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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, What We Saw in Egypt, by Anonymous
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: What We Saw in Egypt
+
+
+Author: Anonymous
+
+
+
+Release Date: June 6, 2010  [eBook #32720]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT WE SAW IN EGYPT***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Ernest Schaal, and the Project Gutenberg
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 32720-h.htm or 32720-h.zip:
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32720/32720-h/32720-h.htm)
+      or
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32720/32720-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+WHAT WE SAW IN EGYPT.
+
+Profusely Illustrated.
+
+
+[Illustration: ON THE DECK OF THE SLAVE BOAT.]
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+London:
+The Religious Tract Society;
+56, Paternoster Row; 65, St. Paul's Churchyard:
+and 164, Piccadilly
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Contents
+
+
+                                                                PAGE
+
+       I. How we Fared in the Suez Desert                          7
+
+      II. The First Night in Cairo                                16
+
+     III. Sights in Cairo                                         22
+
+      IV. More Sights in Cairo                                    28
+
+       V. The Pyramids                                            40
+
+      VI. The Mosques                                             51
+
+     VII. Heliopolis, and other Sights and Scenes                 56
+
+    VIII. A Long Day                                              66
+
+      IX. The Start up the Nile                                   75
+
+       X. Still up the Nile                                       84
+
+      XI. We go to Alexandria                                    101
+
+     XII. Conclusion                                             125
+
+
+List of Illustrations
+
+                                                                PAGE
+
+     ON THE DECK OF THE SLAVE BOAT.                                2
+
+     SUEZ                                                         10
+
+     ARAB SOLDIERS.                                               15
+
+     COURTYARD OF THE HOTEL.                                      17
+
+     EASTERN VEIL.                                                24
+
+     SIGHTS IN CAIRO.                                             26
+
+     EGYPTIAN PIPE-BEARER.                                        29
+
+     CURE FOR THE TOOTHACHE.                                      32
+
+     MOSQUE.                                                      34
+
+     DONKEY-BOYS AT CAIRO.                                        41
+
+     EGYPTIAN SARCOPHAGUS.                                        47
+
+     THE SPHINX.                                                  49
+
+     MOSQUE.                                                      53
+
+     ARAB SITTING IN FRONT OF HIS TENT.                           57
+
+     VISIT TO THE HAREM.                                          63
+
+     OLD GATEWAY.                                                 68
+
+     THE FINDING OF MOSES.                                        71
+
+     BRICKMAKING (from _Egyptian Sculpture_).                     78
+
+     BRICKMAKING (from _Egyptian Sculpture_).                     79
+
+     THE SACRED IBIS.                                             80
+
+     SCENE ON THE NILE.                                           83
+
+     EASTERN BAZAAR.                                              88
+
+     EGYPTIAN LOOM.                                               90
+
+     FISHING.                                                     91
+
+     POTTERS.                                                     92
+
+     IDOL PAINTERS.                                               93
+
+     HEAD OF CROCODILE.                                           96
+
+     RUINS OF THEBES.                                             97
+
+     GRAND HARP.                                                  99
+
+     BAGGAGE CAMEL.                                              102
+
+     DROMEDARY.                                                  105
+
+     INTERIOR OF GREAT TEMPLE AT ESNEH.                          107
+
+     RUINS OF COLONNADE AT PHILĘ.                                114
+
+     PAPYRUS ON THE NILE.                                        116
+
+     EGYPTIAN TEMPLE.                                            120
+
+     MARKETING IN ALEXANDRIA.                                    126
+
+
+                             [Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+WHAT WE SAW IN EGYPT.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+HOW WE FARED IN THE SUEZ DESERT.
+
+
+The welcome cry of "Suez! Suez!" resounded throughout the steamship
+_Bentinck_ one November morning. The passage up the Red Sea had been
+rough, and every one was glad to exchange the rolling and pitching of
+the vessel for land travelling. The railway between Cairo and Suez was
+not yet finished, and travellers crossed the desert in vans, each of
+which held six persons and was drawn by two horses and two mules. Our
+cavalcade consisted of eight of these high-wheeled vans. The fifth team
+of vans contained four grown-up people and two children, Hugh and Lucy.
+
+It was a lovely day, the sky blue and clear as on the finest summer day
+in England.
+
+Some little time after leaving Suez, a spot was pointed out to us as the
+place at or near which the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. The waters
+were now calm and peaceful; they lay gleaming like silver in the
+sunlight. But these very waters had been raised as a wall on the right
+hand and on the left for the children of Israel to pass through. Then,
+with a mighty surge, they had overwhelmed Pharaoh and his host, obedient
+to the word of God. This miracle of old seemed more real than it had
+ever done before, while we looked at the very waters on which it was
+worked.
+
+On we went. A blue cloudless sky above; below, sand, sand, sand: except
+where, every now and then, we jolted over large blocks of stone which
+sent us bobbing now to this side, now to that, sometimes almost into
+each other's faces, to the great amusement of the children. We stopped
+about every seven or eight miles, to change our horses and mules;
+generally at some little lonely building.
+
+Wherever we stopped, we all got out for a breath of air. For as we
+passed stage after stage, the sameness of the desert began to be tiring,
+especially to the children. This was not to be wondered at; for, except
+the occasional skeleton of some poor camel, whose bones were bleached by
+the sun, there was really nothing to interest them. Hugh consoled
+himself with a nap now and then, but Lucy was wakeful and restless.
+
+At last we reached the midway station, where we were to stop for nearly
+an hour, and to dine.
+
+"How glad I am to get out of this stuffy little van, and to stay out of
+it for a good while!" Lucy cried, as she jumped down on the sand.
+
+So was everybody.
+
+"Will they give us some dinner?"
+
+Certainly, this was the only thing we had to wait for.
+
+We went into a large room, in which were long tables, and benches at
+them. The dinner was soon brought in. Dishes of fowl and stewed cabbage,
+dried fruits, and fresh dates, succeeded one another, with plenty of
+bottled beer. There was no bread. But some of the older travellers had
+brought some loaves from the _Bentinck_, and were very good-natured in
+dividing their store with their fellow-passengers.
+
+[Illustration: SUEZ]
+
+After dinner we had some coffee, which we found very refreshing; and
+soon the vans were announced. In a few minutes we were in our old seats
+again, cutting our path through the sand and jolting over large blocks
+of stone.
+
+"There is another skeleton, papa," cried Hugh, pointing to the whitened
+ribs of a camel. "Do they leave the camels to die, and take no trouble
+to bury them or do anything with them?"
+
+"Most likely this camel was unable to travel farther," his father said,
+"either from fatigue or old age, and so was left behind by his owner to
+die. The hot wind and the sun together have bleached his bones. But the
+skin and hair of the dead camel are both used by the people of the
+desert. They are made into clothes, mats, halters, and many other useful
+things."
+
+"Yes," said Hugh, in a sleepy voice; and the next minute down went his
+head on his father's shoulder.
+
+Lucy, too, was all but asleep. She was heartily tired of the jolting van
+and the changeless dreary sand.
+
+The day had worn on rather wearily to her, and now that night was
+setting in she felt cold and tired. She was wrapped up in a large shawl,
+and made a pillow of her mother's lap. Indeed, we were all tired. And as
+night closed in, and all became dark around us, we began to feel that
+there was weariness in crossing the desert, notwithstanding the deep
+interest connected with it.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+On, on we went. The sky had become thickly studded with stars; the moon
+had risen, and her beams shed a clearer light and cast deeper shadows
+than they do in our colder country. All was quiet round us. Not a sound,
+except the crushing of the sand beneath our wheels and an occasional
+crack of the whip, urging our horses and mules on their way. There was
+no chirping of grasshoppers, no croaking of frogs, no beating of
+tomtoms, such as we had been used to hear at night in our Indian homes.
+All was so still that we might have fancied ourselves the only living
+creatures in all the wild waste of sand.
+
+We stopped at one of the little lonely buildings to change horses and
+mules. The stoppage roused us from the half-asleep state we were in, and
+we got out of the van to look at the glorious star-gemmed sky. There was
+an unusual stir in the little building, and the moonlight showed a large
+dusky mass nearing us. Nearer and nearer it came; and as it passed, we
+saw that it was a long string of camels.
+
+The war with Persia was going on at this time; and this was a treasure
+party, carrying money to pay the army. The camels were laden with chests
+of treasure, silver and gold. On they came, with their long, sailing
+step. "Ships of the desert," the Arabs call them. The name is well
+chosen, for their motion over the sea of sand is very like that of some
+stately vessel over the desert of waters.
+
+The caravan was escorted by a party of Arab horsemen. The officer in
+command of the party stopped behind for a few moments at the building at
+which we were halting, to give some orders. The string of camels and
+their escort were again becoming dusky in the subdued light when he
+flashed past us on his Arab horse, his drawn sabre glittering in the
+moonlight, which sparkled for a moment on its jewelled hilt, and on the
+gems in his turban. Then he too was lost in darkness.
+
+The stately procession moved noiselessly on; the picturesque rider
+flying by like some fleet graceful bird. No tramp of feet, no ring of
+horses' hoofs. The deep sand hushed every sound. It was like a beautiful
+dream; seen for a moment, then vanishing into the land of shadows for
+ever.
+
+We were fortunate to fall in with this treasure party; still more
+fortunate to see it by moonlight. Travellers generally pass through the
+desert by this beaten track without anything to break its monotony.
+
+In a few minutes we were again on our way; those of us who could were
+dozing, perhaps dreaming of camels and horsemen, and only just conscious
+of the stoppages we made.
+
+[Illustration: ARAB SOLDIERS.]
+
+At last some one said, "Wake up, we are near Cairo."
+
+We shook ourselves up, undrew part of the curtains, drew our wraps more
+closely round us (for the night was cold), and looked out. We were going
+down a gentle slope, passing walls which enclosed gardens, and above
+which we could see the tops of trees and shrubs. The moon was getting
+low, and we could not distinguish what trees and shrubs they were; but
+the sight of green leaves was very pleasant.
+
+We drove on down the easy descent into Cairo; and at between three and
+four o'clock in the morning we drew up before Shepheard's Hotel. We had
+left Suez at ten o'clock on the previous morning. Dusty and tired, we
+were all glad to have the prospect of a comfortable rest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAIRO.
+
+
+Alas! for the news which greeted us. The hotel was full!
+
+The passengers by the overland mail from Alexandria had arrived the
+afternoon before. What with their number, and with travellers staying in
+the house, it was full to overflowing. What was to be done? We tried
+another hotel with the same ill success. After a great deal of driving
+about, we came back to Shepheard's, and it was arranged that a large
+sitting-room should be given up to the ladies and children, and that the
+gentlemen must do as they could.
+
+[Illustration: COURTYARD OF THE HOTEL.]
+
+The room which was given to the ladies and children had, according to
+eastern custom, couches ranged round it, and a large divan, or couch, in
+the middle. Every one was hungry, and the children were clamouring for
+something to eat. One after another among us went to see whether supper
+or breakfast (or whatever you like to call a meal at four o'clock in the
+morning) could be had. But no! we could not even get bread-and-butter,
+much less tea or coffee.
+
+In vain poor Lucy pleaded, "But I am _so_ hungry and thirsty." And
+Hugh's eyes filled with tears which it took his strongest effort to
+choke down, when he looked round at the number of people and the few
+couches, and thought that, tired and hungry as he was, he might be
+obliged to do without either supper or bed.
+
+But things were not to be quite so bad as this. Every one began to
+unpack such little stores as they had. One of the ladies had a tin of
+biscuits, another had some sandwiches, another some soda-water, and some
+one found a little hoard of concentrated milk.
+
+Little enough among so many. But He who once fed a multitude on five
+barley loaves and two small fishes, put it into the hearts of all to be
+unselfish and to think of their neighbours' need before their own. And
+so the little store went farther than we could have believed possible.
+
+Hugh's mother brought him a share.
+
+"No. There are not beds and suppers enough for the girls and the
+babies," he said, trying to look very brave, though his lip quivered;
+"and I am a boy."
+
+It was with difficulty he was persuaded to take a sandwich and a little
+wine-and-water. Directly he had swallowed it, he took a little blanket,
+which no one seemed to want, and went away. And our next sight of Hugh
+was rolled up in his blanket, and sleeping quietly on the floor under
+the table in the billiard-room.
+
+Did you ever try to pack bricks into a box all but too small for them?
+That would be a joke compared to our task. However, we were all bent on
+lying down somewhere and somehow, and we managed it.
+
+Lucy's mother was very delicate, and, by common consent, she was made to
+take one of the best couches. Lucy had part of a tiny one near a window.
+
+"I do thank God for my bed to-night," Lucy whispered. "Oh, how sorry I
+am for all the poor little children who have no beds! I never thought
+what it was to have a bed till to-night, when it seemed as if we should
+get none. Has Hugh got a bed?"
