Page:Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine.djvu/124

 I. Cairo.

A. Is Cairo comfortable (quiet)?

I. Yes!

A. Who rules at Cairo?

I. The English and the Khedive.

A. Where is Arabi?

I. A prisoner in Ind (India or Ceylon).

A. Is Arabi comfortable?

I. Yes! I believe so.

A. Has he his family with him

I. Yes!

A. What has he got to live on?

I. An allowance of £2 a-day.

A. What are these hawajis (name for European gentlemen) with you!

I. Inglese.

Silence ensued, during which Abdullah was probably ruminating on the fact that these same Inglese were also the rulers of Cairo. Afterwards Ibraham went on to inform Abdullah that the English had several ships of war in the Suez Canal, and that they could easily march an army "with cannon" across the Tih to Petra should any ill-treatment be offered to the travellers.

Passing again the oleander bushes, the fresh green of whose leaves was pleasant to the eye, we came to the base of the lofty sandstone cliffs where we had lunched on Saturday; and now our path left the ravine, and we struck up the mountain side to the left. The climb was stiff and difficult; enough to try the strength and skill of camels and horses even of the desert;—but they did not fail. We soon got amongst some grand rock scenery. On the right a deep ravine, partially clad with verdure, laid bare the base of the precipices of granite surmounted l)y great mural cliff's of red or variegated sandstone, rising in tiers to heights of 1,000 or 1,200 feet. Beyond these other terraces and tors of sandstone came into view. Here, indeed, the sandstone formation of Arabia Petræa displays itself in its grandest proportions and most varied forms; and the presence of oleanders, cypresses, and other shrubs along the beds of the ravines and little glens,