6. "Beware the pine-tree's withered branch! This was the peasant's last Good-night! 7. At break of day, as heavenward 8. A traveller, by the faithful hound, 9. There in the twilight cold and gray, LESSON IV. LIFE IN punc-tu-al'-i-ty, keeping exact time Pach'-a, a ruler. The chief ruler of Egypt is now usually called the Khe'-dive EGYPT. an-tique', belonging to ancient 1. The following account is taken from an interesting record of travel in Egypt, Palestine, and Phoenicia, in the year 1858, by a Swiss gentleman of the name of Bovet. Starting from Alexandria, he travelled by railway to Cairo, the capital of Egypt. "One must not expect," he says, "the punctuality of European railways. The Arabs have not yet learnt that time is money. There is only one train in the day. 2. "You start at nine o'clock in the morning, and count upon arriving at Cairo at three; but you do not, in fact, reach it till six in the evening or morning, if ever you arrive there at all. It is not that the train does not travel fast, but one amuses oneself at the stations, as the times for stopping are not fixed, and the Arab labourers cannot be brought into any kind of proper order. 3. "And then the railroad has but one line of rails. Accordingly, when the Pacha is at a village, and puts off his departure, as is continually the case, he delays not only the train in which he is himself a passenger, but also the one travelling in the opposite direction. 4. " After travelling some little distance, you begin to see how rich and fertile the country is. Cornfields and meadows stretch right and left over a plain as far as the eye can reach. You might fancy yourself in France or Germany. From time to time a red turban gleams out like a poppy from amongst the wheat or fresh verdure, and reminds you that you are in the East; or you see the poor peasants, or fellahs as they are called, in long blue tunics, with sad, hard-looking faces, and with their skins burnt and almost blackened by the sun. 5. "At another station I sit down by the side of the road to breakfast; they bring me some hard eggs, and round, flat rolls, coarse, soft, and badly baked. Some little girls offer me water, which they carry on their heads or shoulders in earthenware jugs of antique form. Men, carrying bottles made of undressed leather, mingle among the crowd, chanting odd cries. They press their bottles with both hands, and squeeze out of them into large goblets a refreshing drink-a sort of Egyptian cocoa. 6. "It is night when we arrive in Cairo. There is an immense crowd awaiting our arrival; nothing in any European town could give any idea of such a crowd. They shout, they howl, they hustle one another, they fight! of 7. "There is nothing in the town to remind one any of our towns. The streets are narrow and unpaved. The houses are miserable, with no windows but openings in the walls, barred with wood, and projecting into the street. The doors are painted with brilliant colours, and a verse out of the Koran is often inscribed upon them. The shops are shallow and narrow sheds, quite open in front, and raised two feet from the ground. The shopkeepers sit cross-legged in them, smoking their pipes. 8. "If you want to make a purchase you must wait patiently until the shopkeeper is pleased to serve you. He never hurries himself. He offers you his pipe, with cups of coffee and lemonade, and then he will unroll his stuffs or display his goods. You have to visit two or three shops in order to obtain the commonest thing.' Bovet. QUESTIONS.-What is not to be found when travelling by railway in Egypt? What causes great delays? What kind of a country do you see between Alexandria and Cairo? Describe the breakfast on the road. What was seen on the arrival of the train at Cairo ? Describe the streets and houses. Describe a shop, and also the shopkeeper. |