580 TRAVEL IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. [1869, 
the wind being fine and fair, sailed on at a great rate, 
and reached our terminus, Wady Halfeh, next morn- 
ing. Made next day excursion to the farthest point, 
the high rock Abou Seir, which dominates the second 
cataracts, and gives extensive view beyond, far into 
Africa; head winds next day kept us at the village, 
which we explored and exchanged hospitalities with 
the inhabitants, the poorer part of which were begin- 
ning to suffer from famine. Later, going down, we 
met boat loads of corn for seed and food going up 
from the viceroy for their relief; little enough to do 
‘for a people so cruelly oppressed and peeled as the 
fellahs are. At evening we could be off, the great 
yard and sail now down, and small mizzen in its place, 
to use on the rare occasion of a south wind, and now 
we depend upon the current and oars, five on each 
side, handled by our stalwart crew, their strokes timed 
by queer Arabic chants; more severe labor than in 
ascending (except when tracking) and not so pleasant 
to us as sailing ; but yet we could come down much 
faster than we came up. Whenever there was sight- 
seeing by day the crews would usually row all night, 
so we got on finely. 
Messina, March 24. 
Behold us so far back towards Europe. Here, kept 
in by that strange thing in our experience, a rainy 
day, and prevented thereby from going to Taormina 
(Tauromenium) to see the Greek theatre, the site of 
Naxos, and a near view of Etna, I resume my writ- 
ing; which was interrupted a week ago by multifari- 
ous things at Cairo. . . . I think I must go back to 
the diary, and so try to tell you, in this mechanical 
sort of way, somewhat of our occupation day by day. 
The bare names of the places must convey to you all 
I can hope to of our seeings and doings. 
