The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-12

| the top of the lofty Pylon to the obscure re.
cesses of the Hypogelum we sooured the sculp'
tured stones with flame and read vaguely but
with awe the secret history OF Osiris. There
| it was, page after page, from the advent TO the
| traneh2 2uraton-a very sacred and mysterious
revelation which in msDy instances seemed to
tores6adow the advent of our Lord. Doubt.
less the night ard the wfnl sense of solitude
from which it was impossible for us to escape,
heightened our singular enthnsiss N; the place
| seemed thronged with spirit; you know it is
written, Statutes sleep in the daytime in the
night they wake and become ghoets"
What faces aud forms ct Arted into life under
the glare of our torohesl Taey seemed actu-
ally to move in the quivering light. Isis, with
ed goddess the mitered Athos, with an evil
eye set in the clean cut profile; rows of starks.
giants with coiled boards deties crowned
with ssrpents, and sphynxes half human, half
beast! We lost our reckoning more than once,
| ard threaded gloomy halls where clouds of bats
poured down upon us mildewed creatures,
with fetid breath. that fastened upon US like
vampires, and were with d if1i ,ulty beaten off
old, and when we had fed into the halls above
them We could etill hear the low thunder of o
myriad sliny wings Tapping in that whirl-
wind of desperation aud despair! How sweet,
how delicious the night air on the terrace 4! We
sat there till the moon had sailed half across
the heavens, and then We climbed to the top
most bsloony of the temple and sought repose.
Night birds darted by Us, now and again
sweeping down within our reach, and scream
ing with alright; strange echoes wandered to
and fro among the deserted cha nbers. Yusef's
life lay by my side; slept the half sleep that
ia like drunkenness 1 seemed conscious of
my surroundings, aud yet l dreamed inces'
sanity; once sprsng to my feet with shriek
OF horror that was scarcely calculated to cheer
my companion. In my dream I seemed to be
hanging upon the very edge of the temple ter
race and then slid off into hideous space, and
was dashing headlong down to death when
awoke. There was little sleep after that. We
eat in the moonlight and chatted and annexed
the consoliug and soothing cigarette, and look
ed down upon the river hat stole!noiselessly by,
200 feettbelow Us. While We watched the mys-
terious current whose source is hidden in some
fabulons land, we saw, at the same moment, q
dark object stemmpg the current and slowly
approaching The island. My first thought was
of the crocodile, that has been frigh tened out
of Egypt, but still clipgs to the Nubian shore
with reckless persistency. We descended to
balcony overhangpg the water, at point
within range of our uuwelcome visitor. On it
came; We saw dark limbs noiselessly propell-
ing the creature; we heard quick, hard breath
ing, and then the object swan into the white
wake of the moon, and we saw q human head
and part of human form buoyed up by log;
it was the Nubian raft.t and we were about to
be inspected by a native of the soil.
challenge brought no response from the
amphibious rascal. The challenge was repeat
ed, ahd then, after a reasonable pause, dis
charged Yussfs rifle into the air. With grunt.
that b!ackamoor went on the other tack aud
disappeared. 1t was an unexpected and in
promptu rehearsal OF the fourth act OF AIDA
We were on the very spot-Phi'e. the sacred
isle. Here wae the temple, a portion of which
is represented, more or less accurately, in the
pic'Grosqlo fourth ant the moon, the palms,
TIE river, the fragrant jungle, and from time
to ttnla strange chants that hosted in the air
-thsii!rg, pantive notes, droned monoton-
onsly, bee like, at welcome intervals till sun
rise.
How we listened and brooded over the
water, and saw in tideless nook the ivory
petals of great flower, that blossomed and
unveiled it's golden glories until it seemed an.
other moon. 1t lived, it breathed, it pslpitat-
ed upon the cry stal surface of the tranquil tide
it flooded the air with fragrance; all the pas.
sion of Egypt, oil the poetry of the Nile, all
the magniicence and the mystery of the Orient
bloomed again in that queenly flower. She was
a neclomancer +; she held me with her copj jura-
ton 1 saw beyond mountains and deserts,
tropical jungles astir with crouching tigers,
troops of elephants, droves Of gaunt giraffes
before the storm, and the hippopotami wallow-
ing in tall river reeds.
Abyssinis, Ssunaar, KsydaH fan, Darfour sent
an1 bassies to me, and had for my slaves leg
ions of Berbers girdled with gold, shinios
with oil 'nHrky and shapnly follows! The sun
wac up whenI woke sgiiE sts barge awaited
us; our boat u IS on the shore; ne had nothing
to do but 20 return to our frienda and resum,
the voyago--hlt for me that night the lcVus
bloomed Sn6 witheredl