92 ROADS AND BRIDGES. A of the principal branches of the canal of Harinen. This is one of the useful works of the Pasha. few good roads and bridges would do more than a hundred cotton-mills towards ameliorating the condition of the people, the first step towards genuine civilisation; for though the Nile forms one vast and splendid highway from one end of Egypt to the other, ordinary roads are still wanting, more especially in Lower Egypt. In moving along the wretched pathways leading from Kafr Diami to Tookh el Nassera, one of the baggage animals, which carried the bed of a gentleman of our party, rolled down the steep side of the embankment, not a foot wide in that part, and fell into a miry ditch, where both the animal and his load were soaked with water and mud. Several children, who passed us in the afternoon, mounted astride on buffaloes, possessed extremely fair complexions, and one, that particularly attracted my attention, had long light hair, and all the engaging features of an European child. These buffaloes differ remarkably from those of India, in not having the hump upon the back. They are large awkward animals, with horns turned back flat upon the head, and, like their brethren of Asia, love to roll in the mud, and to lie in the water during hot weather, with their noses only appearing above the surface. Some time before arriving at our halting-place, I had separated from the rest of the company, and was riding on alone. One of our Arabs, who understood a little of that strange kind of Italian which is spoken at Alexandria, observing this, immediately TOOKH EL NASSERA. 93 my deserted the sumpter animals, and stuck close to skirts. I desired him to leave me, and attend to his charge; but as he did not appear to understand me, I repeated the same thing twice or three times; and at length became rather angry. He then showed me his stick, and, pointing across the field to several fellahs who were at work, replied, "I will not leave you here alone. Those Arabs are bad men ; but they will not touch you while I am by. When the other gentlemen come up, I will attend to the baggage." I told him I wore pistols. "No matter,” said he : "" your pistols are but two, and the Arabs are a thousand." There were at most thirty persons within sight; but this is their manner of speaking. "Very well, Mohammed," I replied, "you may stay;' and he accordingly trotted behind me as long as he thought proper. L. Upon our arrival at Tookh el Nassera, the Sheikh el Beled, in whose house we were lodged, and several of his friends, came to visit us, and, sitting down on the mat, asked permission to read some papers which they carried in their hands, by the light of one of our candles. When they had looked over their papers, which we knew was merely done as an excuse for introducing themselves, they began, in a roundabout way, to enquire whether we could not spare them a little wine. We replied that we had none, but contented ourselves with drinking the water of the Nile. This they would not believe: no Europeans, they said, ever travelled without wine; 94 BUGS AND MOSQUITOES. and they entreated us to let them share our stock. It was in vain that we assured them of the contrary; they remained incredulous; smoked their pipes; smiled, and looked quite persuaded that they should get some at last. At length they whispered something about brandy; and one of our party proposed that we should give them a good dose of eau de Cologne but this was over-ruled; and, after much useless entreaty and abundance of grimaces, they left us in a passion. When this scene was over, I wrapped myself in my burnoose, and went out in the dark, to observe the appearance of an Arab village by night. The lanes were very narrow, and the dogs, barking as I passed, brought out many an old woman to the door. The majority, indeed, had retired to rest; but in many cottages, and in one large building, -no doubt a factory, I heard the sound of the spinning-wheel, which, as I was unluckily compelled to observe, continued at work all night. It was a walled village, and at every gate there was a sentinel keeping watch as in a besieged city a proof of the dread and insecurity in which the peasantry pass their lives. Returning to our lodging, I retired to bed. with the rest, one of whom had a fever, and another the dysentery. Few slept much, and myself not at all; for the fleas, bugs, mosquitoes, and other vermin, literally swarmed in the room, and the rats and mice, rummaging in the baskets of provisions, biting each other, squeaking, creeping down the walls, leaping upon our feet or breasts, effectually put sleep to flight. - LI. Having every possible inducement to early rising, we were up long before four o'clock; and, having taken coffee, and saddled and loaded our beasts, were prepared to start with the dawn. Sooner than this we could not depart, as our asinarii were unacquainted with the tracks, which, the waters of the inundation not having yet retired, were exceedingly circuitous and intricate; but as soon as the light began to appear in the east, we took our leave of the mosquitoes and rats of Tookh el Nassera. It was a fine serene morning; the skylarks were already busy among the grey clouds; the peasants were afield; and I watched with unusual interest the unfolding of the landscape, as its rich and varied features came forth one after another, touched by the rapid pencil of the morning. A vast canal, which we crossed about six o'clock, supplied, with its winding course and reedy banks, the place of a river, and the whole face of the country, green and level as a meadow, was beautifully ornamented with small tufted groves of mimosa trees, intermingled with palms and sycamores. LII. After passing through two or three smaller villages, we arrived, about half past ten o'clock, at Shibin el Kom, a place of some consideration, where the Pasha has erected an extensive factory. Here we entered into a large garden, where we breakfasted under the shade of orange and citron trees. While our meal was preparing, we witnessed what, in popular phraseology, may be termed a row, between a woman and two or three men. The woman, who appeared to be the proprietor's wife, had, upon promise of a small reward, permitted us to enter the garden; which the husband, on arriving, thought proper to take amiss, and began to pour forth a torrent of abuse upon his helpmate. She returned his vituperation with interest; and, in the end, though he was backed by two of his workmen, whose tongues were to the full as loud as his own, the woman, who from time to time pointed at us with her finger, clearly gained the victory, and sent them all away grumbling to their work. Another young woman, with a child in her arms, who seemed to have entered the garden in order to gaze at us, was tattooed in an extraordinary manner, having several lines of small figures running across the chin, a row of blue stars and flowers on the inside of the arm, and round the wrists a very curious imitation of bracelets. This practice prevails more or less among all the Arab women, whose chins are generally thus disfigured; in addition to which, some imprint the figure of a small flower on the left breast; others on other parts; but I have nowhere observed a person so ingeniously ornamented as this young woman. The punctures, as among the South Sea Islanders, are made with the point of a needle, and rubbed over, while fresh and bleeding, with a sort of paste formed of powdered charcoal and oil. But the process |