oopoes
no longer wore crowns of gold upon their heads, they ceased from the
persecution of their race; and from that time forth the family of the
hoopoes have flourished and increased, and have continued in peace even
to the present day.

And here endeth the veracious history of the king of the hoopoes.

But to return to the island of Philoe. The neighbourhood of the cataracts
is inhabited by a peculiar race of people, who are neither Arabs, nor
negroes, like the Nubians, whose land joins to theirs. They are of a
clear copper colour; and are slightly but elegantly formed. They have
woolly hair; and are not encumbered with much clothing. The men wear a
short tunic of white cotton; but often have only a petticoat round
their loins. The married women have a piece of stuff thrown over their
heads which envelopes the whole person. Under this they wear a curious
garment made of fine strips of black leather, about a foot long, like a
fringe. This hangs round the hips, and forms the only clothing of
unmarried girls, whose forms are as perfect as that of any ancient
statue. They dress their hair precisely in the same way as we see in the
pictures of the ancient Egyptians, plaited in numerous tresses, which
descend about half way down the neck, and are plentifully anointed with
castor-oil; that they may not spoil their head-dresses, they use,
instead of a pillow to rest their heads upon at night, a stool of hard
wood like those which are found in the ancient tombs, and which resemble
in shape the handle of a crutch more than anything else that I can think
of. The women are fond of necklaces and armlets of beads; and the men
wear a knife of a peculiar form, stuck into an armlet above the elbow of
the left arm. When they go from home they carry a spear, and a shield
made of the skin of the hippopotamus or crocodile, with which they are
very clever in warding off blows, and in defending themselves from
stones or other missiles.

Of this race was a girl called Mouna, whom I had known as a child when I
was first at Philoe. She grew up to be the most beautiful bronze statue
that can be conceived. She used to bring eggs from the island on which
she lived to Philoe: her means of conveyance across the water was a
piece of the trunk of a doom-tree, upon which she supported herself as
she swam across the Nile ten times a-day. I never saw so perfect a
figure as that of Mouna. She was of a lighter brown than most of the
other girls, and wa