le the children, with Madame Olivier, were to depart a week later.
Nell and Stas had a desire to leave at once, but Stas did not dare to
make the request. Instead they began to ask questions about various
matters relative to the journey, and with new outbursts of joy received
the news that they would not live in uncomfortable hotels kept by
Greeks, but in tents furnished by the Cook Tourists' Agency. This is
the customary arrangement of tourists who leave Cairo for a lengthy
stay at Medinet. Cook furnishes tents, servants, cooks, supplies of
provisions, horses, donkeys, camels, and guides; so the tourist does
not have to bother about anything. This, indeed, is quite an expensive
mode of traveling; but Messrs. Tarkowski and Rawlinson did not have to
take that into account as all expenses were borne by the Egyptian
Government, which invited them, as experts, to inspect and appraise the
work on the canals. Nell, who, above everything in the world, loved
riding on a camel, obtained a promise from her father that she should
have a separate "hump-backed saddle horse" on which, together with
Madame Olivier, or Dinah, and sometimes with Stas, she could
participate in the excursions to the nearer localities of the desert
and to Karun. Pan Tarkowski promised Stas that he would allow him some
nights to go after wolves, and if he brought a good report from school
he would get a genuine English short rifle and the necessary equipment
for a hunter. As Stas was confident that he would succeed, he at once
began to regard himself as the owner of a short rifle and promised
himself to perform various astonishing and immortal feats with it.

On such projects and conversation the dinner passed for the overjoyed
children. But somewhat less eagerness for the contemplated journey was
displayed by Madame Olivier who was loath to leave the comfortable
villa in Port Said and who was frightened at the thought of living for
several weeks in a tent, and particularly at the plan of excursions on
camel-back. It happened that she had already tried this mode of riding
several times and these attempts ended unfortunately. Once the camel
rose too soon, before she was well seated in the saddle, and as a
result she rolled off his back onto the ground. Another time, the
dromedary, not belonging to the light-footed variety, jolted her so
that two days elapsed before she recovered; in a word, although Nell,
after two or three pleasure-rides which Mr. Rawlinson