A CHIEFTAIN'S HOME.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 88

A CHIEFTAIN'S HOME.

♦ By a Bankek.

On the shores of the lovely Sea. of Galilee, at the point where formerly stood %ha thriving town of Jlagdala, now entirely obliterated and_ effaced, a tribe of those wandering sons of Ishmael, the Bedouin, have settled down- The position of this malodorous collection of mud huts is beautiful and picturesque in the extreme. Surrounding the encampment on three sides is a wide strip of rocky wold, a. very garden of brilliant * wild flowers of all manner of varied hue?, from "the scarlet anemone to, the Handsome cream white Asphodel. In the background are the rolling undulations of the Galilean hills, with snow-capped* H-ermon in the distance, while in front is the sparkling lake, glittering like, diamonds, now with but a ripple on its surface, but in an incredibly short space of time perhaps a raging blast may sweep down those mountain gullies and transform * those placid waters into a wild pea. of foaming billows. Opposite is the country of the Gergesines, and in the far-off distance, at t.h« farther end of the lake, may be discerned £h© white buildings which "now occupy the pillarstrewn site of Capernaum. Truly a. prospect surpassingly lovelj and harmonious. But the Arab village! Ah, what a contrast! The huts, made of mud, mingled with more repellent compounds, are reeking with filth; the lanes between fcb«m ar« a fetid quagmire of garbage and miry sludge; while the human beings, although the lake is within a stone's throw, appear I as if never -once in their lives had ihcy. \ considered it needful to indulge in such, a fatuous eccentricity, as a bath. But "one house, stated to be the residence of the chief of the tribe, was more substantial than the ethers, for the principal :h amber, an apartment of fair size, washewn out of the ~rock. Upon entering, however, a rapid glance around was amply, sufficient. For apart from the fact that a number of fowls, and also other live stock,' shared the hospitality of the chieftain, with the result that the aroma and fragrance of the Dsrfume which pervaded the atmosphere could scarcely be described as exquisite, in addition a fire, upon which apparently some offal or other repellent garbage was being rooked by a repulsive-looking old woman, in the absence of any chimney, filled the cavern with acrid and pungent smoke. But speeding away from this noisome encamt>ni2nt, and wandering along the lovely shell-strewn shore, what a rush of memo-, ries of a hply. far-off lime courses through Ihe iiiind l For on this very shore the loving Saviour of tY-F world had ofttimes walked an-d taught And hither t<vo. after on- the. sriad resurrection room He had burnt the b^ndfi of death, suffered voluntarily foe us" <ir\d for our c ilv?tion, He had repaired m.Hi 3 :e-urrr-tion body to ••nest His friends2nd di«:m!es Avd now in virtue of the .siH-preveilirs; merits of +V>it vicarious expiation, all who oonip 'o TT-ui for eternal life p'-e welcome J .md rrade partakerr of His Kiasrdcm.

— London streets were first lighted with gas lamp; in 1814 — The squire's wife in a quiet Ybrkshir.' villas^ took a great -interest in a very aged couplo who were spinning out the las thrsads of their lives Darby-and-Joan' fashion one on each side of their fireplace. She frequently visited them. The old manhad bean ailing for some time, and at last ! a <lay came when the visitor found only one ' chair occupied. Darby was not in hieI ac.-u-?lome<l place. "Where is your hus- ! b<in<l'-'' inquired the lady "Well, mum," i -ighed Joan, "the fact is, he be gone at I last."' "Oil, I'm ->o eorrv. It must be i a vrvy -a<l Wow for you," f-aid the lady. j '-It b-^ .ill tli" t," agrtcJ the old woman I t<»ai fully, "hut he were fearfully in tho I wa^ of th? oveu."