Departure from Cairo — Ascending the Nile — Invasion of rats — Our
dragoman and retinue — The Pyramids — Nile etiquette — An evening on
shore — The Tombs of Beni Hassan — The first crocodile — Shock of
earthquake.
A lovely full moon rose clear and calm on the blue sky, shedding its
silver radiance over the islet of Rhoda, and its dark green woods, and
over the calm and majestic Nile, which looked like a stream of light. On
the other side, the sun sank behind the hills, leaving his last rays,
upon the stately minarets of Cairo, whose groves of tall date-trees grew
darker every instant. The huge sails were loosed, and expanded to a mild
breeze, that had just strength enough to blow out the folds of our
Union-Jack, which waved proudly over our heads. It was an exciting
moment, but I cannot say that it was wholly free from melancholy; for
while we looked up the mysterious river with eager impatience for the
wonders we anticipated, we could not but feel, when our anchor was
hauled, that we threw off our last hold of society and completely
severed ourselves from all communication with our friends and country,
for we had crossed the confines of barbarism.
It was late before I went to bed, and I had scarcely fallen asleep, when
I was aroused by a pressure on my feet. At first, I thought some one
must be sitting upon my bed and was about to remonstrate but a sudden
squeaking undeceived me, and there I discovered that the intruders were
three enormous rats, which had settled themselves very comfortably on
the coverlet. Fortunately my boots were at hand, and I flung one into
the midst of them, on which they scampered off in great dismay,
vehemently protesting against such uncourteous treatment. I then got up,
and barricaded the door, in which I was assisted by one of our servants;
these men being rare specimens of their class, now claim a word of
notice.
Abdel Fateeh el Daireh, our dragoman, is a native of Ossioot. He was
recommended to us by the English Consul, Mr. Walne, and can produce a
heap of testimonials, all commending him in the highest terms, some
particularly lauding him as a lady’s man, in which light he was
certainly most attentive to our own ladies. He has attended several
distinguished characters, and been mentioned with praise in some well-
known works on Egypt. Being thus eminent in his vocation, the reader may
wish to hear what he is like, and I am but too glad to find a niche for
him in these ephemeral pages.
Daireh is thirty years of age, is not stout, and is about five feet
seven inches in height. His face, which is rather long, has the usual
Eastern expression of gravity and is adorned with scanty outlines of a
beard, moustache, and whiskers, apparently destined, spite of the pains
bestowed on them, never to arrive at luxuriance. A gay handkerchief
covers one eye, which he has lost by ophthalmia; the other beams out
kindly and bright. He wears a suit of fine brown cloth, à la Turque, and
a dashing red tarboosh. Daireh speaks Italian, French, English, Turkish,
and Arabic; harangues the crew, waits at table, washes up, and performs
a dozen other inestimable duties; charging for the same the sum of
thirty dollars a month, which those who know him consider very
reasonable.
Next comes Mahomet el Daireh, the brother of the dragoman. He is a good
valet, and when required, an excellent cook; is very clean and willing.
He speaks Italian and Arabic, and can wash, wait, and cut hair. He lets
out his services at ten dollars a month.
Our cook was Abbas, esteemed the best on the Nile, and the same who
attended Miss Martineau and Mr. Yates. He is a very handsome man, and
his dinners might be compared with any in the best restaurants of Paris.
His wages were twenty dollars a month.
Our fourth native servant was an Arab boy, whom we had impressed into
our service; and who, after being well washed, and dressed in a new suit
of clothes, made a most respectable page. Under the tutelage of the
servants, he became very useful, and especially excelled in lighting
pipes.
I should now add, that each boat had a reis or captain, a pilot, and a
crew of twelve men, all of whom were restricted from entering the cabin.
An order was also issued prohibiting smoking abaft the drawing-room, in
consequence of the proximity of the powder magazine.
After my first night on board, I rose early, and by six in the morning
was on deck. The sun was already high in the heavens, pouring his
dazzling beams over the sky, and making wood, field, and river sparkle
with light. We had advanced but little during the night, Cairo, where we
had spent so many pleasant hours, was still only three miles distant.
Its thousand cupolas and minarets, its marble palaces, and winding
streets, its groves and gardens watered by refreshing fountains, could
still be seen, spread out against the hills; hills that had looked down
on the wide plain for fifty centuries, unmoved by the fall of empires,
of dynasties, and of nations.
Mahomet made us some coffee and maccaroni, and we went on shore, taking
our guns, in case we should start any game. We passed through a number
of date plantations, and several villages, in one of which, called
Turnond, we found a manufactory of indigo. The country was so
interesting, and the objects so novel, that we were induced to walk a
considerable distance, beguiling the way with an occasional shot, by
which we brought down a crow, an owl, and several doves and hoopies. At
half-past nine we returned on board to breakfast, which on the Nile is a
perfect banquet; ours spoke volumes for the skill and proficiency of the
renowned Abbas.
