The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-07-27
FROM SUEz TO CAIRO.
Scenery Which Reminds One of
Western American Plains.

CSpt VVlOOtiVu VI 1SAt I(aul6 uUusts
for European residents, the fret l
have seen since leaving America, /
boarded the train a. o'clock.
l! was 3 tambls.down sor. Of 8
train, With no letters or inscriptions
shout it except the number of the
engine, the words "Pbste Govern
mentals Egyptienne" on the mail
carriage, and the figures !; Q or 8 on
the other o9aohes to indicate the class
to which they belonged. The engine
was queer looking affair, more like
a side-whssl steame. than an engine.
It had one immense driving wheel.
As I measured myself against it /
came to the conclusion that il Was
nothing short of ten feet in diameter.
This seemed to presage tremendous
speed. but didn't discover any On
the way.
The first thirty Eve miles was run
without a stop, through the desert so
dresIy that SILVER IS look back to
it. On the right was the Suez canal,
with great Lodges of dirt on either
side, above which only the masts and
tunnels OF the slo8-gOiDg steamers
we're visible.
/ was iorolbly reminded OF the
desert in western America, on the
California side Of the Salt Lake valley.
There was q short growth OF wha.
rssemblsd sage brush, the thick saline
deposits duplicated alkali appearance
on our western plains, and the piles
OF drifting sand made life similarly
burdensome in the cars.
These Egyptian railways were
originally constructed by the French,
but have been allowed to run down
considerably since they passed into
she hands OF the local government.
They contrast painfully in equipment
with those of India, AS We proceeded
further north we struck an occasional
mud village. and at sixty miles out
from snez stopped at the thrifty little
village of Ismailis, on the western
shore Of Lake Timsah, the halfway
station on ths canal. On the depo!
platform | saw soma real, live boot
blacks and several long strings of fish.
The train now backed for three or
four miles. rstraoing the journey to q
junction which / hsd noticed With
some wonder on the say into Ismailis.
A couple of hours more OF desert;
and suddenly the wilderness blossom
ed as rose. never saw such an
abrupt transformation anywhere else.
On both sides OF the track the fields
were brilliantly green, and palms,
oocoanuts and weeping willows
delighted the eye. The amazing fruit
fulness Of these meadows is due to tho
sun ouickened slime which ths Nile
river leaves behind after the annusl
inundation, far richer than gusno or
bonedast. Sleek. wellfsd cattle
broWsed in the rich pastures, remind
ing one of Pharaoh's fat kline. Each
herd mas watched by a ragged peasant
or fellah at work in the field near by.
at each station women promenadsd
the platform with articles OF diet for
sRle-gayly colored boiled eggs, dates,
figs. oranges, small loayes of bread,
and, for the native passengers, whoss
diet seemed to bs much like that of
acknowledgements leaves, onion
tops, and sort OF r1bber gEiddle
cake. if I may dsfine il in view OF lie
shape and its elasticity. Other
Somen had stone jugs containing
drinking water, the neck OF each jug
heing filed with fragrant weed,
something like our spesrmint.
| At 5 O'Clock the train arrived in this
| city, and I was driven to the Hotel do
| Nil, the emblem OF which is OF course
an alligator over the p1sin entrance,
/ As look out through the garden
where I am now writing, I notice in
front of me shapely orange tree
loaded With ripe fruit, clump o
bananas, graceful date-palm, ana
numerous tropical pets. Some of tht
trees are loaded with purple anG
crimson blossoms. almost to thl
breaking point. Water Rplaahes in {
, fountain near by, piano On one 0
the parlors is yielding tide OF Strauss
melody, and take it all in all, this j
something like civilization.
My frs. impression Of Cairo is tia
il is across the line OF Asiatic barbar
liam. Things begin 10 look homelike
, All the races OF Europe are here, ant
! il such numbers that the street scene
are essentially European. Even tn
!. majority of the natives are bleaoheI
out in color and have an intelligen
look, after such long surfeit OF Hin
q docs, Mslays, Chinese, Ausmsse. Bul
Y mese, etc. People dc not answer ye
+ tc every question, but talk logically
and occasionally at least. tell tn
], truth. In place Of oriental scream
ing, pushing, and squeezing, there
s dignity, quiet. repose Of character
People read the news papers and res
= son together. European dress domir
aies. Ideas are broad end progral
Give. Evidences OF refinement su
culture abound. The cafes aud note
iare really splendid, and there al
hundreds Of them. Though EDglis
is spoken comparatively little, and
am as helpless az ever,it is q substaI
-