52 THE SUGAK-FACTOEY. 



February \QtJi. — Being impatient to get to work, I start at 

 an early hour, with Dango and a guide, from Medineh for the 

 Great Lake, Birket el Korn, which is some fifteen miles 

 distant, as the crow flies. The guide takes me to the sugar- 

 factory of Shebooksi, at Farocha, a village some two miles 

 from the lake ; and as I soon shoot out my cartridges at 

 Duck and Snipe, and get, without difficulty, within shot of a 

 large flock of Geese, I am favourably impressed with my 

 prospects. On retm'ning to the factory, as my dragoman 

 has not turned up, I look after quarters for myself, and meet 

 with the greatest civihty from the French engineers, who put 

 me up for the night ; and in their company I spend a very 

 pleasant evening. They doubt my dragoman getting camels, 

 as they are all seized by the Government for the transport of 

 sugar-cane : and their doubts are realized ; for about 9 o'clock 

 he arrives by train with the baggage, so that the camp is 

 pitched and ready by an early hour on the following morning. 

 The factory is on a large scale, but cannot all be worked for 

 want of a sufficient supply of the cane, although all the camels 

 of the Fayoom are seized by Government to bring it in from 

 the fields, except those belonging to the Bedouin Arabs, who 

 resist this tax. The Government intends to construct another 

 sugar-factory in the Fayoom, which appears premature, as 

 they have not yet enough cane to keep one going ; they are, 

 however, preparing more ground for its cultivation. The 

 cultivated part of the Fayoom is very flat, and has but few 

 trees. The towns are two miles distant from the lake at 

 this season ; but the Bedouin Arabs estabhsh colonies of 

 reed sheds at frequent intervals near the shore, wherever the 

 ground has dried sufficiently, and a stream of good water 

 renders it a suitable spot. 



