The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-04

A Pleasant But SLOW Way Of Looking I"
Egypt.

Egypt.
Given a good boat and crew ana pleas
snt cornpanions, says a writer n the
London Spectator, l know nothing more
enjoyable in the way of travel than NE
for some months on bonrc daiiaOeaIl Oh
the Nile. The MI, is scldom rough cnough
TO cause discomfort even Ia the tifhid-
and at the worst the dehabeah can DC
moored against the banks while the Storm
LASTS. Another great advantage OF siii-
ing ON the Nile is the stcIdiness OF tne
Wind. From the beginning of the winter
TO the end of spring-that Is, while the
Nile is navigable-the north wlnd DioWs
steadily up stream with snfhcirht lorce
to drive sailing boats against the currcns
at a fair pace; while. on the other haiu.
the current is strong enough 10 carry
boat without sails down against the "ihu
except when il blows gale. -.
A pleasure dahabeEh under fuil san -
a beautiful sight. 1t has one grand san .,
lateen pattern. attached TO yaf9 .,
enormous length. Small sails are added
as occasion may require. over the CAD
ms and saloons is a rallied high poop,
with easy chairs and lounges, ana gay
with plants and flowers. To the east
stretches the Arabian. to the Yves. .le
Iybian desert. each thanked by a range
OF bare hills, which in few places
touch the river. but lie for the most part
two or three miles back on either slue;
Ages before the Pyramids the Nile hied
the whole of the valley TO the depth or
some 200 feet, and the yellow hills. now
SO bare. were clothed with luxurians
vegetation, of which the evidence Stiii
remains in petriied forests and tossu..
lied plants. 1t was plainly a penou On
heavy rainfals and impetuous torrents,
oSt
their waters into the Nile.
The Nile is a busy river, fun OF IRE ana
movement, dahabeahs, bent on pleasure
or on trade, passing up ana down IT.
stream with scarcely any lntermlsslon,
while its banks are full of interest 10
the lover of the picturesque: crowds OF
women. with graceful forms and, not sell
dom. very comely faces, filing heavy
earthen jars with water, and carrying
them home on their heads; men with skins
of bronze toiling in relays Of three hours
each at the shadufs under burning sun,
and singing the while to relieve the monot-
ony of their daily labor; boatmen fi0atin9
with the stream or sailing against Lana
they also singing weird, Waillng chaht,
like the echo Of a hopeless cry, waited
Across the centuries from hard bondage
under Egyptian taskmakers, such as the
lsraeIites endured before the exodus,
focks of pelcans standing on the SAND
or manoeuvring in the air like soldiers on
the march; kingfishers, now lowering over
the water. now darling beneath It's sur
face in quest of "a passing fish.
And then there is the mysterious Nile
itself, mysterious still, though ITS sources
have been disclosed and its long mean
derings tracked from the uplands OF Cen
trail Africa to the margin of the Midland
Sea. The voyager now,it is true, seldom
| secs a crocodile unless he goes beyond
| the cataract: still less has he chance OF
| witnessing any of those fierce encounters
between crocodles and hippopotami.
| which are sculptured on the walls OF the
| temple of Edfu. In those ancient days
when the shores of the Nile down to Cal
70 were lined with reeds and papyrus the
| river abounded with crOcodiles and hip
poDotami, both of which afforded excel
| lent-albeit sometimes perilous-sp0rt TO
! the dwellers on the banks. Firearms and
steamers have now driven those herce
monsters of the deep beyond the Second
| Cataract.
but. apart from its inhabitants, the
| Nile itself has mystic interest OF us
own. / 10 not wonder that in the myth
ology of ancient Egypt it was endowed
with life, and received some SORT OF d.
vine honors. Its periodical inundations:
| while their causes were unknown, placed
il outside the category of ordinary rivers,
! and invested it with an atmosphere OF
| mystery And in the youth of our race,
when woods and glaGes and rivers were
| believed to own appropriate denizens, 1t
is easy 10 understand how the Nile
came TO be regarded as endowed with
more than natural life. II is so full of
| sub-currents and eddies that the amphib-
| ions natives. who swim like fish, viii
| not venture to cross it except astrlde
on logs of wood. In the stiffness Of the
night these eddies gurgle and murmlr
mast your hababeah like spirits from the
vastly deep engaged in confidential talk.
And who can adequately describe those
| splendid dawns and gorgeous sunsets
| which are among the cOmmonplaces OF
| Nile scenery? / have often seen the
| whole sky. from the zenith TO the horizon,
become one molten, mantlng sea Of
color and fire, every ripple and wave
| transfused into unsullled, shadoWless
crimson and purple and scarlet and opa-
descent hues, shading of into coiors Tor
| which our language supplies no words
| and previous experience no ideas. ms
snlendor Of indescribable intermlngling
colors appears at sunset on the Western
horizon. and is followed by u soft sheen
as of moonlight, reflected on tue hills
ON the eastern bank OF the river
In short. life on dababeah is one per-
netual picnic. You stop where you please,
and either enjoy the dolce far niente
| of remaining on board or making excur-
sions to old temples or tombs, or taking
mart in a veritable picnic in the desert
and n picpic in the destert, under favor
able auspices, is not likely TO be forgotten.