Edward Hull

“ He was always at his post in the morning; the camel saddled, water-bottle and saddle-bags properly adjusted and ready for the early start. Good little Sala:—how many weary miles have you trudged untiringly with me over the sandy plain, or the almost interminable valley, without a murmur or appearance of impatience!
The sun had long set and the moon was shining out clear and brilliant, ere we reached our camp in the Wâdy Gharandel. This valley is one of the most fertile in the desert. It descends from the east along the base of a fine ridge of limestone fully 2,000 feet in elevation. ”

“ I realised the truth of an assertion made first by Richthofen, [8] that our modern volcanoes, such as Vesuvius and Etna, present us with by no means the grandest type of volcanic action, but rather belong to a time of failing activity. There have been periods of tremendous volcanic energy, when instead of escaping from a local vent, like a Vesuvian cone, the lava has found its way to the surface by innumerable fissures opened for it in the solid crust of the globe over thousands of square miles. ”

“ We now commenced our preparations for a visit to Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabatheans, and to Mount Hor, the sepulchre of Aaron. No more grand monument could be erected to the memory of a man honoured of God than that which nature has here raised up. For, amidst this region of natural pyramids, Jebel Haroun towers supreme, and from its summit Aaron was doubtless enabled to look across the great valley to the hills of Judæa, which he was only to behold from afar. ”

“ A scramble over a rough slide of loose sandstone at the upper end of the valley, a treacherous sloping ledge of rock overhanging an awkward precipice, and a steep ravine which brings into play all one's gymnastic capabilities, leads to an extensive plateau broken up by many deep ravines and rising knolls. On one of the highest of these last is a heap of ruins—hewn sandstone walls, with broken columns, and numerous stelæ, in shape like ordinary English gravestones, standing or scattered at irregular intervals about the place, the whole being surrounded by the debris of an outer-wall. ”

“ To the right is the Vale of Clermont and the rich valley of the Allier merging into the great plain of Central France. On the south side of the platform a no less remarkable spectacle meets the eye. The chain of Puys and broken craters stretches away southwards for a distance of nearly ten miles, while the horizon is bounded in that direction by the lofty masses of the Mont Dore, Cantal, and Le Puy ranges. ”

“ In front to the north stretched a great plain, green with vegetation. To the right, in an open space, might be seen several large Bedawin camps, from which the shouts of wild men, the barking of dogs, and the bellowing of camels ascended. In the distance, but obscured by the haze, were the shores of the Salt Sea, a band of blue indicating the position of the waters; and on either hand of our pathway stretched the white terraces of the old sea-bed, indented by several deep channels, particularly those of the Kiver Jeib, on the west, and of the Butachy and Gharandel on the east. ”

“ So clear was the air, that the snow-clad plains of Moab and Jebel Attarus, though at a distance of thirty miles, were quite distinct; as were also the glens and promontories descending therefrom on to the Valley of the Jordan. The snow lay still undisturbed in the sheltered spots, and ice was on the surface of the Pool of Hezekiah below us; the well-known solitary palm flung its plumes into the cold air, high above the buildings, bravely defying the ungenial elements: under no circumstances could a better view be obtained. ”

“ But it may be stated with some confidence, in general terms, that the history of the earth appears to show that, throughout all geological time, our world has been the theatre of intermittent geological activity, periods of rest succeeding those of action; and if we are to draw a conclusion regarding the present and future, it would be that, owing to the lower rate of secular cooling of the crust, volcanic action ought to become less powerful as the world grows older. ”

“ At our feet the limestone hills resembled a continuous sea of ridges and furrows, tumultuously thrown together, and presenting every variety of brown, yellow, and light green shades amongst the hollows, while the dark brown beds of chert imparted definite form and outline to the ridges and scarps. The white table-land of Jebel Usdum, deeply scored and furrowed, was just visible behind the darker cliffs of limestone to the south of our position. ”

“ In May, 1887, the mountain of Tarawera, which rises to the north-east of Roto Mahana, and on the line of eruption above described, suddenly burst forth into violent activity, covering the country for miles around with clouds of ashes, and, pouring down torrents of mud, completely enveloped the beautiful terrace of sinter which had previously been one of the wonders of New Zealand. By the same eruption several human beings were entombed, and their residences destroyed. ”

