PURSUING our journey, we came to a town called Keneh. Here there were potteries. There is also a temple, called the temple of Dendera, full of secret chambers and dark alleys, and candles are required to give a light. Hundreds of bats are found there. No one knows what has taken place in these dark abodes, but several of the prophets refer to them. But from the dreary inside of the temple may be found specimens of the wonderful palm tree, which is useful. In Psa. 92:1212The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. (Psalm 92:12) it says, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." Is it not a lovely figure?
The branches do not look downward, but look upward to heaven, and nothing can make them grow downward. If you are a Christian is it not a wonderful object lesson?
Nearly every part of this tree is useful: the fruit, that is, dates, is good for food; the poorer people of Egypt, in Arabia and Persia, almost live on it. Of the leaves baskets, mats, couches, brushes and beds are made, while the branches can be used for many other purposes, such as making walking-sticks, fences, handles, etc. The stem, which is very straight, grows to a great height, from sixty to a hundred feet. Job describes it as stately.
On the seventeenth day Thebes was reached. It was a fair trip of about twenty miles a day coming from Cairo. We must now pass on to Esne, which is a little further on. Then three days later you come to Assouan. Near here is the first cataract. Various opinions are given of these cataracts, but I give a statement from an old traveler. He says, "Think of great rocks of granite, then a sudden fall of the river, which is about three-quarters of a mile broad. The waters rush and dash against the rocks or stone islands, other currents come against them, and the waters roll on in greater fury.”
The men carry ropes in their mouths and fasten them to the rocks. Then they sing "God help us." Twenty men then pull at the ropes and six men on board keep the boat from knocking against the rocks. Thus we traversed the first fall. Now there is another fall, a similar scene, only there are more men. The reflection from the sun's rays on the rooks at this point made it almost intolerable. Had the ropes broken we should have had to swim for life. The men continued singing as they went.
Looking from the deck ahead of me, I saw a fall of water about three feet high rushing and roaring between two rocks like a cannon.
What a situation! We were spellbound, for indeed it was no light matter to think of mounting that three feet of rocks with the rush of water against us. However, the boat had to reach the top. First the bows descended into the fall, whilst the waters rushed down, seeming to bid defiance to all that opposed. No wonder seventy men were needed at this work, and at last, oh, joyful thought! the head of the boat appeared at the top of the fall, and in a, few minutes more success crowned the day.
Whilst the men were resting they showed us some of their feats in the water. Some of them took little children only just able to go alone, threw them into the water and left them to swim to shore. No wonder they learn to swim well.
But let me give you a description of a day in Nubia, as far as is possible, for the loveliness of the scene defies description. Think of a day towards the end of June; a cloudless sky, an horizon without mist, no sound but of the rolling quiet waters, the undisturbed happiness of the birds, the rustling of waving corn, a gentle breeze cooling the heat of the sun, and in the distance a desert and towering palm trees. This will give you some little idea of this beautiful scene.
In the distance are men and women washing, clothes or water-pots; children, as usual, playing; animals, such as bullocks, buffaloes, sheep and goats, grazing; nor must we leave out the useful four-footed friends, the donkeys, as usual trotting, and the camels walking their slow and measured pace, about three miles an hour. Fowls may be seen running about, pigeons flying, whilst ducks and geese in their native element swim about.
If you look on the sand-banks the pelican stands with its large pouch, trying to fill it with fish, whilst the eagles and vultures are seeking their prey and numerous small birds are flying about. Though now only about six miles from the second cataract, which is similar to the first, we will not linger.
Near one of the villages in Nubia we saw an interesting sight: it was a primitive loom. Here is a picture of one for the mind. Think of a man with his two legs hidden in a hole in the ground, the treadles being only two sticks, with cords made of cotton. The weft, spoken of as "woof" (Lev. 13:4949And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be showed unto the priest: (Leviticus 13:49)), was very crooked owing to his manner of weaving. On its being suggested to him to take hold of the latter in the middle, as it would keep the weft straighter, he seemed glad of the suggestion. Both men and women weave, but women are specially mentioned in Prov. 31:1919She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. (Proverbs 31:19), "She layeth, her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.”
The climate of Nubia is wonderfully good for chest complaints, the air is so dry and pure. If any restless person needs to learn patience, let him try a journey on the Nile and have an Arab crew, their motto being; "If we don't do it to-day, we shall to-morrow." They do not consider our well-known proverb, "Procrastination is the thief of time.”
I must here mention the caves of Berri Hassan, supposed to have been built in the time of Joseph. On the walls you may see painted a number of men with beards, some say it is meant to represent Joseph's brethren. There is also a painting of a great storehouse, filled with grain, and a man measuring it into sacks for others to carry away. This, of course, reminds us of Joseph's history, for in Gen. 41:4949And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number. (Genesis 41:49) it says Joseph "gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.”
