The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-06-10
NUMBER 25.
Up and Down the Nile.


A correspondent b furnishing he Journal Of
Commerce series Of sketches Of rare interest
and beauty under tho above heading Unles
We are very much mistaken. the writsr. ID VIM.
G. Prime, who 10 both practical traveller In
Oriental countries and polishsd writer. HE
descriptions are, many Of them, surprisingly
bssutiful, - for example the following s1-
tract:
Never was night more holy than that when l
found myself again fairly away for the voyage
M the father Of rivers II Was still, % still
that ths silence seemed Oppressive. But The
very silence well bo6ttsd the sccna West Of
rs, close at hand. were the hills Of Chiseh and
Sakhsra, where lie the innumersble dead Of
ancient Memphis. doubt not that to-day
millions Of the inhabitants Of ancient EGYPT lie
In their grave clothes under those yellow ands,
waiting the resurrection In whose hope they
slept thousands Of years ago. There lis men
Who knew Plato, and who knew Joseph, and
rhen who knew Moses. We talk st home Of the
slcep Of death, but somehow that sleep always
seem 10 be more easily realised here In Egypt
where men lie at rest In form and feature ~
when friends left them In the tomb twenty or
thirty centuries ago. Sitting on deck that
night endeavorcd 10 imagine the resurrection
on yonder hills. when the men Of al the cen
turtles should stand up together and look In ono
snother's fsces. The successive races that have
inhabited this land, and who rest In the rocky
hillsides, had little foresight, but perhaps quite
~ much a. We have In America In the ninc-
teenth century. They did mot imagine who
would succeed them In their possessions, nor
do We. Their glory surpssses ours almost -
much a. ours nrpasses that Of our aboriginal
predecessors. They built temples TO which our
proudest structures arc a. toy houses; and
strangers came to worship In them, and then
other strangers came TO wonder who built them,
and 10 what gods they were dedicated. 10
passes the strength Of man, and the grandeur OF
empires. What visions one can have In moon
light night on the Nile.
Il would be hardly possible 10 mako boat
moro comfortable for travellers than the Nile
Dshsbceh. Devise any plan you will for ves-
eel on which TO live for some months and you
will not excel this old Egytiau plan. Improve
mentz might be made In the Arrangements, but
the shape Of the cabins, the height between
decks and the amount Of room oil mako the
boat superior to any yacht or other vessel OF the
same tonnage In any country.
We had no need TO look after our provisions,
for Abd-el-Ath always takes care that his table
shall be As good a. the best European hotel can
furnish. There ID no great variety Of meats In
Egypt, and mutton, chickens and turkeys arc
the main stays Of life here. These are inter-
mingled with such birds as our daily walks on
shore, gun In hand, can provide, and withal
we have abundance Of ham, smoked beef aud
preserved meats. We are fortunate In good
H.. L. Il f.u snHtk tka ,th har hav aa mn
near catching severe thrashing from the indig-
nant dagomcn, an escape which seems TO have
done him good, since the bread has been better
for that, or some other cause.
Life on the Nile In, 10 my notion, the most
perfect luxury In this world. an always up
before the sun. The beauty OF the early morn
ing Is indescribable. How many times that
word must be used In writing about this life
The bursting Of the dawn into full day Is swift,
and within few minutes We have every gor-
pcous color Of our American sunsets, one color
rapidly succeeding another, splendor following
splendor, until the sun rushcs up over the gray
eastern hills, and poun lis warm Hoods Of light
Into the luIuriant valley. The world seems to
me very old each morning as zee this scene
repeated, and think how oflen that same sun
has travelled across the desert and looked down
over those hills into this valley, AMI what gen.
erations of men and their works he has seen
there.
We take coffee on rising, and 20 ashore for
awhile, usually shooting dozen or two pigeons
before VIC return, and Join the ladies for brcak.
fast At nine. Amer breakfast and . pipe, II
there Is any wind Il generally makes ib appear.
snce, say about ten o'clock. II there 10 no
wind. the men track the boat. AMI In that case,
or II the wind be light, We again 70 on shoro
and walk, sometimes for miles, Across fields and
through palm groves, occasionally coming on
board to rest for awhile, always earring our
guns and generally making pretty fair bags Of
game The ladies pass the day with books and
embroidery. We dine at three o'clock. and
rise from the table In time 10 enjoy the most do
lcious hour Of the day, that which prroedes and
that which follows the sunset. At seven o'clock
We have tea aud choc, late, and the saloon ID
then bright with lights, and the evening passes
rapidly. When al the rest are asleep /! 80 on
deck and lie On one Of the sofas and look at
the stars. In the clear air Of this country there
are apparently three stars visible where one is
seen In America. In other days have counted
eleven stars In the PleiSles With my naked eye.
Tonight and last night could count only ten.
Farther up the river shall sce the eleven. Tho
air Is always rich and strong. never cold nor
hot. except In the direct sunshine. II the boat
Il sailing rapidly We lie ON deck on the sofas
under an awning. watching the hilh and groves
as We rush by them, taking no note Of time. al
WAYS surprised when the dinner hour arrives.
This which have described Is our life on the
trip up the river. We do not stop 70 look st
ruins until the return voyage.
Ny object In this letter Is only TO describe, for
the benefit OF those who do not know u, the
manner Of life on the Nile. Yet every one who
reads this must have rcsd the same story before.
For books Of Nile travel are innumersble, and
life on the Nile boat is always the sams, and
fancy always was much the same. This eve
ming afser the sun had set. Was struck - often
before, with the effect Of figures Of men walking
on the river bank, relieved against the bright
western sky. They resemb'cd % exactly the
stin sculptures Of the monuments that one can
not bat be convinced that In ancient tmes tho
artists saw just such figures Of men. IN }uss such
dresses, In evening lights, and copied them uish
minute care. Nor In this little thing alone docs
modern Egypt resemble ancient Egypt Doubt
less many Of the manners and customs Of the
people are the same now ~ In old times. though
tbe people have changed. and the old rses y ut
tsrly lost.