ER RUNS A CLOSE SECOND]

We had a _table d'hote_ dinner, and when the Nile fish course was
reached, Gooley appeared between the tables, arrayed in gorgeous,
Arabic robes, and addressed his audience thus:

"Laydies en genteelmen, ef you plaze: my family has been story-tellers
on the Nile for many generations, and ef you plaze I shall tell you
some Arabian Nights tales."

With many gestures and admirable poise he told his stories between the
courses; the "Corks" laughed, but the laughter had an apologetic ring
that did not speak well for its sincerity. The truth is, the men were
afraid to laugh in the presence of the ladies, as the stories were full
flavored and spicy; but still, no one fainted. I may say that during
our voyage Gooley repeated this performance at each dinner and changed
his costume on every occasion, always coming out with some little
pleasing surprise, such as a silver ornament stuck through the top of
his ear (where there was a hole for it). Some of the Arab stewards
also wore these, but none was so grand as Gooley's.

Dinner over, we sat out on deck in comfort, as the sun had set and the
flies had quit for the day. Beside us was anchored J. P. Morgan's
_dahabiyeh_, Mr. Morgan and his party dining on board. He had been up
the river and was coming down in easy stages, landing at the various
points of interest.

Next morning we mounted donkeys, and with Gooley Can leading we started
for Karnak. It was a funny experience, as some of us had never ridden
a donkey, and many had not been on horseback for years. We were a
weird looking crew, with our heads in net bags and using our fly-whips
like flails. Each donkey has a "boy" (half of them are men), who prods
and whips his charge, but without any cruelty, as the riders would not
allow it. These boys are full of tricks: when I alighted squarely on
the ground, one of them had edged up to me and he set up a loud howl,
claiming I had lit on his toes and had broken two of them. I had seen
the trick played before, and noticing an Englishman near with a heavy
whip I reached for it and made the "boy" really suffer. His friends
laughed at his failure, and before long he joined in the merriment at
his own expense. He had asked me for three dollars damages, equal to a
dollar and a half a toe. On comparing notes in the evening we found
that three passengers had parted with _bakshish_ on similar claims.

We now entered the largest ruin in the world, the