“ Looking across the valley, the horizon towards the west is bounded by the yellow ridge of the desert sands, in front of which, as if to mark the boundary between the region of verdure and that of drear sterility, are planted the Pyramids, in grand procession, headed by the greatest and oldest; those of less stature and of more recent date bringing up the rear throughout a tract of many miles up the river side. ”

“ At the time of Professor Judd's visit, the vapour-cloud was spread in a great horizontal stratum overshadowing the whole island; but it was clearly seen to be made up of a number of globular masses, each of which is a product of a distinct outburst of volcanic forces. Viewed at night-time, Stromboli presents a far more striking and singular spectacle. When watched from the deck of a vessel, a glow of red light is seen to make its appearance from time to time above the summit of the mountain; it may be observed to increase gradually in intensity, and then as gradually to die away. ”

“ From no other spot, perhaps, can the mind become so fully impressed by the fact that to the Nile, and the Nile alone, does Egypt owe all she has of fertility and wealth. Beyond is the desert of sand, a sea-bed without its animate forms, lifeless and waste. Dean Stanley has well observed, that the Nile, as it glides between the Tombs of the Pharaohs, and the City of the Caliphs, is indeed a boundary between two worlds. ”

“ Volcanic phenomena are the outward manifestations of forces deep-seated beneath the crust of the globe; and in seeking for the causes of such phenomena we must be guided by observation of their nature and mode of action. The universality of these phenomena all over the surface of our globe, in past or present times, indicates the existence of a general cause beneath the crust. It is true that there are to be found large tracts from which volcanic rocks (except those of great geological antiquity) are absent, such as Central Russia, the Nubian Desert, and the Central States of North America ”

“ Looking away in the far distance, towards the table-land of Moab, past "the green domed mosque," and through the deep depression of the Kedron Valley, the upper terrace of limestone, and the lower of sandstone of a faint reddish hue, were clearly discernible; while the sunlight brought out in relief the bold headlands and ridges, and cast into shadow the deep furrows and glens which descend into the Jordan valley along the Land of Gilead on its eastern side. Amongst these, the cliffs bordering the gorge of the Wâdy Zerka Maïn were the most prominent. ”

“ Mont Dôme Chain.—We now come to the consideration of the most recent of all the volcanic mountain groups of the region of Central France, that of the Puy de Dôme, lying to the north of Mont Dore and Cantal. We have seen that there is almost conclusive evidence that man was a witness to the later volcanic outbursts of the Vivarais, and as these craters seem to be of somewhat earlier date than those of the Puy de Dôme group, we cannot doubt that they were in active eruption when human beings inhabited the country, and not improbably within what is known as the Historic Period. ”

“ It is well known that these great tombs of Egyptian monarchs are built on a platform of the nummulite limestone, which has been partially levelled for the foundations, but has never been entirely cleared from the accumulated rubbish. This platform of solid rock marks the limits of the Nile Valley. On driving up to the summit of the platform you are immediately beset by a crowd of importunate Arabs, who have mastered sufficient of your language to make you understand that independent action is out of the question, and that you may as well resign yourself submissively into their hands. ”

“ The rain came at first in heavy drops, and then poured down steadily. The tents, however, proved sound; not a drop entered, and we rejoiced to think that the parched and thirsty ground would drink in the refreshing rain; that plant-life would receive a fresh impulse, and cover the plain we were about to traverse with verdure and flowers. In the morning rain still fell, heavy clouds hung on the mountains, and we had to mount our new camels, and make our arrangements for a start, under a dripping sky. ”

“ No one who is not a sound sleeper should pass a night at Es Safieh! About midnight I was awakened by the most strange and appalling noises. At first I thought we were about to be attacked by the Bedawins; but on listening for a little, I distinguished the peculiar high-pitched dismal cry of the jackal, mingling with the howling of the village dogs. The whole jackal population of the adjoining thickets and valleys seemed to have congregated around our camp, and to be holding council whether or not to make a raid on us. ”