<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 305 



of our effects, and where a steam-launch took us over to the 

 other side. 



I was greatly pleased with this old and thoroughly Arab 

 town, and some parts of it, near the bank of the canal, 

 where numbers of little sailing-crafts, with their smart masts 

 and flags, were moving to and fro, reminded one so much of 

 a Dutch or Belgian seaport that one might even call Damietta 

 an Arabian Antwerp. 



We walked from the landing-place to the house of our 

 Consular Agent, a very kindly and extremely amusing old 

 man. The interior of the town is pretty and quite Oriental, 

 the houses being much decorated with wooden lattice-work ; 

 but the streets are, if possible, narrower and dirtier than those 

 of other Arab towns, and where there is no water near the 

 houses the old Dutch look of the place disappears. Still 

 Damietta has unquestionably a more northerly appearance (if 

 one may use such an expression in speaking of Africa) than 

 the Arab quarter of Cairo or the towns of Upper Egypt. 

 One sees, too, that it can be quite cold here, and that the sea 

 often causes moisture to fall, for the houses are much more 

 solidly built, better roofed, and altogether more meant to be 

 lived in. 



At our worthy representative's all was in brilliant order 

 European rooms, Turkish carpets, and Arab servants, with 

 attar of roses, that terrible Eastern perfume, pervading the 

 whole house everything showing that its owner was a true 

 Levantine. 



After a hasty breakfast, during which our light baggage 

 was put on pack-animals, we again set off. Some rode donkeys; 

 two of the gentlemen drove in an antiquated coach, the pride 

 of the town ; and in a few minutes the whole caravan was 

 moving on, accompanied by the customary yelling of the 

 donkey-drivers. After passing through some streets, a good 

 road, that ran along the embankment of a canal, led us by 



