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Edwards, Amelia B.
A thousand miles up the Nile — New York, [1888]

DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4393#0169

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THEBES TO ASSUAN. 151

spends but half a year on the Nile may, if he takes an in-
terest in Egypt and the Egyptians, learn more of both in
that short time than would be possible in a country less
singularly narrowed in all ways—politically^, socially, geo-
graphically.

And this reminds me that the traveler on the Nile
really sees the whole land of Egypt. Going from point to
point in other countries, one follows a thin line of road,
railway, or river, leaving wide tracts unexplored on either
side; but there are few places in Middle or Upper Egypt,
and none at all in Nubia, where one may not, from any
moderate height, survey the entire face of the country
from desert to desert. It is well to do this frequently. It
helps one, as nothing else can help one, to an understand-
ing of the wonderful mountain waste through which the
Nile has been scooping its way for uncounted cycles. And
it enables one to .realize what a mere slip of alluvial de-
posit is this famous land which is " the gift of the river."

A dull gray morning; a faint and fitful breeze carried us
slowly on our way from Esneh to Edfii. The new bread
—a heavy boat-load when brought on board—lay in a huge
heap at the end of the upper deck. It took four men one
whole day to cut it up. Their incessant gabble drove us
nearly distracted.

"Uskut, Khaleefeh ! Uskut, Ali !" ("Silence, Khalee-
feh! Silence, Ali!") Talhamy would say from time to time.
" You are not on your own deck. The Howadji can
neither read nor write for the clatter of your tongues."

And then, for about a minute and a half; they would be
quiet.

But you could as easily keep a monkey from chattering
as an Arab. Our men talked incessant!}'; and their talk
was always about money. Listen to them when we might,
sue!) words as "khamsa gurush" (five piasters), " nits
riyill" (lialf-a-dollar), "ethneen shilling" (two shillings),
were perpetually coming to the surface. We never could
understand how it was that money, which played so small a
part in their lives, should play so large a part in their
conversation.

It was about midday when we passed El Kab, the ancient
Eileithyias. A rocky valley narrowing inland; a sheik's
tomb on the mountain-ridge above; a few clumps of date-
palms ; some remains of what looked like a long, crude
 
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