Thirsty and faint, over the burning
sands they hurried; heavier and heavier their footsteps
became--hotter and hotter their breath, as deeper they pushed
into the desert--farther and farther from the lost track where
the pilot lay in his blood; and still the mocking spirits of the
desert, the afreets of the mirage, led them on, and the lake
glistening in the sunshine tempted them to bathe in its cool
waters, close to their eyes, but never at their lips. At length
the delusion vanished--the fatal lake had turned to burning sand!
Raging thirst and horrible despair! the pathless desert and the
murdered guide! lost! lost! all lost! Not a man ever left the
desert, but they were subsequently discovered, parched and
withered corpses, by the Arabs sent upon the search.
"May 21.--Started at 5.45 A.M. till 8.45; again, at 1.45 P.M.
till 7 P.M.; again, at 9.30 P.M. till 4 A.M. Saw two gazelles,
the first living creatures, except the crows at Moorahd, that we
have seen since we left Korosko; there must be a supply of water
in the mountains known only to these animals. Thermometer, 111
degrees Fahr. in the shade; at night, 78 degrees. The water in
the leather bottle that I repaired is deliciously cool. N.B.--In
sewing leather bottles or skins for holding water, no thread
should be used, but a leathern thong, which should be dry; it
will then swell when wetted, and the seam will be watertight.
"May 22.--Started at 5.30 A.M. till 9.30; again, at 2.15 P.M.
till 7.15 P.M. Rested to dine, and started again at 8.30 P.M.
till 4.25 A.M.; reaching Abou Hammed, thank heaven!
"Yesterday evening we passed through a second chain of rugged
hills of grey granite, about 600 feet high, and descended through
a pass to an extensive plain, in which rose abruptly, like huge
pyramids, four granite hills, at great distances apart. So
exactly do they resemble artificial pyramids at a distance, that
it is difficult to believe they are natural objects. I feel
persuaded that the ancient Egyptians took their designs for
monuments and buildings from the hills themselves, and raised in
the plains of Lower Egypt artificial pyramids in imitation of the
granite hills of this form. Their temples were in form like many
of the granite ranges, and were thoroughly encased with stone.
The extraordinary massiveness of these works suggests that Nature
assisted the design; the stone columns are imitations of the date
palms, and the buildings are copies of the rocky hills--the two
common features of Egyptian scenery.
"Throughout the route from Korosko, the skeletons of camels
number about eight per mile, with the exception of the last march
on either side of the watering-place Moorahd, on which there are
double that number, as the animals have become exhausted as they
approach the well. In the steep pass through the hills, where the
heat is intense, and the sand deep, the mortality is dreadful; in
some places I counted six and eight in a heap; and this difficult
portion of the route is a mass of bones, as every weak animal
gives in at the trying place.
"So dreadful a desert is this between Korosko and Abou Hammed,
that Said Pasha ordered the route to be closed; but it was
re-opened upon the application of foreign consuls, as the most
direct road to the Soudan. Our Bishareen Arabs are first-rate
walkers, as they have performed the entire journey on foot. Their
water and provisions were all exhausted yesterday, but
fortunately I had guarded the key of my two water-casks; thus I
had a supply when every water-skin was empty, and on the last day
I divided my sacred stock amongst the men, and the still more
thirsty camels. In the hot months, a camel cannot march longer
than three days without drinking, unless at the cost of great
suffering.
"Having arrived here (Abou Hammed) at 4.25 this morning, 23d May,
I had the luxury of a bath. The very sight of the Nile was
delightful, after the parched desolation of the last seven days.
The small village is utterly destitute of everything, and the
sterile desert extends to the very margin of the Nile. The
journey having occupied ninety-two hours of actual marching
across the desert, gives 230 miles as the distance from Korosko,
at the loaded-camel rate of two and a half miles per hour. The
average duration of daily march has been upwards of thirteen
hours, including a day's halt at Moorahd. My camels have arrived
in tolerable condition, as their loads did not exceed 400 lbs.
each; the usual load is 500 lbs.
"May 24.--Rested both men and beasts. A caravan of about thirty
camels arrived, having lost three during the route.
"May 25.--Started at 5 A.M. The route is along the margin of the
Nile, to which the desert extends. A fringe of stunted bushes,
and groves of the coarse and inelegant dome palm, mark the banks
of the river by a thicket of about half a mile in width. I saw
many gazelles, and succeeded in stalking a fine buck, and killing
him with a rifle.
"May 26.--Marched ten hours. Saw gazelles, but so wild that it
was impossible to shoot. Thermometer 110 degrees Fahr.
"May 27.--Marched four hours and forty-five minutes, when we were
obliged to halt, as F. is very ill. In the evening I shot two
gazelles, which kept the party in meat.
"May 28.--Marched fifteen hours, to make up for the delay of
yesterday. Shot a buck on the route.
"May 29.--The march of yesterday cut off an angle of the river,
and we made a straight course through the desert, avoiding a bend
of the stream.
