582 TRAVEL IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. [1869, 
joicing, as they well might, in the safety of the Ibis, 
which had never done the feat before and was reck- 
oned rather large for the undertaking. Shopping, 
ete., filled the day. At evening some of us called on 
Lady Duft-Gordon, living on her boat, now lying here. 
I went back later and passed an hour more with her, 
taking her some books we could spare her. Much 
pleased with her spirit and affability, but distressed 
at the progress disease is making ; do not think she 
can last much longer, even in Egypt. Her last year’s 
visit to Syria injured her seriously. 
F ebruary 12.— The Undine came down famously 
at sunrise, and joined us soon opposite the upper end 
of Elephantiné, where we went up to meet her, ex- 
pecting to round the island and be off at once down 
the river. But a heavy blow from the north, and con- 
sequent great discouragement; we had to lay by all 
day, not even getting on shore with any comfort, and 
almost all night. 
You must know that in Upper Egypt and Nubia a 
hakim or doctor is a great godsend to the people, and 
you have to give medicine all day long. On return- 
ing to Assouan I was met, when I stepped on shore, 
by the beaming dark countenance of a papa, to whose 
son, whom I thought rather far gone, I had given 
some medicine when going up; he had now brought 
down the fellow from a village several miles off, to 
show me how well—or nearly well — he was. An- 
other widely grinning face met me, of a papa who had 
brought me his boy with a dreadfully ill-looking sore 
head, which I had dosed with mercurial ointment 
rubbed in with colza oil. He did not now bring the 
lad, but came a good distance to recall him to my 
recollection by expressive pantomime, and to say in 
