Ch. I.] THE DESERT. 7 



upon the motley crowd of well-conditioned Turks and white- 

 veiled ladies, running Arabs and sooty Nubians, — mules, 

 donkeys, and camels, which threatened to overturn the 

 crowds of active, half -naked, and dusky children which rain 

 hither and thither across the streets. Having thus palid a 

 visit to the Mosque of Mehemet Ah, and seen its marble 

 pavement and pillars of alabaster, and having gained a 

 distant view of the Pyramids, another scene succeeded the 

 vanishing picture of Grand Cairo. 



This time it was the desert ; barren sands and low stony 

 hills of an uniform and monotonous brownish-yeUow tint, 

 broken here and there by a stunted vegetation — ^these small 

 green oases being, however, few and far between. But little 

 hfe is visible here. A few black crows flew about the out- 

 skirts of Cairo and Suez, but did not penetrate far into the 

 desert, although some mud villages of the Arabs made their 

 appearance even here ; and we more than once passed a 

 group of Arabs, accompanied by their jackal-looking dogs, 

 apparently walking through the desert along the line of rail- 

 road. Now and then the skeleton of a camel lay bleaching 

 on the ground, more particularly in the neighbourhood of 

 Suez, and at the central station of Awebed a small lady-bird 

 (CoccineUa) flew into the carriage. It was a true desert 

 species, of the characteristic pale brown isabelline colour, 

 admirably matching the prevailing tint of the sands on which 

 its lot was cast. 



The passage down the Eed Sea was cool and pleasant, but 

 uneventful. An agreeable breeze followed us, and favourable 

 contrasts were drawn by many with previous experiences. 

 Passing Mocha, we were near enough to see its white 

 houses, over which the unusua;! phenomenon of rain was 

 falling abundantly, and it was also raining fm^ther to the 



