Rambles in Bible lands Author:Richard Newton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. FROM PORT SAID TO JAFFA—LANDING ARRANGEMENTS FOR OUR JOURNEY HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF JAFFA—HOUSE OF SIMON THE TANNER—THE FIRST DAY'... more »S JOURNEY—ENCAMP- MENT AT RAMLEH. T7"E embarked on board a French steamer at Port Said, on tbe It evening of Tuesday, March 8th, 1870. The night was caim and still. ' The great sea westward' was smooth and placid as a garden pond ; and on awaking at five o'clock the next morning, we found our steamer approaching the land in full view of Jaffa, the port of entrance for Jerusalem. The sun was rising beautifully as we came to anchor, shedding a flood of golden glory over the distant hills of Judea. "We found no difficulty in landing. By the time we were at anchor a whole fleet of boats had come out from the shore, and their noisy occupants, dark-hued, half-naked Arabs, were clamouring as boisterously for a job as the importunate hackmen do on a steamboat landing in New York or Philadelphia. We soon had a boat engaged, and were conveyed, with our baggage, to the shore. Immediately on landing, we proceeded to the American Hotel. This is about half a mile outside the walls of the town, on the north. It is in the midst of a settlement made by the American colony, which came here several years ago to engage in agriculturalpursuits. The colony, as is well known, proved an utter failure. Some of those connected with it died from the effect of sickness and want. Others, left in utter poverty, were sent home by the American consul; while a few linger here still, seeking to make out a precarious livelihood in one way or another. We found two bright, intelligent-looking American boys, about nine or ten years Port Said. old, at the door of our hotel, and ascertained, on inquiry, that they belonged to one of the families rema...« less