+
+"Hugh was fast asleep when I last saw him," I said.
+
+But Lucy hardly heard; her eyes were close shut, and her own words had
+come out very dreamily.
+
+I sat down beside her for a little while, and amused myself by looking
+at the strange scene. There was a large round table in the room, on
+which were carriage bags of every kind, size, and shape. Some were half
+open, some quite open, and their contents jumbled together in the
+greatest confusion. In the middle of the table was a lamp, which cast a
+dim light over the room. This was large and lofty. The couches were
+filled with sleepers, covered, some with blankets, some with cloaks,
+shawls, wraps, of every sort and every colour. The large divan which had
+been in the middle of the room was pushed on one side and ornamented
+with a circle of little faces peeping out from among their wraps, like
+lilies from moss. On the floor were carpet bags of all colours, black
+bags, white bags; boots, shoes, baskets. I wished that I could sketch
+the scene, and especially the divan with its tiny sleepers, who looked
+as happy as if in their own little beds at home.
+
+At last, almost without knowing it, I fell asleep in my corner, and was
+conscious of nothing more till I felt the chilly air of dawn blowing in
+through the venetians at my side.
+
+The hotel was soon all bustle. We pitied the passengers who were going
+on to England. They were to start at half-past eight, and the hotel
+breakfast was not till nine. With great difficulty they managed to get
+some tea; this was all.
+
+Our own party were intending to remain in Cairo for a time. We knew that
+as soon as the passengers going each way by the overland route should
+have left, we should find comfortable quarters. This made us the more
+sorry for our fellow-passengers, who had been so unselfish on our
+arrival. But they would soon reach Alexandria by train, and we were glad
+to know that they were to stop for refreshment by the way.
+
+"What sort of bed had you last night, Hugh?" Lucy asked.
+
+"A hard floor and a couple of warm blankets. Some kind friend threw a
+second blanket over me after I fell asleep. I was well taken care of,
+and never slept better. I fancy a good many would have been glad to have
+changed places with all of us who were snugly under the billiard-table."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SIGHTS IN CAIRO.
+
+
+All was bustle that morning. We had scarcely finished breakfast before
+two or three parties of travellers set off for Sinai and Palestine; then
+the passengers for India prepared to start. Before noon we were settled
+in comfortable quarters.
+
+Shepheard's Hotel (which was burnt down some few years afterwards) stood
+in a large, handsome square, called the Uzbeekéh, laid out like a garden
+and planted with beautiful acacias, which give a delightful shade.
+Almost every procession passes through the Uzbeekéh, serpent charmers
+and jugglers make it the place for showing off their tricks, and there
+is always something going on in it.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Some of our party had business at the consulate, and they promised to
+take Hugh and Lucy out first and show them a little of the town.
+
+At the end of an hour and a half the children came back in great
+excitement.
+
+[Illustration: EASTERN VEIL.]
+
+"Oh! such lovely things," cried Lucy, chattering as fast as lips and
+tongue could move. "Such lovely things we have seen! and curious women
+with their faces bandaged up, and only two holes left for their eyes,
+and--"
+
+She stopped for want of breath.
+
+Hugh went on: "Yes; and there was such a noise of shouting and screaming
+among all the donkey-boys, to make people get out of their way. And I
+think my donkey-boy screamed louder than any. It was such fun."
+
+"And the beautiful things in the shop, Hugh! There were bracelets, and
+slippers, and carpets, and shawls, and all sorts of things. I never saw
+any bazaar half so beautiful."
+
+"And there is a grand procession, and they say it is sure to pass by
+here. Come, Lucy, come and watch for it."
+
+We all went to the window, and were just in time to see the procession
+pass.
+
+It was headed by two wrestlers, who played all kinds of antics, and
+asked every well-dressed passer-by for money. Then came two more men,
+wearing a sort of helmet, and carrying shields and swords. They
+flourished the swords, and twisted themselves about in such a curious
+way, and made such funny faces, that we all laughed heartily. These men
+were followed by musicians, who played on pipes, flutes, cymbals,
+tambourines, guitars made out of cocoa-nuts, violins with only one
+string, and a sort of drum called darabookha, beaten with the hand
+instead of with drum-sticks. Besides the sound of all these instruments,
+there was such a singing and clapping of hands that the noise was quite
+deafening.
+
+Behind the musicians came a camel carrying a machine, something like
+Punch's show-box, covered with gilding. The camel had red leather
+trappings, ornamented with shells. Then we saw six led horses, and on
+them were six little boys, very handsomely dressed in clothes worked
+with gold. They were followed by some people on foot.
+
+[Illustration: SIGHTS IN CAIRO.]
+
+Next came another band of musicians like the first. After them, a number
+of young women, covered up to their eyes and over their heads with large
+shawls, and holes left for their eyes just to peep through. They carried
+large bouquets of fresh flowers.
+
+Now came the grandest person of all, the bride.
+
+She was covered from head to foot, eyes and all, by a large scarlet
+shawl, which reached down to her yellow boots. A circle of gold, studded
+with sham diamonds, was bound round her head, over the shawl. As she
+could not see, she was led by two of her relations--women, who were
+muffled up in black silk. A canopy of yellow silk, with four gilt poles,
+was carried over her head by four men, dressed in grand robes and
+turbans.
+
+Behind the bride came a number of her relations, all women, and all
+muffled up in black silk. The procession was closed by a number of hired
+women, who made shrill cries, as the custom is in Cairo on all joyful
+occasions.
+
+After a hearty laugh at the men who headed the procession, Hugh and Lucy
+had watched it without speaking. Now they began to talk as fast as
+before.
+
+"How uncomfortable to have to walk with that heavy shawl over her face,"
+said Lucy.
+
+"Yes," Hugh answered. "I should hate that; and what a noise the
+musicians made! I am sure it was not a bit like music. I liked the camel
+and the horses the best. But look! here is a serpent-charmer; and now,
+see! such a grand man coming!"
+
+As he spoke, an Arab rushed by at full speed, cracking a long whip to
+clear the way. He was followed by an Egyptian gentleman, mounted on a
+horse covered with velvet and gold and tassels. His pipe-bearer, on a
+splendid horse, rode close behind him.
+
+This was the beginning of our sight-seeing in Cairo.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+MORE SIGHTS IN CAIRO.
+
+
+The name Cairo is corrupted from Musr el Kaherah, which means the
+"Victorious City." It was founded by a general called Goher. The walls
+were built of brick till the time of the famous Saladin, who erected
+stone walls in their place.
+
+[Illustration: EGYPTIAN PIPE-BEARER.]
+
+It is impossible to get on in Egypt without a dragoman to arrange
+everything and act as guide. We had a very good one, named Mohammed
+Abdeen.
+
+We put ourselves under his guidance and he engaged to show us all that
+was worth seeing. Hugh and Lucy were delighted with the promise that
+they should come with us. Mohammed had excellent donkeys waiting for us.
+They were pleasant to ride, and ambled along with a light elastic tread,
+quite unlike that of our English donkeys.
+
+We first turned down the chief street of the city, called Moskee; and
+from it wended our way towards one of the oldest bazaars in Cairo. As we
+went along, we were much struck with the beautifully carved woodwork of
+the houses, and with the curious overhanging windows.
+
+The children were delighted, too, with the gay confusion of the streets.
+People were there dressed in every variety of colour. Egyptian ladies,
+enveloped from head to foot in blue silk mantles and white veils, which
+left nothing but their eyes to be seen, were riding on high donkeys,
+preceded by their attendants. Then there were Mamelukes, in their
+dresses of richly braided cloth; Copts, in dark turbans; Mecca Arabs,
+with flashing eyes, and heads wreathed with folds of snowy muslin;
+majestic Mograbbyns, in their white burnouses; Caireen merchants, in
+silken robes.
+
+And the noise! Such shouting, screaming, pushing! Donkey-boys and
+others, each trying to make the best path for his own animal through the
+crowd of horses, asses, camels, dromedaries, which filled the narrow
+streets.
+
+We threaded our way to the southern gate of the city, called Bab
+Zuweyleh.
+
+"What are those people doing?" Hugh asked.
+
+He pointed to some people who were resting their heads against the
+hinges of a large iron-bound door, fastened back to the wall. Mohammed
+told us that these people had had headaches, and were waiting for them
+to be charmed away by the good spirits who dwelt behind the door. He
+showed us that the door was covered with metal plates, and that every
+crevice of them was full of nails, driven in by persons who had had
+headache, that they might be cured. Besides the nails, a great number of
+teeth had been crammed in by persons who had suffered from toothache.
+
+Their faith is a lesson to us, whose hearts are less ready to trust in
+the God who reigneth in the heavens, than the hearts of these poor
+heathen are to trust the gods of their imagination.
+
+[Illustration: CURE FOR THE TOOTHACHE.]
+
+From the gate Bab Zuweyleh we went to the citadel. Here we were to see
+the palace of Saladin.
+
+"What! the great Saladin who fought with Richard Coeur de Lion?" Lucy
+asked.
+
+"Yes, that very Saladin."
+
+"Delightful! the next best thing to seeing Saladin himself," cried Hugh.
+
+Hugh and Lucy were impatient to see a real palace like those in old
+eastern tales; we all felt a thrill of excitement, expecting something
+of Oriental grandeur. Great was our disappointment! There was nothing
+left of the renowned Saladin's palace except a few grand fragments of
+its granite pillars, and some blocks of granite covered with
+hieroglyphics. We found another memorial of him in "Joseph's well,"
+which is also in the citadel, and is now generally considered to have
+been called after the great Saracen, whose name was Yussuf
+Salah-ed-Deen, and not after the patriarch Joseph.
+
+From the gloomy remains of Saladin's palace we went to the palace of the
+Viceroy, the windows of which look into a beautiful garden. From the
+terrace we had a magnificent view. Cairo, with its domes and minarets;
+then, the tombs of the Caliphs; beyond them, the broad, silent Nile;
+beyond it again, the eye rested on the sands of the desert and on the
+long line of pyramids which loomed in the distance.
+
+[Illustration: MOSQUE.]
+
+We next saw the new mosque, built by Mohammed Ali, of beautifully veined
+alabaster. And, last of all, the court where the Mamelukes were
+massacred by Mohammed Ali in 1811. Here Mohammed pointed out to us the
+spot at which Emir Bey took his famous leap.
+
+Hugh and Lucy begged to hear the whole story; but it was too long to
+tell at that moment and was put off till evening.
+
+We then returned to the hotel for lunch, and in the afternoon went to
+Shoubra to see the pacha's country palace.
+
+Our road lay through a beautiful avenue of sycamores and acacias, which
+interlaced their boughs over our heads, so that we seemed to be in a
+bower of green. The palace is small, and the gardens are the sight
+really worth seeing. There is a great variety in them; terraces, covered
+walls, labyrinths, and bowers. But the great sight is the kiosk with its
+large reservoir of water.
+
+"See!" Lucy exclaimed, "see! the water comes through those animals'
+mouths."
+
+"They are crocodiles, Lucy," Hugh said; "marble crocodiles; and look at
+the arcade. Do let us walk all round."
+
+We did so. It was a charming arcade: on one side the water, on the other
+the gardens, from which the most fragrant perfumes filled the air around
+us.
+
+"It is like fairy-land," said Lucy, as she danced along the arcade.
+
+"The young lady is delighted with it now," said Mohammed; "but she would
+think it much more beautiful if she could see it when the lamps are
+lighted and the fountains are playing."
+
+"When can we see that?" Lucy asked.
+
+But Mohammed told us that this can only be seen on fine nights when the
+pacha and his household are assembled here; and that no Christian is
+admitted.
+
+"Not even a small one like me?" Lucy suggested.
+
+No, not even the smallest one, Mohammed assured her; not if she were as
+small as a grasshopper.
+
+The gardeners brought us beautiful bouquets and quantities of oranges;
+and we walked about or rested on the divans in the arcade till it was
+time to go home.
+
+In the evening we read the following story of the massacre of the
+Mamelukes to Hugh and Lucy:--
+
+The Mamelukes had long given a great deal of trouble to the pachas of
+Egypt. It once happened that Mohammed Ali was on the point of sending an
+expedition against the tribe of the Wahabees, when he discovered that
+the Mamelukes were only waiting till his army should have gone, to try
+and overturn his government. He was very angry, and determined to meet
+their treachery with treachery. So he sent a message to them, through
+their chief, inviting them to come to Cairo and to be present at the
+ceremony of investing his son with the command of the army.
