THE DESERT.
We found the équipages in which
we were to cross the desert waiting for us at the
City of Tombs. They consisted of donkey-chairs,
one being provided for each of the females of the
party, while my friend Miss E. had also an extra donkey,
with a saddle, to ride upon occasionally. Nothing
could be more comfortable than these vehicles; a common
arm-chair was fastened into a sort of wooden tray,
which projected in front about a foot, thereby enabling
the passenger to carry a small basket or other package;
the chairs were then slung by the arms to long bamboos,
one upon either side, and these, by means of ropes
or straps placed across, were fastened upon the backs
of donkeys, one in front, the other, behind. Five
long and narrow vehicles of this kind, running across
the desert, made a sufficiently droll and singular
appearance, and we did nothing but admire each other
as we went along. The movement was delightfully
easy, and the donkeys, though not travelling at a
quick pace, got on very well. Our cavalcade consisted
besides of two stout donkeys, which carried the beds
and carpet-bags of the whole party, thus enabling us
to send the camels a-head: the three men-servants
were also mounted upon donkeys, and there were three
or four spare ones, in case any of the others should
knock up upon the road. In this particular it
is proper to say that we were cheated, for had such
an accident occurred, the extra-animals were so weak
and inefficient, that they could not have supplied
the places of any of those in use. There were
eight or ten donkey-men, and a boy; the latter generally
contrived to ride, but the others walked by the side
of the équipages.
In first striking into the desert,
we all enjoyed a most delightful feeling of repose;
every thing around appeared to be so calm and tranquil,
that, especially after encountering the noises and
multitudes of a large and crowded city, it was soothing
to the mind thus to emerge from the haunts of men
and wander through the vast solitudes that spread
their wastes before us. To me there was nothing
dismal in the aspect of the desert, nor was the view
so boundless as I had expected.
In these wide plains, the fall of
a few inches is sufficient to diversify the prospect;
there is always some gentle acclivity to be surmounted,
which cheats the sense with the expectation of finding
a novel scene beyond: the sand-hills in the distance
also range themselves in wild and fantastic forms,
many appearing like promontories jutting out into
some noble harbour, to which the traveller seems to
be approaching. Nor were there wanting living
objects to animate the scene; our own little kafila
was sufficiently large and cheerful to banish every
idea of dreariness, and we encountered others much
more picturesque.
Soon after losing sight of the tombs,
we came upon a party who had bivouac’d for the
night; the camels, unladen, were, with their burthens,
placed in a circle, and the people busily employed
in preparing their evening meal. Other evidences
there were, however, to show that the toils of the
desert were but too frequently fatal to the wretched
beasts of burthen employed in traversing these barren
wastes; the whitened bones of camels and donkeys occurred
so frequently, as to serve to indicate the road.
Our first stage was the shortest of
the whole, and we came to the rest-house, or travellers’
bungalow, just as night closed in, and long before
I entertained any idea that we should have been able
to reach it, travelling as we did at an easy walk.
The bungalow was not yet completed, which we found
rather an advantage, since it seems to be exceedingly
questionable whether the buildings erected for the
accommodation of travellers on the track to Suez will
be habitable even for a few hours in the course of
another year. The funds of the Steam-committee
have been lamentably mismanaged in this instance.
However, there being no windows, we were enabled to
enjoy the fresh air, and the room we occupied, not
having been long whitewashed, was perfectly clean.
Nothing can have been worse planned
than the construction of these houses. The only
entrance is in front, down a narrow passage, open at
the top, and having apartments on either side, the
two in front being sleeping-rooms for travellers,
with a kitchen and other offices beyond, and at the
back of all a stable, which occupies the whole width
of the building. The consequence is, that all
the animals, biped and quadruped, inhabiting the stable,
must pass the traveller’s door, who is regaled
with the smell proceeding from the said stable, cook-rooms,
&c.; all the insects they collect, and all the feathers
from the fowls slaughtered upon the spot; the plan
being, when parties arrive, to drive the unhappy creatures
into the house, kill and pluck them immediately.
