146 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES 



ture are so rapid. I ventured to suggest to His 

 Grace that he should put on his coat. He said : 



" I think you are quite right ; I do feel a bit 

 chilly." 



It is a fact that after four o'clock the climate 

 in Egypt is most treacherous. 



I paid a visit to the ostrich farm, after going 

 over the Khedive's Palace. We saw a female bird 

 sitting on her nest. When the door opened for us 

 to look in, the male bird, who was in the yard with 

 her, dashed across in about two strides and struck 

 out with his leg. As he struck the mud wall he 

 tore a piece out as if it had been cut with a chisel. 

 He was jealous of the female bird being disturbed. 

 I could quite understand after seeing this what one 

 heard as a boy of the power of the ostrich's stroke 

 with his leg. An owner of an ostrich farm told 

 me that he saw one of his ostriches strike a native 

 boy and disembowel him while near the nest of his 

 mate. 



We were now nearly at the end of our visit to 

 Egypt, but before we departed an incident occurred 

 which illustrated most remarkably the close per- 

 sonal attention which Lord Cromer paid to the 

 affairs of the country, and to any possibility of 

 promoting its welfare. The incident in question 

 was recorded by Mr. Allison in The Sportsman, 

 under date February 11, 1903, Shepheard's Hotel : 



