villages upon this route are situated upon 
heights. The houses are extremely low, covered with 
thatch, and surrounded with plantations, and very fine 
kitchen gardens. 
How strange did this manner of travelling appear to 
me! Accustomed as I had been for so long a time to 
traverse the deserts with large caravans, the sensations 
I felt this day were inexpressible; attended oply by three 
servants, a slave, three camels, two mules, my horse, 
• and a single Turkish soldier who served as escort, I at 
\ length found myself in a cultivated country. I passed 
at intervals through villages, and inhabited hamlets; my 
eyes could now repose with delight upon varied plan- 
tations; and I now met at every moment human beings, 
on foot and on horseback; almost all of them were well 
dressed: I felt as if I were in Europe; but great God! 
what bitterness did some ideas mix with these agree- 
able sensations; I will own it, because I felt it. Upon 
