DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4592#0061
LYBSAN DESERT. 61
k. small green stripe of land in rear of this village, nut
foeyond that is an entire sandy waste. The village
stands on the Lybian sands.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the rais who had left
the boat twenty hours before, returned, bringing with
■him his wife and two small children. She was tat-
tooed on her chin, cheeks and forehead, the punctures
of which were dyed with blue. This I found very
common among females in Egypt, where their faces
were to.be seen. The two children were girls, and
bo'th were marked in the same barbarous manner.
The boat was soon got under way, towed about half
a mile, and the sails set. The wind, however, proved
to be rather ahead, and after sailing about a mile
farther, it was tied up on the opposite shore. Here,
while I was sitting on the bank of the river, three
small crocodiles rose for a minute to the surface, and
then suddenly disappeared. They were the only
•ones I saw on the Nile, and I was informed they are
rarely seen at all, below Cairo.
At this place, a sharp contention took place between
two of the boatmen and the rais -, the result of which
was the two boatmen left. After waiting an bour and
a half, the boat was towed forward. In the meantime
the rais followed the men who had left, and succeeded
in bringing them back. Selim and my English friend
had gone to a village further up the river, to purchase
provisions. They returned about the middle of the
-afternoon with a little mutton, some coarse looking
Arab bread, some dates and a few oranges. They
stated that it was very difficult for them to purchase
provisions of any kind. As the little they procured
k. small green stripe of land in rear of this village, nut
foeyond that is an entire sandy waste. The village
stands on the Lybian sands.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the rais who had left
the boat twenty hours before, returned, bringing with
■him his wife and two small children. She was tat-
tooed on her chin, cheeks and forehead, the punctures
of which were dyed with blue. This I found very
common among females in Egypt, where their faces
were to.be seen. The two children were girls, and
bo'th were marked in the same barbarous manner.
The boat was soon got under way, towed about half
a mile, and the sails set. The wind, however, proved
to be rather ahead, and after sailing about a mile
farther, it was tied up on the opposite shore. Here,
while I was sitting on the bank of the river, three
small crocodiles rose for a minute to the surface, and
then suddenly disappeared. They were the only
•ones I saw on the Nile, and I was informed they are
rarely seen at all, below Cairo.
At this place, a sharp contention took place between
two of the boatmen and the rais -, the result of which
was the two boatmen left. After waiting an bour and
a half, the boat was towed forward. In the meantime
the rais followed the men who had left, and succeeded
in bringing them back. Selim and my English friend
had gone to a village further up the river, to purchase
provisions. They returned about the middle of the
-afternoon with a little mutton, some coarse looking
Arab bread, some dates and a few oranges. They
stated that it was very difficult for them to purchase
provisions of any kind. As the little they procured