+
+The Mamelukes fell into the snare. Between four and five hundred of them
+went to the citadel on the day fixed. Mohammed Ali received them very
+courteously, and ordered coffee and pipes for them, according to Eastern
+custom. When the ceremony was ended they mounted their horses to leave
+the citadel. At this moment a volley was fired upon them by the pacha's
+troops, and the gates of the citadel were all shut, so that there was no
+possibility of escape. Shots flew in thicker and faster among the
+unfortunate Mamelukes. In vain they galloped hither and thither in hope
+of finding some shelter or escape. Men and horses fell under the shower
+of balls, and the open space before the palace was strewn with the
+slain.
+
+Emir Bey, one of the Mameluke chiefs, determined to make a desperate
+effort for his life. He rode his spirited horse to the parapet of the
+citadel wall, and urged him to take the leap. Together they go over the
+wall; they are safe from the whizzing shots. Together they go down,
+down. They near the ground, they touch it, they roll over together. Emir
+Bey rises unhurt, but the faithful horse lies motionless. He will never
+rise again. He has bought his master's life with his own.
+
+Emir had no time to linger by the side of his faithful friend. Every
+moment was precious. Happily for him, an Albanian camp was at hand. He
+rushed into the nearest tent and threw himself on the kindness and
+generosity of the officer to whom it belonged.
+
+The officer contrived to hide him for some days. But Emir Bey's
+wonderful leap became talked of, and the story came to the pacha's ears.
+Orders were given that the person who had sheltered Emir should deliver
+him up to the pacha; but the officer resolved that he would not give him
+up. He provided Emir with a horse and helped him to escape into Asia,
+where he would be safe.
+
+Some years afterwards Mohammed Ali heard where Emir Bey was living, and
+invited him to come back to Cairo, settled a pension on him, and made
+him many friendly offers. But Emir Bey would never trust the pacha
+again. He lived at Acre for the rest of his life, and died there.
+
+Hugh and Lucy listened breathlessly to this story. When it was finished
+Lucy said, "I am so glad Emir Bey would not go back. I was afraid he
+might."
+
+"Was it safe for the officer to hide him?" asked Hugh.
+
+"No, he did it at the risk of his life."
+
+"What a noble man! Did he know Emir Bey before?"
+
+"Probably not. He saw a stranger in distress, and risked his life to
+help him."
+
+"How generous!" Hugh cried. "Emir Bey must have felt as though he could
+never do enough to show his gratitude. I wonder whether they ever met
+again."
+
+This no one could tell. But the noble act of the Albanian officer led us
+to talk of the gracious Saviour, who came from heaven, not only to risk
+his life, but to give it for us. He gave it, not for those who had done
+him neither good nor harm, but for us who were rebels against him; and
+he came, not to win for us earthly life, which must soon pass away, but
+a heavenly life, which will last for ever and ever. Shall not we show
+our gratitude to him by helping our neighbours whenever we can, even at
+the cost of some self-denial? The heathen officer has set us a noble
+example of love to each other.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE PYRAMIDS.
+
+
+Hugh was so very anxious to see the pyramids, that every one agreed to
+visit them from Cairo, instead of from the boat on the voyage up the
+Nile, which was to be as far as the second cataract; but neither the
+children nor their mother were to go. The latter was not strong, and she
+thought it best to keep the children with her. Lucy would very much have
+liked to see the pyramids as well as Hugh, but the ride from Cairo was
+too long for her.
+
+Our donkeys were ordered early, and we set off in high spirits. As we
+drew nearer and nearer to the pyramids we realised more and more their
+immense size. Their grandeur impressed us very much, and we shall none
+of us forget the thrill of awe we felt when we first saw their base and
+their gigantic size.
+
+[Illustration: DONKEY-BOYS AT CAIRO.]
+
+They are the oldest monuments in the world. Jacob, Joseph, Moses looked
+upon them. They are the grandest work of man in lasting endurance. The
+workmen who laboured at them have been dead and forgotten for thousands
+of years. But their work lives, and will live for hundreds of years to
+come; probably till the Great Day when the heavens shall be rolled
+together as a scroll, and the earth and everything on it shall be burned
+up and melt with fervent heat. No other work of man has been so
+enduring.
+
+The pyramids are supposed to be the tombs of the Pharaohs, kings of
+Egypt.
+
+We went first to the Great Pyramid, or Pyramid of Cheops. We were
+attended by Arab guides, who carried wax candles, and undertook to show
+us everything. We went down a sloping passage till we came to a large
+block of granite. A narrow way has been made round this block, and by it
+we reached the other side and came to an ascending passage. This was
+very low, so low that even Hugh could not stand upright in it. This
+brought us to the great passage, from which a gallery led to a room
+called the Queen's Chamber. The ceiling is painted, and the masonry very
+beautiful.
+
+Here we rested for a little while, and then went back to the great
+passage. We still had to ascend to reach the King's Chamber. The passage
+being cased with polished granite, we found it very slippery. Indeed,
+Hugh and I were continually sliding backwards, and found a special
+difficulty in getting on.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+At last we reached the King's Chamber. This is the largest in the
+pyramid. It is more than thirty feet long and about half as wide. The
+roof is flat, made of seven immense blocks of red granite, with halves
+of two other blocks. The walls are of the same red granite. In this room
+we saw a large granite sarcophagus, but there was neither any
+inscription on it nor any of the hieroglyphics which the old Egyptians
+used in writing.
+
+There are five other rooms above the King's Chamber. But the guides told
+us that we could not get to them without ladders. As we could not find
+out that there was much worth seeing in them, we left them unvisited.
+Many travellers suppose that these rooms were only built to break the
+great weight of the large upper part of the pyramid, and to prevent it
+from pressing too heavily and crushing in the ceiling of the King's
+Chamber.
+
+Colonel Howard Vyse (who made a great many researches in Egypt, and has
+written a very interesting book about them) says that the Great Pyramid
+is now four hundred and fifty feet high, and that when it was entire it
+must have been four hundred and eighty feet high. The blocks of stone
+become smaller in size as they near the top. The lowest fifty rows
+measure one hundred and thirty-eight feet three inches; the highest row,
+only three feet six inches.
+
+When we had come back again into the fresh air the guides asked if we
+wished to go up the outside of the pyramid. Hugh wished it very
+decidedly. I was advised not to attempt it, and told that the view would
+not repay me for the exertion. So I consented to stay below. The others
+went up, and returned in about twenty minutes. Hugh said that the steps
+were steep, and made of irregular broken stones. All agreed that the
+view was not so fine as might have been expected. Cairo; the Mokattan
+Hills; the Nile, with its fresh green banks; the Pyramids of Aboosir,
+Dashoor, and Sakkara, were the chief objects.
+
+Hugh asked one of the guides in how short a time he could go to the top
+of the pyramid and down again. He said he would show us, if we would
+give him a present. We agreed. Within five minutes he was at the top,
+and in three more he was by our side again below, claiming his reward.
+
+The Great Pyramid is seven hundred and forty-six feet square at its
+base.
+
+"How many yards is that, Hugh?"
+
+Hugh thought for a minute. "Two hundred and forty-nine yards all but a
+foot," he answered.
+
+"Right, so that if you were to build a straight piece of wall as long as
+the four sides of the pyramid, it would stretch more than half a mile."
+
+"How wonderful!" exclaimed Hugh, gazing in astonishment at the gigantic
+pyramid. "May I ride round it?"
+
+We rode round it, and then went on to the second pyramid. This is
+sometimes called the Pyramid of Cephren. He was brother to Cheops. The
+casing-stones are still left on the highest part of this pyramid. They
+are of a delicately-grained white stone which comes from the Mokattan
+Hills, and are highly polished. We saw great quantities of granite lying
+scattered about.
+
+This pyramid was opened by the celebrated traveller Belzoni, in the year
+1816. Passages were found in it like those in the Great Pyramid. In a
+granite room, with a pent roof, we saw a sarcophagus half-buried in the
+floor.
+
+The third pyramid, called the Pyramid of Mycerinus, was opened by
+Colonel Howard Vyse. Mycerinus was the son of Cheops. He was a just
+king, and treated his people with kindness. This pyramid now measures
+three hundred and thirty-three feet at its base, and is two hundred and
+three feet high. It was originally cased with granite, and some of the
+casing is still left.
+
+In it is a room with a painted roof; a space is left over it to prevent
+its being crushed in by the weight above. A sarcophagus was found in
+this room, in which was the coffin of King Mycerinus, and his name on
+it. The coffin and the king's body were sent to England, and are now in
+the British Museum. This pyramid is thought to have been the most
+beautiful of the three.
+
+[Illustration: EGYPTIAN SARCOPHAGUS.]
+
+As we stood in these solemn chambers of the dead, we thanked God, who
+has given us a better hope than these mighty kings of old had. Death
+must have had many terrors for them. But our blessed Saviour came to
+make it the gate to eternal life for all who love him and serve him
+truly.
+
+We next went to look at the tombs around the pyramids. Some are very
+much injured, others are in better preservation. One of the most curious
+of these was opened by Colonel Vyse. We looked down into a deep well or
+pit, about fifty feet deep, and there we saw a large black sarcophagus.
+There were many other tombs on all sides, but we had not time to examine
+them.
+
+Time was passing quickly, and we had not yet seen the wonderful Sphinx.
+
+The excavations which have been made show the Sphinx to have been a
+gigantic figure of a crouching lion, with the head of a man, and wearing
+a royal crown. It is cut out of the natural rock. Its length, according
+to Pliny, was one hundred and forty-three feet, and its height
+sixty-three feet.
+
+The Sphinx is now much injured: and the sand drifts so fast from the
+desert that the space where excavations have been made is soon filled
+again. Yet, defaced and half-buried as it is, it is grand beyond
+description. The "Father of Terrors," as the Arabs call him, is majestic
+in his mighty repose. There he crouches, guardian of the solitary desert
+and its solemn tombs. Thousands of years have rolled over his head, yet
+there he still sits on his lonely throne amid his silent court. There as
+long as the world lasts he will abide; grand, silent monarch of the
+desert!
+
+[Illustration: THE SPHINX.]
+
+It was long before we could tear ourselves away from the majestic
+Sphinx. But at last Mohammed warned us that if we wished to reach Cairo
+before nightfall, we must no longer delay. We remounted our donkeys. But
+though we rode at a quick pace, the sun was already setting before we
+reached our hotel.
+
+Our first thought the next day was to find out all we could about the
+Sphinx. We searched our books of Eastern travel, and from them we found
+that the Sphinx originally supported a small temple between its paws.
+The walls consisted of three tablets, the top of one of which yet
+remains. The middle one was of granite, and represented Thothmes the
+Fourth making an offering to the Sphinx. He lived about fourteen hundred
+and ten years before the birth of Christ.
+
+The side walls were of limestone. They, too, were sculptured, and
+represented offerings made by Rameses the Great, He lived in the year
+thirteen hundred and eleven before the birth of our Lord.
+
+There was an inclosure in front of this temple, bounded by a low wall,
+which stretched from one paw of the Sphinx to the other. The space
+inclosed between it and the temple was about fifty feet. There was an
+altar for sacrifice in front of the steps leading to the temple.
+
+In front of the wall was a wide paved space, from which two large
+flights of steps went up to a paved road. This road led to the plain,
+and had a brick wall on each side to protect it from the sand.
+
+The approach must have been very grand. A man coming by it would first
+be on a level with the breast of the Sphinx, and would have a full view
+of the altar and temple below. Then, as he went down the roadway, the
+Sphinx would seem to rise higher and higher, till he must have felt
+himself quite a pigmy, looking up at the vast figure.
+
+The children were, like ourselves, very much interested in these
+accounts of the Sphinx, which their father had collected for us.
+
+"Has any one besides Colonel Howard Vyse tried to clear away the sand?"
+Hugh asked.
+
+"Yes, Mr. Salt and Signor Caviglia excavated the upper portion and all
+the front of the figure. Colonel Howard Vyse continued what they had
+begun."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE MOSQUES.
+
+
+This day was to be given to seeing the mosques in Cairo. We set off
+early, and went first to see the mosque of Sultan Hassan. This is
+thought to be one of the most beautiful specimens of Arabian
+architecture in Cairo.
+
+It was built in the fourteenth century, and the blocks of stone for it
+were brought from the Great Pyramid, of which these were the
+casing-stones. Inside, the mosque was beautiful. Rows of coloured glass
+lamps hung from the walls; some were especial curiosities, for they were
+the finest early glass-work of their kind. The arches also are fine, and
+so are some of the ornaments of the roof.
+
+One sight was pointed out which made us shudder. This was the dark stain
+of Sultan Hassan's blood on the pavement. He was murdered in the mosque
+by his Mamelukes. His tomb is just in the middle of the inner inclosure.
+On it we saw a copy of the Mohammedan holy book, the Koran. It was
+splendidly illuminated in gold and colours. The sultan's tomb was once
+covered with a rich embroidered covering, but this was faded and
+moth-eaten when we saw it. The marble pavement, too, was broken in many
+places.
