"The best point for the view was said to be Neby Ismail, and we certainly have seen nothing finer in all Palestine. The hills are less barren than in most other parts of the country that we have visited, and the plains and valleys present an appearance of fertility. Mounts Tabor, Hermon, and Carmel were in the picture, and beyond the latter we had a glimpse of the blue waters of the Mediterranean bounding the western horizon. Then we looked down on the Plain of Esdraelon and on the upper Valley of the Jordan, and lingered as long as time would permit. I cannot begin to tell you of the thoughts and associations that crowded upon us in looking upon the place so intimately connected with the life of the Saviour, and the scenes of so many other events that form a part of our Bible history." CHAPTER XXIX. ASCENT OF MOUNT TABOR.--AROUND AND ON THE SEA OF GALILEE. On Monday morning the party made a good start in the direction of Mount Tabor and the Sea of Galilee. The tents were sent direct to the camping-ground which had been selected for the night, while the travellers made a detour to the summit of the historic mountain. They looked back from the crest of a ridge on the road, and had a fine view of Nazareth. An hour's ride from this point through a wooded valley brought them to the foot of Mount Tabor, the _Jebel-et-Tur_ of the Arabs, and a famous name in biblical history. Unlike many of the mountains of Palestine it is covered with trees to the summit, and the ruins scattered about its sides show that it has been the home of many people through numerous generations. "We had a zigzag ride up the side of Mount Tabor," said the youths, in their journal, "and made frequent stoppages for our horses to take breath. When we reached the top we found it was not a peak, but a sort of rounded ridge, half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. All the space on the summit is covered with ruins, and there have evidently been towns, temples, fortresses, and other buildings on this commanding spot. We learn from the Bible (Joshua xix. 22) that Tabor was occupied when the Israelites first came into the country, and it is probable that there was a town here at that time. In another place (Judges iv.) we learn that Deborah ordered Barak to gather an army here; and it was from Tabor that the Israelites marched when they defeated Sisera. From that time down to the Christian era Tabor continued to be an important point, and was the scene of several battles. In the fourth century it was regarded as the scene of the Transfiguration, and many pilgrimages were made to it by the early Christians. Hermits formerly dwelt here in caves, and subsisted on the charity of visitors. [Illustration: HOME OF A CAVE-HERMIT IN PALESTINE.]