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We staid some time longer at the bath; and then, returning to Tiberias, sought out the Christian priest. He has under him from thirty to forty houses; and his church, which we visited, is by them supposed to be built on the site of St. Peter's house. They are Greek Catholics, and under the "Terra Santa." We furnished the priest with some sacred Scriptures; but there was little zeal in him to receive them.

At the house of the consul, we produced to the Jews the Hebrew New Testament; but neither was this very acceptable to them. I was especially struck to see the readiness with which one youth showed to another, at once, the twentieth verse of the first chapter of St. Matthew: he quickly found the passage, as one who had been early instructed to deny the Messiah: they were in our room: he read the passage with an air of scorn, made his companion understand his meaning, and then threw the book down; on which they both departed. It seemed to me no inapt illustration of the crime charged on the consciences of the Jewish people by Stephen (Acts vii. 51.)-" Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." Their will is, to have a man for their Messiah, not a divine person. Truly, indeed, has St. Paul said (1 Cor. xii. 3.)— "No man, speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jesus accursed; and no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

ceiving my attention directed that way, begins a to find it so. They presently joined us, having long tale about the dangers of that part, the un-ridden quick to their destination, and immediately tamed and savage character of the mountaineers, returned. Though my meditations had been and the extreme hazard of attempts to visit them: sweet, yet the sight of a friend and a brother, few travellers, in fact, venture there: but, seeing even after so short an absence, was to my weak that his account is not very congenial to my feel- spirits very animating; and we immediately talkings at this moment, he has dropped his story. ed over with much vivacity and cheerfulness, all Close above my head, an Arab is come to spread that we had seen and felt. upon the ruins his tattered clothes, which he has just washed in the lake, that they may dry in the sun: and, at a distance just perceivable, is another indolent peasant, sauntering by the water's edge, and singing at intervals a poor Arab song; which, though not "most musicial," has nevertheless the charm of being "most melancholy." But that which awakens the tenderest emotions on viewing such a scene as this, is the remembrance of ONE, who formerly so often passed this way; and never passed without leaving, by His words and actions, some memorial of His divine wisdom and love. Here, or in this neighborhood, most of His mighty works were done: and, in our daily religious services, we have read, with the most intense interest, those passages of the gospel which refer to these regions. However uncertain other traditionary geographical notices may be, here no doubt interupts our enjoyment, in tracing the Redeemer's footsteps. This, and no other, is the sea of Galilee-in its dimensions, as I should judge, resem bling exactly the size of the isle of Malta, about twenty miles in length, twelve in breadth, and sixty in circumference. Here Jesus called the sons of Zebedee, from mending their nets, to become fishers of men. Here he preached to the multitudes crowding to the water's edge, himself putting off a little from the shore in Simon Peter's boat. But there is not a single boat now upon the lake, to remind us of its former use. Yonder, on the right, must have been the very spot, where, in the middle of their passage from this side toward Bethsaida and Capernaum, the disciples were affrighted at seeing Jesus walk upon the water -where He gently upbraided the sinking faith of Peter-where he said to the winds and waves; Peace! be still: and the sweet serenity which now rests upon the surface is the very same stillness, which then succeeded. Here, finally, it was that Jesus appeared, the third time after His resurrection, to His disciples, as is related by St. John (chap. xxi.) and put that question to the zealous, backslidden, but repentant Peter-Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ?-one question, thrice repeated; plainly denoting what the Saviour requires of all, who profess to be His: and followed up by that solemn charge, Feed my lambs-Feed my sheep! While I gaze on the scene, and muse on the affecting records connected with it, faith in the gospel history seems almost realized to sight: and, though I cannot comprehend that great mystery of Godliness-God manifest in the flesh; yet, believing it, all my feelings of wonder and adoration are called into a more intimate exercise.

