being held at Tantah became the subject of conversation.
As most of us had never even heard of Tantah, we were informed that it
was a large and flourishing town in the Delta, about halfway between
Alexandria and Cairo, where an annual fair--_the_ fair of Egypt--had
been held time out of mind. That is, out of modern Egyptian mind, which,
in strange contrast with its belongings and residence, does not seem to
remember anything much before the last harvest, the last hatching of
eggs and the last conscription. Lately, the fair had been interdicted by
the viceroy on account of cholera having been introduced by the pilgrims
returning from Mecca and Jeddah, and then spread by the multitude which
congregated there; for the fair was held just at the time that the
pilgrims returned from the "Hadj," and hadjis, as a rule, are not averse
to dealing and turning an honest penny.

This year, however, the fair was in full blast again, and more
frequented than ever on account of its temporary suspension. To this
point were drawn not only the Fellahs of the surrounding Delta, but
Nubians, Soudanese and Copts from the south; Arabs from across the Red
Sea and from Fezzan and Tripoli; Mograbs on their western way from the
Hadj; Turks from Aleppo, Broussa and Constantinople; Greeks, both
Hellenes and Fanariots; Maltese, Italians and Syrians; Armenians and
Jews. The time was late in April, and the weather already very hot, so
that the tribe of winter Nile travellers would be conspicuous by its
absence, and visitors to the fair would be spared their airs and graces,
and have an opportunity to enjoy a scene of genuine local color without
a pervading sense of tourists to spoil it.

The consul-general kindly proposed that we should make up a party for
the next day, undertaking to procure a vice-regal order (Ismail was not
yet khedive) for a special car to be attached to the morning-train, wait
for us, and bring us back to Alexandria in the evening. The
consuls-general of Russia and Belgium, who were present, volunteered to
join the party. Each of them, as well as our own consul, was to be
attended by his two _cavasses_--magnificent persons in costume gay with
color and lace, and bristling with weapons; in addition to which they
carried in the hand a long and heavy rod.

We reached Tantah before nine o'clock, and emerged from the station
under the close inspection of a motley crowd of loafers, to find the
day, as usual, splendidly clear and brig