3U 
to that of the steersman of Acheron), upon the bad state 
of his vessel, he told me that he expected a new one 
from Antioch; but having warned him that he ought 
always to have a provision of pitch and hemp to keep 
it in good order, since without those articles, the new 
one in a very few months would not be worth much 
more than the old one, he appeared quite astonished, 
and received this advice as a thing of which he had 
never heard before. After a moment's silence he told 
me he should profit by my counsel, which appeared to 
him excellent. 
We encamped upon the left bank of the river. The 
water is so tranquil at this spot, that it is hardly possible 
to discern the direction of the current, unless some 
floating body be thrown into it. The greatest depth is 
four feet and a half. The banks are clayey, covered with 
the slime of the river, and are sixteen feet in perpendi- 
cular height. There is an abundance of fish in this part 
of the river. 
Monday, 28th September. 
I commenced my march in a northerly direction at 
four o'clock in the morning, and proceeded along the 
base ©f several mountains. At seven I passed a bridge 
of a single arch over a brook, and having crossed it, a 
man brought me a fish more than a foot long, which 
had just leaped out of the water upon the sand, and was 
still alive. 
The road lying towards the W.N.W. I traversed 
another bridge about half past seven, which was thrown 
over a brook similar to the former. These brooks flow 
into the Orontes. Having arrived about eight o'clock 
at a fine running spring, I halted to breakfast. 
About four miles to the north of this spring is the 
