Alexandria--Keeping quarantine--Want of arrangement in the
quarantine house--Bad water--Fumigating of the rooms--Release--
Aspect of the city--Departure by boat for Atfe--Mehemet Ali--Arrival
at Atfe--Excellence of the Nile water--Good-nature of the Arab
women--The Delta of the Nile--The Libyan desert--The pyramids--
Arrival at Cairo.
At first we could only perceive the tops of masts, behind which low
objects seemed to be hiding as they rose from the sea. In a little
time a whole forest of masts appeared, while the objects before
mentioned took the shape of houses peering forth amongst them. At
length the land itself could be distinguished from the surrounding
ocean, and we discerned hills, shrubberies, and gardens in the
vicinity of the town, the appearance of which is not calculated to
delight the traveller, for a large desert region of sand girdles
both city and gardens, giving an air of dreariness to the whole
scene.
We cast anchor between the lighthouse and the new hospital. No
friendly boat was permitted to approach and carry us to the wished-
for shore; we came from the land of the plague to enter another
region afflicted with the same scourge, and yet we were compelled to
keep quarantine, for the Egyptians asserted that the Syrian plague
was more malignant than the variety of the disease raging among
them. Thus a compulsory quarantine is always enforced in these
regions, a circumstance alike prejudicial to visitors, commerce, and
shipping.
We waited with fear and trembling to hear how long a period of
banishment in the hospital should be awarded us. At length came a
little skiff, bringing two guardians (servants of the hospital), and
with them the news that we must remain in the hospital ten days from
the period of our entrance, but that we could not disembark to-day,
as it was Sunday. Excepting at the arrival of the English packet-
boats, the officials have no time to examine vessels on Sundays or
holidays,--a truly Egyptian arrangement. Why could not an officer
be appointed for these days to take care of the poor travellers?
Why should fifty persons suffer for the convenience of one, and be
deprived of their liberty for an extra day? We came from Beyrout
furnished with a Teshkeret (certificate of health) by the
government, besides the voucher of our personal appearance, and yet
we were condemned to a lengthened imprisonment. But Mehemet Ali is
far more mighty and despotic in Egypt than the Sultan in
Constantinople; he commands, and what can we do but obey, and submit
to his superior power?
From the deck of our ship I obtained a view of the city and the
desert region around. The town seems tolerably spacious, and is
built quite in European style.
Of the Turkish town, which lies in the background, we can
distinguish nothing; the proper harbour, situate at the opposite
side of the city, is also invisible, and its situation can only be
discerned from the forest of masts that towers upwards. The eye is
principally caught by two high sand-hills, on one of which stands
Fort Napoleon, while the other is only surmounted by several cannon;
the foreground is occupied by rocky ridges of moderate elevation,
flanked on one side by the lighthouse, and on the other by the new
quarantine buildings. The old quarantine-house lies opposite to the
new one. In several places we notice little plantations of date-
palms, which make a very agreeable impression on the European, as
their appearance is quite new to him.
August 8th.
At seven o'clock this morning we disembarked, and were delivered
with bag and baggage at the quarantine-house. I now trod a new
quarter of the globe, Africa. When I sit calmly down to think of
the past, I frequently wonder how it was that my courage and
perseverance never once left me while I followed out my project step
by step. This only serves to convince me that, if the resolution be
firm, things can be achieved which would appear almost impossible.
I had expected to find neither comfort nor pleasure in the
quarantine-house, and unfortunately I had judged but too well. The
courtyard into which we were shewn was closely locked, and furnished
on all sides with wooden bars; the rooms displayed only four bare
walls, with windows guarded in the same manner. It is customary to
quarter several persons in the same room, and then each pays a share
of the expense. I requested a separate apartment, which one can
also have, but of course at a higher charge. Such a thing as a
chair, a table, or a piece of furniture, was quite out of the
question; whoever wishes to enjoy such a luxury must apply by letter
to an innkeeper of the town, who lends any thing of the kind, but at
an enormously high rate. Diet must be obtained in the same way. In
the quarantine establishment there is no host, every thing must be
procured from without. An innkeeper generally demands between
thirty and forty piastres per diem for dinner and supper. This I
considered a little too exorbitant, and therefore ordered a few
articles of food through one of the keepers. He promised to provide
every thing punctually; but I fear he cannot have understood me, for
I waited in vain, and during the whole of the first day had nothing
to eat. On the second day my appetite was quite ravenous, and I did
not know what to do. I betook myself to the room of the Arab family
who had come in the same ship with me, and were therefore also in
quarantine; I asked for a piece of bread, for which I offered to pay
but the kind woman not only gave me bread, but pressed upon me a
share of all the provisions she was preparing for her family, and
would not be prevailed upon to accept any remuneration; on the
contrary, she explained to me by signs that I was to come to her
whenever I wanted any thing.
It was not until the evening of the second day that, perceiving it
was hopeless to expect any thing from my stupid messenger, I applied
to the chief superintendent of the hospital, who came every evening
at sunset to examine us and to lock us in our rooms. I ordered my
provisions of him, and from this time forward always received them
in proper time.
The keepers were all Arabs, and not one of them could understand or
speak any language but their own; this is also a truly Egyptian
arrangement. I think that in an establishment of this kind, where
travellers from all parts of the world are assembled, it would at
least be advisable to have a person who understands Italian, even if
he cannot speak it. An individual of this kind could easily be
obtained; for Italian, as I afterwards found, is such a well-known
language throughout the East, but particularly at Alexandria and
Cairo, that many people are to be met with, even among the lowest
classes, who understand and can speak it.
The supply of water is also very badly managed. Every morning,
immediately after sunrise, a few skins of water are brought for the
purpose of cleaning the cooking utensils; at nine o'clock in the
morning and five in the afternoon a few camels come laden with skins
of fresh water, which are emptied into two stone tanks in the
courtyard. Then all fill their cooking and drinking vessels, but in
such an untidy way that I felt not the slightest inclination to
drink. One man was ladling out the water with a dirty pot, while
another dabbled in the tank with his filthy hands; and some even put
their dirty feet on the run and washed them, so that some of the
water ran back into the tank. This receptacle is moreover never
cleaned, so that dirt accumulates upon dirt, and the only way to
obtain clear water is by filtering it.
On the second day of my residence here I was exceedingly surprised
to observe that the courtyard, the staircases, the rooms, etc. were
being cleaned and swept with particular care. The mystery was soon
solved; the commissioner appeared with a great stick, and paused at
the threshold of the door to see that the linen, clothes, etc. were
hung up to air, the books opened, and the letters or papers
suspended by strings. No idea can be formed of the stupid nervous
fear of this commissioner. For instance, on passing through the
first room on his way to my apartment, he saw the stalk of a bunch
of grapes lying on the ground. With fearful haste he thrust this
trifling object aside with his stick, for fear his foot should
strike against it in passing; and as he went he continually held his
stick in rest, to keep us plague-struck people at a respectful
distance.
On the seventh day of our incarceration we were all sent to our
rooms at nine o'clock in the morning. Doors and windows were then
locked, and great chafing-dishes were brought, and a dreadful odour
of brimstone, herbs, burnt feathers, and other ingredients filled
the air. After we had been compelled to endure this stifling
atmosphere for four or five minutes, the windows and doors were once
more opened. A person of a consumptive habit could scarcely have
survived this inhuman ordeal.
On the ninth day the men were drawn up in a row, to undergo an
examination by the doctor. The old gentleman entered the room, with
a spy-glass in one hand and a stick in the other, to review the
troop. Every man had to strike himself a blow on the chest and
another in the side; if he could do this without feeling pain, it
was considered a sign of health, because the plague-spots appear
first on these parts of the body. On the same day, the women were
led into a large room, where a great female dragoon was waiting for
us to put us through a similar ceremony. Neither men nor women are,
however, required to undress.
A few hours later we were summoned to the iron grating which
separated us from the disinfected people. On the farther side were
seated several officers, to whom we paid the fee for our rooms and
the keepers--the charge was very trifling. My room, with
attendance, only cost me three piastres per diem. But how gladly
would every traveller pay a higher price if he could only have a
table and a few chairs in his apartment, and an attendant who
understood what was said to him!
So far as cleanliness is concerned, there is nothing to complain of;
the rooms, the staircases and the courtyard were kept very neatly,
and the latter was even profusely watered twice a day. We were not
at all annoyed by insects, and we were but little incommoded by the
heat. In the sun the temperature never exceeded 33 degress; and in
the shade the greatest heat was 22 degrees Reaumur.
August 17th.
At seven o'clock this morning our cage was at length opened. Now
all the world rushed in; friends and relations of the voyagers,
ambassadors from innkeepers, porters, and donkey-drivers, all were
merry and joyous, for every one found a friend or an acquaintance,
and I only stood friendless and alone, for nobody hastened towards
me or took an interest in me; but the envoys of the innkeepers, the
porters, and donkey-drivers, cruel generation that they were,
quarrelled and hustled each other for the possession of the solitary
one.
