zontal lines, about seven feet apart, of red bricks, nine
and a half inches square and two inches thick each.
These and the cement are of such excellent workmanship
that nothing seems to sever them.
Imagine the noise and bustle in this enormous
enclosure, when occupied by a Roman army, consisting
of thousands of citizen and auxiliary troops,
Greeks, Ligurians and Nubians, with their entire
war material, undergoing drill to the sound of flute
and drum, mounting guard and manufacturing arms,
although we must not forget th a t the Roman discipline
was exemplary. Now the Zagreet, the piercing
cry of the Egyptian women, expressing joy or
sorrow, is the only sound that sometimes thrills the
air of this classical ground.
On leaving the camp, or rather the spot where
it had once existed, I heard a great din of voices
in the minor key rapidly approaching, and in my
haste to see what was going on, I nearly upset the
paraphernalia of an artist engaged in committing
to paper the antics of a most comical group. Great
was my joy, by the by, when I recognized in him
the genial Mr. Tetar van Elven, the well known
painter of Oriental subjects. Here was a jolly tar,
more than half seas over, astride on a diminutive
donkey, holding on with a ll' his might, the animal
scampering along at a great pace, and kicking at
every obstacle; on he came, surrounded by a dozen
little urchins teazing the poor brute with thorny
twigs, and yelling at the top of their voices. Arab
fashion, they had little to boast of in the shape of
clothing, a rag of red here, and a strip of blue there,
completed their toilet, whilst Jack’s head was tied
up in a bright crimson handkerchief, and the
remainder of his attire hung about him in quite
artistical disorder, the entire group presenting a
most ludicrous picture, as good as one of Rubens’
Bacchanalia.
This little diversion will suffice as far as my tour
through Egypt is concerned, since much has been
written on the subject by travellers, historians, and
o thers; and were I to give way to inclination, I
might go on writing chapter after chapter, in the
endeavour to throw a new light upon many things
which have cropped up in my mind in the course of
careful researches within the preceding decade of
years.
The railway journey between Alexandria and Suez
never, is a pleasant one, owing to the dust, heat, and
general discomforts; on this occasion, a t all events,
the travellers bound for India were glad to get on
board the “ Mooltan,” then one of the largest steamers