The persons in care of these bungalows
are usually a mongrel sort of Franks, who have no
idea of cleanliness, and are regardless of the most
unsavoury odours. The furniture of the rooms consisted
of a deal table and a moveable divan of wicker-work,
while another, formed of the same solid materials
as the house, spread in the Egyptian fashion along
one side. Upon this Miss E. and myself laid our
beds; our two other lady friends, with the infant
and female attendant, occupying the opposite apartment.
We concluded the evening with tea and supper, for
which we were amply provided, having cold fowls, cold
ham, hard-boiled eggs, and bread and fruit in abundance.
Wrapped up in our dressing-gowns, we passed a very
comfortable night, and in the morning were able to
procure the luxury of warm water for washing with.
Having discovered that the people
of the hotel at Cairo had forgotten to put up some
of the articles which we had ordered, and being afraid
that our supplies might fail, we had sent Mohammed
back for them. He did not rejoin us until eight
o’clock the following morning, just as we had
begun to grow uneasy about him; it appeared that, although
apparently well acquainted with the desert, having
crossed it many times, he had missed the track, and
lost his way, and after wandering about all night,
was glad to meet with a man, whom he engaged as a
guide. The poor fellow was much exhausted, but
had not omitted to bring us a bottle of fresh milk
for our breakfast. We desired him to get some
tea for himself, and he soon recovered; his spirits
never forsaking him.
In consequence of these delays, it
was rather late, past nine o’clock, before we
set forward. I had provided myself with a pair
of crape spectacles and a double veil, but I speedily
discarded both; the crape fretted my eye-lashes, and
would have produced a greater degree of irritation
than the sand. A much better kind are those of
wire, which tie round the head with a ribbon, and
take in the whole eye. Though the sun was rather
warm, its heat was tempered by a fresh cold air, which
blew across the desert, though not strongly enough
to lift the sand; we, therefore, travelled with much
less inconvenience than is sustained upon a turnpike-road
in England in dusty weather. I could not endure
to mar the prospect by looking at it through a veil,
and found my parasol quite sufficient protection against
the rays of the sun.
The kafila, which we had passed the
preceding evening, overtook us soon after we started.
It consisted of a long train of camels, and belonged
to the native governor of Jiddah, who was proceeding
to that place with, his wife and family, a native
vessel being in waiting at Suez to take him down the
Red Sea. We saw several females wrapped closely
from head to foot in long blue garments, mounted upon
these camels. The governor’s wife travelled
in a sort of cage, which I recognised immediately,
from the description in Anastatius. This vehicle
is formed of two rude kinds of sophas, or what in English
country phrase would be called settles, canopied overhead,
and with a resting place for the feet. They are
sometimes separated, and slung on either side of a
camel; at other times joined together, and placed on
the top, with a curtain or cloth lining, to protect
the inmates from the sun, and secure the privacy so
necessary for a Mohammedan lady. The height of
the camels with their lading, and this cage on the
summit of all, give an extraordinary and almost supernatural
appearance to the animal as he plods along, his head
nodding, and his whole body moving in a strange ungainly
manner.
Occasionally we saw a small party
of Bedouins, easily distinguished by the fierce countenances
glaring from beneath the large rolls of cloth twisted
over their turbans, and round their throats, leaving
nothing besides flashing eyes, a strongly developed
nose, and a bushy beard, to be seen. One or two,
superior to the rest, were handsomely dressed, armed
to the teeth, and rode camels well-groomed and richly
caparisoned; wild-looking warriors, whom it would not
have been agreeable to meet were the country in a
less tranquil state.
To the present ruler of Egypt we certainly
owe the security now enjoyed in passing the desert;
a party of ladies, having only three servants and
a few donkey-drivers, required no other protection,
though our beds, dressing-cases, and carpet-bags, to
say nothing of the camels laden with trunks and portmanteaus
a-head, must have been rather tempting to robbers
by profession. The Pasha is the only person who
has hitherto been able to oblige the Sheikhs to respect
the property of those travellers not strong enough
to protect themselves from outrage. It is said
that occasionally these Bedouins, when desirous of
obtaining water, make no scruple of helping themselves
to the supplies at the bungalows; the will, therefore,
is not wanting to commit more serious depredations.
Consequently, in maintaining a good understanding
with Egypt, we must likewise endeavour to render its
sovereign strong enough to keep the neighbouring tribes
in awe.
