CHOOSING A DRAGOMAN. g 



bank, and the fountains at Marseilles were turned into 

 masses of icicles. On January 8tli we sailed for Egypt, 

 on board the Messageries Imperiales' steamer 'Port 

 Said,' with a miscellaneous batch of passengers, in- 

 cluding two French officers who were going to Abys- 

 sinia, two directors of the Suez Canal, Gerome the 

 painter, the Viceroy of Egypt's dentist, two missionary 

 ladies bound for Jerusalem, and a party of Algerine 

 Arabs on their way to Mecca, who lay all day and night 

 on deck, huddled in their cloaks. With such variety on 

 board, and a constantly-changing horizon, we found the 

 voyage by no means monotonous. 



On the sixth morning the tall lighthouse and low coast 

 of Alexandria came in sight. We landed in a storm of 

 rain, which added to the difficulties of newcomers in an 

 Eastern city. We were at once surrounded by a host of 

 dragomen, and pestered by their persistent attentions, 

 until we at last selected one, whose personal appearance 

 was in his favour, and whose terms and promises were 

 more reasonable than those of most of the men we saw. 

 By the kind assistance of a European resident, a contract 

 was made with him to accompany us during our Syrian 

 tour ; his duties were to begin on our landing at Jaffii or 

 Beyrout. The successful candidate was Elias Abbas, a 

 Maronite of the Lebanon. 



I have no intention of adding to the already too 

 numerous descriptions of Egypt and the Nile, but I 

 cannot refrain from one hint to all visitors to Cairo. 

 Visit the petrified forest, and make your donkey-boy brino- 

 you back by Djebel Mokattam, or you will lose one of the 

 most wonderful views in the East. After riding for miles 

 over the arid African desert, with a narrow horizon, and 

 nothing to attract the attention save a distant train of 

 camels or a troop of gazelles, the edge of an abruj^t 



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