the country
assemble here every year. They choose one of their number who is to stay
on the mountain till the next year. Then all the rest fly away and leave
the poor solitary bird by himself till the next year, when a fresh one
is chosen to take his place.

We have now just arrived at Minieh, six days exactly since we left you
all at Boulak. We are going to dinner, and then on shore.

* * * * *

"I want to ask something before you go on, please," said Hugh. "Why was
that city called 'the City of the Dogs'?"

"Because the dog was then considered to be a particularly sacred animal.
One of the largest repositories of dog mummies is found on the opposite
bank. It was not unusual in Egypt for a city to bury its dead, as well
as its sacred animals, on the opposite shore of the Nile, especially if
a better place could be found there for making catacombs."

* * * * *

Minieh is a pretty and busy town. Near the landing-place we saw the tomb
of a sheikh, shaded over by a palm-tree, which is very picturesque. We
admired the houses too, with their trellised balconies overhanging the
river. And there are such queer little coffee-shops! Some are tents,
some only little huts made of reeds. We found the bazaar airy and some
of the buildings handsome. The country round Minieh is rich and
beautiful; it abounds in groves of palm-trees and in every kind of
fruit. We enjoyed our ramble exceedingly, and the two guns brought back
a fair share of wild fowl.

[Illustration: EASTERN BAZAAR.]

Our next stopping-place was Beni-Hassan; we arrived this morning, and
have been on shore all day.

The tombs of Beni-Hassan are open to the Nile, and are ornamented with
coloured figures or other devices, and are very old.

[Illustration: EGYPTIAN LOOM.

_a b_. Rollers for carrying and tightening the warp.
_c c c_. The warp
_d d_. Frame of the machine.
_e f_. Movable bars, for pressing the successive weft threads
together.
_g_. Roller for relieving the cloth when woven.
_h_. Hooked stick (used instead of a shuttle) to carry theweft
threads.]

We went first into the most northern tomb. In front of the entrance is a
portico, supported by pillars, which leads into a vaulted room: its roof
is supported by four large pillars. These pillars have been coloured to
imitate red granite, and so have the lower part of the walls. Above this
c