travels

222 TRAVELS IN EGYPT, NUBIA,to the south-west, by the side of a range of hills, aboundingwith myrtle in full bloom, that spread their fragrance round,through plantations of olives, mulberry, and sycamore; towhich were attached vines, twining themselves round thebranches, or hanging in festoons, as in the Florentine statesof Italy.We passed the villages Ain el Anb and Ain elAnoob, where the peasantry seemed fully occupied: we thendescended into a valley, by a bad and almost impassableroad, formed into deep steps by the rains, and by constantpassage of mules and travellers.The scene was for a shorttime barren, and even trees were distant from us; we, however,arrived at cultivation on coming to a second range ofhills, which we crossed through thickets of myrtle, woods offir, walnut tfees, carobs, or locust trees, and Turkish oak, orSindian; and descended to the source of the river Damoor,whose course is to be traced through a deep romantic ravineinto the plain of Seida, whence it flows winding into the seato the north of the town.We crossed by a stone bridgeover this river, which rushed through a rocky bed in a rapidstream; and ascended again a high range of mountains, fromwhose summit there is a grand and extensive view of thecoast of Syria and the Mediterranean Sea.I enjoyed thisprospect at sunset, and was obliged to continue the remainderof the road in the dark, moving eastwards to theentrance of the district of Deir el Kamr.On arriving at thisΚΥΠΡΙΑΚΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