"Then came the coffin on a bier, supported on the shoulders of four men, and covered with a red shawl; the bearers were changed every few minutes, and those who were relieved took their places in the group behind the blind men. Behind the bier were several women, who frequently shrieked as if in great grief. I was told that some of them were the family of the dead man, and the rest were mourners who had been hired, according to the custom of the country. From long practice in their profession they were able to shriek louder than the real mourners.
"The funeral of a rich man is sometimes preceded by three or four camels laden with provisions that are to be given at the tomb to any poor people who may ask for them. Then there will be a good many people in the procession, including men who have been invited to the funeral, and members of several religious sects, each delegation being not less than four. Sometimes the flags of some of the orders of dervishes will be carried in the procession, and the line is closed by servants leading two or three horses.
"The party generally stops at a mosque, where prayers are said, and the first chapter of the Koran is repeated by a priest, and then it moves on to the cemetery. The ceremony at the tomb is very brief, and consists of a few prayers and the wailing of the hired mourners. The blind men and boys who have accompanied the procession receive their pay as soon as the body is laid in the ground, and then the funeral is supposed to be ended."
[Chapter XI.]
ASCENDING THE NILE.—SIGHTS AND SCENES ON THE RIVER.
Having explored Cairo and its neighborhood to their satisfaction, our friends turned their attention to the Nile. They wished to make a voyage up the mysterious river as far as the first cataract. The time at their disposal did not permit them to plan a more extended journey.
They found on investigation that there were two ways of ascending the Nile, and each had its advantages and disadvantages.