I was thus indulging in holy recollections, and expecting to prolong them fully another hour, my spirits being greatly relieved by the stillness and coolness of this short retirement; when the guide, who reclined near me all the time, signified, by the motion of his hand, that our companions were in view. I turned to look, and was pleased

We feel ourselves greatly at a loss, in talking to these misguided people. At supper, we sat down with them, surrounded by Italian, Spanish, German, Hebrew, Rabbinical, and Arab tongues. Of these, the Italian was talked only by the aged consul; who is almost deaf, and apparently quite indifferent to religious topics. Evidently, a missionary to the Jews should have, not only a very peculiar line of education, but he must give himself almost wholly to them.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 1823.-After a very feverish and wakeful night, I was quite unable to ride to the ruins of Capernaum: while Mr. Fisk did this, I staid within doors the whole morning. He brings back a very meagre account, indeed, of the remains of that city; once exalted unto heaven, but now barely leaving a relic sufficient to attest its former existence. He found Bethsaida, also, existing in little more than the name.

In the afternoon, we visited the synagogues of Tiberias, and found them to be as follows:

The first which we visited was about fifty feet square, and belonged to the Sephartim: very few persons were in it, at the time of our visit. Close by its side is another, which is long, but very narrow: we went from the one direct to the other; and found this second one quite full, so that we had some difficulty in walking through it: the Polish fur cap distinguishes these Jews from the Spanish. The third synagogue, to which we were

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SAFET.

Thursday, Nov. 13, 1823.-This morning we set off for Safet-the city set on a hill. Our road, for an hour, lay along the margin of the lake. To the north of Tiberias, there are likewise some ruins; which show the city anciently to have extended beyond its present bounds, northward as well as southward.

taken, was called a college; and is used also as a synagogue behind it was a very small room, appropriated to the use of the women, having its entrance from a different street above the college, the upper floor consisted of two rooms, in which we counted (by calculation) fifteen hundred Hebrew books: those who conducted us, said that they had a great many in boxes; as many, in all, as ten thousand. These three were all the synagogues shown to us. I should add, however, the At length, having taken the last draught of domestic synagogue of the consul: in this, I cal-water, which we were to taste for some hours, at culated about a thousand volumes. a small streamlet which winds its way into the In the synagogue of the consul, his son-in-law, lake, we entered on a continued series of hills Rabbi Samuel, was teaching two youths of the leading to Safet. As we ascended hill after hill, family. The rapid and vehement manner, in we had the scene of the lake fully beneath our which he communicated and they received his in-view; its southern half occasionally obscured by struction, was very striking. All spoke at the black clouds, discharging tremendously heavy rain. same time, with a high pitch of voice; scarcely We feared lest our excursion should be spoiled, as allowing space to catch their breath; with distor- one minute's fall of such a storm would not have tions of countenance, and flashes of the eye al- left us a dry thread; happily, however, it did not most hysterical. It seemed to me, that, for the reach us. purpose of teaching absurd and false notions, this manner was very well adapted; as it gave no time for thinking on what was learning and we know very well, that when persons have once, with much pains and self-sacrifice, learnt a great deal of trash, they rarely extricate their minds from its injurious influence. They seem, in fact, to lose the power of estimating the utility or inutility of different kinds of knowledge; and value their own literary board, not because it is practically useful, but because it has been dearly paid for, and because they possess a sort of property in it.

The Sepha. im speak Spanish: the Ashkenasim speak German, Polish, and Russian. All intermingle a kind of Rabbinical jargon. Hebrew, Rabbinical Hebrew, and Arabic are, in various degrees, spoken by them. From these DATA, a missionary to the Jews may perceive what acquirements are expedient for his work. At the fewest, three languages appear to be essential -Spanish, German, and Hebrew; while, for a frequent traveller or stated resident in this country, Arabic is indispensable.

We were very much struck with the remarks of the consul, in the evening, on the subject of European protection. When he quitted his. office at Aleppo, he procured a Firman from the Porte, giving him the strongest protection for himself and all his dependants. "I wish," said he, kindling with a degree of animation, which proved that the feebleness of age had not extinguished the love of life, "I wish you could read Turkish, that I might show you my Firman; it is so strong; it cuts like a sword." We could not but feel compassion for the man, who, living in this land of wrongs, clings to such a document as his sole security against extortions, oppression, insults, and violence; which would otherwise, be heaped upon him by every Turkish superior, wherever he might be. They, who breathe the air of liberty, and walk erect in open day, and at night retire to a home, which, however humble its dimensions, yet the common parlance of their country denominates their CASTLE-such persons can ill comprehend, how or why it is, that, in Turkey, the sole guarantee against the most unmerited imprisonments and exact ns, is a piece of parchment sealed with the signet of the Grand Seignior. Yet thus it is.

