The Sun.
London, England, 1830-11-02 00:00:00

LIFE ON THE NILE.

To those who, for the sake dr the beauties of
nature and the wonders of art; could ,ebandon for
a short period their English comforts rinJ luxu-
ries, the life upon the Nile, though monotonous,
would, from its strange novelty, be by no iiie4ll:4
undelightful. An ardent sun, a majestic river,
dusky forms are seen, The eye no longer, falls
upon European elegance, the ear is no more
greeted by European sounds. The heat, too
intense for exertion either of body or mind,
admits only of a luxurious, do-nothing sort of
existence, and it is pleasant to lie upon the
couch and allow the thoughts to assume a
romantic tropical colouring, unlike—oh t. how
unlike our European coldneas and frigidity,
where the useful and the expedient are
always preferred to the grand and the noble !
In the morning, it is delightful to riss with the
sun, and, ere tie has attained any tuition- in the
heavens, to walk by the banks of the majestic
Nile, so famed in history, both'sacred and pia.
fane, in poetry, and in romance. An agreeable
breeze springing up generally ettempers the
atmosphere, braces the frame, and enlivens the
spirits. Then, when the sultry sun drives most
living objects to seek the friendly shade, it is
pleasant, at noon, to glide along in the caught
(boat), and, lazily reclining on the couch, to
watch the objects that apparently move before
the eyes. 'There is now a low and level sand-
bank, and a herd of cattle have come dowit to
quench their ardent thirst ; then, a bold pro-
montory, or steep head-land, clothed with the
purple !mines, of beat and distance, closes the
scene, and we are apparently sailing on the
smooth bosom of a peaceful and glassy lake.—
Farther on, a fine reach of the river opens upon
us, and a resh breeze, taking the crew by sur-
prise, rims the vessel aground, and " tiamealia
ma—Hallela-yab I" in drowsy chorus is chanted
as it is pushed off again. Then will the waves
often ruffle and fume, verily, as if old Father Nile
were indulging in a little tit of anger ; but his
ire is short lived, and we again glide on, as
if this choleric gentleman were the most
benign and placid of river deities; such au
we have seen him at the Vatican, where in
marble majesty he lies, mighty, grand, and com-
posed, despite the myriad of little sprites that play
around him. Whilst this calm and dignified
serenity continues, his waves assume a glassy
smoothness, in which every object is distinctly
reflected, and where the river goddesses might
arrange their toilet by the aid of this superb
natural mirror. Now we come upon the clumsy
buffalo, lolling and awkwardly disporting In the
water, as if more at home than on land, with
head uplifted, and expanded nostril, quaffing
the ambient air. On a sandy islet, half a dozen
storks may be seen in a composed attitude,
standing upon one leg, contemplating themselves
in the river,—then stalk, stalk, stalking on, till,
alarmed by the nearer approach of the cingia,
they heavily rise in the air, and vanish to a place
of greater security. A sullen plash proclaims
that a creeping crocodile, winding his unwieldly,
lizard-like form along, has also deserted the
sunny bank where he was basking, and, plunging
into the stream, he hides himself from the
curious ken of the voyager. Then, upon the
surface of the water, in the distance, appears a
black spot—whet is it? What can it be ? It
approaches--it elongates: a HUM A hardy
native, who, unmindful of crocodiles and river
serpents, himself scarcely leas amphibious, is
fearlessly swimming across the Nile. A NOIGMII
stillness reigns around during the sultry noon-
tide heat, and the sounds that alone disturb the
sleepy monotony are the drowsy creak of water-
mills,sh eoffe t tw ceaselessateelrec-lalr:syitswsoeel of the
ptoalellneldt
jetitts:l:itres:lseaui_ztdy,
dtfitielhan:pl flapping
of the sail, when the breeze receozueleshatsioweinitirferolymditegu:ei
sleepy.
yec:Cinersertawelrl
deranged.
ear etli oalimrtrtigs a 0:
laanwo‘a:iyi of: eta,' ii:wlig)h.setnohf
to overturn it—the
are y
of
fut
the
the a
thing is
bin is totally
the interior econo-
n
wev proves as transient as unlookeal for ; the
board—every
cangia is righted, and all again resign themselves
toslecp, or to the reveries and musings of the
Nike—Mrs. Etwo'otes Travels.