<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 313 



Soon there was no more talking, and the only sounds were 

 the snores of Europeans and Arabs mingling harmoniously. 

 Never shall I forget that night in the cramped deck-house, 

 for we had got into a perfect menagerie of vermin, and our 

 poor bodies were devoured by gigantic fleas. 



On the 18th we left our dahabeeyah while it was still 

 quite dark, intending to disperse again among the islands 

 and to wait for the morning flight. I had myself rowed to a 

 small island, where, at the first glimmer of daylight, I stalked 

 a little flock of Flamingoes, missed them with the rifle a 

 very long way off, and then hid myself among the bushes. 

 Birds of all sorts flew past, and I bagged several, among them 

 a Lesser Egret; but though the Flamingoes kept flying to 

 and fro in every direction, and in such swarms that they 

 formed rosy clouds composed of thousands of birds, every 

 one of them kept out of shot. 



When the flight was over we again assembled on board 

 the vessels. It was a most unpleasant day, for the sky was 

 covered with heavy clouds, a keen wind whistled over 

 the water, and we were now and again drenched by showers 

 of rain as we slipped along towards the southern part of the 

 lake on a side wind. 



There we saw enormous flocks of Pelicans and Flamingoes 

 standing 011 the sandbanks, and while trying to approach one 

 of them in the boat we passed an island perfectly covered with 

 Grulls and Shovellers. At the ineffectual volley which we 

 fired at the Flamingoes, gigantic clouds of birds rose and 

 settled again a long way off all together. 



We now stopped for lunch at a little island, and as the 

 storm was still increasing, debated what it would be best to 

 do. Onr first idea was to return to Damietta ; but the Arabs 

 said that with the wind in its present quarter they would have 

 to row and tow us, which would have been a long tiresome 

 proceeding, for we had already reached the middle of the 



