u will get it. My crew worked as I never saw men work, they
were paid to get to Luxor, and for eighteen days they never rested or
slept day or night, and all the time were merry and pleasant. It shows
what power of endurance these 'lazy Arabs' have when there is good money
at the end of a job, instead of the favourite panacea of 'stick.'

We arrived at midnight and next morning my boat had the air of being
pillaged. A crowd of laughing, chattering fellows ran off to the house
laden with loose articles snatched up at random, loaves of sugar, pots
and pans, books, cushions, all helter-skelter. I feared breakages, but
all was housed safe and sound. The small boys of an age licensed to
penetrate into the cabin, went off with the oddest cargoes of dressing
things and the like--of backsheesh not one word. _Alhamdulillah
salaameh_! 'Thank God thou art in peace,' and _Ya Sitt, Ya Emeereh_,
till my head went round. Old Ismaeen fairly hugged me and little Achmet
hung close to my side. I went up to Mustapha's house while the unpacking
took place and breakfasted there, and found letters from all of you, from
you to darling Rainie, Sheykh Yussuf was charmed with her big writing and
said he thought the news in that was the best of all.

The weather was intensely hot the first two days. Now it is heavenly, a
fresh breeze and gorgeous sunshine. I brought two common Arab lanterns
for the tomb of Abu-l-Hajjaj and his _moolid_ is now going on. Omar took
them and lighted them up and told me he found several people who called
on the rest to say the _Fathah_ for me. I was sitting out yesterday with
the people on the sand looking at the men doing _fantasia_ on horseback
for the Sheykh, and a clever dragoman of the party was relating about the
death of a young English girl whom he had served, and so _de fil en
aiguille_ we talked about the strangers buried here and how the bishop
had extorted 100 pounds. I said, '_Maleysh_ (never mind) the people have
been hospitable to me alive and they will not cease if I die, but give me
a tomb among the Arabs.' One old man said, 'May I not see thy day, oh
Lady, and indeed thou shouldest be buried as a daughter of the Arabs, but
we should fear the anger of thy Consul and thy family, but thou knowest
that wherever thou art buried thou wilt assuredly lie in a Muslim grave.'
'How so?' said I. 'Why, when a bad Muslim dies the angels take him out
of his tomb and put in one of the good from among t