CHAPTER XVIII.

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THE sun was just rising on the earth when the travellers approached the foot of the rock on which was seated the Canaanitish castle. crimson light from the east glowed on its dark towers, and showed the ivy and waving fern, which grew on its time-worn walls, with great distinctness and beauty. The foaming river had not yet caught any of its beams. The rocks on the opposite banks were covered with the large golden blossoms of the prickly pear, and though in the full glare of day they had almost too gaudy an appearance, yet seen by this light when only their high summits were enlightened by the first oblique rays of the sun, they added very much to the richness and beauty of the scene.

Pythonissa had been accustomed to look on the charms of her native country with great indifference. She saw nothing in that land of brooks of water, of fountains and

depths that spring out of the valleys and hills, to excite her admiration, though their great lawgiver had spoken of them with prophetic rapture. But now that her mind was opened by gratitude, and she looked on the varied works of the creation, as the operation of the hand of that God who had pardoned all her iniquities, received her into his favour, and filled her with desires after virtue-she saw them with other eyes, and felt that there are pure delights in this world that the guilty know not of.

Vashni was afraid that if they went first to his house, they would not be in time to join the procession, and witness the sacrifices that were to be offered near the foot of Mount Carmel on that side facing the sea. He therefore proposed that they should go as far up the hill in the chariot as the road would admit of, and that they should then quit it and let it proceed empty to his house, while they wound round the top of the hill and descended the other side.

The day was yet in its earliest prime, when they commenced their walk towards

the altar of sacrifice. The mists of night still hung on the top of Carmel, but were slowly yet visibly being chased away by the breath of morning, leaving its silvery drops on all the short and fragrant mountain herbage. The breeze seemed fraught with health, and with each peculiar freshness of the land and ocean. The sea looked calm, deep, and silent, except where it broke over the rude points of rock that advanced into it from Mount Carmel, and girded them with its white and restless foam.

They continued ascending the mountain, and soon reached a summit that filled them with reverence and admiration. They looked immediately down an abrupt and considerable depth of rock, feathered with shrubs of various tints, into a large hollow plain of refreshing verdure. Here were assembled in

solemn silence all the inhabitants of that populous and fertile country, for many furlongs round. The stillness of such a multitude was most impressive. The calmness of the untroubled deep that lay stretched out in boundless prospect beyond them, formed a

striking illustration of the scene, at the same time that it added to its force. The attention of the people was all directed to one object. An altar of rough unhewn stone stood in the centre of this comb, and the priests were just preparing to offer the sacrifices. The victims were placed on it, and the rocks soon reverberated with the rending sound of the silver trumpets which were blown over them-the flame was kindled, and as the smoke arose in curling wreaths towards heaven, the people bowed down their heads and worshipped.

As soon as the sacrifices were consumed, the signal was given for departure, and almost with the quickness of thought the multitude were arranged for solemn procession, and all voices and instruments at once struck up a song of thanksgiving to Almighty God.

"Bless the Lord, O Jerusalem, praise thy God, O Zion. Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down into the beard, even unto

sure.

Aaron's beard, and went down to the skirts of his clothing, like as the dew of Hermon which fell upon the hill of Zion, for there the Lord promised his blessing, even life for evermore. Bless the Lord, O Jerusalem, praise thy God, O Zion. For he has chosen Jacob for himself, and Israel for his peculiar treaPraise him upon the Kithros and Sabeka: praise him with the sound of the Tuph; praise him with the Gnasur and dances; praise him with the strings and pipes; praise him upon the well-tuned Zalzelim; praise upon the loud Zalzelim, let every thing that has breath praise the Lord." This song of thanksgiving was accompanied with graceful dance.

The dance of the Hebrews was to their poetry, what action is to eloquence, a mere heroic and impassioned gesture-so that they seemed, if we may so express it, to move in metre, and the body, as by an irresistible impulse, to demonstrate the exalted feelings of the mind, and the devout ecstacies of the soul. The combined effect of the whole man being thus taken up in adoration of his