ppropriate in Egypt.

When Beni-Hassan was reached we made an early start and rode out on
donkeys to see the famous tombs hewn out of the living rock. As we
were returning we met Mr. Morgan and his party coming up the hill. A
sand-storm had blown up, and it was quite dark and very disagreeable.
I am sure he would have liked to be out of it, but he had his nerve and
poise with him and went through to the bitter end. We had started
while this same sandstorm was still in action; not being able to see
clearly, we ran into a flight of Nile freight boats, and in trying to
avoid sinking one of them got on a rock and it punched a large hole in
our steamer's bottom. We sank almost immediately, but as our keel was
near the river bed we had not far to go. It took twelve hours to pump
out the boat and patch the hole, during which time the Morgan
_dahabiyeh_ came up, but finding we were not in danger, passed on.
Later we went after them and took the lead, but lost it again in
shallow water.

[Illustration: TEMPLE OF LUXOR ON THE NILE. "RAM" IS VERY MUCH IN
EVIDENCE, BUT ONLY A SMALL PART OF HIS SCULPTURAL OUTPUT IS SEEN, AS
THE STONE-CUTTERS' LIENS HAVE NOT YET BEEN SATISFIED]

Next day we arrived at Cairo, and I found at Shepheard's an invitation
for dinner from De Cosson Bey, who controls and manages all the great
public utilities of Cairo. He married a Philadelphia belle who had
often visited at my house in New York, so we had a very pleasant
evening, rehearsing the scenes and experiences of _auld long syne_.
The evening was a social oasis in a strange land and quickly taught me
how they live and what they do in Cairo. My hostess spoke the language
like a native and managed her Arabic _menage_ with skill, _a plomb_ and
distinction. I ate and drank many strange concoctions never previously
included in any _menu_ I had ever had the pleasure of exhausting. I
did not dare to ask the names of the rare dishes, as I might not have
liked them if I had--sometimes one had better not "know it all," or
even a part of it. To be thoroughly happy in a case like this it is
best to leave minute details and even a general knowledge of such
things to the inquisitive. I had, however, sufficient curiosity to
speculate on the dishes, and have made a tentative _menu_ of them,
assuming the courses, from their color, flavor and general appearance,
to be as follows:

--:--MENU--:--

NILE GREEN POINTS
A pearl in every oyster