I collected my baggage, mounted a donkey, and rode to "Colombier,"
one of the best inns in Alexandria. Swerving a little from the
direct road, I passed "Cleopatra's Needles," two obelisks of
granite, one of which is still erect, while the other lies prostrate
in the sand at a short distance. We rode through a miserable
poverty-stricken village; the huts were built of stones, but were so
small and low that we can hardly understand how a man can stand
upright in them. The doors were so low that we had to stoop
considerably in entering. I could not discover any signs of
windows. And this wretched village lay within the bounds of the
city, and even within the walls, which inclose such an immense
space, that they not only comprise Alexandria itself, but several
small villages, besides numerous country-houses and a few
shrubberies and cemeteries.
In this village I saw many women with yellowish-brown countenances.
They looked wretched and dirty, and were all clothed in long blue
garments, sitting before their doors at work, or nursing children.
These women were employed in basket-making and in picking corn. I
did not notice any men; they were probably employed in the fields.
I now rode forward across the sandy plain on which the whole of
Alexandria is built, and suddenly, without having passed through any
street, found myself in the great square.
I can scarcely describe the astonishment I felt at the scene before
me. Every where I saw large beautiful houses, with lofty gates,
regular windows, and balconies, like European dwellings; equipages,
as graceful and beautiful as any that can be found in the great
cities of Europe, rolled to and fro amid a busy crowd of men of
various nations. Franks, in the costume of their country, were
distinguished among the turbans and fez-caps of the Orientals; and
tall women, in their blue gowns, wandered amidst the half-naked
forms of the Arabs and Bedouins. Here a negro was running with
argile behind his master, who trotted along on his noble horse;
there Frankish or Egyptian ladies were to be seen mounted on asses.
Coming from the dreary monotony of the quarantine-house, this sight
made a peculiar impression upon me.
Scarcely had I arrived at the hotel before I hastened to the
Austrian consulate, where Herr von L., the government councillor,
received me very kindly. I begged this gentleman to let me know
what would be the first opportunity for me to continue my journey to
Cairo; I did not wish to take passage on board an English steamboat,
as the charge on this vessel for the short distance of about 400 sea
miles is five pounds. The councillor was polite enough to procure
me a berth on board an Arabian barque, which was to start from Atfe
the same evening.
I also learnt at the consulate, that Herr Sattler, the painter, had
arrived by the packet-boat a few days previously, and was now at the
old quarantine-house. I rode out in company with a gentleman to
visit him, and was glad to find him looking very well. He was just
returning from his journey to Palestine.
I found the arrangements in the old quarantine-building rather more
comfortable than those in the new; the establishment is moreover
nearer the town, so that it is easier to obtain the necessaries of
life. On my return, my companion was so kind as to conduct me
through the greater portion of the Turkish town, which appeared to
be better built and more neatly kept than any city of the Turks I
had yet seen. The bazaar is not handsome; it consists of wooden
booths, displaying only the most ordinary articles of merchandise.
On the same day that I quitted the quarantine-house, I rode in the
evening to the Nile Canal, which is twenty-four feet broad and about
twenty-six miles long. A number of vessels lay there, on one of
which a place had been taken for me (the smaller division of the
cabin) as far as Atfe, for the sum of fifteen piastres. I at once
took possession of my berth, made my arrangements for the night and
for the following day, and waited hour after hour till we should
depart. Late in the night I was at length told that we could not
set out to-night at all. To pack up my things again, and to set off
to walk to the inn, a distance of two miles, and to return next
morning, would have been a rather laborious proceeding; I therefore
resolved to remain on board, and sat down among the Arabs and
Bedouins to eat my frugal supper, which consisted of cold
provisions.
Next day I was told every half-hour that we should depart
immediately, and each time I was again disappointed.
Herr von L. had wished to supply me with wine and provisions for the
passage; but as I had calculated upon being in Atfe to-day at noon,
I had declined his offer with many thanks. But now I had no
provisions; I could not venture into the town on account of the
distance, and found it quite impossible to make the sailors
understand that they were to bring me some bread and baked fish from
the neighbouring bazaar. At length hunger compelled me to venture
out alone: I pushed through the crowd, who looked at me curiously,
but suffered me to pass unmolested, and bought some provisions.
In Alexandria I procured beef and beef-soup, for the first time
since my departure from Smyrna. In Alexandria and throughout the
whole of Egypt the white bread is very delicious.
