'Oh, weep for those who wept by Babel's stream, Whose shrines are desolate, whose land a dream! Weep for the harp of Judah's broken spell-- Mourn--where their God hath dwelt the godless dwell?' "The Pool of Bethesda is at one end of the Haram enclosure, and, of course, we paid it a visit. Isn't it curious that there has been a city here all these many centuries in a place where there are no wells? Jerusalem depends altogether upon cisterns and pools for its water, and it is said that in the sieges of the city the inhabitants have never suffered for want of water, while the attacking armies have sometimes been compelled to bring their supplies of it from long distances. Some of the cisterns are very large, and hewn in the solid rock, while others are built of masonry and lined with cement. They are filled with water from the roofs during the rainy season, and great care is exercised to prevent its being wasted. [Illustration: THE POOL OF BETHESDA.] "The Pool of Bethesda is oblong in shape, and on one side there are steps leading down to the water, of which there was very little at the time of our visit. The monks say it is the Bethesda of the New Testament, and they also call it the Sheep Pool. We looked in vain for the five porches, or arches, and were told that there is a doubt as to this being the real Pool of Bethesda, which some authorities locate at a deep shaft, or cistern, with an intermittent spring at the bottom, outside the walls of the Haram. "Having seen this historic place we naturally asked for the Pool of Siloam. The guide said it was outside the walls, and we would see it when we made the circuit of Jerusalem, which we did. "We descended to the brook Kedron, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which we have already mentioned. The valley is a good deal choked with rubbish, which has been accumulating there during many centuries, and the tomb of Absalom is surrounded by a heap of small stones, which have been thrown there by the Jews. Every Jew who goes by the place thinks he should throw a stone at the tomb, and you can readily understand what the result has been. Doctor Bronson says this is a reversal of the old proverb that a continual dropping will wear away stone. The continual dropping of pebbles around the tomb of Absalom has heaped up a great mass of stone instead of wearing it away. [Illustration: THE POOL OF SILOAM.] "The Pool of Siloam is in the Valley of Kedron, at the south-eastern termination of Mount Zion, where a little brook joins it, but is not a part of the main stream of Kedron. There is no Biblical place around Jerusalem more clearly identified than this. Doctor Thomson says it is beyond question the pool where the man born blind was sent by Christ to wash, in order that he might receive sight. It is mentioned many times in history, and its waters are known to flow irregularly. The fact has been verified by several travellers, and was positively stated by the guide who took us there.