are; erect in his bearing, with bold eye, and fine,
free, supple limbs--a noble reis for that Nile ferry-boat. But, noble
as he was, he wanted too many piastres--twopence-halfpenny a head too
much for each donkey, with its rider.

And then there arose a great hubbub. The ordinary hubbub at this spot
is worse than the worst confusion of any other Babel. For the traffic
over the Nile is great, and for every man, woman, and child, for
every horse and every ass, for every bundle of grass, for every cock
and for every hen, a din of twenty tongues is put in motion, and a
perpetual fury rages, as the fury of a hurricane. But the hubbub
about the missionary's piastres rose higher than all the other
hubbubs. Indeed, those who were quarrelling before about their own
affairs came and stood round in a huge circle, anxious to know how
the noble reis and his clerical opponent would ultimately settle this
stiff financial difficulty.

In half an hour neither side would yield one point; but then at last
the Egyptian began to show that, noble as he looked, he was made
of stuff compressible. He gradually gave up, para by para, till he
allowed donkeys, men, and women to clamber over the sides of his boat
at the exact price named by him of the black coat. Never did the
church have a more perfect success.

But the battle was not yet over. No sooner was the vessel pushed
off into the stream, than the noble reis declared that necessity
compelled him to demand the number of piastres originally named by
him. He regretted it, but he assured the clergyman that he had no
other alternative.

And now how did it behove an ardent missionary to act in such a
contest with a subtle Egyptian? How should the eloquence of the
church prevail over this Eastern Mammon? It did prevail very
signally. The soldier of peace, scorning further argument in words
with such a crafty reis, mindful of the lessons of his youth, raised
his right hand, and with one blow between the eyes, laid the Arab
captain prostrate on his own deck.

"There," said he, turning to Wilkinson, "that is what we call a
pastoral visitation in this country. We can do nothing without it."

The poor reis picked himself up, and picked up also his turban, which
had been knocked off, and said not a word more about the piastres.
All the crew worked with double diligence at their oars, and the
party, as they disembarked from the boat, were treated with especial
deference. Even the donkeys were re