'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 