Our journey from Tiberias to Safet was ali on the ascent. When we were in the middle of it, a keen north wind met us full in the face; "a nipping, and an eager air," inspiring the lungs with new vigor, and making me for the time quite forget my late fever.

After

On reaching Safet, our guide, who is brother to the lay superior of the Latins at Nazareth, and a native, manifested the greatest repugnance to entering the quarter of the Jews: but as we had our object, we took our course thither; leaving him to find a place of rest elsewhere. much delay, and many inquiries on both sides of the streets, we reached the house of Rabbi Israel, one of the Perushim, and chief of that sect in this place. He himself was gone to Jerusalem: but his wife and son, and Baruch the shemas or deacon, welcomed us, and gave us the best room in their house: it was, however, very wretched and cold.

In the evening, some of the Jews called upon us. One of them complained, most bitterly, of the treatment which he had received at the last festival of Succoth: he had brought it, indeed, on himself; having gone to some excess in wine: a Mohammedan laid to his charge the crime of blaspheming the Mohammedan religion; and, without further witness or investigation, the governor ordered him for punishment; when he suffered, or, (to use his own expressions, literally translat ed,) he ATE five hundred stripes of the bastinado: "Ho mangiato cinque cento bastonate." Another, more quiet, reminded him, that a soft tongue breaketh the bone; and that it was his own loquacity, which had brought him into mischief, and might do so again: but the injured man loudly maintained his right to have redress as a Russian subject; and asked us, how his right might be maintained: he has however, very little chance of this; the agent for Russian subjects being an Austrian vice-consul at Acre. They all complain of the severity to which they are liable from the ruling powers.

The number of Jewish families at this place, they stated at four hundred; of which the Ashkenasim and Sephartim are in about equal numbers; that is, two hundred families of each. Since the war in Turkey, few venture to come from

Poland, so that the Hebrew population is rather on the decrease. They said there were sixteen synagogues in the place; but they are so contradictory in their accounts, that this, the highest account which they give, I suspect to be exaggerated.

We produced the Hebrew Testament, with which they seemed to be already acquainted, but for which they manifested little good inclination.

visit of ceremony to the governor. Thence we returned to the Jewish quarter, to examine as many of the synagogues as our time would allow. Of these, we visited five. Of the Hassidim, one synagogue, and one maddras, or college for, with this title, do they dignify a room, which will scarcely contain twenty persons, and which is filthy beyond expression; but, certainly, a few appeared here to be in the very act of poring over Talmudical books. For the Perushim, there is one place, which is used both as synagogue and maddras; and one other place, which has at least Friday, Nov. 14, 1823.—After a night of pierc-some pretensions to its title of maddras, as it ing cold, we rose to make some further examination of the state of the town: but as we had to depart at noon, and dine previously, our remarks were very rapid.

In the room which we occupied we counted five hundred books, all Hebrew; the library of Rabbi Samuel.

contains a thousand Hebrew volumes. Lastly, one synagogue of the Sephartim; this was by far the best and largest of the places which we saw. We were then under the necessity of closing our researches, as it was high time to prepare for departure.

We called on a Christian, who was in a miserable shop, and asked about their numbers in this place. There are a few, a very few Christians From the view which we had of the town when here; not strictly resident, but rather refugees on the castle, we judged, that if there are in the from Acre, Sour, and Saide. They are Greeks; Jewish quarter the number of families which they and they move about from place to place, exercis-state, namely, four hundred, there would be about ing different trades to gain a little money. Their one thousand Mohammedan houses: for, as they number had been stated to us, by the Jews, at occupy distinct quarters, it is easy to compare thirty or forty; but we afterward were induced, their superficial area; the Jews, however, state from what we saw, to think that the tenth part of them at fifteen hundred families. The population that number might be nearer the truth. We sold of Safet might be stated, in round numbers, at and gave them two or three Arabic Psalters; to seven thousand souls. We observed four minawhich, however, we found it difficult to induce rets. them to pay much attention.

