before the feast was ready. The paschal moon had risen in unclouded beauty upon the rugged summit of Gerizim, and many a one had fallen asleep, like the three disciples in Tabor. At length a shout is heard――the feast is ready! The lambs being removed from the furnace, the priest’s portion was first presented to him, and then the whole company, except those women ceremonially unclean, ate the flesh with bitter herbs and with unleavened bread, in haste, with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staffs in their hand.[495] CHAPTER XI. A Price for Politeness. ―― Escort. ―― Picturesque Scenery. ―― Samaria. ―― Its Founder. ―― Its Vicissitudes. ―― Residence of Elisha. ―― Famine. ―― City beautified by Herod. ―― Its Location. ―― Hill of Omri. ―― Grand Ruins. ―― Tomb of John the Baptist. ―― Temple of Augustus. ―― Prediction fulfilled. ―― Departure for Cæsarea. ―― Night on the Plain of Sharon. ―― The Sick brought out. ―― Plain of Sharon. ―― The Lost Lake. ―― Cæsarea uninhabited. ―― Dangers. ―― History. ―― Imperial City under Herod the Great. ―― Grand Ruins. ―― St. Paul a Prisoner. ―― Death of Herod Agrippa. ―― Athlît. ―― Mount Carmel. ―― Scene of the Sacrifice. ―― Great Event. ―― Abode of Elisha. SAMARIA, the ancient capital of Israel, is seven and a half miles to the northwest from Nablous, and 25 miles beyond, in the same direction, is Cæsarea, on the Mediterranean coast. Intending to encamp that night amid the ruins of the latter city, we ordered our horses at nine A.M. At the appointed time their solid iron shoes were heard on the pavement below, and the impatient Arab servant was crying, “Horses ready, sir.” But we had met with an unexpected delay. Judging from the magnanimous manner in which the schoolmaster of Nablous had received us at our arrival, and his affable deportment during our stay, he seemed above the tricks and meanness of other Orientals; but an Arab is an Arab the world over――selfish, money-loving, and untrue, whether Christian, Jew, or Moslem. Eastern hospitality always means an equivalent to be returned for whatever has been received. Gifts are presented with the tacit understanding that presents are to be given in return. Even the merchant assures the buyer that all he has is his, well knowing that in this unbounded generosity he is protected by the customs of the East, which are invested with all the sanctity and authority of law. More than once our host had said, “All I have is yours――my house, my food, my service.” To the uninitiated this is equal to his ideal of Oriental hospitality; but when the day of departure comes, the deceptive curtain is lifted, and his Arab host stands before him a persistent creditor. Having paid our host for his apartments and for the entertainment he had furnished, I saw that he wore an expression of disappointment. “What is the matter, my friend? Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou