SUEZ. 37 



reclined in our canvas chairs, had lemon squashes 

 brought to us, and watched the entertainment 

 steadily and slowly unrolled before us. 



We reached the end of the canal about three 

 o'clock of the afternoon, and dropped anchor off 

 the low-lying shores. Our binoculars showed us 

 white houses in apparently single rank along a 

 far-reaching narrow sand spit, with sparse trees 

 and a railroad line. That was the town of Suez, 

 and seemed so little interesting that we were 

 not particularly sorry that we could not go ashore. 

 Far in the distance were mountains ; and the 

 water all about us was the light, clear green of 

 the sky at sunset. 



Innumerable dhows and row-boats swarmed 

 down, filled with eager salesmen of curios and 

 ostrich plumes. They had not much time in 

 which to bargain, so they made it up in rapid- 

 fire vociferation. One very tall and dignified 

 Arab had as sailor of his craft the most extraor- 

 dinary creature, just above the lower limit of 

 the human race. He was of a dull coal black, 

 without a single high light on him anywhere, as 

 though he had been sand-papered, had prominent 

 teeth, like those of a baboon, in a wrinkled, wizened 

 monkey face, across which were three tattooed 

 bands, and possessed a little, long-armed, spare 



