aylight entirely changed the aspect of their surroundings. The
weird beauty of the moonlight on the water had led George to
anticipate a glorious scene when morning broke, but disappointment
awaited him. The banks of the river were low and uninviting; as for
the beautiful tropical jungle he had expected to find, there was
none to be seen--nothing out of the common, but the broad, muddy
banks.

The heat was at its utmost, and the scourge of the Delta, the
epizootie, had done its dread work. Annually this plague among the
beasts plays havoc with the Nile, its surroundings and inhabitants.
As the animals die of the disease, they are either left lying about
on the banks to rot, decay, and pollute the air with devastating
microbes, or are thrown into the water. It is then the hot sun does
its work, and both the atmosphere and water become putrid.

All down the river from Cairo, George kept coming across the
carcases of either buffaloes or oxen, and when they did not actually
meet his eye, his nose detected their close proximity.

Life during the time was monotonous to a degree. In daylight when at
anchor, the intense heat and smell caused sleep to be abandoned as
far as Helmar was concerned. The watermen seemed able to put up with
both, and stretched themselves out under any shelter, and slept as
soundly on the bare planks as if they were on a feather bed.

Helmar and Naoum mainly occupied themselves with keeping watch, and
as soon as the sun sank, the former took an hour or two's sleep.

Sometimes the monotony would be relieved by watching the natives
making use of their river. Little parties could be seen in the
distance washing their clothes; others cleaning or bathing what
cattle they had; occasionally far away could be seen a collection of
shiny, ebony-looking human beings taking a dip in the green, slimy,
insanitary water and afterwards drinking it.

In this way most of the journey was accomplished. So far they had
come across no sign of the rebels, and George began to think they
had escaped them altogether. Naoum was not so sanguine, in fact he
saw a greater danger ahead than even he had anticipated at first.

"You can't see as I do," he said one evening, as George and he sat
watching the setting sun; "the fact that we have not as yet come
across them indicates nothing. The nearer we get to our destination
the keener will be Arabi's watch on the river for fugitives."

"Yes, but there is just a possibility tha