They passed the branch of the road that leads to Shiloh; the boys were desirous of visiting the place, but the Doctor told them they could not well spare the time, and besides there was very little to be seen. "There is a heap of ruins," said he, "and the hills in the neighborhood are such masses of broken rocks that it is not easy to move about among them. Travellers frequently miss their way among the rocks, and besides you would be liable to a good deal of annoyance from the natives. They are insolent in their demands for backsheesh, and flourish knives and guns in a very disagreeable way. If you show the least desire to conciliate them they increase their rudeness, and sometimes they resort to actual violence. So we won't go to Shiloh." [Illustration: BEASTS OF BURDEN.] Ascending and descending from valley to ridge, and from ridge to valley, passing among terraces and through little orchards of fig and olive trees, winding among fields which are planted with corn in summer, looking now and then on flocks of goats carefully tended by their keepers as they fed on the hill-sides, meeting or passing little groups of natives, who eyed them longingly or suspiciously, and were suspiciously eyed in return, the party continued on its way. Frank and Fred thought it was not a good sign that all the men they met were armed, some with guns, some with pistols or knives, and many with all three weapons together. They asked the Doctor about it, and he thus explained the matter: "I think I have told you before about the existence of blood-feuds not only in this country but in various parts of the world. We have them in America among our native Indian races; they exist in France and Italy, especially in the latter, where they are known as 'the vendetta.'" "I remember them," said Fred, "but perhaps Frank doesn't know." "In this part of the Holy Land there are blood-feuds that have lasted hundreds of years. A man of one tribe or family has been killed by a man of another--the losing party proceeds to take revenge by killing a person of the offending one, then the latter takes its revenge, and so the fight goes on. These feuds exist between tribes, villages, or families, and are perpetuated through centuries. Every man goes armed, because he fears to be killed by some avenger of blood, and he is constantly on the lookout both to slay and to prevent being slain." "Why don't they come to a sensible arrangement among themselves, and put an end to the quarrelling?" one of the boys asked.