A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE
NILE.
Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of
travelling. They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on
the backs of camels.
It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly
through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river.
The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and
the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former.
"You can ride almost any time on a donkey," said Fred, "but it isn't
every day you can have a camel."
"I quite agree with you," Frank replied. "We'll have a jolly ride of it,
and have a good story to tell when we get home."
The boys went out before breakfast and found, close to the
landing-place, a group of camels waiting for the proposed excursion.
They were all lying or kneeling on the ground, and the boys walked
around them with the air of having been familiar with camels all their
lives. Finally they selected two, and at the suggestion of the drivers
Frank proceeded to mount his new beast of burden, just to try his
qualities.
"I began," said Frank, afterward, in telling the story to the Doctor--"I
began by patting the camel on the head, and saying 'good fellow! good
fellow!' He returned my kindness by trying to bite me, and if I had not
jumped quickly to one side he would have had a good nip at my arm. The
driver then stood by his head, and I proceeded to take my seat in the
saddle, which resembled a wood-sawyer's 'horse' with a blanket thrown
across it.
"As soon as I was in place I seized the front and rear of the saddle;
the driver then pulled at the halter, and said something that sounded
like '_heyda! heyda!_'
"The camel began to move as though there was a small earthquake under
him. There were three motions--a surge backward, a surge forward, and
then a backward plunge that brought him to a level.
[Illustration: THE SHIP OF THE DESERT.]
"I could not see exactly how it was done; but Fred, who was looking on,
said the camel rose on half his fore-legs, then on all of his hind-legs,
and lastly on the remaining half of his fore-legs. This will account for
the three motions that were required to bring him up standing."
"Yes," answered the Doctor, "and he kneels in the reverse way--half the
fore-legs, all the hind-legs, and then half the fore-legs. He is always
made to kneel for receiving his burden or being relieved of it. He makes
a great fuss when he is being loaded, and leads you to suppose that the
burden placed on him is much more than he can bear. The older the camel
the more noise does he make."
"He must have thought I weighed a ton at least," Frank responded, "for
he began groaning and bellowing as soon as I entered the saddle, and did
not stop till he was on his feet. Then he concluded it was no use
protesting any more and became quiet."
[Illustration: BEDOUIN ARABS WITH THEIR CAMEL HERDS.]
The boys did not learn till after the commencement of their journey that
the saddles on which they rode were nothing more than pack-saddles for
transporting freight around the cataract, and their beasts of burden
were the ordinary freight camels, and not those kept exclusively for
riding. A blanket was thrown over the saddle, but it did not conceal the
inequalities of it, and long before their return the youths would have
been quite willing to exchange their poetic camels for prosaic donkeys.
The last mile of Frank's ride was performed on foot, and it would have
been a difficult matter to persuade him to try the excursion over again
under similar conditions.
[Illustration: CAMELS (FROM AN ASSYRIAN SCULPTURE).]
The regular saddle for camel riding is a sort of dish, in which you sit
with your feet crossed around the pommel or hanging over the side. You
can have a pair of stirrups attached if you like, for resting the feet,
and they are by no means to be despised. An excellent plan for a long
journey is to sling a couple of boxes or a pair of well-stuffed bags
across a common pack-saddle, and cover them with mattresses and
blankets, so as to make a platform about six feet broad; then put up
your bed in a roll and fasten it to the back of the saddle, to form a
comfortable rest, and with a pair of stirrups fastened to the saddle-bow
you can select your own position for riding. If the sun is hot you can
spread an umbrella; and if you have been fortunate in your selection of
a camel, and his motion is easy, you will find no difficulty in reading
and even in sleeping, though a nap on the back of a camel is not
altogether safe.
The camel has a peculiar rocking motion that is a great strain on the
spine of the inexperienced rider. He does not feel it much till the
second day, and then, as Fred expressed it, he feels as though he had a
back-bone of glass, or some other brittle substance.
[Illustration: A BACTRIAN CAMEL IN GOOD CONDITION.]
During the first part of the journey each of the boys watched the camel
of the other, in order to understand the motions of his limbs and to
observe the peculiarities of his feet. The Doctor explained that the
foot of the camel is wonderfully adapted to travelling over the sands of
the desert. It is divided into two lobes, and each lobe is armed with a
stout claw, like the point of the ox's hoof. The foot is like a great
sponge, and when placed on the ground it spreads out very wide, but is
immediately contracted when raised. It thus presents a broad surface to
the sand or mud, and where the ground is steep and slippery it clings
like the foot of a fly on a window-pane. The strong claw assists its
adhesion, and consequently the camel can climb the side of a mountain
which is impassable to a well-shod horse.
[Illustration: FOOT AND STOMACH OF THE CAMEL.
1, Fore-foot; 2, sole; 3, hind-foot, side; 4, structure of the stomach.]
His nostrils are formed so that he can close them at will to keep out
the drifting sand, and his stomach is so contrived that it will hold a
supply of water sufficient for six or eight days. There are numerous
cells or cups in the animal's stomach, and when he has plenty of time
for drinking he fills all these cells, and thus accumulates a store for
future use. His scent is very keen, and he can discover water at a great
distance, and will sometimes break his halter and rush in search of a
pool or spring of whose existence his master is not aware. He can get
along with a very small quantity of food, and can, moreover, lay in a
supply for hard times.
[Illustration: HEAD OF A CAMEL.]
When he is not at work, and has good pasturage, the camel becomes fat,
and his hump is especially round and full--it is a mass of fat; and when
he is overworked and poorly fed, as he generally is in the desert, the
fat goes away from the hump to nourish the rest of the body. This is
particularly noticeable of the camels in Asia Minor, where they are in
very active use till they get worn to skeletons, and are then turned out
to rest and recover their fat.
[Illustration: THE DROMEDARY REGIMENT OF NAPOLEON I.]
Camels are not unfrequently used by the Egyptian Government for military
purposes, not only for carrying provisions and other munitions of war,
but for mounting troops in regions where it is necessary to make long
marches over the desert. Napoleon Bonaparte, during his expedition to
Egypt in 1798, organized a regiment of this kind, and found it of great
service. Officers and men were mounted on camels or dromedaries, and on
one occasion they made a march of ninety miles without halting for food
or rest. Napoleon was greatly pleased at the success of his scheme, as
it enabled him to move his men more rapidly than by any other means.
It required some time for the party to set out on the ride from Assouan,
as there was a good deal of difficulty in getting everybody comfortably
seated. As we have before stated, Frank and Fred selected their camels
before breakfast, and the Doctor did not take many minutes for making
his choice. The three set out in advance of the rest, and proceeded to
the quarries that furnished the stone for the obelisks, the coffins of
the sacred bulls, and many other things that have become famous in the
history of ancient Egypt.
In the quarries is an obelisk partly finished, but not completely
detached from its bed. According to measurements, it would have been
ninety-five feet long and eleven feet square at the base. Nobody can
tell by what king it was ordered, or why it was never finished and
removed. A crack extends across it, but the general belief is that it
was made long after the abandonment of the work. A little distance from
the quarries is a large coffin which became injured during its removal,
and was consequently given up.
The stone is of that peculiar red granite known as sienite, and admits
of a very high polish. In response to a question by one of the youths,
the Doctor said that ordinary granite is composed of mica, felspar, and
quartz, while in sienite there is little or no mica, and its place is
filled by hornblende. Sienite is harder than most of the other granites,
and this quality, combined with its color, causes it to be preferred for
ornamental work. He farther remarked that the rocks around Assouan are
not exclusively sienite; on the contrary, they are mostly true granite,
with occasional variations of porphyry. Some geologists assert that four
or five kinds of rock may be found there, and interesting specimens may
be gathered for mineralogical cabinets.
The process of quarrying among the ancients was easy to comprehend,
owing to the unfinished state of the obelisk to which we have referred.
A crevice or trench was cut in the rock, and then wedges of dry wood
were driven in; water was applied to the wedges; the wood swelled, and
finally its great expansive force caused the rock to split asunder. It
was slow work, but generally sure. The same plan is still in use in some
parts of India, and the stones for the construction of King Solomon's
Temple at Jerusalem were quarried in the same way.
From the quarries the ride was continued to the bank of the Nile,
opposite the island of Philæ. The boys were elated to think they were
really in Nubia, a country of which they had read and heard, but
considered so far away that they were not very likely to see it. They
had crossed the boundary between Egypt and Nubia, and, by a free use of
their imaginations, found no great difficulty in placing themselves in
Central Africa.
[Illustration: VIEW OF PHILÆ FROM THE HEAD OF THE CATARACT.]
The approach to Philæ was the occasion of many expressions of
admiration, as the scenery was different from any on which their eyes
had yet rested. The river is set in an irregular basin of desert hills,
and their barren sides contrast, in a very marked degree, with the
waving palms on the famous isle. The rocks of the cataract serve to
render the picture still more fantastic, and as the whole scene bursts
suddenly into view, it gives an impression to be long remembered.
Remarkable as the view is from the bank of the Nile, it is still unequal
to that from the ruins of the temple on the island itself.
[Illustration: THE BANK OF THE RIVER BELOW PHILÆ.]
While waiting for the boat to carry them over to Philæ, Frank and Fred
amused themselves with the antics of the natives in the water. They had
observed several short logs on the bank as they arrived, and wondered
what they were for. As soon as they had dismounted the Doctor explained
the uses of these pieces of wood.
"They are the ferry-boats of the natives," said he, "and are the common
property of the inhabitants."
Frank asked what he meant by ferry-boats, and how it was possible to use
a short log for crossing a river.
"Wait a moment and you'll see," replied the Doctor. "There's a boy
making ready to launch one."
A Nubian urchin of ten or twelve years removed his very scanty clothing
and made it into a bundle, which he placed on the top of his head; then
he rolled one of the logs--a stick six feet long and ten inches in
diameter--into the river and sprung in after it. Using the log as a
float to support himself, he paddled away, and was soon on the island.
Other boys and men followed his example; but, instead of swimming to the
island, they remained around the landing-place till the boat started,
and then they accompanied it. The Doctor told the youths that when a
native wishes to cross he makes a bundle of his clothing to tie on his
head, and then swims over, leaving the log on the bank for his own or
some other person's return. He takes the first log that comes in his
way, and everybody does likewise. "You see," he continued, "how the logs
serve as public ferry-boats."
[Illustration: PHARAOH'S BED AND THE RUINS OF THE TEMPLE.]
"We crossed the river," said Frank in his journal, "in a _kangia_, or
native boat, such as we have already described, and as the wind was
favorable it was not long in making the passage. We landed just below
the ruins of the temple, in what is called 'Pharaoh's bed,' but were
unable to ascertain if any of the monarchs of that name ever slept
there, and, if so, how late they slept. We thought the place a very
pretty one, and Fred wished he could sit down and write some verses
about it, as everything around seemed to favor such a performance.
Doctor Bronson says the island of Philæ has been the theme of the poets
for many centuries, and farthermore, that a great deal of poetical prose
has been composed concerning it. On learning this Fred concluded that he
could not improve on what had been done before him, and wisely desisted
from the attempt.
"From the landing-place we went to the ruins of the temple, where we
spent a couple of hours. The building seems to have been the work of
several architects at different periods, as it is very irregular in
shape, and the floors are not all on the same level. It is more modern
than any of the temples we have yet seen, as none of the dates which
have been found upon it are earlier than the thirtieth dynasty, or about
400 B.C. The propylon towers are sixty feet high, and there is a fine
view from their top. We climbed up without difficulty, though in some
places the steps are considerably broken. The solidity of the towers has
preserved them from serious injury.
"The colors on the walls and towers are better preserved than in the
other temples, and some of them are exceedingly beautiful. At the time
the temple was built the lotos flower seems to have been very popular
among the artists, as it was extensively used in the ornamentation, and
for the tops of the pillars that supported the roof of the grand hall.
[Illustration: VIEW FROM PHILÆ LOOKING UP THE RIVER.]
"Philæ was one of the most sacred spots known to the ancient Egyptians,
as it was the resting-place of the god Osiris, to whom they attributed
the annual overflow of the Nile, and the consequent fertility of the
land. There was a fable that his body was deposited beneath the
cataract, and that once a year he rose and 'troubled the waters' so that
the Nile burst its banks, and spread over the land of Egypt, to insure
an abundant harvest.
"The temple was dedicated to this god, and to his wife and sister Isis.
On the monuments she has many titles: sometimes she is called 'Mistress
of Heaven,' at others 'Regent of the Gods,' and at others 'The Eye of
the Sun.' Both Isis and Osiris represented the good and beautiful on
earth, and perhaps it is for this reason that the lovely island was
chosen as the site of their temple.
"We had an agreeable surprise in two ways: we found the papyrus plant
represented on the walls of the temple, and the guide took us to a spot
near the ruins where the papyrus was growing. We had often heard of this
plant, and longed to see it. You know, probably, that it was the
substance from which the Egyptians made their scrolls, whereon most of
their writing was done, and it is from 'papyrus' that our modern word
'paper' is derived.
[Illustration: THE PAPYRUS JUNGLES OF THE NILE.]
"The plant that we saw was a small one, or rather there was a little
cluster of small plants growing in a pond among other aquatic products.
It is uncertain whether the papyrus ever grew naturally in this part of
Egypt; at all events, it is not easy to find it at present, except where
it is artificially cultivated. In Abyssinia and farther up the Nile the
papyrus grows in marshy ground, and sometimes little else can be seen
for miles and miles. It has a mass of roots that spread out in the mud,
and throw up a cluster of stalks from five to ten feet high. The plant
is a very graceful one, and it is no wonder that the Egyptians made free
use of it in their ornamentation.
"In making paper from the papyrus plant the Egyptians used to cut it
into thin slices, which they laid side by side, and then covered with
other slices at right angles to the first. In this form it was slightly
moistened and pressed down, and the sheet could be made of any size by
simply extending it and connecting the edges. It was used for many other
purposes than the manufacture of paper: boats, baskets, and boxes were
made from the papyrus plant; cordage was spun from the fibres, the pith
was eaten as food, a salve was made from the pulp and applied to sores,
and the roots were burnt as fuel in houses, or fashioned into useful or
ornamental articles. Altogether the papyrus seems to have been nearly as
useful to the inhabitants of Egypt three thousand years ago as the
bamboo is to the native of China and Japan to-day.
"Wherever there was space to scratch or write a name on the walls, we
found that previous travellers had not scrupled to convert the Temple of
Philæ into an autograph album. Names of those who had come there in the
last two hundred years were visible in great numbers; the most prominent
memorial of this kind was a tablet recording the occupation of Philæ by
General Desaix's army at the time Egypt was held by Napoleon I. This
tablet was defaced by some Englishmen in 1848, but was afterward
restored by French visitors, and has since been undisturbed.
"When it was time to leave the island we again entered our boat, and
were taken to the cataract. The famous cataract of the Nile is nothing
more than a rapid, or rather a succession of rapids, with an aggregate
fall of not more than fifteen feet. The river divides into a series of
channels among the rocks, and boats are taken through these channels
without much trouble, though with a considerable expenditure of time and
muscle, with the aid of tow-ropes and Arabs. The Arabs at the cataract
are about as skilled in rascality as their brethren of the pyramids;
they can easily take a boat up in a single day, but manage to consume
three or four days in the operation, and extort a great deal of
backsheesh for not being longer about it. The descent of the falls takes
only a few minutes, as the principal rapid is about two hundred feet
long by seventy wide: the water foams and rushes furiously, but with a
skilful pilot there is no danger. Accidents happen occasionally, but
they are almost invariably due to bad management.
"We stood on the bank and saw a dozen Arabs 'shoot the rapids,' which
they did on the short logs they use as ferry-boats. It was apparently
dangerous, and we did not grudge the backsheesh they demanded when the
show was over. They slid down very gracefully, and probably the risk was
no greater for a good swimmer than is the process of coasting downhill
for a school-boy. Travellers' tales in the early part of the century
represented the cataract of the Nile to be something like Niagara, when,
in fact, it is not much worse than a large mill-race. The place is
rather picturesque, on the whole, and we are very glad to have seen it.
"From Mahatta, a little village at the head of the falls, we returned by
the bank of the river to Assouan. Our ascent of the Nile is ended, and
we will now turn our faces to the northward."