580 TRA VEL IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. [1869, 



the wind being fine and fair, sailed on at a great rate, 

 and reached our terminus, Wady Halfeh, next morn- 

 ing. Made next day excursion to the farthest point, 

 the high rock Abou Seir, which dominates the second 

 cataracts, and gives extensive view beyond, far into 

 Africa ; head winds next day kept us at the village, 

 which we explored and exchanged hospitalities with 

 the inhabitants, the poorer part of which were begin- 

 ning to suffer from famine. Later, going down, we 

 met boat loads of corn for seed and food going up 

 from the viceroy for their relief ; little enough to do 

 for a people so cruelly oppressed and peeled as the 

 fellahs are. At evening we could be off, the great 

 yard and sail now down, and small mizzen in its place, 

 to use on the rare occasion of a south wind, and now 

 we depend upon the current and oars, five on each 

 side, handled by our stalwart crew, their strokes timed 

 by queer Arabic chants ; more severe labor than in 

 ascending (except when tracking) and not so pleasant 

 to us as sailing ; but yet we could come down much 

 faster than we came up. Whenever there was sight- 

 seeing by day the crews would usually row all night, 



so we got on finely. 



MESSINA, March 24. 



Behold us so far back towards Europe. Here, kept 

 in by that strange thing in our experience, a rainy 

 day, and prevented thereby from going to Taormina 

 (Tauromenium) to see the Greek theatre, the site of 

 Naxos, and a near view of Etna, I resume my writ- 

 ing ; which was interrupted a week ago by multifari- 

 ous things at Cairo. ... I think I must go back to 

 the diary, and so try to tell you, in this mechanical 

 sort of way, somewhat of our occupation day by day. 

 The bare names of the places must convey to you all 

 I can hope to of our seeings and doings. 