This is market-day; and we computed about five hundred persons, of different descriptions, stirring in the market.

We next ascended the castle-hill; and herc, whatever disgust we had conceived from the narrowness and dirtiness of the streets and houses of Safet, all was obliterated, by the magnificent prospect from this spot. Although the castle is in ruins, yet part of it still affords a residence to the governor the extent of the walls, the perfect condition of some parts of them, and the high glittering towers visible to all the region round about, show that this must have been a spot often contested in war. But that, which principally fills the mind, is a scene, which no puny powers of man can either create or demolish. The view to the south and on either side, comprehending about one-third of the circle, presents the most surprising assemblage of mountains, which can be conceived. It is, if such an expression may be allowed, one vast plain of hills. To a distance of twenty or thirty miles toward Nazareth, and nearly the same toward Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon, the farspreading country beneath is covered with ranges of mountains: which, having passed over them, we knew to be ascents and descents far from inconsiderable; but which, from the eminence of Safet, appear only as bold undulations of the surface of the earth. To the left, are the inhospitable and unvisited mountains eastward of the river Jordan. In the centre of the distant scene, appears the beautiful lake of Tiberias, fully seen from one extremity to the other; and, in the back-ground, stretching beyond the utmost power of vision, are the Mountains of Gilead. On a clear day the view, in that direction, must be more than forty miles.

We descended from this elevated spot, to pay a

Owing to the steepness of the hill, on the slope of which some parts of Safet are built, the roofs of the lower houses form, in a degree, the pathway of passengers. A story is told which illustrates the condition of such houses. A camel once passing over such a path, the roof gave way; and the camel falling into the house below, broke his leg. The owner of the house sued for damages against the owner of the camel; and, vice versa, the owner of the camel claimed from the other the value of his animal, whose services were entirely lost to him. The sentence of the Turkish Cadi was given in favor of the owner of the camel; on the plea, that the tenant of the house knew that his roof was a public path-way, and ought therefore to have kept it in proper repair to prevent the occurrence of such an accident. The story may be correct or not: it, however, sufficiently explains the state of many of the path ways in Safet.

HATTYN.

We departed at twelve o'clock; and, taking a road more westerly than that by which we came, bent our steps toward Nazareth. That evening, after six hours' ride, we reached Hattyn; a small village at the foot of the mountain, called the Mount of the Beatitudes-Gebel et-Toobat. It has one minaret. Here are about eighty houses; of which ten are Greek Catholics', and the rest Mussulmans'. We rested at the house of the principal Christian. He had only one room, in which he, his wife, their children, and some sick persons, were closely shut up; and in which he offered us a place where to lay our heads: but we preferred to occupy a little mud hut adjacent, the roof of which consisted of branches of trees, admitting the bright rays of the moon. We gave

him some sacred Scriptures, as he said they were to it, where these words were uttered, not to seek all too poor to pay for them.

MOUNT OF THE BEATITUDES.

Saturday, Nov. 15, 1823.-At early dawn we set off from Hattyn, to ascend the Mount of the Beatitudes. The road was steep, but very shady and refreshing; and, as we went, we read aloud the first twelve verses of the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the thirteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians. Our minds were raised to the enjoyment of those heavenly truths. We could not but feel how infinitely inferior all the maxims of sages and philosophers are, to those brief and simple descriptions of the graces of humility, meekness, gentleness, purity of heart, and patience of faith, hope, and love!

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Why is it," I asked, "that the very scenes become endeared to us, as we read the portions of sacred Scripture relating to them; so that they are rendered much more lovely than mere scenery could make them? My companion illustrated the feeling of religious association aptly, by putting the case of two amiable persons, "for both of whom," he said, "we might conceive a very warm affection; but if one were pious, and the other not, how far more congenial would our attachment be to him, whose heart was one with ours in the love of God! He is, in the truest sense, our FRIEND a friend, in common, with us, of God-a friend for eternity! We may know him only for a short space of time on earth, but we shall know him hereafter for ever. So, to compare inanimate things with spiritual, our attachment to this spot is heightened by the remembrance of the divine discourses once uttered here; and which seem to make it hallowed ground; there are other scenes equally or more lovely, in the various countries which we have visited; but, to this, we are united by a kind of religious endearment."

