A Ride Across Palestine

In Short

Anthony Trollope’s short travel-fiction follows an unnamed narrator who, setting out alone from Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea and Jordan, accepts a companion named John Smith. Together with a French dragoman and Bedouin guards, they ride through harsh desert terrain, visit ancient holy sites, and witness fervent Eastern pilgrims. The journey takes a dramatic turn in Jaffa when Smith’s formidable uncle, Sir William Weston, arrives and reveals that Smith is actually Miss Weston in disguise. The story has endured through Trollope’s sharp eye for human character, vivid evocation of the Holy Land, and his deft blending of travelogue and psychological drama.

The Story

The narrator, disliking solitary travel, is preparing to leave Jerusalem alone for the Dead Sea and the Jordan when a young man named John Smith calls upon him. Smith is equally lonely and asks to join the expedition. Attracted to Smith despite his usual shyness around strangers, the narrator agrees. They gather provisions, including blankets and a water jar, and set out through St. Stephen’s Gate. Along the way, they observe the diverse, rough-looking Eastern worshippers heading toward the Jordan to wash away their sins, including a wealthy pilgrim suffering agonizing penance with a bleeding, bare foot.

After descending the Mount of Olives and passing through Bethany, the travellers journey into the desert, enduring the heat, the Bedouins' incessant begging, and the punishing discomforts of the road. The narrator notices Smith's physical strain and eventually secures an English saddle to replace the brutal Turkish one his companion has been enduring. They reach the Dead Sea, where the narrator bathes in its intensely buoyant and desolate waters, and later wash uncomfortably in the rapid, muddy Jordan as mosquitoes plague them. Resting in the twilight near the river, Smith talks freely of his unhappiness, expressing disillusionment with the Holy Land and hinting at personal troubles.

As they continue toward Ramlath and Jaffa, Smith grows increasingly anxious and exhausted, avoiding a chance encounter with an older gentleman whom he recognizes as his relative. Upon arriving at an inn in Jaffa to catch an Austrian steamer for Egypt, the narrator tries to persuade Smith to walk through the orange groves, but Smith remains terrified of being tracked down. Soon after, an upper servant and Sir William Weston arrive at the inn. The narrator locks the door to give Smith time, but when Sir William confronts him, the truth comes out: the companion is not John Smith, but Sir William’s runaway niece, Miss Weston.

Sir William enters the room and finds his niece hiding her face in her hands. Outraged and austere, the baronet assumes the narrator is complicit in the deception and demands an explanation. When the narrator insists he was entirely ignorant of the disguise, Sir William remains deeply skeptical. Seeking to resolve the scandal without public exposure, the baronet proposes that the narrator—whom he recognizes as a gentleman—make amends by marrying Miss Weston upon arrival in Egypt. The narrator is forced to decline, revealing that he already has a wife and family at home. Ultimately, after a formal apology from Sir William for his insults, the narrator steps aside to spare Miss Weston further distress. He bids her a final farewell on the Jaffa quay as she and her uncle board the ship for their departure.

How It Unfolds

• The lonely departure: The narrator sits alone in a Jerusalem hotel, dreading his upcoming solitary ride to the Dead Sea and his resistance to formal tariffs.
• A chance companion: John Smith arrives unexpectedly, asks to join the expedition, and quickly wins the narrator over despite initial reservations.
• Out through the gates: The pair leave Jerusalem, passing the Mount of Olives and observing fierce Eastern pilgrims and severe acts of penance.
• The desert trial: The travellers navigate the wilderness, swap out a painful Turkish saddle for an English one, and bathe separately in the strange waters of the Dead Sea and the Jordan.
• Twilight confessions: Resting by the river in the evening light, the two men discuss their beliefs while Smith dwells privately on his hidden sorrows.
• The uncle's arrival: Reaching Jaffa to catch the steamer, Smith falls into deep despair as an older gentleman is spotted tracing his route.
• The revelation: Sir William Weston confronts the narrator at the inn, unlocks the truth of the masquerade, and exposes John Smith as Miss Weston.
• A hurried parting: Facing an awkward marriage proposal meant to salvage family honor and realizing the narrator is already married, the party disbands at the quay.

The People

• The Narrator: A gregarious, seasoned traveller who dislikes solitude and prides himself on his fairness. He takes a spontaneous liking to his young companion, shares his provisions and saddle, and tries to act with generosity and prudence, only to find himself entangled in a bizarre deception.
• John Smith / Miss Weston: A young person of gentle birth who escapes into male disguise to travel the Holy Land independently. Secretive, physically vulnerable yet determined, she bears severe fatigue and mental strain until her identity is unmasked by her guardian.
• Sir William Weston: Miss Weston’s uncle and guardian. Wealthy, solemn, austere, and overbearing, he treats the escapade with severe gravity and seeks to enforce family honor through rigid demands and a forced proposal.
• Joseph: The French dragoman accompanying the party. Pragmatic and occasionally mercenary, he drives hard bargains over saddles and tariffs while remaining indifferent to the hardships of the pilgrims.

In Its Own Voice

“I acknowledge myself to be a gregarious animal, or, perhaps, rather one of those which nature has intended to go in pairs.”

The narrator reflects on his aversion to solitude as he sits alone in his Jerusalem hotel before his journey.

“For those who would still fain believe,—let them stay at home,” said my friend Smith.

Smith expresses his profound disillusionment with the physical reality of the Holy Land as they ride past Jerusalem.

“The mountains stand where they ever stood. The same valleys are still green with the morning dew, and the water-courses are unchanged.”

The narrator defends his enduring faith and appreciation for the tangible landscape against Smith's cynicism.

What It's Really About

The story explores the tension between romanticized expectation and harsh physical reality, both in the sacred geography of the Holy Land and in human relationships. It investigates the nature of belief, contrasting the narrator’s ability to separate authentic landscape from human artifice with Smith’s total disillusionment. Beneath the travel narrative lies an examination of personal freedom, social convention, and the constraints placed upon women in the nineteenth century. Trollope probes how strangers judge one another based on superficial impressions—such as beards, names, and saddles—and how quickly casual camaraderie can be upended by hidden motives and family duty.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love Victorian prose, atmospheric travel writing, and clever character dynamics will find this a delightful, compact gem. Reading it feels like sitting across from an observant, witty raconteur who weaves high adventure with intimate psychological observation. It offers a fascinating window into mid-nineteenth-century attitudes toward travel, pilgrimage, and gender expectations. While the period vocabulary and the devoutly religious context of the region require a modest adjustment, Trollope’s dry humor and brisk pacing keep the narrative engaging from start to finish. What stays with you is the striking image of the desert journey, the strange companionship forged under false pretenses, and the quiet dignity of a young woman caught between rebellion and convention.