+
+The mosque of Sultan Hassan has always been famed for its beauty. It is
+said that the sultan cut off the head of the architect, that he might
+never build another as beautiful.
+
+From the mosque of Sultan Hassan we went to the mosque of Sultan Tuloon.
+It was built about the year 879 after the birth of our Lord, and is said
+to be the oldest mosque in Cairo. It has double rows of handsome pointed
+arches. There is a fine view from the chief minaret. Our guide told us
+that it even excels that from the citadel. But the staircase is spiral,
+is outside, and in rather a ruinous state.
+
+[Illustration: MOSQUE.]
+
+On reaching the second gallery, some of us became faint-hearted and
+stayed to rest. Even from it the view was a grand one; but those who
+went to the top said that we had really seen nothing in comparison.
+
+Lucy was tired and giddy when we came down, so some of us went home with
+her while the rest went to see the mosque of El Ghoree.
+
+"It is beautifully painted," said Hugh, when giving us an account of it
+afterwards. "And inside there are pillars of marble and
+mother-of-pearl."
+
+"Those are in the niche for prayer," his father said. "The windows and
+walls of the mosque, and the roof, are ornamented with stone carved like
+lace-work. But I think, Hugh, that what I admire most are the horseshoe
+arches, and the four grand columns which look as if they had belonged to
+some ancient temple."
+
+"What did the man call that niche for prayer?" Hugh asked.
+
+"The Mahrab. In every mosque the Mahrab looks in the direction of Mecca,
+where Mohammed was born; and which is therefore to the Mohammedans the
+most sacred of cities."
+
+"Do they pray towards Mecca, then, just as Daniel prayed towards
+Jerusalem?"
+
+"Yes, they do. When we were looking at the Mahrab, I, like you now,
+thought of Daniel, and wished for the day when the knowledge of the
+gospel shall have spread over the earth, and when all places for prayer
+shall be used for the service of the only true God, and Jesus Christ
+whom he has sent."
+
+"I should like to make one little Egyptian girl a Christian," said Lucy;
+"would not you, Hugh?"
+
+"But how could we, Lucy?"
+
+"Oh! we could talk to her, and teach her our hymns, and tell her about
+our Bible pictures."
+
+"Only," Hugh answered, thoughtfully, "she would not understand what we
+said, and we should not understand her."
+
+"I forgot that. Mamma, may we learn Egyptian?"
+
+"That would take a long time, and I think you can do something better
+than that. There is a mission already at Cairo, where the children are
+taught by persons who understand the language."
+
+"May we see it?"
+
+"Yes, and you can give some of your money and time in buying and making
+clothes for those who are very poor. And something else you can do."
+
+"What is that? Can I do it?" asked Hugh, "for I cannot hem and sew the
+clothes."
+
+"Yes, we can all do it. We can pray every day for the Egyptian children,
+that God will give them hearts to serve him, and to love our precious
+Saviour Jesus Christ, who came to save little children as well as
+grown-up people."
+
+It was a happy thought that we could all begin that very night to do
+something for the Egyptian children. Hugh and Lucy said so, and we all
+felt it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+HELIOPOLIS, AND OTHER SIGHTS AND SCENES.
+
+
+The next morning we set off for Heliopolis.
+
+Heliopolis, or the "City of the Sun," is the same which is called "On"
+in the Bible. Joseph's wife came from On, where her father was a man of
+wealth and importance.
+
+The ride from Cairo to Heliopolis is delightful. We went across the edge
+of the desert, and on our way were struck by a solitary dome marking a
+tomb. This is the tomb of Saladin's brother, Malek Adhel, to whom
+Richard Coeur de Lion wished to marry his sister Matilda.
+
+[Illustration: ARAB SITTING IN FRONT OF HIS TENT.]
+
+Beyond this our road lay through green fields and shady avenues of
+acacias. The air was filled with a delicious perfume and with the
+humming of the wild bees. We saw Arabs, with bare legs and turbaned
+heads, tilling the ground, oxen treading out the corn, long strings of
+camels and asses bringing home provender.
+
+It was, indeed, a living Bible picture.
+
+The land of Goshen was opening before us. We were looking at the same
+scenes among which Joseph and his brethren had moved. The strings of
+asses laden with corn were like the strings of asses which Joseph's
+brethren had taken back laden to their dear father in Canaan.
+
+It was a solemn feeling to be treading the very ground, and looking at
+the very fields over which the patriarchs once trod.
+
+A village called Matarieh stands near where the city of Heliopolis once
+stood. Here a sycamore was shown to us under which Joseph and the Virgin
+Mary and Infant Saviour are said to have rested when they fled into
+Egypt from King Herod. The gardens of Matarieh were in former times
+famed for their balsams. They were first brought from Judea, and were of
+the same species as trees from which was made the "Balm of Gilead" that
+we read of in the Bible.
+
+Heliopolis, the "City of the Sun," was so called because in ancient
+times there was a magnificent temple in it which was dedicated to the
+sun. Besides the temple of the sun, there was in Heliopolis another
+temple, dedicated to the bull Mnevis.
+
+Cambyses, a king of Persia, took the city about five hundred years
+before the birth of our Lord. He burnt the temples and destroyed the
+palaces. Some of the obelisks escaped, and were afterwards taken to Rome
+and Alexandria. One is still left. It is about sixty-five feet high.
+
+Part of a Sphinx was found near it some time ago, so that it is supposed
+that an avenue of Sphinxes led up to it, and that it is one of two
+obelisks which probably stood at the entrance of the Temple of the Sun.
+Wild bees had made their nests on the top of the obelisk, and came down
+upon us in swarms, as is their wont to travellers. Lucy was frightened;
+and though Hugh tried to look very brave, he did not feel quite at ease
+any more than myself. However, we came to no harm, though they buzzed
+all about us. The obelisk stands in a garden of rosemary and other
+herbs, which perhaps attracted the bees to it as their home.
+
+In vain we wandered hither and thither, searching for some other traces
+of the bygone glories of this City of the Sun. Here it was that Joseph
+once lived. Here it was that Moses was made "learned in the wisdom of
+the Egyptians." Here the wise and learned men of Egypt used to assemble.
+Here was once heard "joy and the voice of melody." Where is it now? All
+is silent, still. This solitary pillar alone stands to mark the scene of
+long-forgotten pomp and glory.
+
+Thus do earthly cities vanish. But the heavenly city which our Saviour
+has prepared for them that love him, will endure for evermore. Its
+glories are far brighter than ever were those of this City of the Sun,
+and are unfading; be it ours to have a part in that new and blessed
+city!
+
+The next morning we met some travellers who had been to a Copt wedding,
+of which the lady gave us an account.
+
+"The family was a rich one," she said, "and everything was most
+splendid. The inner court of the house was beautifully lighted, and was
+crowded with guests. In the middle were the musicians, with all sorts of
+instruments: Arab flutes, dulcimers, fiddles; the noise was deafening.
+
+"The master of the house took us to an up-stairs room in which were the
+guests of higher rank. These were all men. Though the Copts are not
+Mohammedans, it seems the custom for their women to live in as great
+retirement as the Mohammedan women do, and also for them to cover their
+faces when they go out of doors.
+
+"We were taken into a large room covered with rich carpets, and lighted
+by a number of wax candles and a large chandelier. We were led to a
+large divan, where pipes, coffee, sweetmeats, and sherbet were handed to
+us, whilst we listened to the songs of the singing women.
+
+"These singing women are called 'Almé.' They attend the weddings of all
+the rich people in Cairo, and are paid by contributions from the guests.
+Generally they make a good sum at a wedding, especially those who are
+clever enough to invent songs at the moment.
+
+"We stayed in this room for a long time, and then I was taken to that
+part of the house where the ladies of the family live. At the entrance
+some negress slaves were waiting to receive me and lead me to the room
+in which the lady of the house awaited me. She was mounted on a complete
+throne of cushions, and some eighty or ninety guests, all ladies, were
+with her. They were dressed in every variety of colour, and their
+dresses were all embroidered in gold. The young ladies wore pretty gauze
+veils, pink, white, or blue. These were all edged with needlework; some
+in gold, some in silver. The elder ladies wore gorgeous Cashmere shawls
+thrown over their heads and shoulders, and most of them wore diamond
+ornaments.
+
+"I was conducted to the seat of honour by the side of the lady of the
+house, and a narghilé (a sort of pipe) was brought to me. Then a china
+saucer was filled with bonbons from a tray covered with all sorts of
+confectionery, and was handed to me with some rose sherbet.
+
+"After this I was taken into another room to see the bride. She was a
+girl about twelve years old. She lay on a sofa, with her face muffled up
+in some kind of white stuff which was ornamented with diamonds, and was
+bound on by a band of diamonds. Her nurse was with her. The poor child
+was very tired, and more than half asleep. When the covering was removed
+that I might see her face, she moved uneasily, as if she did not like to
+be disturbed. She was dressed in satin, scarlet, and gold, and had a
+white cashmere shawl round her waist. She wore a number of splendid
+ornaments.
+
+"It was nearly midnight when we came away. The cool night air was
+delicious after all the heat and glare of the house. It was a glorious
+night, the sky radiant with stars which sparkled more brightly than the
+little bride's diamonds."
+
+[Illustration: VISIT TO THE HAREM.]
+
+It was now time for us to go to the mission schools, which we all very
+much wanted to see.
+
+We went first to the girls' school, where we saw a number of children
+copying portions of Holy Scripture in Arabic. They wrote beautifully.
+Lucy took a great fancy to one little girl, and stood beside her,
+watching her, for a long time. The child stole a shy glance at her now
+and again; a kindly feeling sprang up between them, though they could
+not understand each other's language.
+
+We were told that the language taught in the schools generally is
+Arabic, but that some of the children learn English. They are taught
+reading, writing, arithmetic, needlework, embroidery, and, in fact,
+everything that can be useful to them. They read the Bible, and many of
+them can say large portions of it by heart.
+
+We next went to the ragged school. There we saw a number of little
+children, some of them not more than three years old. They are fed and
+clothed, and stay at school all day, only going home at night. They
+looked very happy.
+
+Besides these schools, there is also a school for Coptic young men.
+
+These schools were all founded by the Rev. Theophilus Lieder (a German
+clergyman, head of the mission in Egypt) and his wife. So great a work
+needed much self-denial, courage, energy, industry. But Mr. and Mrs.
+Lieder gave these willingly for love of Jesus Christ, and of the lambs
+of his flock. He has helped their work, for he always blesses the work
+which is done from love to him. Very few of us can do such a great work
+for Jesus Christ as Mr. and Mrs. Lieder have done. But we can all do
+something for him. And if we love him, he will help even our smallest
+work in his name. For he has said, "Whosoever shall give to drink unto
+one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a
+disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."
+
+On our way home from the schools we rode round the principal bazaars, a
+never-failing pleasure to Hugh and Lucy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+A LONG DAY.
+
+
+Fostat, or Old Cairo, was the next place of interest which we visited.
+The walls built round it by the Romans were of small squared stones,
+mixed with tiles, and were about nine feet high. There were two towers,
+each half a circle in shape, standing out from them, and two other large
+towers at the principal gate. The gateway was almost buried in sand:
+still, we could distinguish an eagle on one part of it.
+
+The only entrance it now has is a small gate, too narrow for a carriage
+to pass through. The streets are really only lanes, and the houses are
+high. In old times this city was called Egyptian Babylon.
+
+"Is it the same as Babylon the Great?" Hugh asked.
+
+"No. Babylon the Great stood on the River Euphrates, and was the capital
+of the Babylonian empire."
+
+"Can you tell me anything more about this Babylon in Egypt?"
+
+"Yes, a little. Sir Gardner Wilkinson mentions an early Christian
+record, sculptured on wood, of the time of Diocletian. It is in the west
+tower, and we will try and find it. Then the crusaders, under Louis IX.
+of France, besieged but did not take it. The Sieur de Joinville, who
+wrote the life of the king, has given an interesting account of the
+siege. He describes the terror caused in the army when the 'Greek fire'
+was thrown from the walls. In the middle ages it was a noted place, and
+a stuff called 'cloth of Baldeck' was manufactured here. It was made of
+silk and of gold and silver threads, and was ornamented with imitations
+of trees, flowers, and birds. It was worn and much prized by persons of
+high rank. Henry III. was, I believe, the first English king who wore
+cloth of Baudekin or Baldeck, but it was worn in other countries of
+Europe before his time."
+
+We went to the upper chamber over the west tower of the old gateway, and
+there saw the record described by Sir Gardner Wilkinson. The upper part
+with the Greek inscription; below it a symbol of the Deity, a globe
+supported by two winged angels; and on each side six figures, which Sir
+Gardner Wilkinson believes to be the twelve apostles. We were very much
+interested in this Christian record, and wished that we had had some
+knowledge of who these early Christians were who had left the traces of
+their assembly in this upper chamber.