After breakfast, we passed the pyramids of Abou-seer, Sakara, and
Dashour, and then beheld the mountains from which the stone used in
their construction had been excavated. We did not stop, intending, in
accordance with the established usage, to examine them narrowly on our
return. The landscape, as we advanced, became strikingly picturesque.
From the deck we could see a great distance—the banks of the river, now
at its highest point, rising but little above the level of the water,
and opening to view a wide sweep of richly cultivated land, interspersed
with villages and groves of date trees. Some interesting spot
continually presented itself, surpassing all that we could imagine of
Nile scenery. As day closed, the Mokatam mountains, on the east side of
the river, lent a thousand new features to the landscape, elevating
their rugged and fantastic peaks into the sky, to which the moon gave a
clearness and softness of tone impossible to describe. Surrounded by
such objects, we could scarcely tear ourselves from the deck; for even
at midnight—so marvellous is the light of the moon—this land of beauty
does not veil its charms.
The wind dying away, we were tracked up the river for some hours, at a
very good speed, by our active crews; they were at last relieved by a
fine fresh breeze, which carried us cheerily onward. We found the
scenery as interesting as on the previous day, though rather flat.
Striking objects, however, were not wanting; and the False Pyramid on
one side, and on the other a range of irregular rocky hills, stretching
far into the desert, varied its character. We anchored at about 8 P.M.
The next morning, a brisk wind earned us up to Benisooef, a large town,
situated on a picturesque bend of the river. It peeps out from a grove
of mimosas, of great size, that screen with their rich, green foliage
all the Arab quarter, disclosing only the dwellings of the wealthy,
among which two large white palaces, are pre-eminent. The mimosas yield
a delicious fragrance, that was wafted to us over the rippling water; on
looking round, I counted no less than fifteen plantations of date-trees.
We flew swiftly past, impelled by the fairest wind we had yet obtained,
aided by a spirit of emulation in the respective boats’ crews, growing
out of the most ridiculous rivalry. The race tested the relative sailing
qualities of the boats, and it was ascertained, on a comparison of the
result with their feats on other occasions, that “The Eagle” carried the
palm in a high wind, but in a mild or light air, “The Fanny” was her
equal, or even superior. This, as “The Eagle” was a Pasha’s yacht,
exceeded our most sanguine expectations; but I should not omit to say
that she was far the most heavily laden, as she carried all our stores.
The racing was kept up all day, and sometimes very unfairly: “The
Eagle,” on one occasion, in trying to get the bank, where there is less
current, ran her second mast straight through our mainsail, and tore it
to shreds. We had several other collisions, but this, the most serious
of all, obliged us to anchor for five hours, in order to repair the
tattered sail.
It can never be said that Nile travelling is tedious or irksome. With a
fair wind, the boats move rapidly along, and one finds abundance of
amusement in contemplating the changing scenery, so full of novelty and
interest, or watching the amusements of the crew. When the light breeze
dies away, leaving the broad and deep river beautifully calm, and the
tall woods silent and stationary, the traveller can go on shore with his
gun, and stroll through fields, meeting with abundance of objects to
engage his attention.
Our boats communicated with each other about four times a day. Generally
this could be done without difficulty, but in a very high wind, the task
was not so easy. “The Eagle” then came before us, and letting her gig
drift astern, we jumped into it, and were towed alongside, returning to
her consort in the same way.
Off Benisooef, we were entertained by a ludicrous demonstration of Nile
etiquette. It is the custom, it should seem, in passing this place, to
give the crews a dollar to buy a sheep. The douceur was thankfully
received by the crew of “The Fanny,” but as “The Eagle’s” men were
employed by Government, the reis, after some hesitation, thought it
would be _infra dig_ to accept it, and declined. The men, however, were
not so particular as their captain; his conduct gave rise to a very
lively debate, ending in a compromise, by which it was agreed that the
present should be increased to two dollars, when it might be accepted
with perfect propriety. But this arrangement was decided on without
reference to a very important party—namely, the donor; he naturally
demurred, considering it unreasonable that the dignity of these men
should be maintained at his expense, and refused to advance a farthing
beyond the dollar. We considered the affair at an end; but in this were
premature, for soon afterwards the crew, wisely resolving to pocket
their dignity, sent a deputation to my father, and carried off the
dollar!
