oonlight. Few people appeared to appreciate it, however, for
the gardens were nearly empty; but then the season is over, and every
one has fled before the coming heat.

_Saturday, April 28th_.--We had settled to start at six o'clock this
morning to visit the Pyramids, an excursion which had been for some
little time eagerly looked forward to and talked about by the younger
members of our party. The morning was cold and grey, a strong
northerly wind was blowing, and the change from the weather which had
prevailed but a few hours previously was altogether most striking and
unexpected. We drove rapidly through the streets and the outskirts of
the town, where old houses are being pulled down and new ones rapidly
built up, and where a general air of new bricks and old rubbish
pervades the scene. Then we crossed the Nile by a handsome iron
bridge, and saw the Palace of Gezireh, where the Prince of Wales and
his suite were lodged. We passed the railway extension works, and, to
the great delight of the children, saw two elephants busily employed,
one of which was being made to lie down to enable his mahout to
dismount. Soon the little ones gave a shout of 'The Pyramids!' and
there before us stood those grand monuments of a nameless founder,
which for centuries have stood out in the sands of the desert, while
the burning African sun and the glorious African moon have risen and
set on their heavenward-pointing summits for countless days and
nights. Even the earth has changed her position so much since they
were erected that the pole star no longer sheds its light in a direct
line through the central passages, as it did when first they were
designed.

We drove along under avenues of now leafless trees to the foot of the
hill on which the Pyramids are situated. Here everybody was turned out
to walk except Muriel and me, and a tremendous tug the horses had to
drag even us two up to the real foot of the Pyramids. On arriving we
were at once surrounded by a crowd of Arabs. They are certainly a
fine-looking lot of men, rather clamorous for backshish, and anxious
to sell their curiosities, real or imitation. They were, however,
good-natured, civil, and obliging, and amused me much during the hour
I spent alone with them while the rest of the party were ascending and
descending the Pyramids. Many could speak several languages quite
fluently, and almost all of them took a good deal of interest in the
war, and the prospects of success on