ribly broken and washed away by the inundation, and the Nile far
higher even now than it was six weeks earlier last year.

At Benisouef, which used to be the great cattle place, not a buffalo was
left, and we could not get a drop of milk. But since we left Minieh we
see them again, and I hear the disease is not spreading up the river.
Omar told me that the poor people at Benisouef were complaining of the
drought and prospect of scarcity, as they could no longer water the land
for want of oxen. I paid ten napoleons passage-money, and shall give
four or five more as backsheesh, as I have given a good deal of trouble
with all my luggage, beddings, furniture, provisions for four months,
etc., and the boat's people have been more than civil, really kind and
attentive to us; but a bad dahabieh would have cost forty, so I am
greatly the gainer. Nothing can exceed the muddle, uncertainty and
carelessness of the 'administration' at Cairo: no coals at the depots,
boats announced to sail and dawdling on three weeks, no order and no care
for anybody's convenience but the Pasha's own. But the subordinates on
board the boats do their work perfectly well. We go only half as quickly
as we ought because we have two very heavy dahabiehs in tow instead of
one; but no time is lost, as long as the light lasts we go, and start
again as soon as the moon rises. The people on board have promoted me in
rank--and call me 'el-Ameereh,' an obsolete Arab title which the engineer
thinks is the equivalent of 'Ladysheep,' as he calls it. 'Sitti,' he
said, was the same as 'Meessees.' I don't know how he acquired his ideas
on the subject of English precedence.

Omar has just come in with coffee, and begs me to give his best salaam to
his big master and his little master and lady, and not to forget to tell
them he is their servant and my memlook (slave) 'from one hand to the
other' (the whole body). If we stay at all at Siout, I will ride a
donkey up to Wassef's house, and leave this letter for him to send down
with his next opportunity to Cairo. At Keneh we must try to find time to
buy two filters and some gullehs (water-coolers); they are made there.
At Thebes nothing can be got.

How I do wish you were here to enjoy all the new and strange sights! I
am sure it would amuse you, and as the fleas don't bite you there would
be no drawback. Janet sent me a photo of dear little Rainie; it is ugly,
but very like the 'zuweyeh' (little one). Give