of den raised 2 feet from
the ground and matted, to the left of the gate. A crowd of Copts
collected and squatted about, and we were joined by the mason who was
repairing the church, a fine, burly, rough-bearded old Mussulman, who
told how the Sheykh buried in the church of Bibbeh had appeared to him
three nights running at Cairo and ordered him to leave his work and go to
Bibbeh and mend his church, and how he came and offered to do so without
pay if the Copts would find the materials. He spoke with evident pride,
as one who had received a Divine command, and the Copts all confirmed the
story and everyone was highly gratified by the miracle. I asked Omar if
he thought it was all true, and he had no doubt of it. The mason he knew
to be a respectable man in full work, and Girgis added that he had tried
to get a man to come for years for the purpose without success. It is
not often that a dead saint contrives to be equally agreeable to
Christians and Mussulmans, and here was the staunch old 'true believer'
working away in the sanctuary which they would not allow an English
fellow-Christian to enter.

Whilst we sat hearing all these wonders, the sheep and cattle pushed in
between us, coming home at eve. The venerable old priest looked so like
Father Abraham, and the whole scene was _so_ pastoral and Biblical that I
felt quite as if my wish was fulfilled to live a little a few thousands
of years ago. They wanted me to stay many days, and then Girgis said I
must stop at Feshn where he had a fine house and garden, and he would go
on horseback and meet me there, and would give me a whole troop of
Fellaheen to pull the boat up quick. Omar's eyes twinkled with fun as he
translated this, and said he knew the Sitt would cry out, as she always
did about the Fellaheen, as if she were hurt herself. He told Girgis
that the English customs did not allow people to work without pay, which
evidently seemed very absurd to the whole party.

GEBEL SHEYK EMBARAK,
_Thursday_.

I stopped last night at Feshn, but finding this morning that my Coptic
friends were not expected till the afternoon, I would not spend the whole
day, and came on still against wind and stream. If I could speak Arabic
I should have enjoyed a few days with Girgis and his family immensely, to
learn their _Ansichten_ a little; but Omar's English is