Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-18
CONTINENTAL TOURISTS.
Some Things Seen by Clarksville
People in Classic Lands.
Interesting Sketches Sent to the Leaf
Chronicle as Culled From the Let
ters Of Clarksville Tourists,

Speclal Correspondence Dea1-Cnronlcle,l
sour travellers" embarked on one
of Cookies fine steamers, from Cairo,
on Feb. 2, fine, bright morning, to
ascend the historic river Nile, to the
first cataract, and back, which would
occupy about three weeks.
"Rameses the Great" the name of
the vessel, furnished all the comforts
modern tourists could demand; had
seventy-three passengers on board,
mostly English, who at first were
very formal, as we believe they have
the reputation of being generally to
strangers but were destined to be-
come very social before that long
trip was ended, like small COM
munity shut In to themselves. Two
Russian counts were among the
number, several Germen and few
very nice Americans, among them a
family from Louisville, one of the
Louisvillians being a contributor to
the Century Magazine.
The view of Cairo is very fine as
we leave it behind, the great bridge
across the Nile, and the numerous
native craft moored along the shores.
One of the chief picturesque features
here is the water carriers as they
come in numbers with their earthen
water jars on their heads to get the
fine waters of the Nile.
We were pointed to the spot where
it Is believed that the infant Moses
was hidden by his mother and then
found by the kings daughter.
On one side we Can see the green
fields spreading in the distance to the
line where the desert begins, and the
great pyramids stand, that we spoke
of visiting. There are palm groves
and little villages dotted along the
shores. The first place we stopped
at was Bedreshayne, where the noise
and confusion OF donkeys and boys
were most amusing; amid braying
and clamoring and laughing our
entire party got mounted, each with
their white parasol raised to shade us
little from the sun, we trotted off
like a unique army with another
army Of boys to pelt the lazy don
keys, to the ruins OF the ancient city
of Memphis. Ruins indeed, for
there is nothing left but two fine
statues of Rameses the great, which
were discovered rather recently.
From here we rode on an elevated
path to the edge OF the desert, pass
ing through dirty Arab villages and
palm groves, to the step pyramid,
Saccara, built in stories, each story
representing a step, five or six OF
these steps still reaching above the
drifting sand. Inside are several
rooms, nobody knows for what they
were used. Near by we saw the
Serakeum, or underground tombs OF
the sacred bulls; long stairway
leads down to them. AT Saccara is
the tomb of I'll, whose statue has
been removed to the museum for the
benefit of those who are unable to
take this trip. There is square
court leading to the tomb; in the
Walls of this court are fine sculptures
and the portrait and name of III ;
there are two rooms whose walls are
covered with sculpture and hero
glyphs, which are explained to us.
The various industries are represent
ed, funeral procession, agriculture in
progress, girls with baskets of fruite
on their heads, and many other won
derful things. A brisk ride soon
brought us back to our boat. We
spend each night at some stopping
place, only moving in the day time
The Meydoom, supposed to be the
Oldest of all the pyramids, is passed
but less interesting than any we have
seen. We pass numbers of good sized
villages without stopping, but often
the whole population rush to the
shore waving to US and begging fol
backsheesh (money), many of them
almost nude, the children entirely 80
Sometimes the villages among the
palm groves are very pretty from
this distance, especially where 6
mosque shows among them, and
maybe sugar factories with tall chin
neys; in the distance the mountains
green grass covering the low plains
Then again we may pass a primitive
machine, rude wooden wheels turned
by oxen, to draw water for irrigation
or a shadoof worked by fellaheer
with bareback and head, who fills
the buckets and then empties then
into the little canals in the fields.
Early in the morning the boa
swept around a high cliff opposite
Gebel-el-Ter, where is situated thu
Coptic Monastery, a christian com
munity of native Egyptians; very
little is known OF them or their order
Until very recently, whenever
vessel passed a naked monk woult
swim out to II and beg aims, but thi
has been stopped, and now they onl.
wave and hold out their beseechinI