"Certainly," said I; "you don't suppose that I
would come to Jordan and not wash there, even if I were not foul
with the foulness of the Dead Sea!" "You'll kill yourself, in your
present state of heat;" he said, remonstrating just as one's mother
or wife might do. But even had it been my mother or wife I could
not have attended to such remonstrance then; and before he had done
looking at me with those big eyes of his, my coat and waistcoat and
cravat were on the ground, and I was at work at my braces; whereupon
he turned from me slowly, and strolled away into the wood. On this
occasion I had no base fears about my money.
And then I did bathe,--very uncomfortably. The shore was muddy with
the feet of the pilgrims, and the river so rapid that I hardly dared
to get beyond the mud. I did manage to take a plunge in, head-
foremost, but I was forced to wade out through the dirt and slush,
so that I found it difficult to make my feet and legs clean enough
for my shoes and stockings; and then, moreover, the flies plagued me
most unmercifully. I should have thought that the filthy flavour
from the Dead Sea would have saved me from that nuisance; but the
mosquitoes thereabouts are probably used to it.
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