ON THE WESTERN BANK OF THE RIVER. 
387 
truly called, murally embattled district, to which the proud mo¬ 
narch had given the title of u this great Babylon, the house of 
my kingdom !” 
In this my second visit to Birs Nimrood, while passing rapidly 
over the last tracks of the ruin-spread ground, at some little 
distance from the outer bank of its quadrangular boundary, my 
party suddenly halted; having descried several dark objects 
moving along the summit of its hill, which they construed into 
dismounted Arabs on the look-out, while their armed brethren 
must be lying concealed under the southern brow of the mound. 
Thinking this very probable, I took out my glass to examine, 
and soon distinguished that the causes of our alarm were two or 
three majestic lions, taking the air upon the heights of the 
pyramid. Perhaps I never had beheld so sublime a picture to 
the mind, as well as to the eye. These were a species of enemy 
which my party were accustomed to dread without any panic 
fear; and while we continued to advance, though slowly, the 
hallooing of the people made the noble beasts gradually change 
their position, till, in the course of twenty minutes, they totally 
disappeared. We then rode close up to the ruins; and I had 
once more the gratification of ascending the awful sides of the 
tower of Babel. In my progress I stopped several times to look 
at the broad prints of the feet of the lions, left plain in the 
clayey soil; and, by the track, I saw that if we had chosen to 
rouse such royal game, we need not go far to find their lair. 
But, while thus actually contemplating these savage tenants, 
wandering amidst the towers of Babylon, and bedding them¬ 
selves within the deep cavities of her once magnificent temple, 
I could not help reflecting on how faithfully the various pro¬ 
phecies had been fulfilled, which relate, in the Scriptures, to 
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