212 A Sportsman at Large 



more than a few minutes before loud lamentations arose. 

 Doors were flung open, whilst dishevelled and weirdly clad 

 forms rushed forth pell-mell into the night. There had 

 been a simultaneous attack on our vile bodies by swarms 

 of active and voracious vermin ; whereupon, what was at 

 first only a strategic retreat, " according to plan," soon de- 

 generated into a royal rout. It was a case of " Sauve qui 

 peut." 



The first faint streaks of dawn were gilding the East.. All 

 we could do was to wander aimlessly up and down the dusty 

 road in front of the " House of Pain." I found this peregrina- 

 tion somewhat monotonous ; so being thoroughly fed-up, 

 I left the rest of my contingent to gang their weary gait, and 

 strolled down to the water-side and on to the landing-stage. 

 Here I found a group of little " Gyppies" busily engaged in the 

 gentle art of Isaac Walton. The water being clear as crystal, 

 I was able to spot here and there shoals of fish of some 

 sort disporting themselves at a depth of about three feet. 



The paraphernalia of the infantile anglers was decidedly 

 primitive ; consisting, as it did, of a pole of sugar-cane, to the 

 end of which was attached a line of about six feet in length, 

 composed of some kind of fibre, plus a foot of twisted horse- 

 hair, and a formidable hook. The bait was supplied by strips 

 of flesh, flayed from the corpse of a venturesome fish, which 

 by some means or other had been secured. The usual demand 

 for " Baksheesh " was immediately forthcoming. Here I 

 may interpolate that, by general consent, it is laid down 

 that the first word one hears on setting foot on the land of 

 the Pharaohs is that same word " Baksheesh," and that 

 the first word it is essential to learn is " Imshi," which, being 

 freely translated, signifies " Get out," or less politely, though 

 more forcibly, " Go to hell ! " 



Having distributed a few piastres among the dusky brats, 

 I proceeded to commandeer the most likely looking of their 

 engines of war, and commenced operations forthwith. 



As these fish, which were apparently of the mullet tribe 

 and of herring dimensions, were probably angled for day 

 in and day out, and very likely by night as well, they were 

 naturally somewhat diffident about accepting the lure which 



