A VISIT TO THE SPRINGS OF MOSES
The utility of the Maud was fully demonstrated at Suez, if there had
been any doubt of it before, as a tender, and Captain Ringgold
recognized it especially at this time; for the question of taking her
out of the water, and giving her a place on the upper deck, had been
referred to this point in the voyage, and it was yet to be settled.
Port Ibrahim is the walled basin south-west of Port Tewfik, or
Terreplein as the French call it, extending out to the deep water of the
Gulf of Suez. The shores are bordered with a shoal in every part. To a
practical person the motive of De Lesseps in avoiding the city of Suez
was probably to strike the water at the deepest point, rather than
political.
The party took their places in the standing-room of the Maud, which had
been prepared for their reception. The "Big Four" were again in their
element, though the pilot had everything his own way. A channel
describes about a quarter of a circle from the deep water and the very
end of the canal to the north side of the city, in which there is depth
enough for the smaller class of vessels engaged in its commerce.
Most of these crafts were dhows, similar to the felucca with which the
party had become familiar in the Archipelago, and the boys observed one
just astern of them with great interest. They are used on the Malabar
Coast in the East Indies as well as in the Red Sea, where it is called a
_baggala_, though dhow is the more common name in the far East. They are
over two hundred tons burden, and of all sizes below that. They have
been used for commerce and piracy, which is also true of the felucca of
the Mediterranean.
"She sails like the wind," said Captain Scott, after they had looked the
craft over.
"She is bigger than the Samothraki, whose acquaintance we made in
Pournea Bay," added Morris.
"I have read something of the craft in stories about the Malays; and a
craft of that sort suggests piracy to me every time, especially since
our experience in the Archipelago," replied Scott.
"There are no pirates up here," said the pilot with a laugh, for he
spoke English and understood all that was said.
"What do those dhows bring up here?" asked Louis.
"Coffee from the ports of Arabia, spices, gums, senna, rose-leaves, and
other drugs and perfumes," replied the pilot.
"What becomes of these articles then?"
"Some of them are used in Suez; but most of them go by the railroad to
Cairo, or other parts of Egypt, and I suppose some of them get to
Europe and America."
"They are all rather costly merchandise, and one of those dhows can
carry a big freight of them," added Louis, as he went aft, for Miss
Blanche was there.
The pilot brought the Maud up to the custom-house quay; and the dhow,
which was not far behind the little steamer, came alongside the pier
near her. The company landed, and proceeded to do the town. The pilot
appeared to be a Frenchman, and he volunteered to act as a guide for the
strangers. They found the streets very narrow, and not in the best
condition. They passed over to the south side of the city, where they
obtained a fine view of the Gulf of Suez.
"Across the water you see the Ataka Mountains, about 2,700 feet high;
and sometimes they show the colors of the garnet and amethyst. A fine
view is obtained from the top of them, but it would give you a hard
climb," said the guide. "On the other side of the bay it is Asia, Arabia
Petræa."
"We shall go down to the Springs of Moses to-morrow," added the
commander. "Are you a pilot in that direction?"
"In all directions, Captain," answered the pilot. "Here is the Hotel
Suez quite near us, if you wish to visit it."
"We have no occasion to do so."
"It is a first-class house, fitted up in English style, and kept by a
German."
"What is the price there by the day?" asked the captain from curiosity.
"Sixteen shillings for the best fare."
"Four dollars a day."
"But they have two prices. I have been to New York, and over some of
America, as I have over the rest of the world, and I know your money.
For people like yourself, who want the best, breakfast or tiffin is one
dollar."
"Breakfast or what?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"Tiffin," the commander explained. "It means luncheon, and is used by
English people in India."
"Dinner a dollar and a half. The rooms are at different prices. For the
second-class fare the prices are just half as much as the first."
"There are a couple of the waiters," said Mrs. Woolridge. "They are
nice-looking men, not very black."
"They come from India, and make better servants than Arabs," added the
guide.
"How slender their forms, and what delicate features they have!"
exclaimed the New York lady.
"You are likely to see a good many of them in the course of the next
month or two," suggested the captain, as the walk was continued in the
town. "The houses are about the same as they were in other parts of
Egypt, and they have the same ornamented lattices behind which the
ladies inside can see you without being seen."
The party looked into the quarters of the Arabian sailors, consisting
of low hovels, but did not enter. The population of the town is now
about 15,000. Before the time of the canal, it was an Arab village of
1,500, with low mud shanties. It was like the desert around it; for no
water was there to brighten the foliage, if there was any, for not a
tree or a plant was to be seen. The water used was of poor quality,
brought from the Springs of Moses by camels and donkeys. It was a
poverty-stricken place. But the opening of the fresh-water canal from
the Nile vivified everything, and vegetation has come into being since
this event.
The party examined this canal, to which the place is so much indebted
for its present appearance, as well as no little of its prosperity. It
is six and a half feet above the level of the Red Sea, and its flow into
the conduits for the supply of the city, as well as the waste into the
sea, is regulated by a large lock, with gates. Near this they found the
camel-camp, and not less than five hundred of these animals were there
at the time; and the pilot said he had seen as many as a thousand of
them there at once. They form the caravans to and from Arabia and Egypt,
as well as into Syria.
