Many thorn trees were to be seen as we journeyed on, and the dragoman told us that the crown of thorns which was placed upon the head of our Savior is supposed to have been made with thorns taken from the trees which grow there. Such long, pointed thorns! Oh, how sad to think of the tender flesh being pierced by them! Jesus was scourged,—severely whipped. That ought to have been enough suffering; but here came the soldiers with a platted crown of thorns, and placed it upon the tender head. Still not enough; he was nailed to a cross and then his side was pierced with a spear. Oh, what agony! The cup of sorrow was full. Christ drank it, and the will of the Lord was done. Children, do you know he died for you? Yes, for all of us. He has left us many good instructions and among them is this, “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” As we neared the Dead Sea the country grew more barren looking. The ground in places was covered with salt and sulphur. No flowers were growing there, and not a bird could be seen flying around, so we pronounced it a desolate place because no living thing was in sight. If you look at the picture closely you may see a few small pieces of wood upon the ground, but not a blade of grass. I imagine those large sticks which stand together are intended to have canvas thrown over them to be used by bathers, for travelers often bathe in the Dead Sea just for the novelty of it. Owing to the rain which fell fast the day we were there, not any of our party ventured in. We did not tarry very long, for there was but little pleasure in being at such a desolate place. The Arab who kept close to my side, so that assistance might be given when needed, did not ride a horse or donkey, but walked every step of the way. Arabs are the greatest fellows to walk I ever heard of, and they never seemed one bit tired when night came. The boy usually kept up with the horse, but occasionally he would hurry back, and at such times I heard him pounding something. My curiosity was at last aroused, and on looking back I beheld him hammering a piece of hard bread and breaking it in tiny little pieces. Now you may think we were sorry for the poor fellow, and that day instead of eating luscious oranges for luncheon we gave them to him. It was surprising to know how quickly they disappeared. After eating them he said, “Me very good donkey boy; backsheesh.” We had orders not to give money, or anything else, to the servants, because they would give us trouble with their continual begging. We found there was some truth in the matter, so from that time on nothing more was given them. [Illustration: _Men Bathing in Dead Sea._]