merging into plains and reaching Cairo at
6:00 p. m., the 22nd of December. Little by little the plain becomes
less green as we approach the Egyptian capital; the valley contracted
and the pyramids appear roseate beneath the rays of the setting sun. On
the right, through the palm trees, against the yellow tones of the
Lybian desert, are the heights of Mokattam, with the citadel and the
mosques of Mahomet Ali, the dome of which shines brilliantly between two
tapering minarets. A forest of minarets and white walls and we have
arrived amid deafening cries of the cabmen and the running omnibuses for
the different hotels. My brown "Cheap Jack" purchased in Bombay to
carry a steamer rug which I had bought there again proved a white
elephant, but after many gestures it is transferred by a porter to
Shephard's Hotel. Crowds stand waiting for rooms to be allotted them,
and as good luck has so far followed me both on steamers and at hotels,
I find myself in a brief time nicely ensconced in a sunny room. We
hasten to make ready for dinner, and are most happy to be seated
alongside of Mrs. John A. Logan and her party of four young ladies and
Doctor B., who heads the table and proves himself a most fitting
decoration. The salon is crowded, and at one end on a stage is stationed
a band of native musicians, male and female, with European musical
instruments upon which the latest opera airs were played. It is
customary after dinner is served to join the immense crowd that
promenades or is seated, according to choice, in the corridors and
exchange of the building. There tiny cups of coffee with brandy,
absinthe and cigarettes are offered by the coolies in picturesque dress.
Ladies, as well as men, partook freely, handling the cigarette with an
air of nonchalance which bespoke its frequent use. It seemed that people
from every nation and every tribe were assembled there. The air became
dense, and it has been truly said that nowhere else than in Shephard's
Hotel can such a transformation scene be witnessed. Many of my own
neighbors from Chicago were here. We met our Japanese colonel again. He
had just returned from the Nile trip. He walked with the assurance of a
man who had won laurels and was wearing them. I was glad to meet him, as
our close proximity at the table on the steamers promoted a good feeling
between us. Cairo is a winter resort for English, Arabians, Swedes and
in fact the climate attracts from all over the world. The ladies