CHAPTER I.

ALEXANDRIA TO JAFFA-WAR IN PALESTINE-ACRE-TYRE-SIDON-BEYROUT

-THE CEDARS-BAALBEC-DAMASCUS, &c.

SOME few years back, in the red and glowing haze of an Egyptian sunset, a party of Frank travellers stood upon the sandy shore of the harbour of Alexandria, surrounded by their heterogeneous packages, and awaiting the uprising of that evening breeze which was to waft them to the coast of Palestine. In those days Mediterranean travelling was very different from what it now is, steam-boats were not yet introduced, and the impatient pilgrim, with his imagination eagerly fixed upon the sacred localities of his religion, or the wonders of Egypt, had often to waste many weary days, or perhaps weeks upon the way, before he could attain the desired object. Such had been the case in the present instance. After long waiting to no purpose for an opportunity of proceeding to Jaffa, our party, in pure despair, had at length chartered a vessel to that port, and laid in a stock of provisions sufficient to last them the passage. With every preparation made, and impatience at its utmost stretch, the Arab captain still found each day some pretext, real or imaginary, for delaying his departure. Sometimes the wind was positively contrary; sometimes it was fair, but then either too strong or else too light; and it was only at a propitious juncture, when the steady land-breeze promised to carry us fairly to our destination in four-and-twenty hours, that the dilatory Reis at length arose,

B