Having made a slight refection on
the road, of hard-boiled eggs, bread, grapes, and
apples, we came up at mid-day to a rest-house, where
it was determined we should remain for an hour or two,
to water the donkeys, and afford them needful repose,
while we enjoyed a more substantial luncheon.
Our companions were so well satisfied with the management
of Mohammed, who conducted the whole line of march,
that they sent their Egyptian servant forward to order
our dinner at the resting-place for the night.
We found, however, that advantage had been taken of
Mohammed’s absence the preceding evening, and
of the hurry of the morning’s departure, to
send back some of the animals we had engaged and paid
for, and to substitute others so weak as to be perfectly
useless. We were likewise cheated with regard
to the water; we were told that the camel bearing
the skins, for which we had paid at Cairo, had been
taken by mistake by two gentlemen travelling in advance,
and as we could not allow the poor animals to suffer,
we of course purchased water for them. This was
no doubt an imposition, but one for which, under the
circumstances, we had no remedy.
Upon reaching the bungalow, we again
came up with the kafila that we had seen twice before;
the wife of the governor of Jiddah, with her women,
vacated the apartment into which we were shown, when
we arrived; but her husband sent a message, requesting
that we would permit her to occupy another, which
was empty. We were but too happy to comply, and
should have been glad to have obtained a personal
interview; but having no interpreter excepting Mohammed,
who would not have been admitted to the conference,
we did not like to make the attempt. From the
glance which we obtained of the lady, she seemed to
be very diminutive; nothing beyond height and size
could be distinguishable under the blue envelope she
wore, in common with her women: some of the latter
occasionally unveiled their faces, which were certainly
not very attractive; but others, probably those who
were younger and handsomer, kept their features closely
shrouded.
Again betaking ourselves to our conveyances,
we launched forth into the desert, enjoying it as
much the second day as we had done the first.
I entertained a hope of seeing some of the beautiful
gazelles, for which Arabia is famous; but not one
appeared. A pair of birds occasionally skimmed
over the desert, at a short distance from its surface;
but those were the only specimens of wild animals we
encountered. The skeletons of camels occurred
as frequently as before; many nearly entire, others
with their bones scattered abroad, but whether borne
by the winds, or by some savage beast, we could not
learn. Neither could we discover whether the deaths
of these poor animals had been recent or not; for
so short a time only is required in Eastern countries
for the insects to anatomize any animal that may fall
in their way, that even supposing that jackalls and
hyaenas should not be attracted to the spot, the ants
would make quick work even of so large a creature
as a camel.
There were hills in the back ground,
which might probably shelter vultures, kites, and
the family of quadrupeds that feed upon offal, and
much did I desire to mount a high trotting camel, and
take a scamper amongst these hills obliged
to content myself with jogging soberly on with my
party, I was fain to find amusement in the contemplation
of a cavalcade, the like of which will probably not
be often seen again. Our five vehicles sometimes
trotted abreast, affording us an opportunity of conversing
with each other; but more frequently they would spread
themselves all over the plain, the guides allowing
their beasts to take their own way, provided they moved
straight forward. Occasionally, a spare donkey,
or one carrying the baggage, would stray off in an
oblique direction, and then the drivers were compelled
to make a wide detour to bring them in again.
Once or twice, the ropes slipped, and my chair came
to the ground; fortunately, it had not to fall far;
or a donkey would stumble and fall, but no serious
accident occurred; and though one of the party, being
behind, and unable to procure assistance in righting
the carriage, was obliged to walk a mile or two, we
were all speedily in proper trim again. Towards
evening, the easy motion of the chair, and the inclination
I felt to close my eyes, after staring about all day,
caused me to fall asleep; and again, much sooner than
I had expected, I found myself at the place of our
destination.
Either owing to a want of funds, or
to some misunderstanding, the bungalow at this place,
which is considered to be nearly midway across the
desert, had only been raised a few inches from the
ground; there were tents, however, for the accommodation
of travellers, which we infinitely preferred.
The one we occupied was of sufficient size to admit
the whole party that is, the four ladies,
the baby, and its female attendant. There were
divans on either side, to spread the beds upon, and
the openings at each end made the whole delightfully
cool.
