To step rudely upon the sacred praying mats, with booted feet--a thing not done by any Arab--was to inflict pain upon men who had not offended us in any way.

Suppose a party of armed foreigners were to enter a village church in America and break ornaments from the altar railings for curiosities, and climb up and walk upon the Bible and the pulpit cushions?
However, the cases are different.

One is the profanation of a temple of our faith--the other only the profanation of a pagan one.
We descended to the Plain again, and halted a moment at a well--of Abraham's time, no doubt.

It was in a desert place.

It was walled three feet above ground with squared and heavy blocks of stone, after the manner of Bible pictures.