Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-03-23
HELD BY A ROPE.
Dangerous Predicament of a PARTY
of Englishmen.

Egypt has been called the Gift O
the Nile, and every thing in the land i.
connected with the movements of tn,
great artery that is the life of the
country.
The seventeenth Of June is the
might of the drop" and is celebrated
as a festival. Moore in his Lalla
hookh tolls us of the power of
The drop that dow from the moon,
ais through I Z healing air of June"
According to the ancient legends,
Isis, the goddess of Egypt, wccps over
the arldncSs OF the country, and the
tear falling from her eye into the Nile
causes the overflow which brings
renewed life TO the land. The Cairenes
spend the night beside the river.
either in the open air or in houses
near the bank, and practice all sorts of
ceremonies, Each member of the
family places a piece of dough on the
roof; if the dough rises, happiness is in
store for the fortunate one who placed
1t there; ii not, it is an i'll omen.
Ten days later the river slowly
begins to rise, and the Nile crier goes
through the streets every morning
with the latest bulletin as to the
height of the water. The great festiv-
lty of the year is the Wefa or the
cutting of the dam, which takes place
between the tenth and fourteenth of
August.
Egypt is now no longer a vast lake
during the inundation as it formerly
was. The water is conducted into a
network Of canals and reservoirs, and
distributed as ii is needed, and engi-
neers are appointed to see that there
is no loss nor waste. Levees are built
to keep the waters within bounds, and
many of the villages are connected by
these, while others can only be reached
by boat.
When we reached Egypt in the
middle Of October, the inundation was
at the highest point, higher than it
had been for years. To attempt the
journey to the pyramids was, We were
told, madness, the whole face of the
country between Ghizeh and the city
being under water. But the flood
would not abate for weeks, and we
could not wait, and so decided to trv
it.
Selecting our donkeys with care, we
started out, a party of four including
the dragoman and the leader of the
little animals, which are the street-car
Of Egypt. The donkey boy, u very
bright little fellow of fourteen wears,
was a family man he told us proudly,
with two wives and four children, and
he supported his whole establishment
on n franc a day he earned by TAX
ing care of the donkeys.
On past the city out into the open
we rode, cOngratulating ourselves that
we had not needed the advice given
us.
Our route lay along a high embank-
ment beside one of the numerous
canals which encircle the city, and a
more beautiful Gene can not be imap-
ined. The water was almost up with
the banks, and in the sunlight glittered
and glistened. Tall reeds and rushes
with waving plumes beautifully green
lined the shore, and the reflection in
the water gave back every leaf and
twig.
Then suddenly and abruptly the
dyke was cut off, and before us was a
sheer descent into the yellow water.
The force of the waves had under
mined the foundation, and ii had sunk.
What to do next was the question.
Yussef got down, and went forward
explore. Finally he came back
with the intelligence that there was a
boat a little way back. which would
take us if we were willing to go in that
way. Turning, we rode to where a
curve in the embankment formed a
tiny cove, and there was the boat, a
long, dirty, weather-beaten craft, with
the immensely high mast and the odd
sail that they use only on the
Nile.
Leaving our donkcys to the boy who
was TO take them back to the city, we
embarked and pushed off. The little
boat rocked and reeled with the force
the current. but the boatmen seemed
10 know their business, and piloted us
safely enough, though it was no easy
task. The tallest trees were half
under water, and the smallest were
submerged; and when one least
expected it, he was apt to run up
one, for the water was so thick
with mud that nothing could be seen
'elow the surface.
IN were at work upon the embank-
-trengthing them, and a busy
'reen terraces rising up out
water presented. Where
opt the dykes COM
ore throwing con-
3 forcibly re-
,me, when