We found Ali, the servant sent on
in the morning, very busy superintending the cookery
for dinner, which was performed in the open air.
The share of bread and apples given to me upon the
road I now bestowed upon my donkeys, not having reflected
at the time that the drivers would be glad of it;
so the next day, when the usual distributions were
made, I gave the grapes, &c. to the donkey-men, who
stuffed them into their usual repository, the bosoms
of their blue shirts, and seemed very well pleased
to get them.
The adjoining tent was occupied by
two gentlemen, passengers of the Berenice;
their servant, a European, brought to some of our people
the alarming intelligence that the steamers would leave
Suez in the course of a few hours, and that our utmost
speed would scarcely permit us to arrive in time.
Distrusting this information, we sent to inquire into
its truth, and learned that no danger of the kind was
to be apprehended, as the steamer required repair,
the engines being out of order, and the coal having
ignited twice on the voyage up the Red Sea.
Whatever may be the cause, whether
from sheer misconception or an intention to mislead,
it is almost impossible to rely upon any intelligence
given concerning the sailing of vessels and other
events, about which it would appear very possible to
obtain authentic information. From the time of
our landing at Alexandria, we had been tormented by
reports which, if true, rendered it more than probable
that we should be too late for the steamer appointed
to convey the Government mails to Bombay. Not
one of these reports turned out to be correct, and
those who acted upon them sustained much discomfort
in hurrying across the desert.
We were, as usual, rather late the
following morning; our dear little play-thing, the
baby, bore the journey wonderfully; but it seemed very
requisite that she should have good and unbroken sleep
at night, and we found so little inconvenience in
travelling in the day-time, that we could make no
objection to an arrangement which contributed so much
to her health and comfort. It was delightful to
see this lovely little creature actually appearing
to enjoy the scene as much as ourselves; sometimes
seated in the lap of her nurse, who travelled in a
chair, at others at the bottom of one of our chairs;
then in the arms of her male attendant, who rode a
donkey, or in those of the donkey-men, trudging on
foot; she went to every body, crowing and laughing
all the time; and I mention her often, not only for
the delight she afforded us, but also to show how
very easily infants at her tender age she
was not more than seven months old could
be transported across the desert.
After breakfast, and just as we were
about to start upon our day’s journey, we saw
what must certainly be called a strange sight a
wheeled carriage approaching our small encampment.
It came along like the wind, and proved to be a phaeton,
double-bodied, that is, with a driving-seat in front,
with a European charioteer guiding a pair of horses
as the wheelers, while the leaders were camels, with
an Arab riding postillion. An English and a Parsee
gentleman were inside, and the carriage was scarcely
in sight, before it had stopped in the midst of us.
The party had only been a few hours coming across.
We hastily exchanged intelligence; were told that
the Berenice had lost all its speed, being
reduced, in consequence of alterations made in the
dock-yard in Bombay, from twelve knots an hour to eight,
and that the engines had never worked well during
the voyage up.
During this day’s journey, we
met several parties, passengers of the steamer, coming
from Suez. One lady passed us in a donkey-chair,
with her daughter riding a donkey by the side; another
group, consisting of two ladies and several gentlemen,
were all mounted upon camels, and having large umbrellas
over their heads, made an exceedingly odd appearance,
the peculiar gait of the camel causing them to rise
and fall in a very singular manner. At a distance,
their round moving summits looked like the umbrageous
tops of trees, and we might fancy as they approached,
the lower portion being hidden by ridges of sand,
that “Birnam Wood was coming to Dunsinane.”
The monotony usually complained of
in desert travelling cannot be very strongly felt
between Cairo and Suez, for though there is little
else but sand to be seen, yet it is so much broken
and undulated, that there is always some diversity
of objects. The sand-hills now gave place to
rock, and it appeared as if many ranges of hills stretched
out both to the right and left of the plains we traversed;
their crags and peaks, piled one upon the other, and
showing various colours, rich browns and purples,
as they stood in shade or sunshine. Greenish tints
assured us that vegetation was not quite so seamy upon
these hills as in the desert they skirted, which only
showed at intervals a few coarse plants, scarcely
deserving the name. It has been said, that there
is only one tree between Cairo and Suez; but we certainly
saw several, though none of any size; that which is
called, par excellence, “the tree,”
affording a very poor idea of timber.
