Volume 2

130 Life of Jesus Christ
was a couple of hours inland from Ptolomais on a small,
muddy lake, one side of which was rendered inaccessible
by high mountains. From this lake arose the little, sandy
stream Belus, which empties into the sea near Ptolomais.
The city was so large that I cannot conceive why so little
is known of it. The Jewish city Misael was not far off.
This is the country that Solomon bestowed upon King
Hiram. Sichor was free, though with some little dependence
on Tyre. There was much cattle raising going on in
these parts. I saw numbers of large sheep with fine wool.
They could swim over the water. Beautiful woollen goods
were woven here and dyed in Tyre. I saw no tilling of
fields, but only the cultivation of orchards. There grew in
the water a kind of grain with very large stalks. Bread was
made of the grain. I think they were not obliged to sow
seed for this plant, it sprang up wild. A road led from
Sichor to Syria and Arabia, but there was no highway to
Galilee. Jesus had come to Tyre by an indirect route.
There were two great bridges outside of Sichor: the
one, high and long to enable the inhabitants to cross when
the whole country was inundated; the other lower, affording
a convenient passage under the arches formed by the
upper one. The houses were built high and so constructed
that, when the city was submerged, the people could take
refuge on the roofs under tents. Most of the inhabitants
were heathens. I saw little flags waving from several
buildings with pointed towers, which I took for pagan
temples. I was astonished to see here so many Jews,
although held in contempt by their neighbors, occupying
handsome houses. I think they were exiles.
The house in which Jesus put up was outside the city
and on the side by which He had come. He had, however,
to cross water to reach it. There was a synagogue nearby.
It seemed as if Jesus, on His journey to Tyre, had announced
His return by this route, for the people of the
house at which He stopped appeared to be expecting