ON DONKEYS TO THE ASSOUAN DAM 131 



gence one of them was abstracted by some wily 



person and a vastly inferior beast substituted. 



This eventuated in my getting the one remaining 



good donkey, and Mr. Darling unwittingly mounted 



the inferior substitute ; nor was this all, for we 



had not gone half a mile, and were cantering in a 



narrow path between two rough stone walls, when 



his mount dropped like a shot with him, and I, 



who was just behind, had barely room to squeeze 



past without coming on the top of them. 



"The peculiarity of the Egyptian ass is that in 



falling it makes no semblance of efltort to recover 



itself, but simply goes down in its 



a donkey's tracks. Pulling up as soon as I could 

 ears 



to see whether any harm was done, I 



perceived that Mr. Darling, with admirable presence 



of mind, had steadied himself by laying hold of 



each of his donkey's ears, and, still sitting on his 



back, he compelled the unwilling beast to get up. 



It was quite a brilliant performance in its way ; 



but it quickly became apparent that the donkey 



would not do at any price for the journey before us, 



and, as Mohammed had fortunately brought a 



relay of two or three others, it was possible to secure 



a decent remount. Then at last we went fairly on 



our way, inconvenienced only by the donkey boys, 



who cannot understand that you don't want their 



assistance. They don't really, in any case, knock 



