escorted by the joyous laughs of his comrades, always delighted to hear that a Turk has been deceived by an Arab.

The night was perfectly tranquil, and in the morning we found everything in its place. Salem was probably exercising his profession in some other locality.

XII. THE RED SEA.

WE were on our road before day-break. The first dawn revealed to us flocks of gazelles, which fled in terror at our approach. Nothing is more strange than the contrast between this graceful animal and the place which it inhabits; one would suppose that it was born for gardens of flowers, and banks of velvet moss; but it is at present a living anomaly when viewed in connexion with the wild and savage nature of these regions. I had the curiosity to, wander for a moment from the road to see the tracks that the gazelles had left in the Desert. Scarcely had their light feet made an impress on the sand; it might have been supposed that they were wafted over the surface by the wind, which now came up from the south in hot and tempestuous gusts.

I resumed my road over the dry bones. At daybreak, the line of skeletons glittered on the yellow sand like a line of silver. As the sun ascended above the horizon, the heat became more scorching and intolerable than it had hitherto been. The Arabs advised us not to leave any portion of our persons exposed to the blaze. Still, in spite of their advice and our precautions, it was impossible to guard

against the oblique rays of the morning and evening sun; we received several sun-strokes, which immediately raised blisters: the calcined skin rose like a bell, but at the end of a few hours the swelling subsided. I may venture to assert, that while we were travelling in the Desert, I had regularly a new nose every evening.

After a march of three hours, a white point appeared in the horizon. Soon, as we approached, we saw a square, around which it seemed as if some huge serpent, whose coils the eye could not follow, had been partially unrolled. This town, which is about three leagues from Suez, was the residence of a sheikh. It is here that the caravan to Mecca makes a short pause, to part from the travellers who are merely going to Suez. The pilgrims continue their road towards the east; the travellers turn a little to the south, and soon meet the first branch of the Red Sea, whilst the others have still a march of ten or twelve days, before they discover the second branch, along whose eastern coasts they hold their course until they reach the holy city. The seeming coils of an immense serpent round the town, were countless donkey-drivers, who came to procure water for the use of the city; for Suez, being on the verge of the Red Sea, has only saline wells and fountains. Scarcely had we received this information, when the hope of fresh water roused all our energies. We put

our dromedaries to the gallop, and in less than an hour cleared the three or four leagues which separated us from the anxiously expected fountains. When we arrived, the chief of the khan filled our waterbags for a trifling remuneration. We could not be satisfied without drinking from the fountain itself. The water was slightly brackish, but we were too thirsty to stop for such a trifle.

We had left to our right, and on the other side of the chain of mountains which we had seen during the last two days on the verge of the northern horizon, the road which the fugitive Israelites had taken, when led by Moses, guided by the pillar of fire, and carrying with them the embalmed body of Joseph, as the patriarch had directed on his death-bed, they quitted Rameses, traversed the chain of Mokattan, and went to encamp at Etham, on the verge of the desert. It was at this halting-place that God spoke to Moses, and said, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in." The Israelites then came down westwards to the spot where we were, probably attracted by the springs at which we were quenching our thirst. It was from this spot that they perceived

the mighty army of Pharaoh, and completely terrified, said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." Then Moses answered, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

In fact, the Hebrews resumed their march, and proceeded direct to that point of the Red Sea on which the city of Suez now stands. This is nearly a three hours' journey, although we accomplished it in a shorter time, for our camels, leaving the Mecca road, commenced a smart gallop towards the south, and never changed their gait from the moment we left the sheikh's tower until we reached the city. As we advanced, the heavens assumed a silvery hue; on our right rose the chain of mountains which bounds the western coast of the Red Sea; on our left the Desert was spread as far as eye could reach; and between the mountains and the Desert, detaching themselves from the sea, rose the white walls of