With such reflections we entered the plain of Galilee, at its east end. Being arrived at this elevated plain, we find that the Mount of Beatitudes, which closes as it were a kind of barrier on the east, is not on this side so high as on the other side it appeared to be. The plain, in fact, rises at the end by a gentle slope into two small hills, on either of which it is probable enough that our Saviour sat when He delivered the sermon on the Mount. They are nearly close together, and would take a person not more than five minutes to ascend them. The plain itself abounded in flowers; and, although we were not able to say, that, among these, we could discern the lilies of the field to which our Saviour directed the thoughts of his hearers, yet my eye was particularly delighted by the sight of a flower not very common in England, the purple autumnal crocus. I have observed it flourishing, at this season, in every part of Mount Lebanon: and here, at this moment, it was expanding its beautiful petals to as bright a sun as ever lighted up the blue firmament. And if our Heavenly Father so clothe the grass of the field, will He not much more clothe us? Have not we that same evidence of His care, exhibited to our senses on this unexhausted soil, which the apostles themselves had? It was impossible, supposing this to be the spot, or near

some collateral proof, which, however faint, might serve to illustrate the topography of the scene.

I have already alluded to the striking view from this place, of Safet, the city set on a hill. But my mind was more particularly led to trace the course which our Saviour took after delivering this sermon. If we compare the accounts given in Matthew viii. 1-13, Mark iii. 13-19, and Luke vi. throughout, and vii. 1-10, we shall be led to judge that our Lord had been already preaching at various towns in the region between Nazareth and Capernaum, the very region, which we are now traversing. On the night previous to delivering the sermon on the Mount, He retired to a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God: at day-break, He chooses His twelve disciples: He then descends into the plain, and is surrounded by a great multitude of people, who were continually thronging after Him: then lifting up his eyes on His disciples, He commences His discourse, with Blessed are ye poor, &c. This is St. Luke's account, who does not mention our Lord's re-ascending a mountain previously to His beginning His discourse: which, nevertheless, from St. Matthew v. 1, we are led to infer that He did. "When he had ended all his sayings-he entered into Capernaum." (Luke vii. 1.) He descended, therefore, from the Mount of the Beatitudes, toward the Lake of Tiberias. Now from this very spot, there is a road, passing through a ravine, direct to the Lake of Tiberias; and, from thence to the present site of Capernaum, the distance hence to the lake being about two hours and a half. This ravine is the caravan road from Damascus to the south. Although no absolutely certain evidence is deducible from this sketch, yet we felt it heighten our interest in the scene, to trace, as nearly as might be, with the gospels in our hand and the very country before us, every step of our Lord's course.

Considerably further on, we arrived at the spot, where the Christian guides point out the cornfield, in which the disciples rubbed the ears of corn and ate of them on the Sabbath day. But here I felt, that, to particularize the precise position of a single field after a period of eighteen hundred years, by exacting rather too much from my powers of belief, tends rather to weaken the local enchantment. Here, however, the pilgrims, in their sacred route, are wont to halt, and read the appropriate portion of the gospel: to which, though we did it not, I make no objection, provided they will allow me, as well as themselves, the title and rank of pilgrim. From a distance the tower of Sephoury was now distinguishable; and, soon after, we reached Cana of Galilee.

CANA OF GALILEE.

Cana is, at present, a very small and poor village. With some difficulty we found out the Christian priest. We went with him to his church, in which he showed us, fixed in the wall, one (as he assured us) of those water-pots referred to in St. John, ii. 6. This I relate because he said so, not because I believed in it. On the walls are several Greck and Arabic inscriptions, recording the names of devout pilgrims to this place. But

my eye was suddenly attracted by the sight of Abyssinian characters, to the same effect: the priest stated that this was written by an Abyssinian priest about four years ago, who remained here twenty days: his name was Baba Moose: in the day time, he was constantly in the church, reading; and, at night, he slept in the churchyard, beneath a tree, under the shade of which we rested to take some refreshment.