We made a short rest, in the middle
of the day, at a travellers’ bungalow; and just
as we were leaving it, one of Mr. Hill’s caravans
arrived a tilted cart upon springs, and
drawn by a pair of horses; it contained a family,
passengers by the Berenice, consisting of a
gentleman and his wife, two children and a servant.
We conversed with them for a few minutes, and learned
that they had not found the road very rough, and that
where it was heavy they added a camel as a leader.
At this place we found some difficulty
in purchasing, water for the donkeys; competition
in the desert is not, as in other places, beneficial
to the traveller. By some understanding with the
Steam Committee, Mr. Hill has put his people into
the bungalows; and they, it appears, have orders not
to sell water to persons who travel under Mr. Waghorn’s
agency. If the original purpose of these houses
was to afford general accommodation, the shelter which
cannot be refused is rendered nugatory by withholding
the supplies necessary for the subsistence of men
and cattle. We procured water at last; but every
thing attainable at these places is dear and bad.
We arrived, at rather an early hour,
at our halting place for the night; and as we considered
it to be desirable to get into Suez as speedily as
possible, we agreed to start by three o’clock
on the following morning. Just as we had finished
our evening meal, three gentlemen of our acquaintance,
who had scrambled across the desert from the Pyramids,
came up, weary and wayworn, and as hungry as possible.
We put the best that we had before them, and then retired
to the opposite apartment. But in this place I
found it impossible to stay; there was no free circulation
of air throughout the room, and it had all the benefit
of the smell from the stable and other abominations.
Leaving, therefore, my companions
asleep, and wrapping myself up in my shawl, I stole
out into the passage, where there were several Arabs
lying about, and not without difficulty contrived to
step between them, and to unfasten the door which
opened upon the desert. There was no moon, but
the stars gave sufficient light to render the scene
distinctly visible. A lamp gleamed from the window
of the apartment which I had quitted, and the camels,
donkeys, and people belonging to the united parties,
formed themselves into very picturesque groups upon
the sand, constituting altogether a picture which could
not fail to excite many agreeable sensations.
The whitened bones of animals perishing from fatigue
and thirst, while attempting to cross the arid expanse,
associated in our minds with privation, toil, and danger,
told too truly that these notions were not purely ideal;
but here was a scene of rest and repose which the
desert had never before presented; and mean and inconvenient
as the building I contemplated might be, its very
existence in such a place seemed almost a marvel,
and the imagination, kindling at the sight, could scarcely
set bounds to its expectations for the future.
In the present frame of my mind, however, I was rather
disturbed by the indications of change already commenced,
and still to increase. I had long desired to spend
a night alone upon the desert, and without wandering
to a dangerous distance, I placed a ridge of sand
between my solitary station and the objects which
brought the busy world to view, and indulged in thoughts
of scenes and circumstances which happened long ago.
According to the best authorities,
we were in the track of the Israelites, and in meditations
suggested by this interesting portion of Bible history,
the time passed so rapidly, that I was surprised when
I found the people astir and preparing for our departure.
My garments were rather damp with the night-dews,
for, having left some of my friends sleeping upon
my fur cloak, I had gone out more lightly attired
than perhaps was prudent. I was not, therefore,
sorry to find myself warmly wrapped up, and in my
chair, in which I should have slept very comfortably,
had Hot the man who guided the donkeys taken it into
his head to quarrel with one of his comrades, and to
bawl out his grievances close to my ear. My wakefulness
was, however, amply repaid by the most glorious sunrise
I ever witnessed. The sky had been for some time
obscured by clouds, which had gathered themselves in
a bank upon the Eastern horizon. The sun’s
rays started up at once, like an imperial crown, above
this bank, and as they darted their glittering spears,
for such they seemed, along the heavens, the clouds,
dispersing, formed into a mighty arch, their edges
becoming golden; while below all was one flush of
crimson light. Neither at sea nor on land had
I ever witnessed any thing so magnificent as this,
and those who desire to see the god of day rise in
the fulness of his majesty must make a pilgrimage
to the desert.
