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.