On the third day from Cairo, we for the first time saw several pelicans,
and flocks of herons. Next day, owing to the lightness of the winds, we
made but little progress. About half past five we anchored off a
miserable village: in the evening my brother and myself went on shore,
accompanied by Mahomet, and bent our steps to the coffee-house. There,
to our surprise, we found the crews of our two boats, drinking coffee
and smoking; we could not refrain from joining them with a pipe, while
we contrived, through the medium of Mahomet, to engage some of them in
conversation. The moon was glancing through the branches of the date
trees with a light so serene, it gave an air of holiness to the entire
landscape, which was marked by the most attractive features of Eastern
scenery. In the midst flowed the Nile, reflecting the stars of heaven,
winding past a village on her opposite shore, which reposed under the
shade of a forest of palms. Through the trees we beheld the figures of
the villagers engaged in a rustic dance: what most impressed us was the
appearance of the women, loitering about at that late hour, in their
singular drapery.
We left this place next morning, with a fair, though mild breeze, that
was soon succeeded by a dead calm. This made the heat very oppressive;
and it was decidedly the hottest day we had yet experienced. A rack of
clouds, of which we had not seen any since our departure from Milan,
would now have been a welcome sight, as the sun was never screened, and
the glare was almost beyond endurance. We passed the fine cliffs of Beni
Hassan, starting up abruptly from the water like the heights of Dover,
by their white front reminding us still more strongly of the chalky
shores of Old England. But here the resemblance ended; and the face of
the country, the character of the landscape, the drooping palms, and the
majestic mimosas, with the almost naked forms of tall, copper-coloured
Nubians, constantly appearing, told too plainly how far we were from
home.
As night came on, our Arabs were still propelling the boat, accompanying
every movement of the pole with a general shriek,—a poor substitute for
the Canadian boat-song. It was very dark, as the moon had not yet risen,
and our little craft floated gently along, leaving a streak of light in
her wake. Suddenly, I heard a louder cry than usual, and starting round,
saw one of the crew, who had dropped his pole in the river, spring
headlong overboard. In an instant he rose to the surface, struck out
manfully through the waves, and, seizing the stray oar with his left
hand, swam after us for about fifty yards, when he scrambled on board,
and was soon seated again at his oar.
We were grumbling at the long calm, when morning brought us a favourable
wind, which carried us gallantly along, and we got over a greater
distance than we had gained on any previous day. About noon we passed
Min’ieh, a very large village, containing a sugar-refining establishment
belonging to Mehemet Ali, which looks like a small Manchester factory.
Mountains of bones were heaped on the shore ready for use. The country
presented much the same appearance as before, occasionally opening very
beautiful vistas.
To wile away time, I asked the crew to sing. My request met immediate
compliance; to divert us still more, one man, a particularly sprightly
fellow, bundled himself up in a heap of clothes, and proceeded to dance
in a wild manner to very exciting music. Gradually he took off every
article of dress, flinging each in a different direction, with singular
dexterity. When perfectly stripped, he sprang overboard, and dived under
the vessel, then re-appearing on the other side, he clambered to the
deck, and, with similar antics, resumed his clothes. Throughout the
performance, the whole crew accompanied the music with terrific yells.
We were much won by the simplicity and the ingenuous nature of these
men, who were always desirous to please, and gratified at being noticed.
The most trifling acts of kindness made a sensible impression upon them,
and were in every case appreciated. They set a high value on everything
we did for them; I may as well add that they considered us perfect
Crichtons in our attainments. One of them, while employed aft, having
caught sight of a sketch of the diabeheeh, described it in such glowing
colours to the others, that I had no rest till it was displayed. I asked
them if they observed a resemblance, and they clapped their hands, and
pronounced it “taib catere” (very good). The feeling was unanimous;
every man instantly requested that a sketch might be made of himself.
For three successive days we made but little progress, the wind being
too feeble to impel us against the stream. The men did their best to
track us, but the towing ropes, owing to the continual strain upon them,
were constantly breaking; and in the whole three days we did not get
over thirty miles.
We passed Manfaloot, whence our course lay under a range of towering
crags, starting boldly up, and overhanging the river for some miles.
Their appearance was very grand and imposing.
Soon afterwards we caught sight of the Tombs of Benihassan, scarcely
visible in the distance; they made us long for the moment of our return,
when we agreed to examine them carefully. Other marvels, however, were
before us, luring us eagerly on. We had gone but a short distance
further, when we discovered our first crocodile. It was quite a young
one, about five feet long, and was lying comfortably on a bank, basking
in the sun. We flew for our rifles; they were unloaded, and before we
could get them ready for action “the illustrious stranger” took the
alarm, and toppled into the water.
On the third day, about half-past nine in the morning, we encountered a
slight shock of earthquake. The boat was aground, and I was writing in
the cabin, when I was startled by a concussion, like the trembling of
the engine on a steam-boat, and rushed on deck to see what had happened.
One of our party was ashore, and felt it much more perceptibly. The
earth, we found afterwards, split in many places a full inch; and though
the shock lasted only half a minute, it extended for many miles.
We arrived at Ossioot, or Siout, or Essoot—for it is spelt thus
differently—at one o’clock on the following morning, having been ten
days in coming from Cairo; the journey is usually accomplished in seven.