CHAPTER XLIV—ADVENTURES IN UPPER EGYPT.—FUN AND FROLIC WITH THE NATIVES.
Siout, the Capital of Upper Egypt—The Pasha’s Palace—An Egyptian Market-day—A Swift Boat—Going the rounds on a Donkey—Town Scenes—The Bazaars—Buying a Donkey—Tinkers, Peddlers, and Cobblers at work—A Curiosity Shop—Three Card Monte in the land of the Pharaohs—Fighting the Tiger—The Professor takes a Hand—An ignominious Defeat—A doleful Tale—A River where the Wind is always fair—The Temple and Tablet of Abydos—“Backsheesh” as a Medicine—Arab Villages in an Inundation—The Garden of the Valley—Fun with the Natives—A constant resource fora Practical Joker—Scrambling for Money—A severe Joke.
SIOUT, or Assiout, is a large town, with about twenty-five thousand inhabitants, among whom there are said to be not far from a thousand Christians. Its bazaars are quite extensive, and some of them reminded me of those of Cairo.
The town stands a couple of miles from the river, and there is a broad avenue leading to it, with a border of fine shade trees. The entrance to the town is through an old gateway, that is quite picturesque, and evidently formed a strong defence at the time it was erected.
Siout is the capital of the province of the same name, and the most important town of Upper Egypt. It contains some handsome mosques, several baths and some fine houses, all in the Arab style. It was formerly a great resort for caravans from Darfoor and other places in the interior of Africa, but latterly the trade with those regions is much reduced.
It was an hour before our mid-day meal when we reached the town, and immediately after lunch we mounted the waiting donkeys—much better than those at Beni-Hassan—and started out.