"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.
