silver and grey, when Nature seems asleep and man and beast alike are
inclined to slumber.

Towards evening, glorified by the warm lights, how rich in colour the
scenery becomes! The western banks, crowned by dense masses of
foliage, whose green appears almost black against the sunset, are
reflected in the water below, its dark surface broken by an
occasional ripple and little masses of foam which have drifted down
from the cataract hundreds of miles away. Beyond the belt of trees the
minarets of some distant village are clear cut against the sky, for
the air is so pure that distance seems to be annihilated. Looking
east, the bold cliffs face the full glory of the sunset, and display a
wonderful transformation of colour, as the white or biscuit-coloured
rocks reflect the slowly changing colour of the light. They gradually
become enveloped in a ruddy glow, in which the shadows of projections
appear an aerial blue, and seem to melt imperceptibly into the glowing
sky above them. Gradually a pearly shadow creeps along the base of the
cliffs or covers the whole range, and one would suppose that the glory
of the sunset was past. In about a quarter of an hour, however,
commences the most beautiful transformation of all, and one which I
think is peculiar to the Nile Valley, for a second glow, more
beautiful and more ethereal than the first, overspreads the hills,
which shine like things translucent against the purple earth-shadow
which slowly mounts in the eastern sky. The sails of the boats on the
river meanwhile have taken on a tint like old ivory, while perhaps a
full moon appears above the hill-tops, and in twisting bars of silver
is reflected in the gently moving water at your feet.

The Nile is not always in so gentle a mood as this, however, for on
most days a strong north wind disturbs the water, and changes the
placid river into one of sparkling animation. The strong wind,
meeting the current of the stream, breaks the water into waves which
are foam-flecked and dash against the muddy cliffs and sand-banks,
while the quickly sailing boats bend to the wind, and from their bluff
and brightly-painted bows toss the sprays high into the air, or turn
the water from their sides in a creamy cataract. The sky also is
flecked with rounded little wind-clouds, whose undersides are
alternately grey or orange as they pass over the cultivated land or
desert rock, whose colour they partially reflect. The colour of the
water also bec