But these windowless rock-palaces are all empty.

Leaving Gerasa, my way leads in a general direction westward over
the mountains of Gilead. The reader must remember that in all this
region there is not a road over which a carriage can be driven,
save that quite recently a few trips have been made from Mezarib
to Gerasa. What are called roads are simply bridle-paths, and, in
many cases, the paths are so indistinct that the guide is more
likely to take you forward with reference to a general direction
than to attempt to lead you by a recognized trail.

The Mountains of Gilead present a rugged appearance, but, in the
main, are clothed with vegetation; hence they are beautiful in
their majesty. The olive and the prickly oak are abundant. The
villages are not numerous, and are situated far up the slopes, or
even on the tops of the ridges. These villages are clusters of
squalid huts constructed of stone and mud, and can afford no
accommodation such as an American might desire. But, in many
instances, they occupy sites identified with places and events
noted in Bible story.

These mountains were given to Gad in the allotment of Joshua and
Eleazar. Surely at that time the prospect must have been much more
pleasing than at present, or the Gadites would not have been so
anxious to receive this district as a permanent possession. True,
even now, a few narrow valleys, or wadies, show signs of great
fertility, but the greater part is quite uninviting. Yet to the
tourist there is much of interest in this region.

My way to the Jordan lay over these mountains, especially that