What We Saw in Egypt

by Anonymous

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.

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.