At four in the afternoon we at length set sail. The time had passed
rapidly enough with me, for there was a great deal of bustle around
this canal. Barques came and departed, took in or discharged cargo;
long processions of camels moved to and fro with their drivers to
fetch and carry goods; the soldiers passed by, to the sound of
military music, to exercise in the neighbouring square; there was
continually something new to see, so that when four o'clock arrived,
I could not imagine what had become of the time.
With the exception of the crew, I was the only person on board.
These vessels are long and narrow, and are fitted up with a cabin
and an awning. The cabin is divided into two little rooms; the
first and larger of these contains two little windows on each side.
The second and smaller one is often only six feet long by five
broad. The space under the awning is appropriated to the poorer
class of passengers and to the servants. It is necessary to take on
board, besides provisions, a little stove, wood for fuel, kitchen-
utensils and articles of this kind, a supply of water. The water of
the Nile is, indeed, very good and thoroughly tasteless, so that it
is universally drunk in Alexandria, Cairo, and elsewhere; but it is
very turbid and of a yellowish colour, so that it must be filtered
to render it clear and pure. Thus it happens that even on the river
we are obliged to take water with us.
Handsome country-houses with gardens skirt the sides of the canal;
the finest of these belongs to a pacha, the son-in-law of Mehemet
Ali. As we passed this palace I saw the Egyptian Napoleon for the
first time; he is a very little old man, with a long snow-white
beard; his eyes and his gestures are very animated. Several
Europeans stood around him, and a number of servants, some of them
clothed in Greek, others in Turkish costume. In the avenue his
carriage was waiting, a splendid double-seated vehicle, with four
beautiful horses, harnessed in the English style. The Franks are
favourably disposed towards this despot, whose subjects cherish a
very opposite feeling. His government is very lenient to
Christians, while the Mussulmen are obliged to bend their necks
beneath a yoke of iron slavery.
This view of villas and gardens only lasts for two hours at the
most. Afterwards we continue our journey to Atfe through a very
uniform and unsatisfactory region of sandy hills and plains. On the
right we pass the Mariotic Sea; and on both sides lie villages of a
very wretched appearance.
August 19th.
At eleven in the forenoon we reached Atfe, and had therefore
travelled about 180 sea-miles in sixteen hours. Atfe is a very
small town, or rather a mere heap of stones.
The landing-places were always the scenes of my chief troubles. It
was seldom that I could find a Frank, and was generally obliged to
address several of the bystanders before I succeeded in finding one
who could speak Italian and give me the information I required. I
requested to be taken at once to the Austrian consulate, where this
difficulty was usually removed. This was also the case here. The
consul immediately sent to inquire how I could best get to Cairo,
and offered me a room in his house in the mean time. A ship was
soon found, for Atfe is a harbour of some importance. The canal
joins the Nile at this place; and as larger vessels are used on the
stream itself, all goods are transhipped here, so that barques are
continually starting for Alexandria and Cairo. In a few hours I was
obliged to re-embark, and had only time to provide myself with
provisions and a supply of water, and to partake of a sumptuous
dinner at the consul's, whose hospitality was doubly grateful to me
as I had fasted the previous day. The chief compartment of the
cabin had been engaged for me, at an expense of 100 piastres. On
embarking, however, I found that this place had been so filled with
goods, that hardly a vacant space remained for the poor occupant. I
at once hastened back to the consulate and complained of the
captain, whereupon the consul sent for that worthy and desired him
to clear my cabin, and to refrain from annoying me during the
voyage, if he wished to be paid on our arrival at Cairo. This
command was strictly obeyed, and until we reached our destination I
was left in undisturbed possession of my berth. At two in the
afternoon I once more set sail alone in the company of Arabs and
Bedouins.
I would counsel any one who can only make this journey to Cairo once
in his lifetime to do it at the end of August or the beginning of
September. A more lovely picture, and one more peculiar in its
character, can scarcely be imagined. In many places the plain is
covered as far as the eye can trace by the Nile-sea (it can scarcely
be called river in its immense expanse), and every where little
islands are seen rising from the waters, covered with villages
surrounded by date-palms, and other trees, while in the background
the high-masted boats, with their pyramidal sails, are gliding to
and fro. Numbers of sheep, goats, and poultry cover the hills, and
near the shore the heads of the dark-grey buffaloes, which are here
found in large herds, peer forth from the water. These creatures
are fond of immersing their bodies in the cool flood, where they
stand gazing at the passing ships. Here and there little
plantations of twenty to thirty trees are seen, which appear, as the
ground is completely overflowed, to be growing out of the Nile. The
water here is much more muddy and of a darker colour than in the
canal between Atfe and Alexandria. The sailors pour this water into
great iron vessels, and leave it to settle and become clearer; this
is, however, of little use, for it remains almost as muddy as the
river. Notwithstanding this circumstance, however, this Nile-water
is not at all prejudicial to health; on the contrary, the
inhabitants of the valley assert that they possess the best and
wholesomest water in the world. The Franks are accustomed, as I
have already stated, to take filtered water with them. When the
supply becomes exhausted, they have only to put a few kernels of
apricots or almonds chopped small into a vessel of Nile-water to
render it tolerably clear within the space of five or six hours. I
learnt this art from an Arab woman during my voyage on the Nile.