A small number of Christians gathered round us, with whom we conversed, and to whom we sold and gave a few copies of the Scriptures. The population they stated to be about thirty houses Mussulman, and thirty houses Christian, of the Oriental Greek church. The total number accords with the appearance of the village. Evidence of the rite to which they belonged, we had in a printed Greek paper, hanging up in the church, signed by Polycarp, patriarch of Jerusalem, dated 1816.

RETURN TO NAZARETH.

With this village, now so inconsiderable, but where once the glory of the divine person of Christ was manifested forth to his disciples, by the first miracle which he wrought, we closed our present excursion; arriving at Nazareth, which seemed to us, for a moment, like a home, about

three o'clock in the afternoon.

PLAIN OF ESDRAELON.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 1823.-We left Nazareth for Jerusalem.

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Our road, for the first three quarters of an hour, lay among the hills which lead to the plain of Esdraelon; upon which, when we were once descended, we had no more inconvenience, but rode for the most part on level ground, interrupted by only gentle ascents and descents. This is that mighty plain"—peya redior, as it is called by ancient writers-which, in every age, has been celebrated for so many battles. It was across this plain, that the hosts of Barak chased Sisera and his nine hundred chariots of iron: from Mount Tabor to that ancient river, the river Kishon, would be directly through the middle of it. At present, there is peace; but not that most visible evidence of enduring peace and civil protection, a thriving population. We counted, in our road across the plain, only five very small villages, consisting of wretched mud-hovels, chiefly in ruins; and very few persons moving on the road. We might again truly apply to this scene the words of Deborah (Judges v. 6, 7.)-The highways were unoccupied the inhabitants of the villages ceasedthey ceased in Israel. The soil is extremely rich; and, in every direction, are the most picturesque views-the hills of Nazareth to the north-those of Samaria, to the south-to the east, the mountains of Tabor and Hermon-and Carmel, to the south-west.

GENNYN.

About four o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived at the village of Gennyn, which is situated at the entrance of one of the numerous vales which lead out of the plain of Esdraelon to the mountainous

regions of Ephraim. One of these passages would be the valley of Jezreel; and from the window of the khan where we are lodging, we have a clear view of the tract over which the prophet Elijah must have passed, when he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. But, in the present day, no chariots of Ahab or of Sisera are to be seen-not even a single wheel-carriage, of any description whatever. The public wells by the road-side have no pulleys on wheels to assist in drawing water: for who would expose for public use, what his neighbor would have not the least scruple in secretly stealing away? The roads among the mountains are, indeed, so neglected-such mere single foot-paths-that it is difficult to imagine in what way chariots could now convey the traveller to Jerusalem, or over the chief part of the Holy Land.

Arriving at Gennyn, we sought out the small body of Christians here. They have a priest, and are of the Greek communion; in number, seven or eight houses. Their quarters are ex tremely mean; and we found much difficulty in gaining attention to our Arabic Scriptures. The two principal Christians were sitting on the ground with a gaming-board between them, playing at a favorite game of chance, with shells in the holes of the board; and seemed to regard our visit as a troublesome intrusion.

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It was about an hour after mid-day that we had our first view of the city of Nablous, romantically situated in a deep valley, between the mountains of Ebal on our left and Gerizim on the right. There is a kind of sublime horror in the lofty, craggy, and barren aspect of these two mountains, which seem to face each other with an air of defiance; especially as they stand contrasted with the rich valley beneath, where the city appears to be embedded on either side in green gardens and extensive olive-grounds-rendered more verdant, by the lengthened periods of shade which they enjoy from the mountains on each side. Of the two, Gerizim is not wholly without cultiva

tion.

We had always been informed, that the facility of passing by way of Nablous depended very much on the character of the governor of the city. Our case was singular: for we had to learn, what kind of reception a city without a governor would give us; the governor having died this very morning. On coming within sight of the gate, we perceived a numerous company of females, who were singing in a kind of recitative, far from melancholy, and beating time with their hands. If this be mourning, I thought, it is of a strange kind. It had indeed, sometimes, more the air of angry defiance. But on our reaching the gate, it was suddenly exchanged for most hideous plaints and shrieks, which, with the feeling that we were

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