The color of the desert mountains on the southern horizon varied from white to yellow and purple, and from yellow and purple back again to white. Frank said that some of them seemed to be composed of amethysts and garnets, mixed and melted together in a gigantic crucible. The Doctor told him he was not the first to make such a description, as the idea had occurred to previous travellers, some of whom thought the mountains were composed of all kinds of precious stones mingled with glass. The dazzling appearance of these elevations had led many persons to explore them in search of gems; but of all these explorers none had ever found the fortune he sought.
As they approached Ismailia there were signs of vegetation on the banks of the Fresh-Water Canal, and near the town they came to some pretty gardens which have been created since the opening of the Canal. While the works of the Canal were in progress Ismailia was an active town, with a considerable population, but at present many of its buildings are unoccupied, and there is a general appearance of desolation. There are a few cottages near the banks of Lake Timsah, and of late years the town has obtained popularity with some of the European residents of Cairo, who go there for the sake of the salt-water bathing. The air is clear and dry, the water is of the deep blue of the united seas, and is generally of an agreeable temperature, while it has the smoothness of an inland lake, and is not popular with sharks or any other disagreeable inhabitants of tropical waters. The current created by the changes of the tide between the two seas is sufficient to keep the water from becoming stagnant, but is not strong enough to interfere with navigation or disturb the bather.
DESERT SCENE IN EASTERN EGYPT.
After a brief halt at the station the train moved off in the direction of Cairo, and for an hour or more the views from the windows of the railway-carriage were remarkable in their character. On one side of the train the naked desert filled the picture, with its endless stretch of sand; on the other the gardens on the banks of the Fresh-Water Canal were marvels of luxuriance. The richest soil in the world lay side by side with the most desolate, and our friends agreed that they had never seen so marked a contrast during a ride on a railway train. The Doctor explained that the abundant vegetation was due to the wonderful fertilizing power of the Nile water, and said it was no wonder that the ancient Egyptians worshipped the river, and attributed all their wealth and prosperity to its influence.
At Zagazig the train stopped an hour or more for dinner, and there was a change of carriages for the passengers destined for Cairo. Zagazig is the junction of the lines for Cairo and Alexandria, and since the opening of the railway the town has become of considerable importance. A great deal of cotton is raised in the vicinity, and in some years not less than fifty thousand tons of that article are sent from the station. The country around here is very fertile, and is said to be the Goshen of the Bible. The ruins of the ancient town of Bubastis are about a mile from Zagazig, but they are so slight as to be unworthy a visit. Bubastis was an important place two thousand years ago, and was famous for a festival to which more than half a million pilgrims went every year.
For the remaining fifty-two miles from Zagazig to Cairo the route lay through a fertile country, and only occasional glimpses were afforded of the desert. Boats and barges were moving on the Canal, some of them carrying the local products of the country to Cairo or Ismailia, while others were laden with coal and other foreign importations which find a market among the Egyptians. The boys were interested in the processes of irrigating the lands, and eagerly listened to the Doctor's explanation of the matter. Before reaching Zagazig they had seen some men at work dipping water by means of buckets suspended from poles, and emptying it into basins formed by excavations on the banks; they were told that this apparatus for hoisting water was called a "shadoof," and had been in use from the most ancient days of Egypt.