The population of the region around the Nile must be very
considerable, for the villages almost adjoin each other. The ground
consists every where of sand, and only becomes fruitful through the
mud which the Nile leaves behind after its inundation. Thus the
luxuriant vegetation here only commences after the waters of the
Nile have retired.
The villages cannot be called handsome, as the houses are mostly
built of earth and clay, or of bricks made of the Nile mud. Man,
the "crown of creation," does not appear to advantage here; the
poverty, the want of cleanliness, and rude savage state of the
people, cannot be witnessed without a feeling of painful emotion.
The dress of the women consists of the usual long blue garment, and
the men wear nothing but a shirt reaching to the knee. Some of the
women veil their faces, but others do not.
I was astonished at the difference between the fine strongly-built
men and the ugly disgusting women and neglected children. In
general the latter present a most lamentable appearance, with faces
covered with scabs and sores, on which a quantity of flies are
continually settling. Frequently also they have inflamed eyes. In
spite of the oppressive heat, I remained nearly the whole day seated
on the roof of my cabin, enjoying the landscape, and gazing at the
moving panorama to my heart's content.
The company on board could be called good or bad; bad, because there
was not a soul present to whom I could impart my feelings and
sentiments on the marvels of nature around me; good, because all,
but particularly the Arab women who occupied the little cabin in the
forepart of the vessel, were very good-natured and attentive to me.
They wished me to accept a share of every thing they possessed, and
gave me a portion of each of their dishes, which generally consisted
either of pilau, beans, or cucumbers, and which I did not find
palatable; when they drank coffee in the morning, the first cup was
always handed to me. In return I gave them some of my provisions,
all of which they liked, excepting the coffee, which had milk in it.
When we landed at a village, the inhabitants would inquire by signs
if I wished for any thing. I wanted some milk, eggs, and bread, but
did not know how to ask for them in Arabic. I therefore had
recourse to drawing; for instance, I made a portrait of a cow, gave
an Arab woman a bottle and some money, and made signs to her to milk
her cow and to fill my bottle. In the same way I drew a hen, and
some eggs beside her; pointed to the hen with a shake of my head,
and then to the eggs with a nod, counting on the woman's fingers how
many she was to bring me. In this way I could always manage to get
on, by limiting my wants to such objects as I could represent by
drawings.
When they brought me the milk, and I explained to the Arab woman by
signs that, after she had finished cooking, I wished to have the use
of the fire to prepare my milk and eggs, she immediately took off
her pot from the fire and compelled me, in spite of all
remonstrances, to cook my dinner first. If I walked forward towards
the prow to obtain a better view of the landscape, the best place
was immediately vacated on my behalf; and, in short, they all
behaved in such a courteous and obliging way, that these
uncultivated people might have put to shame many a civilised
European. They certainly, however, requested a few favours of me,
which, I am ashamed to say, it cost me a great effort to grant. For
instance, the oldest among them begged permission to sleep in my
apartment, as they only possessed a small cabin, while I had the
larger one all to myself. Then they performed their devotions, even
to the preliminary washing of face and feet, in my cabin: this I
permitted, as I was more on deck than below. At first these women
called me Mary, imagining, probably, that every Christian lady must
bear the name of the Virgin. I told them my baptismal name, which
they accurately remembered; they told me theirs in return, which I
very soon forgot. I mention this trifling circumstance, because I
afterwards was frequently surprised at the retentive memory of these
people during my journey through the desert towards the Red Sea.
August 21st.
