at, poor though Port Said is in
orientalism, it was nevertheless the first Eastern port he had
encountered. We had both a few purchases to make, and this business
satisfactorily accomplished, we started off to see the sights.

Passing out of the Rue de Commerce, our attention was attracted by a
lame young beggar who, leaning on his crutches, blocked our way while he
recited his dismal catalogue of woes. Our guide bade him be off, and
indeed I was not sorry to be rid of him, but I could see, by glancing at
his face, that my companion had taken his case more seriously. In fact,
we had not proceeded more than twenty yards before he asked me to wait a
moment for him, and taking to his heels ran back to the spot where we
had left him. When he rejoined us I said:--"You don't mean to say that
you gave that rascal money?"

"Only half a sovereign," he answered. "Perhaps you didn't hear the
pitiful story he told us? His father is dead, and now, if it were not
for his begging, his mother and five young sisters would all be
starving."

I asked our guide if he knew the man, and whether his tale were true.

"No, monsieur," he replied promptly, "it is all one big lie. His father
is in the jail, and, if she had her rights, his mother would be there
too."

Not another word was said on the subject, but I could see that the boy's
generous heart had been hurt. How little he guessed the effect that
outburst of generosity was to have upon us later on!

At our guide's suggestion, we passed from the commercial, through the
European quarter, to a large mosque situated in Arab Town. It was a long
walk, but we were promised that we should see something there that would
amply compensate us for any trouble we might be put to to reach it. This
turned out to be the case, but hardly in the fashion he had predicted.

The mosque was certainly a fine building, and at the time of our visit
was thronged with worshippers. They knelt in two long lines, reaching
from end to end, their feet were bare, and their heads turned towards
the east. By our guide's instructions we removed our boots at the
entrance, but fortunately took the precaution of carrying them into the
building with us. From the main hall we passed into a smaller one, where
a number of Egyptian standards, relics of the war of '82, were unrolled
for our inspection. While we were examining them, our guide, who had for
a moment left us, returned with a scared face to inform us that there
we