DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5073#0023
1-2
THE XILE.
voyage, it is better to go by railway, and have the
dahabieh sent up to Cairo to meet them, stipulating
that it must arrive within a certain number of days.
The dahabiehs are decidedly better and nicer at Alex-
andria than at Cairo, but also proportionably dearer.
At this time we were slowly tracking against head
winds; and at Kefr el Aesh, where the railway crosses the
Nile, the wind increased so much that we were moored
two whole days on the east bank. On the second day,
when we had lost all patience, and, in spite of our
dragoman's remonstrances, were going to insist on
making an attempt to shoot the opening left in the
bridge now building for the railway, an unexpected ally
came to hand: the superintendent of the station,
Isniaen Effendi, — may his shadow never be less ! —
arrived in a well-rowed boat alongside, saying, that on
hearing there were English ladies on board, he had
come to see if we stood in need of any assistance. He
assured us that it was quite impossible to shoot the
bridge, unless by the chance of an exactly favourable
wind. " But," said he, " you English people always
want to eat dinner together on your Christmas-day, and
you must be in Cairo for that, — I will give you two
hundred men to pull you through, if you like it." Of
course we gladly accepted so obliging an offer, and
while his men went off with his orders, the Effendi sat
chatting in very good English with us, sipping his
coffee and smoking his shibouque. He told us he had
been educated at King's College, London, and after-
wards lived a year or two in Kent, and that the English
had been so kind to him, and made him so happy, that
it was an especial pleasure to have an opportunity of
assisting any English person who came to his country.
The Effendi has since, I believe, left this station.
THE XILE.
voyage, it is better to go by railway, and have the
dahabieh sent up to Cairo to meet them, stipulating
that it must arrive within a certain number of days.
The dahabiehs are decidedly better and nicer at Alex-
andria than at Cairo, but also proportionably dearer.
At this time we were slowly tracking against head
winds; and at Kefr el Aesh, where the railway crosses the
Nile, the wind increased so much that we were moored
two whole days on the east bank. On the second day,
when we had lost all patience, and, in spite of our
dragoman's remonstrances, were going to insist on
making an attempt to shoot the opening left in the
bridge now building for the railway, an unexpected ally
came to hand: the superintendent of the station,
Isniaen Effendi, — may his shadow never be less ! —
arrived in a well-rowed boat alongside, saying, that on
hearing there were English ladies on board, he had
come to see if we stood in need of any assistance. He
assured us that it was quite impossible to shoot the
bridge, unless by the chance of an exactly favourable
wind. " But," said he, " you English people always
want to eat dinner together on your Christmas-day, and
you must be in Cairo for that, — I will give you two
hundred men to pull you through, if you like it." Of
course we gladly accepted so obliging an offer, and
while his men went off with his orders, the Effendi sat
chatting in very good English with us, sipping his
coffee and smoking his shibouque. He told us he had
been educated at King's College, London, and after-
wards lived a year or two in Kent, and that the English
had been so kind to him, and made him so happy, that
it was an especial pleasure to have an opportunity of
assisting any English person who came to his country.
The Effendi has since, I believe, left this station.