"The hill is covered in many places with olive-trees, and certainly merits its name. There are also fig, almond, sycamore, and a few other trees familiar to the traveller in Palestine, and every foot of the ground that will produce anything is carefully cultivated. Several churches have been erected on the summit, the first as early as the fourth century, and the last in 1834. We went through the present building, which is known as the Church of the Ascension; there is nothing remarkable about its architecture, but it is a substantial structure, and will last a long time unless destroyed by invaders, like some of its predecessors. In the centre there is a sort of dome, which is known as the Chapel of the Ascension, and is supposed to mark the spot where Christ rose to heaven." An entire forenoon was devoted to the visit to the Mount of Olives, and in the afternoon the party started for Bethlehem, a ride of less than two hours. [Illustration: THE ROAD FROM JERUSALEM TO BETHLEHEM.] They went out by the Jaffa Gate, passing the Hill of Evil Counsel and the Lower Aqueduct, and winding among rocky hills similar to those by which they had come from Ramleh to the Holy City. They passed the convent of Mar Elyas, but did not stop to visit it, and their attention was constantly absorbed by the ancient and modern monuments scattered along the route. Their first halt was made at the tomb of Rachel, which is an insignificant building, with a dome above it, of the general type of the better class of tombs in Palestine. [Illustration: THE TOMB OF RACHEL.] The tradition concerning the tomb of the mother of Benjamin (Gen. xxv. 19) has been well preserved through thirty centuries, and many generations have worshipped at this spot. It has been revered alike by Jews, Christians, and Moslems, and the spectacle is not infrequent of the adherents of three religions kneeling in harmony before this venerable structure. During the halt of our friends one of the party read aloud from the Bible the story of the death of Rachel. All remained silent, and with uncovered heads, till the touching narrative was ended. From the tomb of Rachel the way led over hills and into valleys, and finally climbed the ridge on which Bethlehem stands. The situation of the place is quite picturesque. The town stands on a steep hill-side, and when looked at from a distance of half a mile or more, it presents the appearance of a series of terraces. The houses are low, and the roofs almost invariably flat; in this respect it has the general aspect of a Syrian town, and the position on the side of a hill gives an opportunity for thorough drainage. [Illustration: ENTRANCE TO BETHLEHEM.]