We made no stay at the rest-house,
which we reached about nine o’clock in the morning;
and here, for the last time, we saw the governor of
Jiddah and his party, winding along at some distance,
and giving life and character to the desert.
The fantastic appearance of the hills increased as
we advanced; the slightest stretch of fancy was alone
necessary to transform many into fortresses and towers,
and at length a bright glitter at a distance revealed
the Red Sea. The sun gleaming upon its waters
shewed them like a mirror, and soon afterwards the
appearance of some low buildings indicated the town
of Suez.
I happened to be in advance of the
party, under the conduct of one of the gentlemen who
had joined us on the preceding evening; I therefore
directed Mohammed to go forward, to announce our approach;
and either the sight of the Red Sea, or their eagerness
to reach a well-known spring of water, induced my
donkeys to gallop along the road with me; a fortunate
circumstance, as the day was beginning to be very sultry,
and I felt that I should enjoy the shelter and repose
of a habitation. As we went along, indications
of the new power, which had already effected the easy
transit of the desert, were visible in small patches
of coal, scattered upon the sand; presently we saw
a dark nondescript object, that did not look at all
like the abode of men, civilized or uncivilized; and
yet, from the group hovering about an aperture, seemed
to be tenanted by human beings. This proved to
be an old boiler, formerly belonging to a steam-vessel,
and appearing, indeed, as if some black and shapeless
hulk had been cast on shore. The well, which
had attracted my donkeys, was very picturesque; the
water flowed into a large stone trough, or rather
basin, beneath the walls of a castellated edifice,
pierced with many small windows, and apparently in
a very dilapidated state. Those melancholy memento
moris, which had tracked our whole progress through
the desert, were to be seen in the immediate vicinity
of this well. The skeletons of five or six camels
lay in a group within a few yards of the haven which
they had doubtless toiled anxiously, though so vainly,
to reach. I never could look upon the bones of
these poor animals without a painful feeling, and
in the hope that European skill and science may yet
bring forward those hidden waters which would disarm
the desert of its terrors. It is said that the
experiment of boring has been tried, and failed, between
Suez and Cairo, but that it succeeded in the great
desert; some other method, perhaps, may be found,
if the project of bringing water from the hills, by
means of aqueducts, should be too expensive.
We heard this plan talked of at the bungalow, but I
fear that, in the present state of Egypt, it is very
chimerical.
This was now our fourth day upon the
desert, and we had not sustained the smallest inconvenience;
the heat, even at noon, being very bearable, and the
sand not in the least degree troublesome. Doubtless,
at a less favourable period of the year, both would
prove difficult to bear. The wind, we were told,
frequently raised the sand in clouds; and though the
danger of being buried beneath the tombs thus made,
we had reason to believe, was greatly exaggerated,
yet the plague of sand is certainly an evil to be
dreaded, and travellers will do well to avoid the
season in which it prevails. The speed of my donkeys
increasing, rather than diminishing, after we left
the well, for they seemed to know that Suez would
terminate their journey, I crossed the intervening
three miles very quickly, and was soon at the walls
of the town.
Distance lends no enchantment to the
view of Suez. It is difficult to fancy that the
few miserable buildings, appearing upon the margin
of the sea, actually constitute a town; and the heart
sinks at the approach to a place so barren and desolate.
My donkeys carried me through a gap in the wall, which
answered all the purposes of a gateway, and we passed
along broken ground and among wretched habitations,
more fit for the abode of savage beasts than men.
Even the superior description of houses bore so forlorn
and dilapidated an appearance, that I actually trembled
as I approached them, fearing that my guide would
stop, and tell me that, my journey was at an end.
Before I had time to make any observations
upon the place to which I was conducted, I found myself
at the foot of a flight of steps, and reaching a landing
place, saw another above, and Mohammed descending
to meet me. I followed him to the top, and crossing
a large apartment, which served as dining and drawing
room, entered a passage which led to a light and certainly
airy bed-chamber; for half the front wall, and a portion
of one of the sides, were entirely formed of wooden
trellice, which admitted, with the utmost freedom,
all the winds of heaven, the sun, and also the dust.
