donkeys were walking, trotting, or
galloping, the boys with little exertion managed to keep close to their
heels, and the jinrikisha men and chair men could keep up such a rapid
speed with their loads that it was difficult to leave them in the rear.

[Illustration: BUILT OVER FORTY CENTURIES AGO.]

My donkey boy, aged about sixteen, told me that his name was Abda
Mohammed and that the medium sized white donkey on which I rode was
known as Alice Lovell. With broad smiles which showed a perfect set of
white teeth, he repeated over and over again, at intervals during the
short ride, "Alice Lovell, nice donkey, good donkey. Abda, nice boy,
good donkey boy," doubtless thinking that if I could fully realize that
fact the backsheesh at parting would be larger.

A half hour's ride on an embanked road across fields and desert sands
brought us to the ruins of a great arch, formerly one of the gateways
into the magnificent ancient temples of Karnak, but now an entrance way
to the famous ruins. There, the Egyptian guards ordered us to show our
government permits, or monument tickets, as our dragoman called them,
without which we could not inspect the ruins.

[Illustration: HAVE ENDURED THROUGH MANY AGES.]

"Oh! I have forgotten my ticket!" said one of the tourists. "I left it
with my satchel. What shall I do?"

At luncheon before starting Mahmoud had cautioned the tourists to be
careful not to forget their permits, and his cautionary words, "Monument
tickets are very much wanted," were familiar and often repeated. A
hurried consultation was held and the difficulty overcome, but the
forgetful one and others were warned that it must not occur again.

In order to provide a fund to be used in excavating, preserving, and
caring for the ancient temples and tombs, the Egyptian government
requires a permit costing six dollars to be taken out by each person
desiring to visit these places, and without such a permit he cannot
enter. At Cairo the managers of the tour had obtained from the
government for each member of the Nile party a little cloth bound
"Service des Antiquites L'Egypte" made out in the name of the holder.
This open-sesame for the iron gates was given to each person with the
warning that it must not be forgotten.

We stopped to view and kodak one of the huge Propylons or outer gate
ways and found there some visitors who had driven to Karnak in modern
carriages instead of using the Oriental way of conveyance that we had