DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12664#0073
66
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
river, when we could carry sail and make some
progress. The scenery of the Nile, about fifty
miles from Cairo, differed somewhat from the rich
valley of the Delta, the dark mountains of Mokat-
tam in the neighbourhood of Cairo bounding- the
valley on the Arabian side, while on the African
the desert approached to the very banks of the
river. Though travelling in a country in which,
by poetic license, and by way of winding off a pe-
riod, every foot of ground is said to possess an ex-
citing interest, during my first day's journey on
the Nile I was thrown very much upon my own
resources.
My gun was the first thing that presented itself.
I had bought it in Cairo, double-barrelled and new,
for fifteen dollars. I did not expect to make much
use of it, and it was so very cheap that I was
rather doubtful of its safety, and intended to make
trial of it with a double charge and a slow match.
But Paul had anticipated me ; he had already put
in two enormous charges, and sent one of the boat-
men ashore to try it. I remonstrated with him
upon the risk to which he had exposed the man ;
but he answered in the tone in which he (like all
European servants) always spoke of the degraded
inhabitants of Egypt, " Foh, he is only an Arab ;"
and I was soon relieved from apprehension by the
Arab returning, full of praises of the gun, having
killed with both shots. One thing disheartened
me even more than the head wind. Ever since I
left home I had been in earnest search of a warm
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
river, when we could carry sail and make some
progress. The scenery of the Nile, about fifty
miles from Cairo, differed somewhat from the rich
valley of the Delta, the dark mountains of Mokat-
tam in the neighbourhood of Cairo bounding- the
valley on the Arabian side, while on the African
the desert approached to the very banks of the
river. Though travelling in a country in which,
by poetic license, and by way of winding off a pe-
riod, every foot of ground is said to possess an ex-
citing interest, during my first day's journey on
the Nile I was thrown very much upon my own
resources.
My gun was the first thing that presented itself.
I had bought it in Cairo, double-barrelled and new,
for fifteen dollars. I did not expect to make much
use of it, and it was so very cheap that I was
rather doubtful of its safety, and intended to make
trial of it with a double charge and a slow match.
But Paul had anticipated me ; he had already put
in two enormous charges, and sent one of the boat-
men ashore to try it. I remonstrated with him
upon the risk to which he had exposed the man ;
but he answered in the tone in which he (like all
European servants) always spoke of the degraded
inhabitants of Egypt, " Foh, he is only an Arab ;"
and I was soon relieved from apprehension by the
Arab returning, full of praises of the gun, having
killed with both shots. One thing disheartened
me even more than the head wind. Ever since I
left home I had been in earnest search of a warm