+
+[Illustration: OLD GATEWAY.]
+
+We next went to see the mosque of Amer. This mosque was built by the
+Saracen Amer on the spot on which he encamped with his army when he
+besieged the city and took it. He founded the city of Fostat, which
+became the capital of Mohammedan Egypt. Four hundred years afterwards
+the present city of Cairo was built by one of the caliphs. He made it
+the capital, and called it Masr-el-Kahira, or "the Victorious City." The
+city built by Amer was then called "Old Cairo."
+
+We were not so much struck by the mosque of Amer as we had been by some
+other mosques. There are some fine pillars and arches, both pointed and
+circular. But its chief interest is its great age. There is an old
+tradition that whenever this mosque falls, the Mohammedan power will
+fall in Egypt.
+
+From Old Cairo we crossed over to the Island of Roda, to see the
+Nilometer. It consists of a square well, in the middle of which is a
+pillar marked in degrees, for measuring the rise of the Nile. There was
+once a tower over it. At the time when the Nile is rising, the criers
+come into Cairo every morning to proclaim the height to which it has
+risen since the previous morning. This overflow of the Nile irrigates
+the country for a long distance from its banks, and makes them very
+fruitful.
+
+From the Nilometer we went to see the gardens belonging to Ibrahim
+Pacha; then to the spot where Moses is said to have been found by
+Pharaoh's daughter. We could picture the cradle of bulrushes floating on
+the still waters; the royal princess coming down with maidens to bathe,
+the anxious Miriam watching with eager eyes to see what would be the
+fate of her baby-brother. Hugh and Lucy both said that it made the Bible
+seem much more real to them, now that they were in the very land where
+so many of God's wonders of old were wrought. We all felt it so, as we
+looked at the spot where Moses was preserved in his babyhood, while
+floating in his cradle in the very waters which afterwards at his word,
+by God's command, were turned into blood.
+
+Our next expedition was to the tombs of the Mameluke kings. We rode
+through a not very interesting part of Cairo to the "Bab-el-Nasr," or
+"Gate of Victory."
+
+The tombs stand at a short distance from Cairo, on the edge of the
+desert. Each has its mosque, with dome and minarets. In one, called El
+Kait Bey, there is the print of a man's foot on the marble slab. This is
+said to be the footprint of "the Prophet" Mohammed. It is within a
+covered enclosure which is open at the sides. The Arabs show their
+respect for it by touching it reverently with their hands, which they
+kiss afterwards.
+
+[Illustration: THE FINDING OF MOSES.]
+
+Another beautiful tomb is El Berbook. It has been faced with red and
+white stones, many of which are still left. There is an open corridor on
+the first floor. The entrance-hall leads into the large court of the
+mosque, in which there once was a fountain. It has long ceased to play,
+and the ornaments are all in ruin. The dome was richly ornamented. The
+door to it was locked, and we could only peep through some holes at the
+beauties within.
+
+We next went to the tomb and mosque of Ahd Bey. The pavements, the
+windows, the grand arch, the ornamentation, all were beautiful. And the
+thought that the great Mameluke sultans, in whose honour these were
+wrought, made us silent. These palaces were not for the living, but for
+the dead. Even Hugh and Lucy grew grave. It was such a solemn thought
+that we were walking among earthly palaces, dedicated to those to whom
+earthly glory has for centuries been less than nothing! Here they sleep,
+silent owners of their silent city in the desert, till the last great
+trumpet shall sound, and the mighty dead shall (with their humbler
+fellow-men) be judged according to their works. Thanks be to God who
+giveth his people the victory in that day, through Jesus Christ our
+Lord.
+
+In silence we passed on from one tomb, one mosque, to another.
+
+"Where are we going now?" Hugh asked, after we had ridden on for some
+time.
+
+"To the petrified forest."
+
+"Shall we find the trees standing, all turned into stone? For petrified
+means turned into stone, does it not?" said Lucy.
+
+"Yes, it does. But I do not think we shall find any trees standing, from
+what I have read about the 'petrified wood.'"
+
+True enough. When we reached the petrified forest in the Valley of
+Wanderings (this valley forms the beginning of the desert leading to the
+Red Sea) we did not see a single tree, but the sand was for miles
+covered with fragments of wood. Though these were turned into stone, we
+could see knots and fibres, and even the rough bark, which showed them
+to be fragments of trees.
+
+"Is it not wonderful!" exclaimed Hugh.
+
+It was indeed wonderful. And now we came to what looked like the trunk
+of a large tree; there was another like it, at a little distance; they
+must have been quite fifty feet long, or more; they lay in the sand, and
+seemed to have broken as they fell, for there were small pieces
+scattered about all around.
+
+"What made it?" Lucy asked.
+
+None of us could tell; nor have we since been able to find any account
+of how these trees were turned into stone. But it seems certain that all
+this part of the desert, on which there is not now a blade of grass,
+must have been covered by a wood.
+
+We could but look and wonder. "How unsearchable are the judgments of
+God, and his ways past finding out!"
+
+We all picked up some pieces to bring away with us. Then we sat down on
+one of the large petrified trunks and ate our lunch, the wonders all
+round us giving us plenty to talk about the while.
+
+On our way home we came round by another group of tombs beneath the
+mountains of Mokattam. We had had a long day, and it was nearly sunset
+when we left the tombs.
+
+The sunset clouds were gorgeous. All at once, as the sun sank beneath
+them, the deep-toned sound of the muezzin called the faithful followers
+of the prophet Mohammed to prayer. Every one around us prostrated
+themselves. Our hearts obeyed the call; we offered our thanks to our
+Heavenly Father, who has made such a world of beauty and wonder for our
+enjoyment.
+
+    "O God, O good beyond compare,
+     If thus Thy meaner works are fair,
+     If thus Thy bounties gild the span
+     Of ruined earth and sinful man,
+     What must those glorious mansions be
+     When Thy redeemed shall dwell with Thee!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE START UP THE NILE.
+
+
+Our party was now to be divided for a time. We were all anxious to see
+the Nile, but it was thought better for the children and their mother to
+stay quietly in Cairo. Those who were not pressed for time offered to
+remain with them, while the others hastened up to the second cataract.
+After much discussing and arranging, it was decided that three should
+stay with the invalid and her children in Cairo, and the other three
+should go up the Nile together.
+
+The most comfortable sort of boat for travelling is the "dahabieh." One
+was engaged. Mohammed laid in the stores necessary for the journey; and
+when all was ready, we went to Boulak, which is the port of Cairo, to
+see the travellers start.
+
+We went on board the dahabieh.
+
+"What a beautiful room!" Lucy exclaimed, as she went into the saloon.
+
+And so indeed it was. Carpets, cushions, divans, book-shelves; nothing
+was wanting to make the dahabieh a most luxurious little home. There
+were easy-chairs of every kind on deck, and an awning was spread as a
+protection from the sun. The crew consisted of a captain, or reis, as he
+is called, a pilot, and fourteen Arab sailors.
+
+We exchanged farewells, heartily wishing that we too were going, and
+they started. As we waved our last farewells from the shore, Hugh said,
+in a disconsolate voice, "Great fun for them, but no fun for us."
+
+We were all a little dull that evening. But the travellers had promised
+to keep a journal, and we soon began to think when we should receive
+news of them.
+
+The first instalment of the journal was brought by a gentleman with
+whose dahabieh they fell in off Benisooéf. It was eagerly opened and
+read aloud, while we listened with all our ears and eyes.
+
+                           JOURNAL ON THE NILE.
+
+The wind was fair when we left Boulak. We passed Roda, the Nilometer,
+and Old Cairo. Then a long reach of the river brought us to the village
+of E Deyr, which is inhabited by Copt Christians. We next passed, on our
+left, El Masarah, where there are large stone quarries. The stone for
+the Great Pyramid was taken from these quarries.
+
+At Bedreshyn we landed, Mohammed procured donkeys for us, and we set off
+to see the Pyramids of Sakkara.
+
+We rode first to the village of Mitrahenny, where the ancient city of
+Memphis once stood. The country round it is very pretty. The village
+itself stands in a wood of palm-trees. We were told that at the time at
+which the Nile overflows its banks the people leave their houses and
+live in the palm-trees, where they put up a sort of scaffolding to sleep
+on. When the river falls again, they leave the trees, repair their mud
+huts, and live in them till the next overflow.
+
+Memphis, formerly such a splendid city, is gone. There is scarcely a
+trace left of this once busy capital of Lower Egypt in which Moses
+lived, where the poor Jewish captives toiled to make up the tale of
+bricks for Pharaoh's taskmasters. Some few remains of foundation-walls
+are found in the sand. But nothing is left to tell of the temples and
+palaces of this ancient city, except only a part of a colossal statue of
+Rameses, called Sesostris. It is of a pure white, made of polished
+limestone, and must have been more than forty feet in height. The statue
+lay on its face, and we could not see the features. It has a scroll in
+its hands. Pieces of the legs and feet were lying about. All around are
+magnificent palm-trees.
+
+[Illustration: BRICKMAKING _(from Egyptian Sculpture)_.]
+
+The Pyramids of Sakkara are near the village of the same name. The
+largest of them is called by the Arabs "the Pyramid of Degrees." It has
+outside six stories or degrees, each smaller than the one below it.
+Inside are passages and chambers.
+
+Near the pyramids are the famous pits, in which are ibis mummies. The
+ibis was a sacred bird among the Egyptians. We bought one of these
+mummies. It was enclosed in a round earthen jar, the top of which was
+shaped like a cone, and was fastened down strongly with cement.
+
+[Illustration: BRICKMAKING _(from Egyptian Sculpture)_.]
+
+The bird was rolled up in long bandages of linen. The head and neck were
+folded over the breast, the wings laid close to the sides, and the long
+legs were folded up and brought close to the beak. The bird was perfect.
+We said we knew how delighted you all, and especially Hugh and Lucy,
+would be to see it. But our curiosity was selfish. As soon as the air
+played on it, it crumbled into dust.
+
+[Illustration: THE SACRED IBIS.]
+
+There are some fine tombs near the Pyramids of Sakkara. We went to the
+one which we were told was the best worth seeing. The roof was hollowed
+into the shape of an arch and covered with smoothly-cut stones cemented
+together. This led into a room in which is a deep well. We also saw some
+hieroglyphics, and some sculpture; most of these represented men
+carrying birds. It was not very interesting, and we did not stay long to
+look at it.
+
+We had a delightful ride back to Bedreshyn, through fields and among
+clumps of thorny mimosa, on which the camels love to browse. The
+palm-trees looked beautiful in the clear sunlight. Nothing was wanting
+but the song of birds, and this is a want almost always felt by
+Europeans in the hot climates of Africa and Asia.
+
+The next day we went to the Pyramids of Dashoor. Two are of stone and
+two of brick. The first was the largest. Colonel Howard Vyse gives its
+height as three hundred and twenty feet. The entrance was covered with
+stones and rubbish. The second pyramid is not so large. The ascent to
+the entrance is not very difficult, but the descent is exceedingly so,
+and there is not much to repay one for the trouble.
+
+We returned to our boat in good time, and were much amused, after we had
+again started, by watching the peasants raising water from the river
+with poles and buckets, and with looking at the Arab boats, a number of
+which passed us.
+
+We next came to El Kafr el Jyat. It is only a small village, but in it
+is the residence of a wealthy chief whose hospitable house is the resort
+of travellers. He bears the title of Khabeéree, or "the guide." We find
+from Sir G. Wilkinson's book[A] that this title "has been hereditary in
+his family since the time of Sultan Selim, who gave it to his ancestor
+as a reward for his services in that capacity, when he took possession
+of the country after the defeat of the son of El Ghoree."
+
+We next passed the False Pyramid. It takes its name from the base being
+of rock and not really part of the building.
+
+The banks of the river and villages were enlivened with palm-trees. But
+we passed no place of any size or interest till we came to Benisooéf.
+
+Benisooéf is the capital of the province, the Fyoom, and has several
+manufactories of cotton and silk.
+
+We are lounging idly on deck looking at the scene before us. A great
+many boats are tied to the shore, and a number of people are on the
+quay. The children are tolerably clad, and some of the old men are
+exceedingly picturesque in their white dresses, with their cloaks thrown
+over their shoulders and leaning on their staves; girls are coming down
+to fill their jars with water and carrying them away most gracefully on
+their heads. And as for animals! Hugh would find more than enough to
+satisfy him. Dogs, goats, poultry, cows, horses, camels, buffaloes! And
+_such_ a noise! we can scarcely hear ourselves speak for the clatter.
