Page 112 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)_Neat

v.] SHERM TO SINAI. 93

it was evident the monks were neither fond
of showing, speaking of, or exhibiting this
building to strangers.
Their relics of St. Catherine must have been
collected at an early period, for we are in­
formed, that in 1331, William de Bauldersell,
in the course of his travels in Arabia, visited
this monastery. The monks received him with
much kindness, and the relics were shown to
him. By means of hard beating, we are told
they brought out from these remains of mor­
tality a small portion of blood, which they pre­

sented to the pilgrim as a gift of singular value;
but the circumstance which particularly asto­
nished him, would probably have produced
no surprise in a less believing mind, The
blood, it appears, had not the appearance of
real blood, but of some thick, oily substance;
nevertheless, the miracle was regarded by
him as one of the greatest that had ever been
witnessed in the world.

A few mornings after our arrival we set out
for the summit of the mountain. Passing out
by a subterranean passage, we entered the
garden attached to the monastery. Here we
found peaches, apricots, and grapes in great