726 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



with me some other types may be discovered by polishing 

 and microscopical examination. Such at least was my 

 expectation in bringing home this large quantity of stones, 

 the transport of which to the Vega was attended with a 

 heavy expenditure. 



From Cairo we returned, on the 2nd February, to Suez, and 

 the following day the Vega weighed anchor to steam through the 

 Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. This gigantic work, created 

 by the genius and perseverance of Lesseps, which is unsur- 

 passed by the many marvels of construction in the land of the 

 Pharaohs, has not a very striking appearance, for the famous 

 canal runs, like a small river with low banks, through the mono- 

 tonously yellow plain of the desert. There are no sluices. No 

 bold rock-blastings stand as monuments of difficulties overcome. 

 But proud must every child of our century be when he gazes on 

 this proof that private enterprise can in our day accomplish 

 what world-empires in former times were unable to carry into 

 execution. We touched at Port Said for a few hours on the 

 5th February, after which we continued our voyage to Naples, 

 the first European port we were to visit. 



At Aden and in Egypt I had received several letters and 

 telegrams informing me that great preparations were being 

 made at Naples for our reception, and that repeated inquiries 

 had been addressed to the Swedish consul-general regarding 

 the day of our arrival, questions which naturally it was not so 

 easy to answer, as our vessel, with its weak steam-power, was 

 very dependent on wind and weather. It was hoped that the 

 Vega might be signalled from the Straits of Messina, but we did 

 not come to the entrance to the Straits until after sunset. 1 

 therefore ordered the Vega to lie to there for some hours, while 

 Lieut. Bove and I rowed ashore to send off telegrams announc- 

 ing our arrival in Europe to Sweden, Naples, E-ome, and other 

 places. The shore, however, was farther off than we had calcu- 

 lated, and it was quite dark before it was reached. It was not 

 without difficulty that in these circumstances we could get to 

 land through the breakers in the open road quite unknown to 

 us, and then, in coal-black darkness, find our way through 

 thickets of prickly bushes to the railway which here runs along 

 the coast. We had then to go along the railway for a con- 

 siderable distance before we reached a station from which our 

 telegrams could be despatched. Scarcely had we entered the 

 station when we were surrounded by suspicious railway and 

 coast-guard men, and we considered ourselves fortunate that 

 they had not observed us on the way thither, for they would 

 certainly have taken us for smugglers, whom the coast-guard 

 have the right to salute with sharp shot. Even now we were 

 overwhelmed with questions in a loud and commanding tone, 



