mystery.

On pushing on the following morning, a quail and several locusts flew on
board; interesting because we are now in the region of Scripture natural
history. As I was desirous of procuring a specimen of the Scriptural
locust, I expressed a wish to that effect, and soon had more of them
than I knew what to do with, till, in fact, I thought the Egyptian
plague was about to be exemplified. I will here take occasion to thank
my shipmates for their kindly and ready assistance, in helping me to
furnish a cabinet with natural history specimens. Nothing living, coming
within their reach, has ever escaped them; birds, insects, fish,
reptiles, all have been laid as trophies before me to undergo that
metamorphosis known as "bottling." I verily believe that had an elephant
insinuated himself across their path, he would have found his way into
my "preserves."

This was an extremely quiet day, everybody indulging a siesta under
double and curtained awnings, until about 5 p.m., when bump! a dead
stop, and a list to port. We are aground. But grounding on such a soft
bed is not a serious affair, and by extra exertions on the part of
"Robert," our tug, and a turn or two of our own screws, we were soon in
deep water again. This was but the initiation ceremony; ere the
termination of our commission we were destined to become passed masters
in the art of bumping, as the sequel will show.

At this juncture the Canal ceases to be such, as it enters that natural
watercourse--the Bitter Lakes. Herein, we are at perfect liberty to use
our own engines, whereby we are speedily across their glassy surface,
and entering on to the last portion of the passage. On rounding a point
on the opposite side, a scene, truly Biblical, met our view--two Arab
maidens tending their flocks. Perhaps they had taken advantage of the
absence of man to uncover their faces; if so, they were speedily careful
to rectify the error, on catching sight of such terrible beings as
bluejackets; but not before we had caught a glimpse at a rather pleasing
face, with small, straight nose, rosy lips, splendid teeth, the blackest
of eyes, and the brownest of skin. The veils, which serve to hide their
prettiness, are real works of art, composed of gold and silver coins,
beads and shells, tastefully and geometrically arranged on a groundwork
of black lace. After repeated hand kissing from our amorous tars--an
action whose significance is apparently lost on these damsels--we b