n8 Happiness at Sheykh Obeyd [j893 



in which Kitchener played a first prominent part, what is known as the 

 " Frontier Incident." Here again, as in the former instance, though 

 an accessory after the fact I was not an accomplice, my advice being 

 taken about it by the Khedive when it was no longer of any use to him. 

 The entries in my diary show how greatly the facts of the case differ 

 from those recorded in the Blue Books, and are therefore of interest. 



" 28th Nov. — On board the Hydaspcs. The only fellow pas- 

 sengers I have made acquaintance with are Lady Waterford and Sir 

 John Stokes, the latter on his way to the Suez Canal of which he is 

 Director, to open a new railroad from Port Said to Isma'flia. With 

 Stokes I have had much talk about the Suez Canal, British trade and 

 the Mediterranean route in time of war. He tells me three-quarters 

 of the tonnage passing through the Canal is British, of which perhaps 

 half is for English ports, the rest for other ports in Europe. In time 

 of war with France, this could not continue. The Red Sea was quite 

 safe, but the whole line of the Mediterranean would be blocked, and 

 this would continue until the British had broken up the enemy's forces 

 and confined them to their ports, then convoys could be arranged and 

 trade resumed. He considers that it would require sixty or seventy 

 more men-of-war than we have at present to effect this as against the 

 French navy. He is for making the increase, not for abandoning the 

 control of the Mediterranean. He considers that the Canal will event- 

 ually be internationalized, though by the terms of the concession it will 

 revert to Egypt in 1959, but ' nobody looks so far as that ahead.' 

 Stokes reminded me that our first acquaintance dates from the time of 

 Cave's Mission in 1875, of which he was a member. He is a 

 stolid old fellow of the out-of-date military type, being a General in 

 the army. 



" $th Dec. — My first twenty-four hours at Sheykh Obeyd were a 

 dream of light-hearted happiness, such as I do not remember since a 

 child : it was a physical feeling of perfect pleasure, perfect health, and 

 perfect powers of enjoyment without the least shadow of annoyance. 

 We arrived at Alexandria on the 1st of December in time to catch the 

 9 o'clock train to Cairo, and then straight on home in brilliant spark- 

 ling weather with just a little freshness in the North wind, the ther- 

 mometer at 72. Everything on the way was a pleasure, even the new 

 houses built at Koubbah, and our little railway station at Ezbet el 

 Nakl, lovely and familiar in its palm grove. Inside the garden all was 

 paradise. No misadventure this year of any kind, but a blooming look 

 of extravagant growth, trees, crops, and flowers, the house so shut in 

 with green we can hardly any longer get a glimpse out into the desert, 

 hardly even from the house top. Cows prosperous, mares in foal, 

 every servant happy. Each year decides me more to spend the rem- 

 nant of my days in the East, where old age is respected, and its repose 



