rtain; and had reached Alexandria just
as the plague was beginning to disappear from that city, as it always
does on the approach of St. John's day, when, as almost every body
knows, "out of respect for the saint," it entirely ceases. The state of
the country was still very alarming, yet Mr. Belzoni and his little
party ventured to land, and performed quarantine in the French quarter;
where, though really very unwell, they were wise enough to disguise
their situation; "for the plague is so dreadful a scourge," he observed,
"and operates so powerfully on human fears and human prejudices, that,
during its prevalence, if a man be ill, he must be ill of the plague,
and if he die, he must have died of the plague."

Belzoni went straight to Cairo, where he was well received by Mr.
Baghos, interpreter to Mohammed Ali, to whom Mr. Salt recommended him.
Mr. Baghos immediately prepared to introduce him to the Pasha, that he
might come to some arrangement respecting the hydraulic machine, which
he proposed to construct for watering the gardens of the seraglio. As
they were proceeding toward the palace, through one of the principal
streets of Cairo, a fanatical Mussulman struck Mr. Belzoni so fiercely
on the leg with his staff, that it tore away a large piece of flesh. The
blow was severe, and the discharge of blood copious, and he was obliged
to be conveyed home, where he remained under cure thirty days before he
could support himself on the wounded leg. When able to leave the house,
he was presented to the Pasha, who received him very civilly; but on
being told of the misfortune which had happened to him, contented
himself with coolly observing "that such accidents could not be avoided
where there were troops."

An arrangement was immediately concluded for erecting a machine which
was to raise as much water with one ox as the ordinary ones do with
four. Mr. Belzoni soon found, however, that he had many prejudices to
encounter, and many obstacles to overcome, on the part of those who were
employed in the construction of the work, as well as of those who owned
the cattle engaged in drawing water for the Pasha's gardens. The fate of
a machine which had been sent from England taught him to augur no good
for that which he had undertaken to construct. Though of the most costly
description, and every way equal to perform what it was calculated to
do, it had failed to answer the unreasonable expectations of the
Turks--because "the quant