Now let us look at another scene. Whilst Moses was away in the land of Midian, and dwelt with his father-in-law Jethro, the king of Egypt died, and the new Pharaoh seeing how the children of Israel increased and multiplied until the land was filled with them, decided to reduce their number if possible.
Taskmasters were put over them to afflict them with their burdens. The Book of Exodus tells us that the new king "knew not Joseph"; the children of Israel had to serve with hard bondage in making bricks. At first straw was given them, as this was necessary to make the bricks hard and firm.
The king made them build treasure cities called Pithom and Raamses, and they had to serve with rigor, so that their lives were bitter, in all manner of service; it was rigorous. But all this did not effect the king's desire, the people did not decrease.
It was a dreadful thought to try and get rid of them by hard work, or by war, or by fighting; but now a more dreadful one takes possession of Pharaoh's mind—the murder of infant boys; the river called, and truly so, the Gift of God, was to be used to receive the bodies of the little ones cast into it. Was it not a murderous thought? Indeed it was. One, however, the boy Moses, escaped. Maybe there were others, too; we know not, but we know of him.
Let us consider for a moment the brick-making. The cottages already referred to were Nile mud plastered by the hands and left to dry. Larger houses are built and whitewashed, but they are after all Nile mud. There are some stone buildings, but Job mentions these clay or mud houses as being easily dug through. (Job 24:1616In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light. (Job 24:16).)
Now the question may arise, How can straw be mixed with the bricks? The mud is put in a heap and a quantity of straw or coarse grass thrown down and then trampled into the mud by the laborers. The prophet Nahum speaks of treading the mortar and making strong the brick-kiln. The bricks are then dried in the sun for use.
A little higher up the Nile than Cairo there is a large pyramid built entirely of bricks; being well mixed with straw it remains as firm as ever it was. Some people think it was built by the Israelites. They were certainly made by captives, as in each brick there are two finger-holes, which was a sign of the slavery of those who made them.
A missionary tells us that at Heliopolis a well has been discovered, buried in the sand, which he had no doubt was built by the Israelites, as the marks on the bricks show. At Heliopolis there is a most wonderful monument, an obelisk of red granite. Heliopolis was called by the Egyptians the City of the Sun. In the Bible it has the name of On, and is familiar to us as the place from which Joseph's wife came. Her name is known to most, even young students, as Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, a priest of the temple of the sun. Think of this great obelisk witnessing the marriage of Joseph.
We afterward paid an interesting visit to an ostrich farm. In the center there is a round platform so that a view may be had of the whole farm. We saw immense numbers of beautiful feathers, and eggs of rare size and beauty. Job knew what they were like, for he describes them so wonderfully by the Spirit of God. God asked him if he had given the ostrich wings and feathers, because Job was proud and self-righteous, and did not know himself. Do we know ourselves? In the New Testament we are told not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, and Job ends by saying, "I am vile.”
Now the ostrich lays beautiful, large, eggs, but she is not a careful mother, she leaves them in the earth and warms them in the dust. As to her young ones she is quite hardened, as though they did not belong to her. God has deprived her of wisdom and has given her no understanding. But we learn that they are swifter than horses, great use being made of their wings as they rush over the desert. When hunted they keep on turning about like a hare and at last bury their heads in the sand, forgetting that their large bodies are fully seen; thus they show their foolishness.
The hunters kill them very carefully with clubs, so as not to spoil their feathers. On the farm there were birds of all ages, from quite baby ones to those of perhaps eighteen years old. The older ones are very vicious. One day a male bird had nearly bitten off a man's arm in a moment of passion. The young ostriches are like barn-door fowls and of a reddish color.
Leaving Heliopolis on the way to Cairo we passed along the banks of the Nile through numbers of mulberry, sycamore and acacia trees for a mile or two. It is very beautiful and agreeable except for the dust. Now traveling on till we reached the port of Cairo, which is Boulac, we came to a most extraordinary sight exactly the opposite of the living trees we had so admired: in the desert were a number of trees of different kinds all petrified, turned into stone. The trees were of different shapes, sizes and heights and could easily be recognized. There were also hollow trunks and roots, some being entire. It was a great wonder and the question arose, How did these trees get changed like that when all around was desert? Some think they were left there by the flood and became petrified through the ages of time.
It is rather a melancholy picture once in full natural life and vigor, now hardened into stony flint. Does it not somewhat remind us of the heart of Pharaoh, whose heart became hardened? and of Nabal, whose heart became like a stone? Should we not as Christians seek grace to live in the vigor of life and to be preserved from hardness of heart in every way.
Now having reached Cairo, we obtained rooms and went for a ride, for no one walks in Cairo. Look out for drivers, barefooted, clad in loose cotton garments, each praising his own animal vigorously, making a scene similar to that encountered at seaside places, only more lively.