How I Spent My Five Weeks' Leave.

Malta b . emg , as usual , broken ! Not wishing to witness the denouement I remove to the deck . We are cutting beautifully along , at the rate of about 10 knots , which pace creates a nice cool breeze . A little fun is got up , by a lottery for the cabins ,

as there are not sufficient , and one of us has to sleep forward . Sawney draws the unlucky ticket . We retire early , as we expect to be in Syracuse harbour betimes , and intend getting up to see it . Awake next morning before six , I find

that we are entering the harbour and hasten on deck with bare feet , sailor-like , my boots being in process of cleaning . A pretty harbour it is , with anchorage enough for any number of vessels . At this moment , however , an Italiam man-of-war ,

a steam tug , and a few latine craft are all that it contains . Etna rises grandly at some distance , and lazily puffs smoke out of its snow-capped summit : all its lower part , however , is wrapped in a mantle of mist . We form no notion of its height

till we put out to sea , which we do in an hour , leaving on shore the telegraph clerk , who is overjoyed at reaching terra-firma , nor do I believe he will ever be induced to return .

We are now fairly on our way to Jaffa , and the vessel gets more lively . What makes every one so pale ? ( the skipper and myself excepted ) . Alas ! all succumb to circumstances over which they have no control . We pass many fine vessels under a crowd of

sail the wind being for them and against us . On one ship alone I count about thirty sails set at once . Pretty doves flit around us , occasionally settling on the rigging . I am glad to turn in at eleven , having had a long day—about seventeen hours .

Next day ( Mayl ) , after a sound sleep , I arose to enjoy a lovely May Day . The vessel is much steadier , and all the party more amusing . We

busy ourselves studying guide books , discussing routes , & c . Making twelve to thirteen knots per hour , we arrive at Jaffa about 5 a . m . on the 4 th May . Here we find the fleet at anchor , rolling ' tremendously , like our own vessel , there being a

heavy swell ; and from the line of surf , it seems doubtful whether we can land . This Jaffa ( the ancient Joppa ) is a mere roadstead ; there is no harbour , and from the sea it appears a miserable collection of flat-roofed houses on a small mound .

On the north are a few palm trees , aud what appears to be a mosque ; while on the south side are only barren sand-hills , on which we cannot look without a feeling of indignation at the thought of the cruel massacre of four thousand men there ,

perpetrated in cold blood by Napoleon in 1799 . These men had laid down their arms under promise that their lives should be spared . Yet their hands were tied behind them , and they were led out to these sand-hills to be shot . For hours

French troops were busy firing volleys into the fettered , defenceless crowd till not one was left alive . There also , before his retreat across the desert to Egypt , he had between four and five hundred of his own sick soldiers poisoned , that he

might not be encumbered with them on the march . Altogether his proceedings t at Jaffa did not tend , to add greatly to his " glory . " Jaffa is also interesting as having been the place where the ceda , rs for the Temple were landed ; where Jonah

embarked ; and where Peter stayed in the house of " Simon the Tanner . " A message arrives from the Admiral , who , with a number of officers from the different ships , is going to make an excursion to Jerusalem , & c , stating that they are going

to start at noon , and will be glad if we will join their party . Of course we are delighted at so kind an offer , which we gladly accept . After breakfast we pack up our traps , aud having scrambled into the boat , which is no easy matter with the

shiprolling so tremendously , we steer for shore . Landing is hard work , as the sea is boiling over the reef finely , and the landing place encumbered with .

a crowd of small craft . A hoist on the shoulders of an Arab , at last deposits us on Asiatic soil . A motley collection of Arabs seize on all our baggage ., and we hurry up the filthy streets , which are crowded with donkeys coming in laden with

oranges from the orchards near the town , which being on the land side , are not seen from the sea .. On a small mound just outside the town , we find a crowd of mules , horses , Arabs , piles of luggage ,, & c , conspicuous among which is our dragoman ,

Mich ail el Hang , who turns out to be a capital fellow , very civil and intelligent . We are soon suited with nags , and it is wonderful to watch the celerity with which the baggage is disposed of . Huge canvass bags are filled with carpet bags ,

portmanteaus , etc ., and then slung one each side on mules . Our cook rides gaily along on a mule-, which also canles his portable stove , cooking utensils , or supjriy of charcoal , and fowls , mutton , etc ., which are to furnish dinner in the evening .

He is busy plucking the fowls as he rides , and sing monotonous Arabic ditties the whole way . Punctually at 12 we start , and at the same moment the guns of the fleet salute the depar-