1892 Drinks of the world

DRINKS.

21

to purchase from them the Cave of Machpelah for *' four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant." Their power afterwards waned, as they had left Hebron and taken to the mountains, as was reported by the spies sent by Moses, four hundred years afterwards (Num. xiii.), but they have kft behind them carvings which throw some light upon

For instance, here is one of two

their social customs.

ladies partaking of a social glass together. Unfortu- nately, we do not know at present the true meaning of their inscriptions, for scholars are yet at variance as to the translation of them. That they thoroughly cherished Wine may be seen from the accompanying illustration, which represents one of their deities, who appears to be a compound of Bacchus and Ceres,