There seems to be a problem with The Innocents Abroad. A day seems to be
missing between chapter 41 and chapter 42. According to the Quaker City
Itinerary [QCI], as well as all the other sources I've found, Sam and
the pilgrims departed Beirut by horseback on September 11 at 3:00 pm.
They didn't travel very far that first day, only 10 or 12 miles.


“We came to a halt here on the breezy summit of a shapely mountain
overlooking the sea, and the handsome valley where dwelt some of those
enterprising Phoenicians of ancient times we read so much about”


It's my guess that they camped on the top of Mt. Lebanon. The end of
chapter 41 has Twain describing a sumptuous meal and a form of camping
out he was unfamiliar with but accepting of. The beginning of chapter 42
has him indulging in a sumptuous breakfast as the camp is packed up and
ready to go by 6:30 am. He calls this place Jacksonville and gives it's
location near Temnin-el-Foka. Looking at maps of the region
Temnin-el-Foka is about 30 miles from Beirut, located near Zahlah. His
description, however, is still that of Mt. Lebanon and it's view of the
sea.


Ian Strathcarron has provided me with a spreadsheet of data points he
used when writing his book Innocence and War. It notes that Twain's
party stopped for lunch on September 12 at Mekseh, near the junction of
the Lebanon Mountains and Jebel el Kuneyiseh, then later camped at a
point between Mekseh and Baalbek. Zahlah is approximately one quarter of
the way between Mekseh and Baalbek. The QCI notes that this camping spot
is about two-thirds of the way between Beirut and Baalbek, also
descriptive of Zahlah.


My guess is that Twain and the pilgrims enjoyed equally sumptuous
breakfasts at both locations, Mt Lebanon and near Zahlah. At both
locations they broke camp at 6:30 am.


There is another point in the journey that I'm interested in locating
and that is the tomb of Noah, “of Deluge notoriety”. I'm guessing that
landmark is found in Mekseh but I haven't seen anything to corroborate
this.


All sources agree that on September 13 Twain and the pilgrims traveled
to Baalbek and then camped at Sirghaya. They arrived in Damascus at
sunset of September 14.