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‘A JOURNEY IN THE EAST, 299 
onlookers, however, and the herds of buffaloes and camels 
which were being watered drove us away; so we followed the 
embankment of the celebrated Bahr Yusuf, and passing by 
solitary mud-huts, fields, and flourishing gardens came to a 
wood composed of high tamarisks, sycamores, and palms. 
This capital cover served as the roosting-place of an extra- 
ordinary number of birds ; and as soon as the sun had set and 
twilight had begun, we slew many of the astonished sleepers— 
a Pygmy Eagle, several Kites, Hawks, Owls, Crows, and a 
lot of Egyptian Turtle-Doves falling victims to our guns in the 
course of a few minutes. 
This wood of thoroughly African trees was also charmingly 
picturesque, and we were sorry to leave such a fragrant rich 
green spot, where the wild luxuriance of the vegetation 
reminded us of the fanciful tales of the ‘Thousand and one 
Nights.’ Keeping along the embankment we soon reached 
the town, and passing through some of its narrow busy streets 
got back to our steamer. 
Mudir Ali Pasha had kindly lent me his large milk-white 
ass, called Abu Gebel, an animal of the purest Arab breed ; 
and as I was delighted with its excellent paces during the 
ride he presented me with this really fine creature, for which 
we now had to find a place on deck. 
The following morning we started again at a very early 
hour, and the steamer went on to its last station at Siut 
without stopping. We arrived there at noon, and passing 
straight through the town and across the well-known Bahr 
Yusuf, reached the feet of the steep desert mountains. 
There the party separated, some of the gentlemen shooting 
their way home again, while I clambered up a narrow 
ravine to the top of the heights, where I had a beautiful view 
of the town, the green valley of the Nile, the Arabian moun- 
tains in front of me, and the tawny plateau of the Libyan 
hills at my back. I then descended to the valley by another 
