LIFE ON THE NILE 115 



varieties — all " very good " — and much business 

 was done with the passengers, but not till prices 

 were reduced in rates of from £5 to £1, or even 

 10^., before we really went. Higher up on the 

 bank Egyptian schoolboys, of much better class, 

 were asking only for English books. 



We sheered of! amid cries of " Good-bye " and 

 so forth, the mass of people presenting a most 

 remarkable effect of colouring, to which the big, 

 white, gaily caparisoned donkeys contributed not 

 a little, and so at last our voyage up the Nile had 

 fairly commenced, and not in such very great dis- 

 comfort either for me or Mr. Gubbins, for the 

 various officers of the ship helped us with sundry 

 necessaries until our lost luggage could be caught 

 up at Luxor. The chief steward had collars that 

 exactly fitted me, and the doctor's shirts were 

 equally successful. 



At Luxor our luggage came on board all right. 

 Mr. Gubbins had a carrying chair assigned to him, 

 and in this he went to see the temple of Hathor, 

 the Egyptian " Venus," at Denderah. It is a dis- 

 tance of about two miles from the boat, and the 

 four bearers of Mr. Gubbins's chair must have 

 been pretty useful. 



Mr. Gubbins was a merciful man, and resolved 

 not to try his chair again. Next day he drove. 



