minutes we were forced to dismount by some canal only to be crossed on foot, or some morass through which we should scramble, so that when we perceived Rosetta, we were so perfectly soaked, that our shoes, like those of Panurge, took in water through the necks of our shirts.

As we approached the city, our ideas assumed a more pleasing hue; we had in prospect a very narrow room, where we exchanged our wet garments for those of some good Mussulman, for our trunks were at Alexandria, and our wardrobes were limited to what we had on our persons. The stomach on its side began to cry hunger; we remembered with pleasure our supper of the preceding evening, and demanded a similar one, even though we should be obliged to eat with our fingers; with respect to bed, we were so tired, that the first divan we met would have served our purpose. We were, as may be seen, the most accommodating of human beings. It was with these dispositions that we reached the gates of Rosetta. They were shut!

This was a thunder-bolt; of all possibilities this closing of the gates was the only one which never occurred to our thoughts; we rapped at them in despair, but the guards would listen to nothing. We spoke of bakshish, the great means of conciliation, but unfortunately the chinks of the gate were not sufficiently wide to introduce a five-frank

piece. Mohammed prayed, supplicated, menaced, all was vain. He then turned round, and tranquilly told us his conviction that there was no chance of getting into Rosetta for that night. We saw that he was telling truth from the truly Mussulman resignation of Mohammed himself, and of our donkeydrivers, who immediately looked round them in order to find the most favourable spot for an encampment. For our parts we were so furious that we remained at the gates by ourselves for a quarter of an hour longer. At length Mohammed came to tell us that he had found a tolerably convenient bivouac. There was nothing left for it but to follow him, which we did with an exceedingly bad grace. He led us to a mosque surrounded with lilac-trees in flower, where we found our carpets spread under two magnificent palm-trees; we lay down with empty stomachs and wet clothes; but we were so completely knocked up, that after having yawned for some time, we at length fell into a kind of doze, which might pass very well for sleep. When we opened our eyes the next morning, we found that the early dew had come to aid the dripping of the preceding evening; so that we were stiff with cold; we wished to get up, but not a joint would bend. We were rusted in our clothes like old swords in their scabbards. We called Mohammed and the donkey-drivers; more familiar than we were with nights spent under a

starry canopy, they shook themselves and came to the rescue. We were all one lump; they took us up on their shoulders as Pantaloon treats Harlequin, and placed us against the palm-trees, with our faces turned to the rising sun. In a few minutes we felt the beneficent influence of its rays; life returned with heat, and we thawed by slow degrees. Finally, about eight o'clock, we found our bodies sufficiently supple, and our clothes sufficiently dry, to permit us to make our entrance into the city.

IV. VOYAGE UP THE NILE.

THE houses of Rosetta are built of brick; several of them have four or five stories; the arcades at the base are supported by columns of red granite, of various dimensions, all of which are brought from the ruins of ancient Alexandria. The Nile flows by the lower end of the town, where it forms a convenient harbour; it is enclosed by large and beautiful ricefields, whose light green colour is pleasingly contrasted with the sombre masses of dark sycamores, and the slender palm-trees which fade away in the horizon.

The French consular agent, M. Camps, received us eagerly, and introduced us to his wife and daughter. We found a fellow-countryman with these ladies, named M. Amon; he was a veterinary surgeon, brought up in Alfort's school, and had been engaged for the last five or six years in the service of the Pacha of Egypt. He had married at Rosetta, and his spouse was a young Copt. The Copts, as is generally known, are Christians, so that no religious scruple impeded the union; nevertheless there was something extraordinary in the manner in which it was accomplished. When M. Amon resolved upon taking a wife, he inquired whether a young and

suitable spouse could be found in the country. The old woman to whom he applied, and who makes a trade of commissions of this kind, commenced her researches, and in two or three days returned with a satisfactory answer. She had discovered a young handsome Copt girl, about fourteen years of age. M. Amon asked to see her. As this demand was contrary to usage, they told him that the thing was impossible, but that he might make any inquiries he pleased, and that all proper questions would be faithfully answered. It appears that the investigation led to results perfectly satisfactory; for on the next day a suitable dowry was offered to the parents and accepted by them. In consequence, a day was fixed for the ceremony, and at the appointed time M. Amon on one side, and the parents of the bride on the other, met before the Cadí. The money was paid, the girl served as a receipt, and the husband brought home his wife. It was not until he reached his own house that he lifted her veil. Faith had been kept with him on all points, and M. Amon felicitates himself still on this marriage, and game of Blind-man's buff."

Nevertheless, it must not be believed that such is always the case. Cruel disappointments sometimes occur. In such case the deceived husband sends back his spouse unceremoniously to her parents, giving her a second dowry of the same value as the