Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1890-11-28
On the Banks of the Nile.
CAIRo, EGYPT, Aug. I'd.
Special to the Graphic.

CAIRO, EGYPT, Aug. I'd.
Special to the Graphic.
The Nile has been rising during
the past three days and in about
one week all the low land of Low
er Egypt will be inundated. This
annual rise and overflow does not
vary three days perhaps once in a
decade. The river here is about
half mile wide and flows very
slowly, hence it fills its banks
very soon after the flow begins. Ii
is now about like our Missouri
river water, and during the over
flow rich deposit will be left on
the land. The banks are paved
with stone in many places and a
high levee of earth surmounted
by road, serves to keep the riyer
in bounds and thus:prevent a gen.
eral overflow where the water is
not needed. Great flood gates
are built by the government and
are opened only once each year
just at the time when the river is
full. Next week the gates will be
opened by the Pasha of Egypt. 1t
will be gala day. Bands of mu-
sic, military professions, civil So
cieties and all the show Of Mo-
hommedan LAND will be seen.
There will be general rejoicing
throughout the land. Since
last spring tens of thousands of
people have been lrrigating their
growing crops by means of every
contrivance, from a steam pump
to water bucket carried by hand
There is cause for general rejoic-
ing at the overflow, for now this
army of water carriers will have
rest, and the harvest is assured.
For the past two weeks there have
been thousands of Arabs gathering
on the banks, making merry, hold
ing prayer meetings, singing
hymns to the great prophet and
reading the Koran. They look on
the Nile as their earthly savior
and with out it Egypt would be a
desert, and the present population
would die of starvation if one over
flow should fail to come ia it's sea-
son. But it never has and likely
naver will fail. The weather is
extremely hot here during July
and August. Yet it is here just
now what our Christmas,is athome.
There all try to get home for the
annual rejoicing and here all try
to get to the banks of the Nile for
this yearly festival.
The pilgrims to Mecca are re-
turning by the hundreds. The
Arabs and Gators from the interi-
or and the dwellers far ont in the
oasis are coming in with their
products to supply the great gath
ering of people. The camels are
loaded with all the novelties of q
semi-civilized people, besides
fruits, spices, shells, ostrich feath-
ers, song birds, monkeys, religious
relics and trophies the interior
tribes have taken in wal; and the
annual supply of beautiful slave
girls for the harems, are all here,
Or on their way. The slave mar
ket is not made as a public show,
yet there is buying and selling for
all who desire to traffic in human
flesh, and thus the harems are
we'll supplied with slaves who are
to the keepers of the harems what
the concubines were to the ancient
kings of Assyria. The girl selected
to be the slave of the harem is tall
and strong. Her complexion
is little lighter than our western
Indian and as to her education 1t
is blank. Her life he's been
spent grinding at the mill, CLEAN
ing the fields, carrying water,
milking the goats and camels and
following the blind-folded COW
that works at the sweep of the old
well. Now she dreams ali this
will end and she VIII spend her
life in harem where she will sit
on rug and smoke the days
away. Of a certainty she will be
slave and a prisoner. Yet her
prison viii be palace and her
slave chains will deliver her from
work and worry of helping to sup.
port herself. But thu poor, fool
ish creature never thinks of the
coming shadows of her life when
the charms ofyouth leave her cheek
and another will take her place
in the harem; after which she will
come to the Nile feast again. But
this time she will come to sell figs
and fry fish. Year after year the