The Maronite chiefs were _jeriding_ in the hollow. They came to dinner
with us, and I gave them a present of some cartridges, which appeared to
make them very happy.
The next day we continued to ride up a steep ascent. At last we stood
upon a mountain-range of crescent form, ourselves in the centre, and
the two cusps to the sea. Turning to the side which we had ascended and
looking below, the horizon was bounded by the Anti-Lebanon, with the
plain of Buka'a and the ruins of Ba'albak beneath and far away. From
this point we could see the principal heights of the Lebanon, for which
we were bound, to make excursions from the Cedars. We had a painful
descent for an hour and a half, when we reached the famous Cedars of
Lebanon, and camped beneath them. We pitched our tents among the Cedars,
under the largest trees. They are scattered over seven mounds in the
form of a cross. There are five hundred and fifty-five trees, and they
exude the sweetest odours. We spent a very pleasant time camping under
their grateful shade.
At last the day came for our party to break up, Mr. Palmer and Mr.
Tyrwhitt-Drake _en route_ for England and Richard and I to return to
Bludan. So we parted.
It took Richard and myself many days to get back to our home. After
parting with our friends, we resolved to visit the Patriarch, Primate
of Antioch and of all the East; and escorted by a priest and the shaykh
we travelled by way of a short cut and terrible descent of three hours.
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