er.

The country where they now were was for the most part well cultivated
and watered by the canals, which were filled when the Nile was high.

A day's journey to the north lay Lake Menzaleh--a great shallow lagoon
which stretched away to the Great Sea, from which it was separated
only by a narrow bank of sand. The canals of the Nile reached nearly
to the edge of this, and when the river rose above its usual height
and threatened to inundate the country beyond the usual limits, and to
injure instead of benefiting the cultivators, great gates at the end
of these canals would be opened, and the water find its way into the
lagoon. There were, too, connections between some of the lower arms of
the Nile and the lake, so that the water, although salt, was less so
than that of the sea. The lake was the abode of innumerable waterfowl
of all kinds, and swarmed also with fish.

These lakes formed a fringe along the whole of the northern coast of
Egypt, and it was from these and the swampy land near the mouths of
the Nile that the greater portion of the fowl and fish that formed
important items in the food of the Egyptians was drawn. To the
southeast lay another chain of lakes, whose water was more salt than
that of the sea. It was said that in olden times these had been
connected by water both with the Great Sea to the north and the
Southern Sea; and even now, when the south wind blew strong and the
waters of the Southern Sea were driven up the gulf with force, the
salt water flowed into Lake Timsah, so called because it swarmed with
crocodiles.

"I shall be busy for some days, to begin with," Ameres said to his son
on the evening of their arrival, "and it will therefore be a good
opportunity for you to see something of the various branches of sport
that are to be enjoyed in this part of Egypt. The steward will place
men at your disposal, and you can take with you Amuba and Jethro. He
will see that there are slaves to carry provisions and tents, for it
will be necessary for much of your sport that you rise early, and not
improbably you may have to sleep close at hand."

In the morning Chebron had an interview with the steward, who told him
that he had arranged the plan for an expedition.

"You will find little about here, my lord," he said, "beyond such game
as you would obtain near Thebes. But a day's journey to the north you
will be near the margin of the lake, and there you will get sport of
all kinds, and can at your