Page:"Round the world." - Letters from Japan, China, India, and Egypt (IA roundworldletter00fogg 0).pdf/264

 it aud the desert, is a wide sweeping double crescent of trees growing newly out of the sand, but fresh and green from a channel of water running ocar their roots. When folly grown these trees will protect the town from the en nent of sand swept in before the fleree sirroeeos trom the desert, This sand, which looks xo hopeless and useless as an element of fertility, is not pure silicious sand, but a mixture of ealearious loam and sand, needing only the addition of fresh wa- ter to form a rich and fertile soil, The desert of Suez, whieh stretches for ninety miles from the Nile te the Med Sea, was doubtless once well-watered and fertile, and eultivated lke a garden. That it las uow become a howling wilderess is accounted for by some depression of the Nile bed, or ehange in its course, by which its eastern outlets haye be- come closed. As il never ruing in this coun- try, cut off ihe supply of water and it would all turn to a desert. Take away the Nile from Egypt und the whele land would become a mere continuation of the desert of Suez.

One of the first signs of western e1vyiliza- tioa E saw in Ismailia were the boas blacks, a dozen or more little black imps, who look- ed az if they might have slept the night bo- fore in the dry-goods boxes of Aun strect, or the Bowery, surrounded the door of the ‘Hotel Pagnon,” with “black yaur boots,” ‘have ashine, Sir,” in pantoinime just as plsin as if spoken in English. Of course I went in fora “shine.” The whole daouble- landed performance, concluding with a sharp rap on lbe box, was so conipletely ala New York, that J am snre it never originated in this out of the way eorner of Axia and. ca, but vag introduced by some enter- prising New York geimzn, probably at the great celebration when the cunal was opened. Terhaps, like ihe wandering Jew, he is still on his travels, and futare explorers may trave this ‘march of civilization ® among the little “‘pigiailsg of Canton and Pekin.

While waiting for the train at the railway stuiion Esaw on the plaiform an old grey- bearded Turkish offieer, with bright turban, loose Live trousers, and cashmere shaw] tied round his waist, iu which was stuck a pair of handsome silver mounted pistols. He wore an clegané sword, scimizer shaned, ina silver scabbard, and was what my English friend ealled 2 ‘great gwell” among the humble jellaés, or Egytian peasauls, around him.: Nothing daunted by his formidable appearance, Tsaluted bim courteously, and by pantomime expressed my agmiration of his ornament? which so g)atified him that he