The Holy Land and the Bible; . onby the path climbing past the Fountain; salt being thus carried fromthe south of the lake to Bethlehem on files of donkeys, by Arabs whowisely travel well armed, to guard against the dangers of the route.There are still many wild goats on the face of the lofty cliffs, but pur-suit of them is hopeless, except for a hunter accustomed to perilouswork in such places. North of the Fountain is found the source of thespring seen on the plain below; a very delight for its rich luxurianceof all kinds of foliage. In long-past ages, a spot like this, utilized asit would b

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The Holy Land and the Bible; . onby the path climbing past the Fountain; salt being thus carried fromthe south of the lake to Bethlehem on files of donkeys, by Arabs whowisely travel well armed, to guard against the dangers of the route.There are still many wild goats on the face of the lofty cliffs, but pur-suit of them is hopeless, except for a hunter accustomed to perilouswork in such places. North of the Fountain is found the source of thespring seen on the plain below; a very delight for its rich luxurianceof all kinds of foliage. In long-past ages, a spot like this, utilized asit would be, must have been thought a very paradise in such surround-ings. Could it be that this delightful nook, concealed Avithin almostimpenetrable jungle, was known to David when he hid in this neigh-borhood ? No place could be conceived more suited for a soul likehis, so full of poetry and devotion. Who can tell but tliat some of hissacred lyrics may have been prompted by its inspirations? 1 Cant. i. 14; Iv. 13. 2 See anU, p. 393.. Cliffs Of Engedi (bee page 419.) XXX.J THE DEAD SEA. 421 From the Fountain to the top of the mountains the path is almost aladder, impassable to any horse or other beast of burilen not used tosuch terrible climbing. To have ascended it, the Moabites andAmmonites must have had little to carry, for it is hard enough forman or beast to get up, even almost unencumbered. The Cities of the Plain stood on some part of the plain of Jericho, which in Abrahams day was much the same as it is now. The shapeof the basin of the sea, and its geological history, make it impossiblethat any towns could have existed except at its northern or southernend, but those which perished are expressly called the Cities of thePlain, or Circle of the Jordan; an expression used only of theslopes reaching, on both sides, from the hills to the river, immediatelybefore it enters the lake. Abraham and Lot, moreover, could see thefertile region of Sodom and Gomorrah from the hill-top on whic