DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5073#0084
THE PIEB.
73
upon as intruders, but were really welcome. We
had hoped to have found at Thebes a boat of some
kind, in which we could have descended the river to
Cairo, with some of our sailors and our own draoo-
man; but there was not even an Arab kandjeh to be
had, and our friends foresaw that we might find our-
selves very unpleasantly situated had the dragoman
taken the opportunity of our separation from Europeans
to demand promissory notes of payment for his boat;
we thought our man-servant was sufficient protection
against this, but they decided that it was better we
should not risk it: failing this we felt sure there
would be some large dahabieh at Thebes, with ladies
on board, willing to make a spare cabin for us; but
no such offer came; one young lady lent us all she
could spare of the clothes we so much needed; and
Mrs. Hood, who was still at Thebes, shared with us
everything she possessed with the most unselfish kind-
ness ; but from the boats then at Luxsor no other lady
broke through the formalities of lacking an "in-
troduction " to Englishwomen in distress ; and we found
our countrymen, far more generous and thoughtful for
us than our countrywomen; all thevr little stores of
handkerchiefs, brushes and combs, needles and threads,
&c. &c, were brought out and pressed upon us, and
one gentleman even sent us shawls and green veils!
There was one very large dahabieh with a small
party on board, which came down the river to Luxsor
while we were there: — they offered nothing of their
own accord, but in our utter distress for some of the
common necessaries that gentlemen could not supply,
we ventured to send our maid on board to ask for some
common materials requisite for making up the clothes
we had contrived out of Arab cotton; the reply to this
73
upon as intruders, but were really welcome. We
had hoped to have found at Thebes a boat of some
kind, in which we could have descended the river to
Cairo, with some of our sailors and our own draoo-
man; but there was not even an Arab kandjeh to be
had, and our friends foresaw that we might find our-
selves very unpleasantly situated had the dragoman
taken the opportunity of our separation from Europeans
to demand promissory notes of payment for his boat;
we thought our man-servant was sufficient protection
against this, but they decided that it was better we
should not risk it: failing this we felt sure there
would be some large dahabieh at Thebes, with ladies
on board, willing to make a spare cabin for us; but
no such offer came; one young lady lent us all she
could spare of the clothes we so much needed; and
Mrs. Hood, who was still at Thebes, shared with us
everything she possessed with the most unselfish kind-
ness ; but from the boats then at Luxsor no other lady
broke through the formalities of lacking an "in-
troduction " to Englishwomen in distress ; and we found
our countrymen, far more generous and thoughtful for
us than our countrywomen; all thevr little stores of
handkerchiefs, brushes and combs, needles and threads,
&c. &c, were brought out and pressed upon us, and
one gentleman even sent us shawls and green veils!
There was one very large dahabieh with a small
party on board, which came down the river to Luxsor
while we were there: — they offered nothing of their
own accord, but in our utter distress for some of the
common necessaries that gentlemen could not supply,
we ventured to send our maid on board to ask for some
common materials requisite for making up the clothes
we had contrived out of Arab cotton; the reply to this