Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-13
DAILY COMMERCIAL,
BALTIMORE, MD.
M y Nile Boat.

VI MS enJoylhehJ. hear from the innermOst
caoih OF mat snug Nile boat, the Isis of
one hundred and fifty drdeJS burden. the
purrIng, soothing gurgle of his cocoannt
narghileh, or water pipe, through which bo
mhales the purified essence of the best Syrian
tobacco, as with a sallow, thin. and rather
yuitury face, he sits croSs-legged on his sacred
canteen chest, and watches with stealthv Graf
the doings of our Arab crew.
We are ten days already out from Cairo.
and our boat head is pointed to Thebes. the
hundred gated. 1t was sunset an hour AGO
and that great orb Of day slipped down into
darkness in the space of exactly three minutes
by my watch. Exactly two minutes after this
! remarkable but not unusual occurrence. NV
| Nubian cook, Abdallah, Frustrated himself
| on the deck in the Mussulman manner, and
repeated his prayers pressing his forehead to
| the Welwon plan5s. In three minutes after
he was up and at me with a smoking turecu
OF orange-colored lentil soup in his nimble
hands.
But let me describe the Isis, her cartain,
ana her eight sailors The vessel is one Of
| IhoSe known as a d1hnbeyeh, such as are
generally employed by voyagers on the Nile.
At mas raised quarter-de at one end, under
| winch are the cabins, three in number: while
the rest of the boat is low and fiat, with =
! gunwale reaching no higher than ones ankle
| 1t has small swallOwwinged sail aft. and
| another larger one in the fore part supportcd
| by the main-mast which is short and SUNNY.
| Just in front of this is a large square box fII
| OF earth and open at the top, which contains
| our ovens and fireplace. The crews cooking
| and cottee-malling goes on in small open
| chest, containing large clay bowl full of fire.
| Here at most hours of the day you may see
| Achmed the ships boy, making coffee, feed
ing the exhausted fire with short choppings of
Old rope, or breaking rye bread into a large
wooden bowl, a leak in which has years ago
been deXterously patched with tin
1t Is pleasant now that Campus shines with
the brilliancy of 4 diamond on fire. and tb,
wiId-geese iiy creaking over our heads. piercino
the solid dark IN arrow phalauxes. to hear the
barking Of the dogs Of Benz Ammon. that
sugar-growing village in the ''crocodiIvest''
portion OF the Ocean River. The sounds grow
louder and louder; that is a sign we are near
land, and are going to moor for the night, for
the wind IS putting and stormy. | fear ! must
confess there are better places than the Nile
to rest ones bones on. "Chump- thumprn
DO you hear those dull sounds? The sailors
are knocking in the mooring-stump. in tbn
way the Egyptians have done for thousands of
years,-ln fact, ever since the time of Josepb
or before. We are to glide past no more
mounds OF gOurds to-day, no more acres Of
glant-bunchcd millet, no more groves Of
onions, the grandchildren of those that fed
| thepyramid builders, no more miles of caIcined
cIlif squared cut into cellared tombs. Do YOU
hear that rafting bang which sounds ike pre-
meditated assassination? That is the village
watchman's friendly greeting. He is in glee,
he OF the long silver-bOund watch-lock, for the
one-eyed dragoman will bestow on him four
halfpenny for going to sleep all night ON
the bank near our boat,-a ceremony which is
supposed to be etectual against thieves.
The great tawny swallows wings of sails are
folded to rest; the huge glass lantern is duly
hung outside orr cabin; our candles are III
inside the enclosure where we sing, read and
discuss the events OF the day; the lentil soup
SINNERS over the fire, It's lid jumps up and
down as II IN excitement and delight; the men
shout, "Allah! the great,-the merciful!"
and squat IN ring round the wide wooden
bowl that steamS under their grabbing brown
fingers.
The captain-a solemn, black bearded. and
sullen man-colects himself into a heap in
the head OF the vessel, and sups in private
alter many additions. The brown waves ma,5
up and wash below him, the heads of roth
may float down, the great fish NAV bIunder
and tumble,-still he eats and smokes. in
different to all natural phenomena: and.
smoking, medltates alter the manner of the
;dosIem. hall an hour.morc and he will be =
Drown snoring bundle on the quarterback,
happily wrapt IN oblivion, for ''sleep makes US
all Pashas,' as the Bedouin proverb runs.
But, after all, | have not described the
internal economy Of the boat. 1t consists of
three small low rooms; one of them is devoted
to our small netted-in beds and under them
are provision cupboards, gunpowder, ana
other harmless trifes. The second is our sit
Gng-rOom; along each side Of which are four
small windows, and below them long cushioned
seats, sacred to doing, reading, and media.
ton. The third is our stOre-rOOm there our
trunks and our wrappers are, our courier bags.
our sacks Of shot, our boxes of percussion
caps, our warm coats and plads for the cold
nights and mornings, our sticks and umbrellas,
our gun cleaners, our cases Of wadding, our
vine, our medicine-chests, and other necessa-
RES and Injuries; for want more than
Adam wanted, now that the best of us have
grown so sophisticated
OF our bedrooms little need be said eycepL
that under each Of our hinty pillows, which
|. custom has rendered softer than the thrice
driven down, turks nightly revolver.-fo,
the villagers about some parts of the river
have q bad habit Of visiting Nile boats. beatino
the passengers, and stripping the cabins; q
loaded double-barrel for wild duck rastc
against the wall. Nothing disturbs us at nioht
but the perpetual noise Of naval racrics # w.
hs
barking of the village dogs, and the perpetual
cough Of Mohammed, the boy who seers ONT
side the cabin under the deck, ali among tho
eggs, cabbages dates, and tour-casks, where,
as he tells me daily, he is much disturbed by
the rats, who are as large as cats, and were
certainly sent On board for the express torment
Of true believers.
Our sithngroom, which has yellow panels.
Is adorned with red and green cushions red
curtains, and green Venetian blinds; that old
furnished square-lOoking glass is as old as the
childhood Of Mohammed Ali, at least: the
little leather plllow-Case that swings from the
nail of the glass folding door leading to the
dressing cupboard is full of fine Syrian tobacco,
and that black seal on it is the seal Of some
Damascus merchant.
At the door of our cabin is Abool Hoosavn's
great canteen chest, containing a large plated
sOup-ladle, glasses, brass egg-cups, and Abool
Hoosayn OF the one eye, and that very in
different one, only knows what else. This
box IS his Joy and pride; he rummages in it,
he prowls about 1t, he lifts out trays. he let's
the lid down on his chopped fingers: and when
he IS tlred-and he is easily tired, is our drag.
oman,-he sits on ii crosS-legged with clumsy
crooked chibouk, the meauest of all slaves
that was ever made, like the gold demon in
Eastern stories, to guard boarded treasures.
yes, there he sits and snaps at the noble can,
tain. Near this chest at the one side are the
stairs leading up to the quarter-deck on the
other is the square cage that contains tae great
filter, the water-god of the vessel. beneath
whose cool exudations repose tie white rots
Of buffalo milk, the butter, and our sin can Of
goats milk,
And talking of goats, that rvminds me that
half a kid hangs from the rigging, ready for
to,morrow's dinner, cheek By j(3wl with large
bird-cage containing two cold fowls OF lean
and ascetic conformation. scU,e faced herbs,
and some chocolate.cole. ed dates. in another
feso =, ~ ar~-ser-deek are our oranges,
lines, and pomegranates, near two rude sofas
for our majesties' use, evening and morning.
In a rude vennihon chest, inlaid with tawdry
brass-work, and close to the fireplace, rest the
crew. pipes, cofee-cups, and extra cloaks.