t what delighted us most was the high table-mountain, Sheikh Embarak.
This giant seemed standing to block our path. Its surface is broken; and
as we neared it, we saw one large cliff which looked like a ruined
castle. The Sheikh, like some other giants of olden times, is accustomed
to give travellers rather a rough welcome, and we came in for one of his
gusty greetings in a sudden gale of wind.

Tell Lucy that her father, who was lounging in a chair on castors,
suddenly found his chair running away from him, and he narrowly escaped
a ducking in the Nile. And tell both Hugh and Lucy that the dahabieh lay
over so suddenly that every one else was nearly following me, and that
if I had gone over into the Nile, I should only have been ready to
welcome the others who were coming after.

After this unwilling prostration to the Sheikh, we went on without any
further trouble.

A rock in the stream next attracted our attention. It is called the
Hagar o' Salam, or Rock of Welfare, because the boatmen say that they
cannot venture to call a voyage down the Nile prosperous until they have
passed it. We looked at it with interest. It seemed an emblem of our
Saviour Jesus Christ; for, till we have come to him, there can be no
safety for us in our voyage on the river of life.

Our journey was, after this, a little dull for a time. On both banks of
the Nile we saw the sites of various ancient towns; and at Khom Amer, or
"the Red Mound," there were some rough grottoes. We also saw the mounds
of the ancient Cynopolis, the "City of the Dogs."

The mountain chain of Gebel e' Tayr was more interesting. Some of the
mountains rise straight up from the water, and are enlivened with
palm-trees; and on the opposite banks we saw some fine acacias. The top
of Gebel e' Tayr is flat. On it stands a convent called Sitleh Mariam el
Adea, or "Our Lady Mary the Virgin." It is a Copt convent. But I am
afraid that religion has little effect there, for there seems to be more
begging than industry among the monks. As soon as they see a boat full
of travellers coming they hurry down the cliffs and swim out on inflated
water-skins to ask for charity. Our Arab boatmen were inclined to treat
them rather roughly, and we were heartily glad when we got beyond their
beat, for they were very noisy and clamorous in their petitions for
alms.

Gebel e' Tayr means "the mountain of the bird." There is a curious
legend belonging to it. It is said that all the birds in