emerged from our bath, we found ourselves past the fall, and hurrying along the boiling stream below it; and looking back I saw the Cataract above us, and the waves coming leaping down in pursuit of their escaped prey. In a couple of hundred yards the narrow channel opened into a small bay, and, the stream bending sharp round to the right, a backwater was formed in the bay; and, the crew, dropping their oars into the water, pulled us with a couple of sharp strokes into this bay; and the danger of the Cataract was over.

Here we lay in still water for a few minutes; congratulations between the Nubians and ourselves were interchanged; the deck and cabins cleared of water; wet clothes exchanged for dry; and the stalwart Reis came, with his kindly face, to say a word to us and to his old father, and to receive our thanks for his work, and his loved glass of sherry, after his ducking.

And now we struck out into the swift current, and the crew, all extremely jolly, pulled hard— very hard with a short jerking stroke, to give us the force to make a sinuous course among numerous low rocks scattered about in our way. Nothing could surpass the pleasurableness of that pull down the rapids to Assouan. The morning was bright and warm, and the river spread out

266

THE VOICE OF THE RAPIDS.

wide, sparkling in the sunny light and broken by innumerable little islands, between which the current, swift and clear, hurried us along at a racing pace. Here it flowed a smooth sheet, and there with a waving surface, as the stream swept along over sunken rocks; while perpetually, at intervals, new combinations of the wild scenery broke on us, as we left on, either hand, openings among the islands-Babs impassable from granite masses in midway, and over and among which the angry waters coursed along, and added in their strife to the general voice of the rapids which filled the whole air with their hoarse but musical speech. To this was added the satisfaction of knowing that, while before us were welcoming friends, behind us was the Cataract with its wild waters, in which, as Selim hinted to us, the day before, in the energy of his efforts to dissuade the Sitt from the descent," If you come break, lady, you not find one bit of boat like my finger."

Meanwhile the Cambria' was impelled along her winding course in and out through the labyrinth of islets, every now and then stooping over some shallow fall, like a weir, on her way, until the last and deepest of these was passed. Then there was much pouring out of glasses of brandy and of sherry among the privileged chiefs, accompanied

THE CHORUS OF VICTORY.

267

by much shaking of hands between the Sitt and the Reis, and the ancient man, and the various visitor Sheikhs, and our own Reis from Alexandria-and which latter was perhaps the happiest man on board, for he had passed the last day or two in a brown study, deeply anxious for the fate of his pretty boat in the Cataract. As we approached

Assonan, our crew seated themselves round in a circle in front of the cabin door, and while the Nubians pulled, Mahommed Anad and Djad and the rest of them struck up a chorus of victory ; and so we emerged from the granite-bound channel at the foot of the Tower of Syene, passed the point of Elephantina, and came out into the spreading river, making all the noise our party could manage to produce, and announcing before the little town -Selim firing three gunshots as a finale-our arrival with all becoming éclat. There lay at

the shore the little fleet of boats with British and Belgian and other flags, and among them were the Antar' and the Fortunata;' and our various friends came out on their decks; and waving of handkerchiefs, and welcoming cheers from the crews hailed us, as, amid insane efforts of our Egyptians to give effect to their music, we pulled to the shore.

CHAPTER XIV.

News of the World-A Pirate Attacks the 'Antar' aground-Rules of the Road-The Sitteen and the Race course-Ombus and SilsilehThe Harmony of Abundance-The Siwah Country-A band of Warriors-the Conscripts-The boatman's Sympathy-Fugitives-Rocks ahead! The Antar's' disgrace-The British Consul's Thunder.

WE were in Egypt once more.

All that morning there was a severe traffic running between the ladies of the travelling boats and the native women from the little town, and from the Cataract village, Morada, in baskets, necklaces, head-dresses, silver bracelets, mats, and other home manufactures. Occasionally an antique-deeply sworn to be genuine-from Elephantina, was produced from the vest of some native antiquarian with much mystery and caution and preparation; and then there was a secret retiring into the innermost cabin, and much wise shaking of the head; and deep examination, and display of learning pre

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ceded a small volume of bargaining, the European Khawaja remaining proudly master of his three shilling antique, while the native man of research among the ghostly places of the ancient people goes off softly and noiselessly, happy-with the piastres warm by his heart. Selim and the caliph were in their glory, laying in great stores of live stock. Besides all this, we had to learn the gossip of Assouan-tap root of social existence.

What

last from Cairo ?-Any news from the barbarian North? What from Albion ?-Was the Queen well?-and from Gaul-who ruled in Paris? In short it was a busy morning, and we were to start for Thebes in the afternoon. That fortnight in desolate Nubia makes you feel as if you had been

-somewhere-for months.

In the afternoon we turned our heads down stream, the three boats in company. On the evening of the last day in January we had the first rain since leaving Alexandria. There were a few clouds about unusual sight to us-and the rain fell, for a short time, in large drops, few and far between-a remnant of a storm of the previous day on the Arabian desert.

Nothing can be more pleasant than the Nile travelling of two or three boats in company; but it has its disadvantages in descending the stream