DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11636#0375
AND LOWER EGYPT. 345
A flock of the vultures of Egypt, to which has
been given, rather improperly, the name of Pha-
raoh's chickens *, were feasting on the putrid car-
cass of a dead animal cast upon the sand.
We were detained a full hour on our passage
over the lake Maadie, owing to the bad construc-
tion of the boat. With an ordinary ferry-boat
we could not have taken a quarter of an hour. A
little before our arrival at this remnant of the Ca-
nopic branch of the Nile, we had encountered a
little camp of Bedouin Arabs, composed simply
of four tents, under which men, women, and ani-
mals assembled together. The wandering life of
these vagrant and thievish people will not allow
them to continue long in one place. They pre-
sented us with some very bad water, which thirst
prompted us to swallow, and for which we paid
them pretty liberally.
After leaving Maadie we regained the sea-shore,
along which a dike or causeway has been built,
in order to repel the waters, the sandy earth being
on a level with the sea. On this dike there are
turrets placed from distance to distance. We
quitted the road of Alexandria, and continuing to
* Foreign birds, .which have a resemblance to the vulture.
Art. 2. Buffon, Hist. Nat. des. Ois.—Fultur percnojiterus. Lin.
journey
A flock of the vultures of Egypt, to which has
been given, rather improperly, the name of Pha-
raoh's chickens *, were feasting on the putrid car-
cass of a dead animal cast upon the sand.
We were detained a full hour on our passage
over the lake Maadie, owing to the bad construc-
tion of the boat. With an ordinary ferry-boat
we could not have taken a quarter of an hour. A
little before our arrival at this remnant of the Ca-
nopic branch of the Nile, we had encountered a
little camp of Bedouin Arabs, composed simply
of four tents, under which men, women, and ani-
mals assembled together. The wandering life of
these vagrant and thievish people will not allow
them to continue long in one place. They pre-
sented us with some very bad water, which thirst
prompted us to swallow, and for which we paid
them pretty liberally.
After leaving Maadie we regained the sea-shore,
along which a dike or causeway has been built,
in order to repel the waters, the sandy earth being
on a level with the sea. On this dike there are
turrets placed from distance to distance. We
quitted the road of Alexandria, and continuing to
* Foreign birds, .which have a resemblance to the vulture.
Art. 2. Buffon, Hist. Nat. des. Ois.—Fultur percnojiterus. Lin.
journey