Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-26
FROM CAIRO TO LUXOR
With Time,ss Limited One
a 4. IN
Takes the Railway.
mur DururMn 'ihFnNomrp
THE PUTTING MONSTER
vENERAr1oN DE- THE NATIVES
FOB THE LOCOMOTIVES.
Believed Themselves Cured ON Touch
ing It's Steel Sides-Education in
Egypt-At a School for Girls.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald
LUXOR, Egypt, December %, 1903.
There are three ways to go up the Nile.
People whose time is limited take the rail-
way, for the journey from Cairo to Luxor
by train takes only fifteen hours You
leave Cairo at in the evening and arrive
at the city of temples at next morning.
with a good dinner on a dining car and
fair breakfast before you leave the train
The sleeping cars are of the European
pattern Passengers are locked up in lit
tie cells just wide enough for dressing
and undressing after the bed Is made.
The greatest drawback to the journey is
the impossibility of securing ventilation.
for If you should leave window open
you would be buried under sand before
morning The distance is 420 miles.
From Luxor to Assouan Is 100 miles and
requires ten hours over narrow-gauge
track. From there you take military
railway to Khartum, distance of $50
miles. This road was built twenty years
ago for distance of o6O miles, but was
destroyed by the Dervishes during the re-
bellion of Ell Mahdi. They burnt the sleep
ers, twisted the rails, smashed the cars
and disabled the locomotives wherever they
could reach them. In 1896, during the re-
rebuilt the track at the rate of mile
day, and it has since been put in pretty
fair order The locomotives have to haul
their own water. because for more than
half the distance the route of the railway
passes through a desert with nothing but
blazing sunshine, rock and sand. The
journey is hot and tedious.
Locomotive "Cures."
When the first locomotive reached Ber-
Der the natives were profoundly impressed.
They had never before seen monster like
that crawling along the desert at night
breathing fire and smoke and painting like
a tired bullock, and they believed it must
possess superhuman powers. Many Of them
who are ill or deformed still come again
and again to the station to touch its glsten-
ing steel and oily machinery, and several
remarkable cures have been effected in that
way, for the faith ofsthe Barbarian is great.
The journey by railroad. to Khartum lacks
now but one short gap, which may pc mace
on cameIs or on the river. But for that
matter there is very little pleasure In IT,
and it will be a long time before people VIII
spend the four days, necessary for crossing
the desert for enjoyment.
A Trip Ga the Nile.
To those who have plenty Of time and
can put in winter in Egypt. voyage up
and down the Nile is an ideal experience.
You can make it as Short or as long as you
like, and have a choice Of boats. The ex-
press steamers. which carry the mails ano
ordinary size, set an EXCELLENT table and
make the voyage as farLsas Luxor every
week Is an ass eaam IS So az y
which takes three days tS;make the 45O
miles. Ey6ff--. III f-a"s - ~
Two competing companies run excursion
boats especially for the accommodation OF
;ctc a,1 cto a. all DIaC6S OF interest
along the river. Guides. accompany the
party, and donkeys and camels are furnish
ed for trips to the ruined cities, temples
and tombs. The cabins are large and ar
ranged for long voya ges; the decks are f1t-
ted. up like the yerandaS OF a country COT
tage. the table is excellent and well served,
the passengers come to dinner IN evening
dress. and for five or six weeks while they
are making the round trip they are very 1
much like house party or the guess q q
floating hotel. The expense is comparative
Iy small.
Travelling by Dahbeyah.
The third way is to charter houseboat,
called a dahbeyah, which may be found OF
various dimensions to accommodate parties
of from four to twenty. Most of them have
only sail power. and are manned by native
riyermen who handle the monstrocs sails
that look as if they were big enough 10
carry a battleship but the breezes along the
Nile are usually very light, and 1t Is neces-
sary to spread considerable canvas 10 eaten
enough to keep the boat in motion
These boats are fitted up by people VINO
have had long experience and know exactiy
what is wanted and how it should be ar
ranged They vary in prices, ACCORDING 10
the extent and luxury of their equipment
but most of them carry only the necessaTles
of life and provide what Is usually 1ound III
summer cottages of people OF ORDINARY IN
comes. The owner furnishes dragoman'
who has charge of everything and every
body. He acts as guide, steward, purser
and general manager. and all you nave TO
do ia to tell him whatty want. For TINS
YOU pay lump price; so much a. month OF
week. according to the time you spend on
tie VOYAGE The minimum for. party oI
from two to five, which the smaiieS1 Oh the
boats will accommodate, is about soo d uay'
No one need expect to pay less tnan that,
hut It covers everything, r1nciuoihs the
wages of all the men employed
Assiut and Education.
Assault go miles from Cairo, ana the
capital of the province of the same Name
is a city of As, 900 inhabitants, with spacious
bazaars and many factories, and interest
ing to American tourists because, the oniteo
PRESBYTERIAN Church.o our country mann
tains there an educational establishment III
which between six and seven hundred ma
tive boys are being trained for citizenshlp.
1t is the largest school In Egypt, excepting
,t,o III 1ka TyniyerSity of Cairo, ana mas