Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-05-12
THE LAND OF RUINED TO1BS,
TEMPLES AND PYRA nIDS.
Rev. Fred B. Hill Writes Entertain
ingiy of the Motley fixture of
Ancient and rIodern-The Streets
of Cairo-A Mohammedans We'd
ding.
Concluded from page one.

passed a sailboat loaded with natives.
AS we passed close to them they all
with one accord bowed low, even to
the deck of the ship. One of our
passengers wished to recognize the
salute, waved her handkerchief and
was rather dumbfounded to learn that
the natives were not being polite,
they were praying towards Mecca.
All along the banks were villages
made of mud bricks bricks without
straw as in the time of persecution of
the Hebrews after Joseph's time. (An
this district teens with incidents and
monuments pointing back to the be-
ginning of the Hebrew religion.) Gen
orally the banks of the Nile are simply
cultivated fields, the corn and lentils
and sugar cane growing close to the
bank of the stream, but occasionally
we come to high granite or limestone
cliffs, where we see the opening Of
hundreds of old tombs.
We spent Washington's birthday
aboard the ship in the vicinity Of
many tombs Of former great men. At
night it was proposed that we drink
(in wine or water-the water being
equally expensiveI to the memory of
the great man buried at Mt. Vernon.
It was rather an impressive sight-for
half the boat-load proved to be from
America. Speaking of drinking
toast in water, always by many con-
sidered bad luck and bad form, we
were told by very convivial English
man aboard that King Edward had
issued a decree in which he gave regal
recognition to all coasts or healths
drunk to him in either water Or Wine.
So we teetatallers may yet be loyal
and sociable.
The first stop of the steamer was at
Bedrashen where journey was taken
to Sakkarah and the ancient Memphis.
AS we had already visited these places
q wrote of that visit in my last letter.
we remained on beard. You will be
Interested tho to know just how eighty
people are conveyed about Egypt, SO
| will go into detail. First of all, dur
ing dinner of the evening before
proposed excursion, the much travel
ed, very cosmopolitan Syrian drago-
man Rashid, addresses the passengers
tlusly: Ladies' and Gentleman,
Please! 1t gives me great pleasure to
announce the program for tomorrows
excursion. The tombs of Benz Hassan
are of the most ancient in Egypt.
Please leave the boats in small groups
SO that there will be less confusion
among the donkey boys. The dom
KEYS of Beni Iassan are the worst on
the Nile. Bakhsheesh for the donkey
bows will be four piastres. Forget
not to remember your monument
+ickets.'' These monument tickets
are the Hsine qua non" Of the visitor
to tombs and temples of Egypt. They
are issued by the government and the
proceeds are used for further explor-
at ou and for the maintenance Of the
various antiquities. Should you leave
Your ticket at the steamer, you could
not enter even the outer court Of the
temple. Well, next day arrives and
the steamer is tied up to floating
wharf. On the shore are about one
hundred donkeys each with his don
key-boy appendage. They are all
fighting and shouting, seeking to be
first in line and two Or three native
policeman are using raw hide whips
generously over the backs of the
shouters but of such confusion one
would think no order could possibly
come. But Rashid the wise gradually
Gains the storm and very soon eighty
people are mounted on diminutive
beasts and go trotting gayly away to
the object of interest. The donkey
boy sizes you up and names his beast
accordingly. For three days | had
"Minnehaha" and Mrs. Hill had
"Whisky Straight" In the hope of !,
large Bakhsheesh, he sounds the |
praises in unmistakable languages both |
of the donkey and himself. To vary |
the interest some awkward and mex
perienced rider suddenly finds him
self landed in the dust, for the DON |
keys have ways that are hidden to |
ordinary mortal ken. After visiting |
the tombs or temples, the march home |
is begun. All along the way are blind |
men who somehow or other see
enough to enable them to keep close
to you and children young and old,
who hold out they hand for Bakh-
sheesh. The police are doing much
to stop this nuisance and one is not
pestered over much generally. Ar
rived at the steamer another riot oc-
ours. You pay the donkey boy his
four piastres (about twenty cents) and