HISTORY ETHNOGRAPHY NATURE WINE-MAKING SITE MAP
Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
uses Google technology and indexes only and selectively internet - libraries having books with free public access
 
  Previous Next  

MALLOCK W.
In an enchanted island
page 294

View PDF version of this page

THE FLOWER OF PROGRESS 291 is situated, and the passengers had to meet it at a landing stage on the Canal itself, which was some miles distant from the usual place of embarkation. The way lay across the driving sand of the desert, and I and my fellow-travellers—only two or three in number—were at once beset by a crowd of Arab donkey-boys offering us donkeys distinguished by English names. On one of them I was myself soon mounted—a charming little animal with the most delightful of paces. The boy ran at its side, shouting its name at intervals ; and I could not help smiling, in spite of the drift that blinded me, to find myself cantering in the foot-prints of Joseph and Joseph's brethren on a donkey whose name I discovered to be ' Mrs. Langtry.' But the Canal restored me to reflections of a more serious kind, as it mixed in my mind with certain memories of yesterday. I was watching the Canal now ; yesterday I had been watching the Nile ; and Egypt seemed to express to me all its past and pre-sent, when I thought of it as the land where the oldest of historical waters is at this moment flowing side by side with the youngest. Some twelve hours later I was in a totally dif-ferent world. I was pacing the deck of the English steamer for Brindisi ; I was in the middle of Anglo-India hurrying home to England. Around me were deck-chairs, shawls, and yellow-backed novels, plates of half-eaten sandwiches, and tumblers of brandy and soda-water. Men were moving about, distin- u 2

View PDF version of this page


  Previous First Next