There was a mat upon the floor, and the apartment
was whitewashed to the rafters, which were in good
condition; and upon Mohammed’s declaration that
it was free from rats, I felt an assurance of a share
of comfort which I had dared not expect before.
There were two neat beds, with musquito-curtains, two
tables, and washing apparatus, but no looking-glass;
an omission which I could supply, though we had dispensed
with such a piece of luxury altogether in the desert.
Well supplied with hot and cold water, I had enjoyed
the refreshment of plenteous ablutions, and nearly
completed my toilet, before the arrival of the friends
I had so completely distanced. I made an attempt
to sit down to my desk, but was unable to write a
line, and throwing myself on my bed full dressed, I
fell asleep in a moment, and enjoyed the deepest repose
for an hour, or perhaps longer.
I was awakened by my friend, Miss
E., who informed me that the purser of the Berenice
was in the drawing-room, and that I must go to him
and pay my passage-money. I was not, however,
provided with the means of doing this in ready cash,
and as the rate of exchange for the thirty pounds
in sovereigns which I possessed could not be decided
here, at the suggestion of one of my fellow-passengers,
I drew a bill upon a banker in Bombay for the amount,
eighty pounds, the sum demanded for half a cabin,
which, fortunately, I could divide with the friend
who had accompanied me from England. This transaction
so completely roused me, that I found myself equal
to the continuation of the journal which I had commenced
at Cairo. I despatched also the letter with which
I had been kindly furnished to the British Consul,
and was immediately favoured by a visit from him.
As we expressed some anxiety about our accommodation
on board the steamer, he politely offered to take
us to the vessel in his own boat; but to this arrangement
the purser objected, stating that the ship was in
confusion, and that one of the best cabins had been
reserved for us. With this assurance we were
accordingly content.
We arrived at Suez on Wednesday, the
9th of October, and were told to hold ourselves in
readiness to embark on Friday at noon. We were
not sorry for this respite, especially as we found
our hotel, which was kept by a person in the employment
of Mr. Waghorn, more comfortable than could have been
hoped for from its exterior. The greatest annoyance
we sustained was from the dust, which was brought in
by a very strong wind through the lattices. I
endeavoured to remedy this evil, in some degree, by
directing the servants of the house to nail a sheet
across the upper portion of the perforated wood-work.
The windows of our chamber commanded as good a view
of Suez as the place afforded; one at the side overlooked
an irregular open space, which stretched between the
house and the sea. At some distance opposite,
there were one or two mansions of much better appearance
than the rest, and having an air of comfort imparted
to them by outside shutters, of new and neat construction.
These we understood to be the abodes of officers in
the Pasha’s service. Mehemet Ali is said
to be extremely unwilling to allow English people
to build houses for themselves at Suez; while he freely
grants permission to their residence at Alexandria
and Cairo, he seems averse to their settling upon
the shores of the Red Sea. Mr. Waghorn and Mr.
Hill are, therefore, compelled to be content to fit
up the only residences at their disposal in the best
manner that circumstances will admit. I had no
opportunity of forming any opinion respecting Mr. Hill’s
establishment, but am able to speak very well of the
accommodation afforded by the hotel at which we sojourned.
Judging from the exterior, for the
desert itself does not appear to be less productive
than Suez, there must have been some difficulty in
getting supplies, notwithstanding we found no want
of good things at our breakfast and dinner-table,
plenty of eggs and milk, fowl and fish being supplied;
every article doing credit to the skill of the cook.
Nor was the cleanliness that prevailed, in despite
of all the obstacles opposed to it, less worthy of
praise: the servants were civil and attentive,
and the prices charged extremely moderate. All
the guests of the hotel of course formed one family,
assembling daily at meals, after the continental fashion.
The dining-room was spacious, and divided into two
portions; the one ascended by a step was surrounded
by divans, after the Egyptian fashion, and here were
books to be found containing useful and entertaining
knowledge. A few stray numbers of the Asiatic
Journal, half a dozen volumes of standard novels,
files of the Bombay Times, and works illustrative
of ancient and modern Egypt, served to beguile the
time of those who had nothing else to do. Meanwhile,
travellers came dropping in, and the caravanserai
was soon crowded.