St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-07-08

Editor of CALIFORNIAN.

|
furnaces in these parts) appalled, us. Blu
a pleasant, cool wind sprang up, and TIL
warm fur cloak which / had put in my
roll OF wraps for Northern Italy, or thu
English Spring, was used for the frs
time on the voyage when we were oppo
site Mt. Sinai. Early in the morning
was called on to the captains bridge
and rising clear and dark against the
sky, were the peaks of the historic group
The one largest and pearest was at first
thought to be the Sacred Mountain, but
an old captain came up and pointed out
Jebel Mousa, the next peak, which was
more like our own conception OF the
Holy Mount. The sir was fresh and
cold, the ships company was hardly
astir, and we had quiet, thoughtful
time, gazing across upon the place so
often and reverently brought before us
all our lives, in the sacred history. When
| it seemed too cold TO remain out longer,
knelt beside my portfolio, and gazing
out, watched the fast-retreating range.
Soon the bright sun rose, and the morn
ing mists obscured the view.
1t has been a labor of love, since, to
turn over the illusions to this lonely
mountain, on this desert shore, and to
read more about its present-day his
tory. By the Inhabitants near, it is re-
garded with peculiar sanctity, and
traveller whom we have met, who has
been exploring in this region, says that
the scripture descriptions of its grandeur
and power and awesomeness are fully
realized by those who ascend it. There
were wild deserts, lofty hills, and long
sandy wastes to be seen on the Somali
coast, and at one place we dscerned
boats, small huts, and natives, on the
sand-dunes, and tiny scrub bushes on the
slopes.
The Red Sea is much wider than l
thought, but our progress was good,
and we soon reached Suez. On our right
were the so-called Wells of Moses, with
their palms and shrubbery, and near was
the quarantine station. To the left were
the mountains, supposed, and l think
rightly, too, to be those that shut in the
Israelites at the beginning of their exo-
dus, when in their fright they saw the
sea before them, and the mountains on
their right, and they were overwhelmed
and dismayed. We were surrounded by
steamers, waiting to be examined by the
port doctors, before being allowed to
proceed up the canal, and among them
were many fine P. & o. boats, Austria
liam ships and others. After an hours
waiting, doctor and lady came on
board, and all the frst.class lady pas
sengers were asked to come into the sa-
loon, or to go into their cabins for exam
nation. We were hardly seated in the
saloon, when the lady-doctor crossed
| over and exclaimed, Is this Mrs. Gray?'
And l responded "How glad l am to
see you, Nurse Attic" as l recognized a
! Pretoria nurse, who was an honored
guest in our home in 1890. She had
been over the Indian steamer and hac
discovered two plague suspects, but nc
cholera patients, and fortunately oul
bill Of health was good, in spite of two
deaths, which had occurred during tn,
voyage, and which, at first, had caused
a very careful inspection of the 3rd elias.
and storage passengers. However i
was distinctly proved that one nativ,
had died of accident, and one Portuguese
of black-water fever contracted in the in
terror, and we were all passed"
Our dear old friend took us to he
: rooms IN the quarantine station, which
were lightly and simply, but quaint,
; and artisticallv furnished in Egyptian
: style, with tapestries, rugs, pretty ia
bles and divans, and were very room,
and airy. We wandered up the lonI
. avenue of lebbek trees, whose dry pod
. rustled as the wind blew, in quite a mus
ical, though somewhat melancholy fash
ION; and there we left the past ant
, drove couple of miles, perhaps, to GU
hotel. Nurse Attic dined with US and w
e had much news to retail and much tt
e hear. We were glad to introduce her t.
z DR.. Wyck Smith, one of our passenger:
e who had seen her sister, Nurse Bessi,
!, only two months before in Blantvr,
= Nurse Attic was, last season, for som
: time in charge of quarantine choer
s station at Tor, in sight of Mt. Sinai, bu
F, in spite OF man attempts she was neve
] free enough to climb the Holy Mountain
E She is brave, noble little woman an
! untiring in her efforts for the sick an
distressed. Her usual station is Cairo
: but she WAS fulfilling the duties of til
c lady doctor inspectress during the al
. sence OF the one who is stationed a
t Suez. She feels that every one coming t.
y Egypt should learn Arabic, and is deter
}, mined that none of her nurses shall b
l. deficient in, at least, elementary know
r edge. The next morning we started 70
n Cairo. Our journey lay partly throug
e desert, partly through partially irrigate
s and cultivated plains, and lastly throue
n rich, fertile thoroughly titled, Mi
= washed region, where the magni6cen
crops and luxuriant growth amazed an
delighted us.
The fresh water canal was often i
sight and for time we ran parallel wit
Z the wonderful Suez Canal which ha
a evermore rendered Monsieur de Lesser
S name SO deservedy famous in this cour
r try, The Suez Canal is very narrow