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, 

 etc., filled the day. At evening some of us called on 

 Lady Duff -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. 



February 12. — The Undine came down famously 

 at sunrise, and joined us soon opposite the upper end 

 of Elephantine, 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 