The tourists climbed a little hill near the château of the Khedive, from
which they obtained a fine view of the surroundings, which included
parts of Asia and of Africa. This elevation is said to be the site of
the ancient Clysma, a fortified place, built to protect the ancient
canal of Darius. The party, especially the "Cupids," were beginning to
be fatigued; and the guide conducted them to the pier, which is a
notable feature of the locality.
"This pier is a mile and three-quarters in length, and reaches over to
Port Ibrahim, conveying there a conduit from the fresh-water canal,"
said the pilot in a perfunctory manner, as though he had had
considerable experience as a guide. "It is forty-eight feet wide, and is
built of artificial stone, like the great piers at Fort Said. It is
erected on a sand-bank, which curves around in the shape you see the
pier. The land you observe at the end of it, about fifty acres of it,
was made out of the earth dug out of the canal. The building you see
near the shore is a mosque; and there are several others. We will walk
along the shore to the little steamer."
The travellers were occasionally assailed by a mob of donkey-boys; but
no notice of them was taken, and they reached the Hotel Suez near the
landing-place. The guide pointed out an island near the shore on which
was located the English Cemetery. There are at the west of the town an
English and a French hospital. The party embarked, and the guide went to
the pilot house. In a few minutes more they were on board of the ship.
It was not yet dinner time, and the arrangements for the trip to the
Springs of Moses were made. In the evening, attended by the pilot, Felix
and Captain Scott went over to the town again, instructed to visit the
hotels and ascertain, if they could, whether the veiled Arab was
lodging at any of them. While they were absent the company in the cabin
reviewed the pilgrimage of the Israelites, and the events which led to
the receiving of the Law by Moses on Mount Sinai, in which the commander
conducted the inquiry, and read many passages from Exodus and Numbers.
About ten o'clock in the evening Captain Scott and Felix reported the
result of their mission. The pilot was well acquainted with the keeper
of the Hotel Suez, and the information desired had been readily
obtained. A person answering to the description, though he wore no veil,
had come to the hotel. He was suffering much pain from a lame shoulder,
and had gone to the French hospital for treatment. They had inquired
about "Monsieur Abdelkhalik," as he had given his name at the hotel, and
were informed that he was "comfortable," which was all the attendants
would say.
The commander sent for Dr. Hawkes, and told him about his former
patient. Mazagan had been very imprudent and even reckless, and his
present condition was simply what might have been expected, was the
doctor's reply. He might be out again in a week, not sooner, and might
not for a month. The captain was satisfied there would be no further
movement on the part of the pirate while he remained at Suez.
After breakfast the party embarked again in the Maud. Four sailors in
charge of Knott were sent on board, and the first cutter of the ship was
taken in tow, to be used in making the landing. The men remained on the
forecastle, and the pilot and Knott were already good friends. But the
"Big Four" were requested to stay with the party at the stern. The
little steamer went out of the basin and down the canal to the bay. As
soon as she came into the open water, the commander took the floor.
"On your right is Africa; on your left is Asia. You have probably had
enough of Egypt, and now we will confine our attention to Asia; and we
have pleasant Asiatic breezes from the east this morning. The country on
your left is Arabia, and nearest to you is the Peninsula of Sinai. It
has the Gulf of Suez on its west shore, and the Gulf of Akaba on its
east coast. I spoke to you of Brugsch's theory that the Israelites
journeyed east, with some diversions by divine command, till they came
to the Sarbonic Lake, in which he said that Pharaoh and his host
perished.
"Now you are on that portion of the Red Sea where it is more generally
believed that the fugitives crossed and Pharaoh's army was ingulfed. The
king heard that the wanderers had not passed the fortifications on the
isthmus, and he believed they were 'entangled in the land.' Then he
began the pursuit, with 'the six hundred chosen chariots.' The
Israelites fled before him, and crossed the waters in the manner
described in the Scriptures.
"Setting aside the miracle of the parted waves, there are still doubting
critics who affirm that they crossed the gulf at low tide on these
sands where the pier is built, as was frequently done by caravans before
the canal was built. The Egyptians continued the pursuit, reaching the
gulf before the tide turned, and attempted to follow them; but a strong
south-west gale sprang up, driving the waters furiously before it, to
the utter destruction of the whole army and its chariots.
"But I accept the narrative as it is written (Exodus xiv.); and I should
like to argue the case with any one who takes the view of Brugsch, or
other critics who try to explain the miracle on natural grounds."
The pilot anchored the Maud as near the shore as the depth would permit,
and the party were taken ashore by the sailors in the cutter. The
springs are about a mile from the landing, and the walk through the sand
of the desert was trying to the ladies and to the fat gentlemen. The
pilot acted as guide.
"Ain Musa, as it is called, is an oasis a mile and a quarter in
circumference. As you see, it is covered with date-palms, tamarisks, and
acacias, and everything grows luxuriantly," the Frenchman began. "The
Arabs who live in the mud hovels you see, raise fine vegetables here;
and, like all Arabs, they will expect a bakshish."
The springs were found to consist of several pools of rather muddy
water. The largest of them, shut in by an old wall, is said to be the
one called forth by the rod of Moses from the rock; but the tradition
is accommodating, and, if you choose, it is the one whose bitter waters
were sweetened by the casting in of the tree.
The party had brought a luncheon with them, and it was served by Sparks
at the usual hour. They had a delightful time under the trees, and
listened to an explanation by the professor of the natural formation of
the springs. In the middle of the afternoon they embarked, and returned
to the ship in the canal basin.