+But a gentleman who is going down to Cairo, and will leave at daybreak,
+has just sent to know whether he can take any letters for us. So good-by
+for the present.
+
+[Footnote A: "Modern Egypt," vol. ii.]
+
+[Illustration: SCENE ON THE NILE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+STILL UP THE NILE.
+
+
+It was some little time before we could expect the next part of our
+travellers' journal.
+
+Hugh very much wished to go to the citadel again. Lucy wanted to pay
+another visit to the gardens at Shoubra. We gave an afternoon to each,
+and almost every morning we went to the Mission Schools; either to the
+girls' school or to the ragged school. The more we saw, the more we
+admired the energy and self-denial of Mr. and Mrs. Lieder, and the more
+zealous and anxious we grew to do what little we could to help in the
+great work of making known the love of Jesus Christ and the salvation he
+has bought for us with his blood. Those who have the love of Christ
+really in their hearts must always long to make others love him too.
+
+Day by day went on and we began to watch anxiously for some more news.
+The gentleman who had brought the first part of the journal told us that
+he knew there was another dahabieh which was not very far behind him. He
+had passed it, not having time to stop and see all that its travellers
+were stopping to see.
+
+At last this dahabieh arrived, and we had a large packet. Lucy had leave
+to open it. She and Hugh danced about in delight for the first few
+minutes. Their father was one of the party who had gone, which made the
+joy of news the greater.
+
+The first great excitement of the arrival was soon over, and we all
+clustered together eagerly to hear the contents of the large letter.
+
+
+                           JOURNAL ON THE NILE.
+
+We finished our last letter just after we arrived at Benisooéf. It is a
+large town, and was once famous for its manufacture of linen.
+
+We started the next morning with a fair wind. We passed Isment; and near
+it, the quarries from which the beautifully veined marble was obtained
+of which the mosque of Mohammed Ali at Cairo was built.
+
+But what delighted us most was the high table-mountain, Sheikh Embįrak.
+This giant seemed standing to block our path. Its surface is broken; and
+as we neared it, we saw one large cliff which looked like a ruined
+castle. The Sheikh, like some other giants of olden times, is accustomed
+to give travellers rather a rough welcome, and we came in for one of his
+gusty greetings in a sudden gale of wind.
+
+Tell Lucy that her father, who was lounging in a chair on castors,
+suddenly found his chair running away from him, and he narrowly escaped
+a ducking in the Nile. And tell both Hugh and Lucy that the dahabieh lay
+over so suddenly that every one else was nearly following me, and that
+if I had gone over into the Nile, I should only have been ready to
+welcome the others who were coming after.
+
+After this unwilling prostration to the Sheikh, we went on without any
+further trouble.
+
+A rock in the stream next attracted our attention. It is called the
+Hagar o' Salam, or Rock of Welfare, because the boatmen say that they
+cannot venture to call a voyage down the Nile prosperous until they have
+passed it. We looked at it with interest. It seemed an emblem of our
+Saviour Jesus Christ; for, till we have come to him, there can be no
+safety for us in our voyage on the river of life.
+
+Our journey was, after this, a little dull for a time. On both banks of
+the Nile we saw the sites of various ancient towns; and at Khom Amer, or
+"the Red Mound," there were some rough grottoes. We also saw the mounds
+of the ancient Cynopolis, the "City of the Dogs."
+
+The mountain chain of Gebel e' Tayr was more interesting. Some of the
+mountains rise straight up from the water, and are enlivened with
+palm-trees; and on the opposite banks we saw some fine acacias. The top
+of Gebel e' Tayr is flat. On it stands a convent called Sitleh Mariam el
+Adea, or "Our Lady Mary the Virgin." It is a Copt convent. But I am
+afraid that religion has little effect there, for there seems to be more
+begging than industry among the monks. As soon as they see a boat full
+of travellers coming they hurry down the cliffs and swim out on inflated
+water-skins to ask for charity. Our Arab boatmen were inclined to treat
+them rather roughly, and we were heartily glad when we got beyond their
+beat, for they were very noisy and clamorous in their petitions for
+alms.
+
+Gebel e' Tayr means "the mountain of the bird." There is a curious
+legend belonging to it. It is said that all the birds in the country
+assemble here every year. They choose one of their number who is to stay
+on the mountain till the next year. Then all the rest fly away and leave
+the poor solitary bird by himself till the next year, when a fresh one
+is chosen to take his place.
+
+We have now just arrived at Minieh, six days exactly since we left you
+all at Boulak. We are going to dinner, and then on shore.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"I want to ask something before you go on, please," said Hugh. "Why was
+that city called 'the City of the Dogs'?"
+
+"Because the dog was then considered to be a particularly sacred animal.
+One of the largest repositories of dog mummies is found on the opposite
+bank. It was not unusual in Egypt for a city to bury its dead, as well
+as its sacred animals, on the opposite shore of the Nile, especially if
+a better place could be found there for making catacombs."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Minieh is a pretty and busy town. Near the landing-place we saw the tomb
+of a sheikh, shaded over by a palm-tree, which is very picturesque. We
+admired the houses too, with their trellised balconies overhanging the
+river. And there are such queer little coffee-shops! Some are tents,
+some only little huts made of reeds. We found the bazaar airy and some
+of the buildings handsome. The country round Minieh is rich and
+beautiful; it abounds in groves of palm-trees and in every kind of
+fruit. We enjoyed our ramble exceedingly, and the two guns brought back
+a fair share of wild fowl.
+
+[Illustration: EASTERN BAZAAR.]
+
+Our next stopping-place was Beni-Hassan; we arrived this morning, and
+have been on shore all day.
+
+The tombs of Beni-Hassan are open to the Nile, and are ornamented with
+coloured figures or other devices, and are very old.
+
+[Illustration: EGYPTIAN LOOM.
+
+    _a b_. Rollers for carrying and tightening the warp.
+  _c c c_. The warp
+    _d d_. Frame of the machine.
+    _e f_. Movable bars, for pressing the successive weft threads
+           together.
+      _g_. Roller for relieving the cloth when woven.
+      _h_. Hooked stick (used instead of a shuttle) to carry theweft
+           threads.]
+
+We went first into the most northern tomb. In front of the entrance is a
+portico, supported by pillars, which leads into a vaulted room: its roof
+is supported by four large pillars. These pillars have been coloured to
+imitate red granite, and so have the lower part of the walls. Above this
+coloured part of the wall are long lines of figures; some employed in
+outdoor work, some in indoor work, some in amusements. Some are fishing,
+some are watering flax, some dancing, others wrestling.
+
+[Illustration: FISHING.]
+
+In one part there are men catching wild fowl in nets; in another part
+there are women kneading or making bread; and others playing the harp.
+
+On one part of the wall we saw a procession. As we had heard that this
+procession represented the arrival of Joseph's brethren, we were very
+much interested with it. The first figure is an Egyptian scribe, who is
+giving an account of the arrival of the strangers to one of the chief
+officers of the king, and the owner of the tomb. The next, also an
+Egyptian, is ushering the strangers into his presence. Two of the
+strangers are advancing, and bring with them presents, a goat and a
+gazelle. Four men follow, carrying bows and clubs, and leading an ass,
+which two children are riding on in panniers, accompanied by a boy and
+four women. Last, are another ass, laden, and two men; one of these
+holds a bow and club, and the other a lyre.
+
+[Illustration: POTTERS.]
+
+We saw another curious tomb, where there is a hunting scene, and the
+name of each animal is written above it, in hieroglyphics. Below this
+are birds, and their names are also written. There we saw a group of
+women jumping and dancing; others playing at ball, throwing up three
+balls one after another and catching them; men dancing on one leg and
+performing other feats of skill.
+
+[Illustration: IDOL PAINTERS.]
+
+The occupations and trades of the ancient Egyptians are also shown.
+There are goldsmiths, glass-blowers, painters, potters, workers in flax.
+On one wall there are wrestlers in different attitudes; on another, some
+unhappy people who are undergoing the bastinado. We were surprised, too,
+to see that dwarfs and deformed people formed part of the trains of the
+great men of Egypt in those days, just as they did in Rome in later
+days.
+
+In one of the tombs we saw a Greek alphabet on the wall; the letters
+were transposed in different ways, apparently for the purpose of
+teaching Greek.
+
+We meant to have gone to see the Temple of Diana of the Egyptians, but
+were all tired, and have left it till our return.
+
+We have been obliged to have a strict watch kept over our boat to-day.
+The villages of Beni-Hassan were destroyed by order of the pacha some
+years ago, because the people were such great thieves. But this cure for
+theft does not seem to have answered, for the villagers still have the
+character of a love of pilfering.
+
+We sat up rather late last night, helping each other with our journal
+for your amusement. Just as we were putting by our pens and paper we
+were startled by seeing a bright light. Mohammed appeared and told us
+that a dahabieh was on fire, and that English travellers were on board.
+We hurried on deck. The dahabieh was a mass of fire. Pillars of smoke
+rose from it, and large tongues of flame darted from them and seemed to
+lick down into the fire whatever came into their way. There was a great
+buzz of voices on the shore, and the wild light cast a lurid glare on
+the figures which were hurrying to and fro. A European figure rushed on
+shore with something in his arms, then darted back and was lost in the
+smoke. We did not wait to see more, but went on shore instantly.
+
+There was no possibility of saving the dahabieh. But every one on board
+was safe, and we brought the travellers to our dahabieh, where they are
+now.
+
+They prove to be Mr. and Miss Roper, father and daughter, a European
+servant, and a negress girl, whom they call Rahaba. I never heard such
+an outpouring of fervent thanksgiving as Mr. Roper offered up to God as
+soon as they were all safely on board our boat. It reminded us of the
+history of Jacob wrestling with the angel, "I will not let thee go
+except thou bless me."
+
+Rahaba has a sad expression of face, but her eyes brighten when Miss
+Roper speaks to her.
+
+Mr. and Miss Roper only arrived at Beni-Hassan that evening. There
+seemed little chance of their being able to get on to Cairo, so we asked
+them to be our guests and to return over their old ground with us.
+
+We left Beni-Hassan the next morning, and saw crocodiles that day for
+the first time. They were on a sandbank basking in the sun. One was very
+large, the two others smaller. A salute from our guns was fired at them,
+which made the smaller crocodiles rush into the water in a great hurry,
+but the larger one treated us with cool contempt.
+
+The first sight of Manfaloot was charming. A sudden bend of the river
+brought us full in view of its minarets, which rise from a group of
+mingled buildings and palm-trees.
+
+[Illustration: HEAD OF CROCODILE.]
+
+We have not landed since we left Beni-Hassan. Miss Roper has been making
+a sketch of our reis and the crew. Rahaba looks on her sketch-book and
+colour-box as some kind of magic possessions, and contrived to save them
+from the fire in consequence.
+
+Miss Roper took the sketch at sunset. The sky was flooded with gorgeous
+tints, and their glow was reflected on our reis as he sat in his blue
+robes and crimson turban, smoking his pipe. We shall reach Thebes
+to-night, and shall go on shore early to-morrow to see some of the
+interesting sights of which Mr. Roper has been telling us.
+
+[Illustration: RUINS OF THEBES.]
+
+Our boat was moored as near as possible to the village of Koorneh, or
+Karnac, as it is often called. We went on shore early in the morning and
+visited the small palace and temple of Koorneh, and then rode on for
+about twenty minutes to the palace-temple of Rameses the Second. This is
+one of the most interesting temples in the valley of the Nile. The
+entrance leads into a court where are the ruins of the largest statue in
+the world. It is made of granite from the quarries of Syene.
+
+Mr. Roper told us that this was a statue of the king, seated on his
+throne with his hands resting on his knees. Judging from the fragments
+the foot must have been eleven feet long and about four feet ten inches
+wide. The statue measured twelve feet ten inches from the shoulder to
+the elbow, twenty-two feet four inches across the shoulders.
+
+The throne and the legs are quite destroyed. The figure is broken at the
+waist, and the upper part is thrown back on the ground. No one knows who
+erected or who destroyed this giant statue. We gazed at the ruin with
+astonishment, almost with awe.
+
+In a beautiful court, with a double row of columns, we saw some
+interesting sculpture. An enemy is flying from the Egyptians. The
+complexions and features of the men are quite different from those of
+the Egyptians. They are fleeing towards the river in chariots; some are
+represented as drowning in the river, and others as entreating for
+mercy. In the grand hall we saw another battle-scene.
+
+The great hall leads into a room with eight columns, which support the
+roof. On it are represented the Egyptian months, and on the wall are
+sacred arks borne by priests. The side walls of the temple are
+destroyed, so that the pillars are seen to great advantage.
+
+[Illustration: GRAND HARP.]
