Parrots SjP Parakeets 1 83 



He was a great attraction on our boat, his bright 

 colours exactly matching the blue, red, and yellow 

 awnings of the upper deck, where he used to sit on a 

 perch. 



The members of our crew would supply him, " Se 

 Ra" 1 (as we named him), with pieces of mawkisk sugar 

 cane, cutting alternately a piece for themselves and the 

 macaw, who squeezed each morsel about in his huge 

 beak, drinking the sap greedily and then dropping the 

 fragment of pith on the deck, whilst his eyes glistened 

 with dilating pupils at the prospects of some more. 



At luncheon one day as we sailed merrily before a 

 favourable wind, which was by no means always the 

 case, a fearful commotion was heard outside the saloon 

 in which we were feeding, followed by a loud splash 

 in the river. 



We all rushed to the windows, where we saw " Se 

 Ra" floating with outstretched wings on the turbid 

 waters, looking absolutely terrified as the strong 

 current bore him swiftly away. 



Following in his wake was one of our Arab crew, 

 who had been the cause of the prodigious splash. 

 Only his head appeared above the water, and as he 

 passed along he gave us a look of triumphant and 

 virtuous assuredness, which said, "Is it likely ' Se Ra* 

 will perish when Mousri is there to save him." 



Mousri was more brave than beautiful, for he was 

 deeply pock-marked and squinted with the one eye 

 that retained its sight, most excruciatingly. But he 

 grasped the macaw, and landed him forlorn, and 



1 Pronounced " Say Rar." 



