All kinds of fruit trees
abound, while the rich verdure of the plain contrasts strikingly
with the bare declivities that overlook it from every side. The
villages on either hand are clusters of mud houses crowded together
for greater security, and every tree in their groves has to be
watered as regularly as the fields and gardens.
Before reaching the city we must ford the Shaher, a river that,
though frequently all drained off into the fields in summer, is very
deep in early spring, when fatal accidents sometimes occur. It was
here that, in May, 1846, Miss Fiske narrowly escaped a watery grave.
On her way to Seir, with Mr. and Mrs. Stoddard, the horse lay down
in the middle of the river, leaving her to be swept off by the rapid
current. Mr. Stoddard hastened to the rescue; but the moment his
steed was loose, he rushed to attack the horse of Mrs. Stoddard,
and, as Miss Fiske rose to the surface, she caught a glimpse of Mr.
Stoddard looking back on the battle, and his wife held between the
combatants by her riding habit, which had caught on the saddle; but
while she looked the dress gave way, and Mrs.
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