ering hieroglyphics, Herr Dummichen, a very
agreeable man, but he has gone across the river to live at el-Kurneh. He
has been through Ethiopia in search of temples and inscriptions. I am to
go over and visit him, and see some of the tombs again in his company,
which I shall enjoy, as a good interpreter is sadly wanted in those
mysterious regions.

My chest is wonderfully better these last six or seven days. It is quite
clear that downright heat is what does me good. Moreover, I have just
heard from M. Mounier that a good donkey is _en route_ in a boat from
El-Moutaneh--he will cost me between 4 pounds and 5 pounds and will
enable me to be about far more than I can by merely borrowing Mustapha's
horse, about which I have scruples as he lends it to other lady
travellers. Little Achmet will be my sais as well as my door-keeper, I
suppose. I wish you would speak to Layard in behalf of Mustapha A'gha.
He has acted as English Consul here for something like thirty years, and
he really is the slave of the travellers. He gives them dinners, mounts
them, and does all the disagreeable business of wrangling with the reis
and dragomans for them, makes himself a postmaster, takes care of their
letters and sends them out to the boats, and does all manner of services
for them, and lends his house for the infidels to pray in on Sundays when
a clergyman is here. For this he has no remuneration at all, except such
presents as the English see fit to make him, and I have seen enough to
know that they are neither large nor always gracefully given. The old
fellow at Keneh who has nothing to do gets regular pay, and I think
Mustapha ought to have something; he is now old and rather infirm, and
has to keep a clerk to help him; and at least, his expenses should be
covered. Please say this to Layard from me as my message to him. Don't
forget it, please, for Mustapha is a really kind friend to me at all
times and in all ways.

_February_ 14th.--Yesterday we had a dust-storm off the desert. It made
my head heavy and made me feel languid, but did not affect my chest at
all. To-day is a soft gray day; there was a little thunder this morning
and a few, very few, drops of rain--hardly enough for even Herodotus to
consider portentous. My donkey came down last night, and I tried him
to-day, and he is very satisfactory though alarmingly small, as the real
Egyptian donkey always is; the big ones are from the Hejaz. But it is
wonderful how t