248 
A CKUSADE IN THE EAST. 
miles, save by a few goat-herds. "We were so disgusted with 
the monotony of this valley that we forgot to ask the name. 
Ascending and descending through several passes, we at 
length entered another valley, through which runs a stream 
that waters the valley of Zebdene. Yusef had gone on to 
the village to look out for lodgings; and my two friends and 
myself, tired of lagging behind with the mules, pushed on 
for Zebdene, in hopes of reaching it before dark. Crossing 
the stream in half an hour or so, we ascended a hill on the 
other side, and here we found two roads going nearly in the 
same direction and of nearly equal size. We took the upper 
one, which of course was the wrong one. By the time we 
had ridden a mile it was quite dark, and we found from the 
lights in another direction that we had made a mistake. 
There being no other path, we had to retrace our steps, which 
is not pleasant in Syria, where every step is a matter of study 
for both horse and rider, and stepping in the dark especially. 
We returned again to the valley, from which we heard the 
muleteers coming down the side of the mountain, shouting 
loudly to the jaded animals. They reached us presently, and 
we all pushed on together for Zebdene. It was one of the 
most pleasant rides we had enjoyed during our tour. The 
moon came out, as we ascended the banks of the stream, and 
it became a mild, clear night, with the towering mountains in 
full view all around us, and the snow-capt heights of Djebel- 
esh-Sheik glimmering in the distance. The sharp cry of a 
jackal from the ravine on the other side of the stream had a 
wild and startling effect in the stillness of the night; and the 
strange stories of Eleas and the muleteers about robberies 
and murders in these lonesome glens made us involuntarily 
look toward every thicket on the roadside. It was not an 
agreeable idea, take it altogether, that of having our legs cut 
off, as was done with one traveler, or our skulls battered in 
with clubs, as another was served not long before, or even to 
be politely requested to give up our money, and compelled to 
make the rest of our tour on charity. Yusef had taken with 
him all the guns, pistols, and swords—and, worse than that, all 
the propensity for fighting that was in the party. We might 
