32 TRAVELS IN UPPER 



Wretched is the situation of those who lincl them- 

 selves entangled in the vast sandy deserts v/ith 

 ■which Egypt is bordered ; intrepidity is then of no 

 avail whatever, and the most valiant armies may be 

 there overwhelmed with clouds of sand which the 

 wind drives impetuously along, may be stifled to 

 death, and perish in despair. The atmosphere was 

 on fire, and at the same time darkened by whirl- 

 winds of dust. The thermometer of Reaumur 

 rose to twenty-seven degrees. ' Both men and ani- 

 mals inhaled only scorching vapours mingled with 

 a fine and hot sand. The plants were dried up ; 

 all animated nature faded away. 



This gust of wind still continued on the 27 th ; it 

 seemed even to have augmented in violence. My 

 boatmen were quite dejected ; it v/as by dint of 

 promises alone, that I could prevail on them to put 

 the kanja in motion once more, §till dragging it 

 with the rope ; but the impetuosity of the wind 

 very soon rendered their efforts useless, and we 

 were obliged to stop behind a point of sand, which 

 put our boat under shelter from the current, which 

 the fury of the gale increased in rapidity and agita- 

 tion, but which did not secure us from the incon- 

 veniencles we suffered from the south wind. The 

 heat was even greater than on the preceding day. 

 The thermometer had risen to twenty-eight de- 

 grees. The sweat distilled from every pore, and 



the 



