DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12664#0036
VOYAGE TO CAIRO.
29
almost imperceptibly, stern first, broadside first,
not as the current carried them, but as the wind,
would let them. Our men had nothing to do ; all
day they lay strewed about on deck; towards even-
ing they gathered around a large pilau of rice, and,
as the sun was setting, one after the other, turning
his face towards the tomb of the Prophet, kneeled
down upon the deck and prayed. And thus passed
my first night upon the famous river.
In the morning I found things not quite so well
ordered; the wind seemed to be giving " premoni-
tory symptoms" of an intention to chop about, and
towards noon it came in dead ahead. After my
self-complacent observations of yesterday, I would
hardly credit it; but when it became so strong
that we were obliged to haul alongside the bank
and lie to, in order to avoid being driven down the
stream, I was perfectly satisfied and convinced.
We saw no more of our friend Mr. Waghorn ; he
had a small boat rigged with oars, and while we
were vainly struggling against the wind and tide,
he kindly left us to our fate. My companion was
a sportsman, and happened to have on board a
couple of guns ; we went on shore with them, and
the principal incident of the day that I remember
is, that instead of fowler's, I had fisherman's luck.
Rambling carelessly along, we found ourselves on
the bank of a stream which it was necessary to
cross ; on the other side we saw a strapping Arab,
and called to him to come and carry us over.
Like most of his tribe, he was not troubled with
c 2
29
almost imperceptibly, stern first, broadside first,
not as the current carried them, but as the wind,
would let them. Our men had nothing to do ; all
day they lay strewed about on deck; towards even-
ing they gathered around a large pilau of rice, and,
as the sun was setting, one after the other, turning
his face towards the tomb of the Prophet, kneeled
down upon the deck and prayed. And thus passed
my first night upon the famous river.
In the morning I found things not quite so well
ordered; the wind seemed to be giving " premoni-
tory symptoms" of an intention to chop about, and
towards noon it came in dead ahead. After my
self-complacent observations of yesterday, I would
hardly credit it; but when it became so strong
that we were obliged to haul alongside the bank
and lie to, in order to avoid being driven down the
stream, I was perfectly satisfied and convinced.
We saw no more of our friend Mr. Waghorn ; he
had a small boat rigged with oars, and while we
were vainly struggling against the wind and tide,
he kindly left us to our fate. My companion was
a sportsman, and happened to have on board a
couple of guns ; we went on shore with them, and
the principal incident of the day that I remember
is, that instead of fowler's, I had fisherman's luck.
Rambling carelessly along, we found ourselves on
the bank of a stream which it was necessary to
cross ; on the other side we saw a strapping Arab,
and called to him to come and carry us over.
Like most of his tribe, he was not troubled with
c 2