Although I felt solitary among all the voyagers on the barque, these
two days passed swiftly and agreeably away. The flatter the land
grew, the broader did the lordly river become. The villages
increased in size; and the huts, mostly resembling a sugar-loaf,
with a number of doves roosting on its apex, wore an appearance of
greater comfort. Mosques and large country-houses presently
appeared; and, in short, the nearer we approached towards Cairo, the
more distinct became these indications of affluence. The sand-hills
appeared less frequently, though on the route between Atfe and Cairo
I still saw five or six large barren places which had quite the look
of deserts. Once the wind blew directly towards us from one of
these burning wastes with such an oppressive influence, that I could
easily imagine how dreadful the hot winds (chamsir) must be, and I
no longer wondered at the continual instances of blindness among the
poor inhabitants of these regions. The heat is unendurable, and the
fine dust and heated particles of sand which are carried into the
air by these winds cannot fail to cause inflammation of the eyes.
Little towers of masonry, on the tops of which telegraphs have been
fixed, are seen at intervals along the road between Alexandria and
Cairo.
Our vessel was unfortunate enough to strike several times on sand-
banks, besides getting entangled among the shallows--a circumstance
of frequent occurrence during the time that the Nile is rising. On
these occasions I could not sufficiently admire the strength,
agility, and hard-working perseverance of our sailors, who were
obliged to jump overboard and push off the ship with poles, and
afterwards were repeatedly compelled to drag it for half an hour
together through shallow places. These people are also very expert
at climbing. They could ascend _without_ ratlines to the very tops
of the slanting masts, and take in or unloose the sails. I could
not repress a shudder on seeing these poor creatures hanging betwixt
earth and heaven, so far above me that they appeared like dwarfs.
They work with one hand, while they cling to the mast with the
other. I do not think that a better, or a more active, agile, and
temperate race of sailors exists than these. Their fare consists of
bread or ship-biscuit in the morning, with sometimes a raw cucumber,
a piece of cheese, or a handful of dates in addition. For dinner
they have the same diet, and for supper they have a dish of warm
beans, or a kind of broth or pilau. Roast mutton is a rare delicacy
with them, and their drink is nothing but the Nile water.
During the period of the inundation, the river is twice as full of
vessels as at other times. When the river is swollen, the only
method of communication is by boats.
On the last day of this expedition a most beauteous spectacle
awaited me--the Delta! Here the mighty Nile, which irrigates the
whole country with the hundreds of canals cut from its banks through
every region, divides itself into two principal branches, one of
which falls into the sea at Rosetta, and the other at Damietta. If
the separate aims of the river could be compared to seas, how much
more does its united vastness merit the appellation!
When I was thus carried away by the beauty and grandeur of nature,
when I thus saw myself placed in the midst of new and interesting
scenes, it would appear to me incredible how people can exist,
possessing in abundance the gifts of riches, health, and leisure
time, and yet without a taste for travelling. The petty comforts of
life and enjoyments of luxury are indeed worth more in the eyes of
some than the opportunity of contemplating the exalted beauties of
nature or the monuments of history, and of gaining information
concerning the manners and customs of foreign nations. Although I
was at times very badly situated, and had to encounter more
hardships and disagreeables than fall to the lot of many a man, I
would be thankful that I had had resolution given me to continue my
wanderings whenever one of these grand spectacles opened itself
before me. What, indeed, are the entertainments of a large town
compared to the Delta of the Nile, and many similar scenes? The
pure and perfect enjoyment afforded by the contemplation of the
beauty of nature is not for a moment to be found in the ball-room or
the theatre; and all the ease and luxury in the world should not buy
from me my recollections of this journey.
Not far from the Delta we can behold the Libyan Desert, of which we
afterwards never entirely lose sight, though we sometimes approach
and sometimes recede from it. I became conscious of certain dark
objects in the far distance; they developed themselves more and
more, and at length I recognised in them the wonder-buildings of
ancient times, the Pyramids; far behind them rises the chain of
mountains, or rather hills, of Mokattam.
Evening was closing in when we at length arrived at Bulak, the
harbour of Cairo. If we could have landed at once, I might,
perhaps, have reached the town itself this evening; as the harbour
is, however, always over-crowded with vessels, the captain is often
compelled to wait for an hour before he can find a place to moor his
craft. By the time I could disembark it had already grown quite
dark, and the town-gates were shut. I was thus obliged to pass the
night on board.
The journey from Atfe to Cairo had occupied two days and a half.
This passage had been one of the most interesting, although the heat
became more and more oppressive, and the burning winds of the desert
were sometimes wafted over to us. The highest temperature at midday
was 36 degrees, and in the shade from 24 to 25 degrees Reaumur. The
sky was far less beautiful and clear than in Syria; it was here
frequently overcast with white clouds.