"I'm afraid you are counting on an impossibility," said Doctor Bronson, who had overheard the conversation. "What will please one will not please another, and you can never do your work so that somebody will not find fault with it. And there are some critics who prefer to say spiteful things, and will search a book from beginning to end to find something they can object to. If you ever write a book you must expect abuse. Do your work well, satisfy your own conscience, give your book to the public, and leave the result to take care of itself."
When the perusal of the letters was over the youths went to bed and slept soundly, despite many dreams of friends at home, mingled with pyramids, temples, tombs, mummies, Arabs, deserts, valleys, and other things and places that had come under their observation since their arrival in Cairo. They were up in good time the next morning arranging for speedy departure from the City of the Caliphs, as the Doctor had informed them it was necessary to take the afternoon train for Alexandria.
"Here is our plan," said the Doctor, as they sat down to breakfast. "We will take the train at noon, and be in Alexandria four hours later; the distance is a hundred and twenty miles, and the train is a fast one. We will have a day in Alexandria, and then take the steamer for Jaffa. From Jaffa we will go to Jerusalem, and from that city make the tour of the Holy Land, arranging our route according to circumstances."
The boys were delighted with the proposal, and were ready at the appointed time. There were no incidents of consequence in the railway journey. The boys looked earnestly at the pyramids and the tall minarets of the Mosque of Mohammed Ali as the train bore them away toward the sea, and left Cairo behind them. They were bidding farewell to ancient Egypt, and we cannot wonder that they had many regrets in so doing.
THE BARRAGE OF THE NILE.
They passed near the "Barrage," an extensive structure which was intended for a dam across the Nile to check the overflow of water during the inundation, and retain it till it was wanted for purposes of irrigation after the falling of the river. This great work was projected and begun during the time of Mohammed Ali, and an immense amount of money has been expended upon it. It consists of a long line of arches across the river, and the plan was to arrange gates at the openings of the arches, so that the flow of the water could be checked or allowed at pleasure. It has never been completed: the engineers say there was an error in the original calculations, and if the arches were closed, so as to raise the river to the proposed height, the force of water would sweep away the entire structure.
The Barrage has been partially utilized, and it is said that the government contemplates its completion by strengthening the work, so that it will retain the water as desired. There is no doubt that it would be of great advantage to Lower Egypt, as it would largely increase its productiveness. There is a story that Abbas Pacha once suggested to a French engineer to pull down the pyramids and use the material for constructing the Barrage. The engineer was horrified at the idea, as he said it would cause him to be execrated by the whole world, and his name would go down to posterity covered with disgrace for having destroyed the finest monument of ancient Egypt.