or wife might do. But even had it been my mother or wife I could
not have attended to such remonstrance then; and before he had done
looking at me with those big eyes of his, my coat and waistcoat and
cravat were on the ground, and I was at work at my braces; whereupon
he turned from me slowly, and strolled away into the wood. On this
occasion I had no base fears about my money.

And then I did bathe,--very uncomfortably. The shore was muddy with
the feet of the pilgrims, and the river so rapid that I hardly dared
to get beyond the mud. I did manage to take a plunge in, head-
foremost, but I was forced to wade out through the dirt and slush,
so that I found it difficult to make my feet and legs clean enough
for my shoes and stockings; and then, moreover, the flies plagued me
most unmercifully. I should have thought that the filthy flavour
from the Dead Sea would have saved me from that nuisance; but the
mosquitoes thereabouts are probably used to it. Finding this
process of bathing to be so difficult, I inquired as to the practice
of the pilgrims. I found that with them, bathing in Jordan has come
to be much the same as baptism has with us. It does not mean
immersion. No doubt they do take off their shoes and stockings; but
they do not strip, and go bodily into the water.

As soon as I was dressed I found that Smith was again at my side
with purse and pistols. We then went up a little above the wood,
and sat down together on the long sandy grass. It was now quite
evening, so that the short Syrian twilight had commenced, and the
sun was no longer hot in the heavens. It would be night as we rode
on to the tents at Jericho; but there was no difficulty as to the
way, and therefore we did not hurry the horses, who were feeding on
the grass. We sat down together on a spot from which we could see