iar dresses
of brilliant hue and many wore the fez. All were burned as dark as an
old penny. Owing to our being supposed to have had measles on board,
although it was proved to every one's satisfaction that there was no
reason for this suspicion, we had to enter with the yellow flag flying
at the foremast. We had visits from official boats, one with the
police flag, very likely expecting to hear that we had cholera or
smallpox among us. At any rate the objectionable flag was soon hauled
down and we half expected to get permission to land, but so far no
orders have come from shore.

The deep blue of the Mediterranean has been left behind for a time,
which may be very short, and certainly cannot be long, and we now
float on the light green waters of the Nile. The bugle has just
sounded "the officer's mess," a sound that is welcome to me; the heat
has not yet taken away my appetite.

_March 31st._--We were towed to the wharfside at 3 p.m. Then the
unloading of our great sea monster began, men trooped on shore,
followed by the horses which, unused to daylight in the miserable
dens they had just left, looked terrified and floundered down the
gangways. It took hours for this procession of animals to end, the
exit from Noah's ark must have been a poor show in comparison.

Our men set off for their camp at Mex, three miles away, about 6 p.m.,
I being left with a fatigue party of twenty-seven men to finish the
packing of our stores on railway trucks, and see them despatched in
time to arrive at Mex before the men, so that on their arrival they
could set to and pitch their tents on the piece of land allotted to
them, and which is said to be composed of equal parts of sand and
lice! I feel that I have scored in having one night's relief from this
plague--but we are in the land of plagues, the home of the Pharaohs.

About 8 p.m. I set off on a visit to Alexandria, and from the docks
passed up a street lined on both sides with our animals tied to picket
ropes for the night, and at the top of the street came on a grove of
many acres of towering palm trees. After a mile or a mile and a half,
seeing no newspaper shops, nor anything resembling a British shop, I
asked an Egyptian where a "journal" was to be had. We could not
understand each other, even signs were of no use, so I tried again and
the next man understood me, and directed my black Soudanese friend,
who had attached himself to me as my guide, where to go, but from the