LOCAL TRADITIONS. 
105 
peared as if lie solved the problem to himself, by supposing me 
somewhat mad. In short, all I could learn from him or his 
guests on these subjects, was, that the summit of Mount Elwund 
possessed a tomb containing the body of a son of Solomon; 
and that certain ravines of the mountain produced a plant, not 
only capable of converting all kinds of metal into gold, but like¬ 
wise of virtue to cure every possible disease. Of course, none 
of the company had seen any of the metal so transmuted, nor 
any of the people so cured; but, nevertheless, their belief was 
firm on the subject, — that, could they be lucky enough to 
discover the clefts where the herb grew, the philosopher’s stone, 
and the elixir vitse, might then be deemed at their disposal. 
Having failed in gaining the information I desired from the 
satrapes of the place, I had recourse to persons of less dignity; 
but received just the same kind of fabulous legends, with an ad¬ 
ditional story about a stone in the side of Mount Elwund ; 
which, they said, contained an inscription in cabalistic charac¬ 
ters, unintelligible to every body who had hitherto looked on it; 
but if any body could read them aloud, and understand their 
import at the same moment, an effect would be produced that 
might shake the mountain to its center; it being the spell which 
protected ingress to an immense buried treasure, which, when 
once pronounced, must instantly be unfolded by the genii of its 
subterraneous cavern, and laid at the feet of the fortunate in¬ 
voker of this golden sesame. The Jewish part of the inhabitants 
with whom I conversed, shook their heads at the history of the 
Judean tomb on the mountain, but entered with a solemn in¬ 
terest into the questions I put to them, respecting the sepulchre 
of Esther and Mordecai; the dome roof of which rises over the 
low, dun habitations of the poor remnant of Israel, still lingering 
VOL. II. 
p 
