Jerusalem [(El Quds esh Sherif, Yerushalayim)]. Jan 5. 1900. Dearest Mother. I have just retured from Jericho and have found letters from you and Papa from the 22nd to the 28th. Your telegram was forwarded to Jericho, but I did not understand it as Ada's was turned into Alas, but I now have the whole account of her and am very much distressed by it. I await most anxiously the telegram of next Monday - that you have not already telegraphed again I take to be a good sign. I can't help hoping, under the circumstances, that Papa will not come. It will be too much of a rush for him and if poor Auntie Ada is in the same condition, he would be far too anxious to leave. I am so dreadfully sorry for Uncle Arthur - and for you all. You must have spent the most miserable Xmas, my Belloved family. It's very bothering about Elsa, too. I do hope she is better. It seems to me that far the best plan, if you do not go to Berlin, would be that you should all go to the Riviera where Papa would not be so far from home. However it's no good speculating on what you will do, for it will be decided long before you get my letter. I am much perturbed about Maurice and I hope (most selfishly) that he will not be sent to S. Africa. Poor Bertha! what a terrible time it is. I feel such a beast to be writing to you about my pleasant doings in the midst of all this, still I'm almost glad I had the Jericho time without knowing all that was happening since I can do no good to you all by being very anxious. We rode down on Tuesday, Nina driving with the boys and their maid, lunched at the spot where the Good Samaritan incident is supposed to have occurred, a little half way Khan, and went on through incredibly bare valleys till we got to a point where we saw the plain of the Jordan at our feet and the little oasis of Jericho set green on the edge of it. Here Ch. [Charlotte] Dr R. [Rosen] and I left our horses and walked down a narrow footpath to the Brook Cherith - Wady Kelt it is called in Arabic. A turn of the path brought us suddenly in sight of a wonderful rock built monastery with tiny gardens along the stream in front of it full of pergolas of vines, fig trees, pepper trees and rushes - exquisitely lovely with the afternoon sun on it. The climate had quite changed and the vegetation was almost tropical - bananas flourishing and all the vines and things in full autumn leaf. We were taken all over the monastery - it is a 6th cent. foundation - smelly but most picturesque; the monks, poor things looked extremely pale and anaemic. We then walked down the valley passing a whole colony of anchorites living in caves with little ladders leading up to them; and in an hour we got to Jericho, which isn't a place at all, but an Arab mud village and a few hotels set in gardens of oranges and vines. There is quite a big stretch of barley fields round it and these were scattered over with white narcissus. On Wed. we rode down to the Dead Sea [(Yam Hamelah, Bahret Lut)], over a long stretch of country on which grew thorny plants, then through a curious Bellt of hard mud heaps, then along the Jordan valley and finally across a bit of absolute desert, white with salt and plantless. It was a glorious day, bright and hot. We all scattered along the shore got into improvised bathing clothes and had a delicious swim. It was too curious to be in such buoyant water, most pleasant, with an agreeable tingly feeling. The water tastes, not salt but very bitter, and we were horrid sticky when we came out and coated with salt. We then rode back to the Jordan where we lunched at the traditional scene of the baptism of Christ. The river is bordered thickly with tamarisks, willows and reeds, all bright yellow and orange as if it were autumn. They are practically never leafless. So home to tea. On Thursday we drove up to the hills to Elisha's Well, and then walked up to the Monastery of Quarantana and the hill above which is the supposed site of the Temptation. It is perhaps the most splendidly situated of all the rock built monasteries, for it clings half way up a steep cliff with the whole Jordan valley, the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab in front of it. We walked up to the top of the hill, very rugged and splendid, and came down to rejoin our carriage and drive home to lunch. In the afternoon we rode down to an interesting bridge 3 or 4 miles higher up the Jordan than we had been the day before - it is bridge into Arabia and the lawless desert country on the east of Jordan. We watched a caravan of Bedouin passing over it and paying with some reluctance the heavy tolls levied on man and beast by the Turkish officials. We had asked one of these men the way and the distance to the bridge on our way down: "Oh" he said "half an hour - you will certainly get there before sunset." It was then 2.00 which shows you the accuracy with which an Arab measures time. That evening there arrived a German pastor and his wife, called Hopper, nice people. There was also an Austrian artist whom we liked, called Kremer. This morning we left about 10 and got home at 5, riding slowly for it was very hot and all up hill - you know the Dead Sea is 1300 feet Bellow sea level. It's a wonderful climate and had taken away a cold which I have had for 3 weeks.
My dear, dearest Mother - I wish I were with you and sharing your troubles. Mind if you want me, telegraph for me and I will come at once. Do take care of yourselves, I feel so far away from you all in these troubled times. 1[?] fresh war news I see from my papers.

Sat 6. [6 January 1900] No telegram, so I hope for the best. I shall now send you this letter as it seems there is a post nearly every day now that the quarantine is over. Tell Elsa I am going to write to her; I am so sorry she has been such a poor thing. I'm afraid they must be dreadfully disappointed about Berlin bless them. Much love to Papa. Ever your very affectionate daughter Gertrude
I am so grateful to Papa for all his letters.