all that lace and gold could not be wasted on anything less than princely rank. But we all had more or less attention, although we could feel that the uniforms were the centre of glory, and that we shone with borrowed splendor. As we came to the house of Wasif el Hayat, we found a real transformation scene. Lanterns lined the street, servants stood on the road, holding blazing torches, a transparency was over the gate with the words, "Welcome, General Grant." The "N" was turned upside down, but that made no difference, for the welcome here in far Africa made the heart throb quicker. As we rode up, torches blazed, rockets went up into the air, various colored lights were burned, and we passed into the courtyard glowing with light and color, passed into the house over carpets and rugs of heavy texture and gorgeons pattern. Our host met us at the gates of his house and welcomed us in the stately Oriental way, kissing the General's hand as he clasped it in his two hands, and then touching his own heart, lips and brow. Here we met the Governor, and, more welcome still, the Rev. I. R. Alexander and his wife. Mr. Alexander is one of the professors in the missionary college and is under the direction of the United Presbyterian Church. The dinner came, and it was regal in its profusion and splendor. I should say there were at least twenty courses, all well served. When it was concluded, the son of the host arose, and in remarkably clear and correct English, proposed the General's health. You will allow me, I am sure, to give you a fragment of this speech. "Long have we heard and wondered," said the speaker, "at the strange progress which America has made during this past century, by which she has taken the first position among the most widely civilized nations. She has so quickly improved in sciences, morals and arts, that the world stands amazed at this extraordinary progress which

surpasses the swiftness of lightning. It is to the hard work of her great and wise men that all this advance is imputed, those who have shown to the world what wise, courageous, patriotic men can do. Let all the world look to America and follow her example-that nation which

has taken as the basis of her laws and the object of her undertakings to maintain freedom and equality among her own people and secure them for others, avoiding all ambitious schemes which would draw her into bloody and disastrous wars, and trying by all means to maintain peace internally and externally. The only two great wars upon which she has engaged were entered upon for pure and just purposes-the first for releasing herself from the

English yoke and erecting her independence, and the other for stopping slavery and strengthening the union of the States; and well we know that it was mainly under God due to the talent, courage and wisdom of His Excellency General Grant, that the latter of the two enterprises was brought to a successful issue.' The speech closed by a

tribute to the General and the Khedive. General Grant said in response that nothing in his whole trip had so impressed him as this unexpected, this generous welcome in the heart of Egypt. He had anticipated great pleasure in his visit to Egypt, and the anticipation had been more than realized. He thanked his host and especially the young man who had spoken of him with so high praise for their reception. The dinner dissolved into coffee, conversation and cigars. Mrs. Grant had a long talk with Mrs. Alexander about home-Mrs. Alexander being a fair young bride who had come out from America to cast her lot with her husband in the unpromising vineyard of Siout. And when the evening grew on we rode back to our boat, through the night and over the plain. Torch bearers accompanied us through the town. Donkey boys and townspeople followed us to the river bank. The moon was shining, and as we rode home-you see we already call the boat our homewe talked over the pleasant surprise we had found in Siout and of its many strange phases of Oriental life.

On the 21st of January we hauled up to the bank in the town of Girgel. We found Admiral Steedman and Mr. Davis, of Boston, moored in their dahabeeah, and they repeated the same story that we hear all along the Nile, that they had a good time, a splendid time, could not have had a better time. It seems that their dahabeeah had run aground, and the Admiral came out in old quarter-deck form and gave all the orders necessary to save the vessel. But after he had given the orders, as became a veteran

sailor, who had battled with tempests in every part of the world, it was discovered that the crew were Arabs and did not understand a word of English, and probably thought that the Admiral's vigorous forms of speech were a kind of devotion-a manner of worshiping common only to the infidel. So the Admiral's vessel had to save itself and we had our own fun out of the narrative as we sat on the deck over our coffee and watched the Arabs crouching over the fire. The Admiral and Mr. Davis spent a part of the evening with us; but just as the talk was in full tide the dragoman came on board with word that there was a rising wind. Those who sail in the dahabeeah must take the wind when it comes, and so our welcome guests hurried away and in a few minutes were speeding up the stream.

It was rather a long distance from our landing place to Abydos, and Sami Bey had given orders that we should be ready at eight for our journey. I am afraid it was quite an effort for some of the party whose names shall be withheld to heed this command. But the General was first on deck and very soon came Mrs. Grant eager and smiling. And as the General waits for no one, those who were late had to hurry their breakfasts, and some of them were skurrying up the side of the bank with a half-eaten biscuit. There were our Arabs and donkeys all waiting, and the moment our company began to muster there was a chorus of screams-"Good donkey," "Good morning," "baksheesh," and other limited forms of speech. The donkeys charged upon us in a mass, each owner screaming out the merits of his animal. It was only by vigorous ef forts on the part of Hassan that we could see and select our animals. Hassan had given me a private bit of information as to which donkey I should select, and I found myself the master of a little mite of a creature, scarcely high enough to keep my feet from the ground, but vigor

ous and strong and disposed to stop and bray for the amusement of the company. Hadden's experience with donkeys had made him circumspect, and the General advised him to select as small an animal as possible, cr, as a precautionary measure to the end that a valuable life should be saved to the navy, that he should tie himself on its back. The General himself had a horse placed at lis

disposal by the Pacha who rules the district, but he rode the animal with a protest, as it had a shambling gait, and wished that courtesy to his host did not prevent his taking a donkey. The Marquis had some difficulty in pleasing himself, and when at last he set out with an umbrella under his arm and his eyes shaded with sombre spectacles, the suggestion was made that he was a Methodist colporteur on a journey of preaching. But there was a gleam of satisfaction in his noble face, as he informed us that a couple of camels had gone up from the town laden