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—
ALEXANDER DRUMMOND 451
such demands in this respect upon the credibiUty of
his public. Let him sketch a mountain, and at top
he projects a cantilever of rock into the air and places
a chapel at its farthest overhanging extremity. Any
one looking in these days at some of the crags so
formed in Drummond's time, is able to affirm that
the overhanging rocks and chapels must have since
fallen down. This, however, by the way.
Drummond found that Beilan village "exhibited
the most romantic appearance" he had ever beheld.
Having said so much in compliment, he goes on
to remark that the village is peopled by a robber
clan of highlanders, known as Gurdins, " a society
of thieves and banditti." And then he comments
dangerously
" I hope, notwithstanding the affinity of sounds,
that we do not owe to this stock a certain powerful
clan of our own country."
It was the custom of these Gurdins to levy toll
of all who came to Beilan. By way of further
exercising their rights, they had recently stripped
a passing French Consul of all his belongings, an
outrage for which there was no redress. The only
safeguard was for travellers to go over the pass
in company, and so make up a party strong enough
to protect themselves. Drummond accordingly took
this course and passed in safety, counting camels
as he went, " of which were two hundred and seventy
in one caravan," and " several thousands on the road."
Three days later he was at Jebel Bereket, where
he fell in with the pillar of St Simon Stylites, and
was moved to strong comment.
"This aerial martyr!" he exclaims, . . . "this
. . mounted a short pillar where
Saint Wronghead .
he resided seven years chained by the neck. ..."
At Jebel Bereket, however, Drummond spent a day
measuring and sketching the pillars and chapel and
catacombs. And there we leave him, a diverting
industrious traveller who has put into various of his
drawings a representation of himself—a figure in long,