+
+We saw, too, the famous colossal statues; they are made of a hard stone,
+marked with black and red oxide of iron. The northern statue is called
+Salamet by the Arabs. It is the celebrated statue of Memnon, which was
+said to utter a sound of melody every morning at sunrise, and a mournful
+sound at sunset. The sides of the throne are ornamented with figures;
+they represent the god Nilus winding up a pedestal, over which is the
+name of the king who made them. The statues of his wife and mother are
+attached to the throne. We then went to the Temple of Medeénet Hįboo.
+The early Christians had a settlement here, and they used one of the
+deserted courts of the great temple for a church, hiding the idolatrous
+sculptures with a coat of mud. But a time of persecution came. The
+colony was invaded by Arabs, the Christians fled to the neighbourhood of
+Esneh, and the village of Medeénet Hįboo fell into ruins.
+
+We passed the palace of Rameses the Third, and went into the temple. Two
+fine pillars ornament the doorway which leads from the court into a
+corridor before the second doorway. Over this doorway there is a
+beautiful winged globe and serpent, the colouring of which still
+remains.
+
+This doorway leads into another corridor and afterwards into a small
+court. We looked at this court with great interest, because Mr. Roper
+told us that it was built by Tirhakeh, whose battles with Sennacherib we
+read of in the Bible.
+
+On the outside wall of the temple, King Rameses is represented in his
+chariot, attended by fan-bearers and lions, and advancing with his army.
+His enemies are defeated, and heaps of tongues are among the tokens of
+his victory.
+
+In another part, the king, while pursuing his enemy, is attacked by
+lions. He kills two with his arrows, and is on the point of killing
+another with his spear.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+WE GO TO ALEXANDRIA.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"And that is the last piece of journal we shall get, very likely," said
+our reader, as he folded up the packet again.
+
+"I hope not," said Lucy, "for I want to hear more about Rahaba."
+
+"And I want to hear about the temples and the statues, and how they got
+on past the first cataract."
+
+But no more news could be expected for some time. So, to amuse
+ourselves, we determined on paying a visit to Alexandria. The distance
+is about one hundred and thirty miles, and the railway being already
+opened, we went by train. The carriages had double roofs, as a
+protection from the sun; the upper roof was raised about a foot above
+the lower, on little iron pillars, so that a current of air could pass
+between the two roofs.
+
+[Illustration: BAGGAGE CAMEL.]
+
+On leaving Cairo we could see the high road. Hugh and Lucy were much
+amused with watching the strings of camels, tied one behind the other
+with ropes, and laden with large bales of cotton. There were sometimes
+as many as sixteen camels in one string; then we saw donkeys laden with
+various things for sale, and numbers of people carrying goods of
+different kinds. We saw a great many people, too, working in the fields.
+The country is fertile, and we thought the villages very pretty, peeping
+out from their groves of palm-trees.
+
+As we came near Alexandria the country became more sandy and less
+pretty.
+
+"Alexander the Great built Alexandria, did he not?" said Hugh.
+
+"Yes. And in old times it was very famous for its library."
+
+"Oh, yes," said Hugh, "I remember that; it had a museum with a library
+of I do not know how many volumes."
+
+"Yes, and besides the museum library there was another library in a
+splendid building called the 'Serapion.' The museum library was burnt
+during the wars of Julius Cęsar with the Alexandrians, and the
+'Serapion' library was destroyed by the orders of the Caliph Omar."
+
+"Why?" asked Hugh, in astonishment.
+
+"The caliph said that if the writings in these books agreed with those
+in the Koran they were useless, and that if they did not they were
+mischievous; so in any case they would be better destroyed than kept."
+
+"I think his reasoning was very foolish, though I suppose he meant it as
+very wise."
+
+"So do I. Two thousand of the volumes had belonged to the kings of
+Pergamos, and had been given by Marc Antony to Cleopatra."
+
+It was too late to see anything that evening, but we set off early the
+next morning. We first visited the pacha's palace. It faces the harbour,
+and has a fine view of it. We went through a small garden up a
+staircase, and then, on the upper floor, came to the pacha's apartments;
+these were very handsomely furnished. We saw beds with rich curtains of
+cloth of gold and silver, and large divans which were very handsome. In
+the dining-room the floor was of inlaid wood. The view from the balcony
+was very fine; but one of the things which we admired most was a
+beautiful table of Roman mosaic, representing all the most interesting
+monuments in Rome.
+
+After leaving the palace we went to see a garden belonging to the pacha.
+The garden was pretty, and we very much enjoyed our drive along the
+Mahmoudieh canal. We had some friends who lived in a villa not far off,
+and we called on them. After lunch the lady asked if we had ever ridden
+on a dromedary.
+
+We had not, and Hugh and Lucy were specially anxious to try what it was
+like. So the dromedary was ordered to come for us.
+
+It looked very handsome with its saddle of crimson velvet, from which
+splendid draperies of gold and silver stuff hung on all sides, with a
+number of silken cords, loops, and tassels.
+
+Most of us thought the motion very pleasant. But Lucy was a little
+frightened, and said she felt as if she was going to tumble over the
+dromedary's head. She would only go at a walk, which we thought a
+disagreeable pace. Hugh thought the dromedary's trot delightful, and
+wished he could always travel by dromedary, but Lucy thought a Cairo
+donkey very much to be preferred.
+
+[Illustration: DROMEDARY.]
+
+Almost everything that we see in Egypt reminds us of something we read
+of in the Bible. We seem to live among Bible pictures, which help us to
+understand the Bible and the customs it speaks of.
+
+We were pleasantly surprised the morning after this little visit to our
+friends at the villa to receive another packet of journal from the
+travellers. The last had been so long on the way that we scarcely
+expected to hear again from them before their return.
+
+We opened it eagerly, and were all excited to know how they had passed
+at least the first cataract.
+
+                          JOURNAL ON THE NILE.
+
+We wrote last from Thebes, which place we left the next morning. We were
+obliged to wait at Esneh for twenty-four hours for our sailors to bake
+bread. In the evening we saw at least twenty crocodiles pass our boat.
+
+We left Esneh with a fair wind, and stopped nowhere till we reached
+Assouan. Here we had to make our arrangements for passing the first
+cataract.
+
+The management of our boat was given over to the reis of the cataract.
+He provides men to help in taking us through the rapids. Whilst these
+arrangements were being made, we had time to see all that was worth
+seeing round Assouan.
+
+There was a gay scene on the quay. Large boats which had been damaged
+were undergoing repairs; others were being loaded and unloaded with
+bales of cotton, which are sent from here across the desert to Sennaar.
+Then there were the tents of the owners; groups of Nubian merchants in
+white turbans; natives of Assouan seated on the ground, smoking their
+chiboques; camels waiting for their loads; and donkeys which seemed as
+strong and lively as our Cairo favourites. Of course there was a
+terrible noise--shouting, screaming, quarrelling among the various
+sellers of arms, ornaments, and other things.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF GREAT TEMPLE AT ESNEH.]
+
+We hired donkeys and a good guide, and then set off to see the quarries
+of Syene. From these quarries the obelisks were cut which adorned the
+cities of Thebes, Memphis, and Heliopolis thousands of years ago. We
+passed the ruins of a burying-ground belonging to an old Saracen town
+which was desolated by the plague some hundreds of years ago, and very
+gloomy these ruins looked.
+
+On our way back we rode through the bazaar. There was nothing very gay
+for sale, but the people interested us. We saw a great many Berbers, a
+people quite unlike either the Arabs or the negroes. The Berbers live in
+Lower Nubia, and are a wild, fine-looking race. The men wear but little
+clothing; they all carry a small dagger, which is bound with a red
+leather bracelet round the left arm, above the elbow. They also wear a
+_fetish_, or charm, enclosed in a little red leather case. The women
+uncover their faces, and wear nose rings of either brass or bone. They
+also wear quantities of coloured bead necklaces and bracelets, brass
+ear-rings and finger-rings; and whenever they can get them, they wear
+gold or silver coins hanging on the foreheads. They tattoo their chins
+and dye their under-lips blue, which looks very ugly.
+
+To-day we crossed to the island of Elephanta. We went to the quarries,
+visited groups of tombs of sheikhs and dervishes, and the mosque of
+Amer. We had a delightful row round the island. Its groves of palms and
+its granite rocks are picturesque. But we were disappointed to see no
+flowers. The Nubian children offered us some pretty baskets for sale,
+and some Egyptian agates. We are bringing some of them back with us:
+amongst them a lovely little basket of palm leaves for Lucy.
+
+We sailed towards the cataract with a stiff breeze. The scenery was wild
+and beautiful. On the western side the sands of the Great Desert, yellow
+as gold, came to the water's edge, with dark masses of rock rising from
+them here and there. On the east, granite rocks rose one above the other
+in strange forms.
+
+With the help of about fifty Arabs, who shouted at the top of their
+voices as they hauled us by a thick rope, we passed the first little
+fall of the cataract. Then we passed a succession of rapids. It was an
+exciting passage. Great masses of granite towered round our little boat;
+sometimes we even struck against them, but not so as to do us any harm.
+The groups of Nubians were picturesque. Miss Roper has sketches of some
+of them swimming on palm logs.
+
+At length we came to the grand fall. At first our boat seemed to grow
+faint-hearted, and to make as though she would go back to Assouan. But
+our cataract reis was prepared for this. He seemed to be everywhere at
+once. He had thrown off his turban and looser clothes, and the activity
+with which he darted from place to place was wonderful. One minute he
+was in the boat, at another on shore pulling with the Arabs at the rope;
+the next, he was mounted on a rock in the middle of the rapids shouting
+to the Arabs and boatmen. Wherever there was danger, there was the reis
+ready to ward it off. At last the boat was clear of the last projecting
+rock; one long, strong pull from the men on shore, and she shot forward
+like an arrow into the smooth water.
+
+We anchored for the night at Mahatta, glad to be at peace from all the
+screaming and yelling which made the chorus during our passage through
+the rapids.
+
+At Mahatta we had a touching scene.
+
+Early in the morning a large boat laden with slaves came alongside of
+us. Mohammed told us that they were to be landed here, and to march to
+Assouan, to save the trouble of taking them down the cataract. At
+Assouan they will be put on board a boat for Cairo. There must have been
+at least fifty: men, women, children, and even little babies. About
+half-a-dozen Egyptian soldiers had them in charge. Poor things! they
+looked very miserable. Some were black and very ugly; some of a bronze
+colour: these were not so ugly, and many of the women were very
+graceful.
+
+It made us very sad to see these poor creatures, who were bought and
+sold like animals, without the knowledge of a Saviour and his love and
+mercy to support them in their sorrows. We longed to speak to them of
+Jesus Christ and his love; but, alas! they could not understand us, nor
+we them. Rahaba was crouched on deck by Miss Roper's side, and her eyes
+were flashing with eagerness.
+
+We asked Mohammed if anything could be done for their comfort. He took
+two men with him and brought back as many dates as they could carry for
+us to divide among the poor captives. Miss Roper and I went up to a
+group of women whom Rahaba had been watching. Rahaba attended her
+mistress. All at once Rahaba seized a baby from its mother's arms,
+kissed it, and fondled it. Then she and the young mother bent over it
+together and clasped each other's hands tightly and kissed each other.
+But there was no joy in their faces. Sad, silent tears trickled down
+their cheeks. Rahaba said a few words in a low, choking tone to the
+mother. Both looked pleased when Miss Roper took the baby in her arms.
+Our eyes filled with tears, and as Miss Roper leant over the sleeping
+child her tears too fell fast upon it. For a moment a gleam of hope
+seemed to shine on the poor mother. She asked Rahaba if the white girl
+was going to buy the baby. When she found that her baby could not stay
+with Miss Roper the large tears gathered in her eyes again, and chased
+each other down her cheeks.
+
+Miss Roper, who understands a few words of Rahaba's language, pointed to
+the sky, and told the mother that the great God loves little babies, and
+that he cares for slaves and loves those who are good and obedient. The
+poor girl folded her baby to her heart and shook her head sadly. The
+news seemed to her too good to be true.
+
+But Miss Roper tried again to make her believe it. All the rest of the
+time till the pioneers were ordered to march on, Rahaba and her sister
+negress crouched side by side in grief and despair. We could not comfort
+them, but we prayed that God would in his mercy bring them to know and
+love him and his Son Jesus Christ; and then they will be comforted for
+every sorrow.
+
+We rowed to Philę, the sacred island of the ancient Egyptians, in the
+evening; but it was too late for us to stay amongst the ruins. Early the
+following morning we left Mahatta. The weather was warm and pleasant,
+and on the third day the scenery began to be lovely. On both sides the
+banks of the river were fringed with castor-oil plants and prickly
+mimosa; above these we saw plantations of dates and palms. The fruits of
+these trees are the chief food of the Nubians.
+
+We passed near the capital of Nubia without landing. It is a large town,
+and the streets are wide and busy.
