The boys were eager to stand upon the shores of this wonderful body of water, and as they rode along Frank refreshed his own memory and that of his cousin by repeating the information he had stored up concerning it. "It is the lowest body of water in the world," said he; "I mean it is nearer the centre of the earth than any other. It is 1310 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean, and 3697 feet lower than Jerusalem, and it has been sounded in a good many places, and found to be of an average depth of 1000 feet." "I have heard all that," replied Fred, "and more too. It is supposed to cover what was once a plain, and, according to tradition and the Bible, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are under its waters. They were destroyed for the wickedness of their inhabitants, and the only one of them who was saved was Lot." [Illustration: MAP OF THE DEAD SEA.] "You are right," responded Frank; "and the name of the sea in Arabic is _Bahr Lut_, or 'Lot's Lake.' Its other names have been the Salt Sea, the Sea of Asphalt, the Eastern Sea, and the Dead Sea. It is forty-six miles long, and about ten broad at its widest part." Farther conversation was prevented by a kicking-match among the horses, causing a commotion that lasted several minutes. As soon as it was ended the ride was resumed, and they reached a sloping stretch of ground between the hills and the water. There was an Arab encampment not far from the shore, and the swarthy Bedouins formed a picturesque addition to the scene. The boys were agreeably disappointed to find the shore of the Dead Sea the reverse of desolate; it is true there was not a great deal of vegetation, and the little that existed was not of a useful kind. Nevertheless, where they had expected nothing would grow, they found plenty of bushes and reeds, which continued up to within a hundred feet or so of the water's edge. They halted and dismounted close to the shore, and Ali brought a cup of water for the travellers to taste. They found it exceedingly bitter, and one of the boys asked the Doctor the cause of this remarkable flavor. "The water," said he, "is intensely salt, containing twenty-six per cent. of solid matter, which is four per cent. more than Great Salt Lake in Utah. Lake Elton, in Russia, is said to contain thirty per cent., and if so, it surpasses the Dead Sea, and is the only lake that does. "The solid elements in the water of the Dead Sea are principally chloride of sodium (common salt) and chloride of magnesium, and there is more of the latter than the former. It is the magnesium that gives the bitter taste; and the next ingredient is chloride of calcium, which gives it an oily feeling that you will perceive when you bathe in it. There are half a dozen other ingredients, but they are so small in quantity that it is not worth while to mention them."