ion, the one dedicated to the gods Amun and Phre, and built
at the expense of Rameses himself, the other dedicated to Athor by
Lofreai, the queen. On these temples were engraved the records of the
victories of Rameses over various nations of Africa and Asia.

Jethro offered, if the boatmen wished to make a longer stay here, that
he would charter another boat to take them further; but they declared
their willingness to proceed at the end of a week after their arrival,
being well satisfied with their engagement and treatment. After
passing the second cataract they arrived at another large town named
Behni.[B] This was a very large city and abounded with temples and
public buildings. The largest temple was dedicated to Thoth. All along
the river a belt of cultivated land extended for some miles back from
the bank. This was dotted with numerous villages, and there was no
difficulty whatever in obtaining food of all kinds.

[B] Now Wady-Halfa.

At last they reached Semneh, the point to which the boatmen had agreed
to take them. This was the furthest boundary to which at that time the
Egyptian power extended. The river here took a great bend to the
east, then flowing south and afterward again west, forming a great
loop. This could be avoided by cutting across the desert to Merawe, a
flourishing town which marked the northern limit of the power of
Meroe, the desert forming a convenient neutral ground between the two
kingdoms. Sometimes Egypt under a powerful king carried her arms much
further to the south, at other times a warlike monarch of Meroe would
push back the Egyptian frontier almost to Syene; but as a rule the
Nile as far south as Semneh was regarded as belonging to Egypt.

The traders arriving at Semneh generally waited until a sufficient
number were gathered together to form a strong caravan for mutual
protection against the natives inhabiting the desert, who held
themselves independent alike of Egypt and of Meroe, and attacked and
plundered parties crossing the desert, unless these were so strong and
well armed as to be able to set them at defiance. Erecting two tents
and landing their goods and merchandise, Jethro and his party encamped
near the river bank. They had not yet settled whether they would cross
the desert or continue their journey by water.

The choice between the two routes was open to them; for although the
traders usually crossed the desert, taking with them their lighter and
more valuable mer