+
+We still had the desert on our left, but it was partly hidden by the
+broken hills fringed with acacias. The mountain Gebel Derr projects into
+the river; and for nearly three hours we coasted under broken rocks
+which rise straight up from the Nile.
+
+[Illustration: RUINS OF COLONNADE AT PHILĘ.]
+
+After this we saw acacias on the left bank of the river, and on the
+right groves of palm-trees. There were numbers of peasants to be seen;
+some walking, some riding. The men wore long white dresses and turbans,
+the women blue gowns.
+
+The wind was fair, and we hastened on, passing some places where there
+were interesting ruins without stopping, and at last anchored here at
+Wadee Halfeh.
+
+Miss Roper has been even more diligent than before in trying to teach
+Rahaba, who has looked very sad ever since we left Mahatta. To-day Miss
+Roper has been telling her the story of our Saviour's birth, and of his
+being laid in a manger; and how he, the King of glory, came to suffer
+and die for us sinners. Rahaba listens, but she shakes her head. She
+tries to understand and learn anything that Miss Roper teaches her. But
+it is only to please her mistress that she does this; and as yet she is
+no nearer to being a Christian than when she was in her own country.
+
+Directly after breakfast this morning we hired donkeys to take us to the
+second cataract. All was still and silent as we rode over the loose,
+shifting sand of the desert. Nothing living was to be seen. We passed
+some skeletons of dromedaries which had been bleached by the sun and
+wind. They made the silence and desolation seem the greater. After
+riding for about an hour and a half we came to the first rocky islands.
+About an hour more brought us to the Rock of Abousir.
+
+[Illustration: PAPYRUS ON THE NILE.]
+
+The view here was indeed grand. The second cataract covers a space of
+about seven miles in length. The river bursts its way among numberless
+rocky islets. Some of these are so small that they are hardly more than
+large stones; some are rocks of considerable size; others are larger,
+islands of rock and sand. Between them all the rapids rush headlong,
+throwing up their foam on every side. There are trees on some of the
+islands, and five of the largest at the northern extreme of the cataract
+are inhabited. Far off to the south we saw what looked like a dark-blue
+cloud, and were told that it was the mountains of Dongola. We wished
+that we could have gone to them.
+
+On the side next the cataract the Rock of Abousir is like a straight
+wall. On the desert side it is a succession of crags. We found the names
+of various celebrated travellers on these rocks, amongst others that of
+Belzoni. We gazed at them with a thrill of interest, and lingered long
+looking at the beautiful view and scanning the names of the travellers,
+great and small, who had visited the rock. What would we not have given
+at that moment to go farther and track the grand river to its source!
+But it was impossible! We must turn back at this point and begin our
+homeward journey down the Nile.
+
+Wadee Halfeh, the highest point we reached on our journey up the Nile,
+is very picturesque. The houses are built in groups, and most of them
+are surrounded by palm-groves. They are of mud, but are generally larger
+and cleaner than those of the Egyptian peasants. We went into one. Its
+mistress had a double row of plaits round her forehead, oiled to an
+extreme degree. The people are generally well dressed and appear
+comfortable.
+
+We left Wadee Halfeh at dawn, on our return down the river to Cairo, and
+arrived at Aboo Simbel, or Ipsambul as it is sometimes called, in time
+to see the temples before dusk. The sand-drifts of hundreds and hundreds
+of years had once covered these temples, so much so that nothing could
+be seen but the giant head of one statue. Burckhardt was the first
+traveller who discovered them. In the year, 1817, Belzoni, in company
+with Captain Irby and Captain Mangles, began to clear away the sand.
+
+There are two temples. In the small temple are six giant statues, three
+on each side of the door. On the walls are pictures. The temple was
+dedicated to the goddess Athor, and her emblem was a sacred cow. Mr.
+Roper told us that, in the inscriptions, the goddess is called "Lady of
+Aboshek," Aboshek being the ancient name of Aboo Simbel.
+
+The front of the large temple is adorned by four enormous statues. They
+are seated on thrones. The heads of two are nearly perfect, and so is
+the face of another. We were very much struck by them. On the arms there
+is an oval bearing the name of the great Rameses. Over the entrance we
+saw a large figure with a hawk's head. Mr. Roper told us that it is a
+figure of the god Re. He pointed out to us the figure of Rameses
+offering little images of Truth and Justice to the god.
+
+Mohammed had provided torches for us that we might see the inner
+chambers of the temple. The walls and ceilings were beautifully
+ornamented with hieroglyphic figures.
+
+These temples must have been very grand when in their beauty, for they
+are grand even now in their decay. As we walked through them our
+thoughts went back to the time when Egypt was in her glory, when princes
+worshipped their gods in these gorgeous temples, and when priests clad
+in splendid robes offered their sacrifices with all the pomp of grand
+processions. All have passed away. The temples of the false gods have
+fallen into ruin. The kings, and those who recorded their victories, are
+all gone. The giant ruins which are left only serve to show how great
+has been the decay.
+
+Thus, "the fashion, of this world passeth away, and the glory of man is
+as the flower of the grass; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever."
+The throne of our great and glorious God is in heaven; in that holy
+temple his faithful servants shall worship him through endless ages. It
+knows no decay and no change.
+
+[Illustration: EGYPTIAN TEMPLE.]
+
+After passing through several places of interest without stopping,
+because our time is getting short, we anchored last night at El Kab, and
+this morning started to see the tombs. They are about twenty minutes'
+ride from the spot where our boat is moored. In the larger grotto we saw
+curious coloured pictures of the occupations of the ancient Egyptians.
+In the first line the peasants are ploughing and sowing. There is a car
+in the field, which is supposed to show that the master has come out to
+overlook his workpeople.
+
+There is an inscription in hieroglyphics which was translated by
+Champollion thus:
+
+                     "Work, oxen, work,
+     Bushels for you and bushels for your master."
+
+In the second line, the peasants are reaping wheat and barley with a
+sickle, and pulling the doorą, a kind of corn, up by its roots.
+
+In the third line they are carrying the crops, and oxen are also
+treading out the ears of the wheat and barley. The doorą was not trodden
+out. It is represented as being bound in sheaves and carried to the
+threshing-floor, where the grain was stripped from the stalks with a
+pronged instrument.
+
+The hieroglyphics are thus translated by Birch in his _Egyptian
+Hieroglyphics_:
+
+      "Thrash ye for yourselves,
+       Thrash ye for yourselves, O oxen;
+       Thrash ye for yourselves,
+       Thrash ye for yourselves,
+       The straw which is yours,
+       The corn which is your master's."
+
+There are also pictures of winnowing, measuring, and homing the grain.
+
+Below are the asses, pigs, goats, cattle, belonging to the owner of the
+tomb. They are brought to be numbered and a list made of them by his
+scribes.
+
+In another part there are other scenes. There is a boat with a chariot
+on board. There are also men fishing, catching geese, and salting fish
+and geese. There is also a party of guests.
+
+Then in the last compartment is the funeral procession of the owner of
+the tomb--the end of all things for him. This, with some religious
+subjects, take up the remainder of the wall. We noticed that the
+Egyptian boats were large and handsomely painted--large enough to take a
+chariot and its two horses on board.
+
+On the opposite side of the tomb the owner and his wife are seated, with
+a pet monkey close to them, tied. They are entertaining a party of
+guests, the men and women sitting separate; servants are handing round
+refreshments, and musicians, with a double pipe and a harp, are amusing
+the company.
+
+These pictures of the home-life and manners of the early Egyptians have
+interested us very much. I certainly prefer them to the battle scenes
+and pictures of sacrifices to their gods.
+
+Leaving El Kab, we next stopped at Esneh. Our sailors have been baking
+bread here. They bring it from the oven and spread it on the roof of the
+cabins, where the wind and sun dry it into a sort of biscuit.
+
+We landed to see the temple. It is very perfect, and the pillars are of
+great beauty. They are about fifty feet high, and are covered with
+hieroglyphics. There are four rows of pillars, six in each row. On the
+ceiling is a zodiac, and the walls are covered with sculpture.
+
+The villa built here by Mohammed Ali is well worth a visit. It is on the
+bank of the river below the town. A flight of stone steps leads up to a
+terrace, which is shaded by acacias and other shrubs. The palace stands
+in a garden; the entrance and chief rooms are large and high, and have
+carved wooden roofs. The pacha's rooms are very comfortably furnished,
+with carpets, divans, and every sort of luxury. We saw numbers of lemon,
+orange, cypress, acacia, and palm-trees in the garden, and hedges of
+Cape jessamine. Below the palace there is a delightful walk on the bank
+of the Nile. Altogether it is a charming retreat.
+
+We have now an opportunity of sending letters. They will be the last you
+will have. For we shall delay nowhere on our way back after we have
+again visited the temples at this place. You may expect us in two days
+after this packet arrives.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"So they are really coming back," said Lucy; "I am so glad. I want very
+much to see Rahaba."
+
+Hugh, who was more taken up with sight-seeing at that moment, began to
+make his calculations as to how much we should be able to see before the
+Nile party reached Cairo.
+
+We determined to lose no time, but to set off early in the morning to
+see Pompey's Pillar, and such other sights as we could. The day after,
+we must go back to Cairo to meet our friends.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+We wished to make the most of our day in Alexandria; and, at Lucy's
+request, went first to see Cleopatra's Needle, which, as Lucy observed,
+is not a needle, but an obelisk of red granite, about seventy feet high.
+There were two, but one has fallen.
+
+Sandys, an Egyptian traveller of a hundred years ago, calls this obelisk
+"Pharaoh's Needle." Even in his day the other had fallen. It was so
+nearly buried in sand that we could only see part of the top of it. The
+two obelisks are supposed to have been brought from Heliopolis by one of
+the Cęsars, to adorn the city of Alexandria.
+
+We next went to "Pompey's Pillar." It is more than ninety feet high. We
+were quite angry with the foolish people whose vanity has made them
+scribble their names on the pedestal.
+
+"I am very glad that all the people who have disgraced themselves so are
+not English," said Hugh.
+
+So we all were, if one could feel glad about anything so discreditable.
+There were French and Italian names there as well as English.
+
+[Illustration: MARKETING IN ALEXANDRIA.]
+
+About two miles beyond the Rosetta Gate we came to Cęsar's Camp. It was
+here that Augustus Cęsar defeated Antony's followers. We saw some
+remains of towers and walls. This spot also had a still greater interest
+for us English as being the place on which Sir Ralph Abercrombie fell,
+in the famous battle on the 21st of March, 1801.
+
+In the afternoon we went over the "mosque of the thousand and one
+columns." This mosque is said to stand on the spot where the church of
+St. Mark once stood, and where the evangelist St. Mark was put to death.
+The church was destroyed by the Moslems in the year 121, in the reign of
+Malek el Kamel, and whilst the crusaders were besieging Damietta.
+
+We passed another large mosque, the Mosque of St. Athanasius. From this
+mosque was taken the sarcophagus called "The Tomb of Alexandria," which
+is now in the British Museum.
+
+The next day we returned to Cairo, and on the day following our Nile
+travellers arrived. A very happy meeting it was. They had stayed one day
+at Luxor, to see the temples there, and had then hastened back to Cairo
+as quickly as they could.
+
+We were all very much interested in Rahaba. To Lucy's delight, the
+little girl seemed to take a great liking for her. Before Hugh and Lucy
+left, they had taught her the hymn which begins,--
+
+        "Jesus who lives above the sky,
+         Came down to be a man and die."
+
+Miss Roper thought of asking for admission for Rahaba into the Mission
+School, and said she would take her first to see it. But Rahaba's eyes
+streamed with tears when it was spoken of, and she pleaded so hard that
+she might not be taken from Miss Roper, that the idea was given up.
+
+Mr. and Miss Roper took her with them to England. The prayers of us all
+are offered daily that God would send a blessing on Miss Roper's labours
+to make Rahaba a Christian. We believe that our prayers will be heard,
+for Jesus Christ's sake, and that Rahaba will learn to love the gracious
+Saviour who died to save us. For he has said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask
+in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
+
+                  LONDON: R. K. BURT AND CO., PRINTERS.
+
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note:
+
+A List of Illustrations has been added for those illustrations
+that were captioned.
+
+The first letter of each chapter had a drop cap, which is not
+reproduced here.
+
+Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
+
+Two instances of the oe-ligature were changed to "oe".
+
+The following corrections were made:
+
+On page 11, "wearilv" was changed to "wearily".
+
+On page 12, "th" was changed to "the".
+
+On page 74, "soun" was changed to "sound".
+
+On page 90, the caption for the illustration "Egyptian Loom" was
+reformated for better readability.
+
+On page 113, "wa" was changed to "was".
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT WE SAW IN EGYPT***
+
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