s."

"Anchor aweigh, sir," reported the first officer.

"Heave it up," replied the captain, and went to the pilot-house.

The "Big Four" had gone on board of the Maud, and she got under way at
the same time. The pilot was on board of the ship, and none was taken
for the little steamer, which was regarded as the tender. Captain Scott
had his plan of the harbor before him, and he could have taken his craft
into the basin without any assistance; but he was required to follow the
ship.

Port Said owes its existence to the canal, and without that it would
amount to nothing. It is located on the eastern end of an island which
is a part of the narrow neck of land which divides Lake Menzaleh from
the Mediterranean. It was thought when it was laid out that it would
become a considerable city; but it has not yet realized this
expectation, though it has now a population of over seventeen thousand.
Six thousand of this number are Europeans, the French predominating. The
making of the harbor, or "Grand Basin Ismail" as it is called, was
another difficult task for the canal company; for it has an area of 570
acres, which had to be excavated to the depth of twenty-six feet by
dredging.

The Guardian-Mother, followed by the Maud, passed through the channel,
which is marked by red and green lights, to the basin, where the former
was moored at one of the walls. The town could not be seen by the
tourists till the ship entered the basin, and then it was found to be a
place of no small importance. It contains two good hotels, where one may
board at one for three dollars a day, and at the other for two and a
half.

It was necessary for the steamers to coal at this point, and the party
went on shore. From the deck they could see up the principal street. The
French post-office, for there is also an Egyptian, was close to the
wharf; and they hastened to that, for most of them had written letters
to their friends at home. It was still Egypt, and the place was true to
its national character; for the travellers were immediately beset by a
horde of beggars, and bakshish was still a popular clamor. The shops
were like those of other regions, though they did not seem to be doing a
very thriving trade; for the entire surrounding country was either a
desert or a morass, and there were few to go shopping.

There was really nothing to be seen there, and the passengers soon
returned to the ship, impatient to proceed on the passage through the
can