Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

308 Ancient Coptic Churches. [CH.
Dair Anba Bishoi \
At our departure from the kindly shelter of Dair
Macarius, the monks escorted us without the walls,
and the kummus or abbot prayed for our safety,
spreading both hands palm-upwards towards the skies.
The surface of the valley proved very different from
that of the desert before we descended : the hard-set
ground covered with dark sheeny pebbles had now
given place to stretches of soft loose sand and beds
of broken limestone, while tufts of reedy grass and
low prickly shrubs relieved the utter deadness of
the wilderness. The ride takes only about four
hours, and is extremely picturesque ; especially as
the lakes come into view, and the strangely bril-
liant purple of their shining surface contrasts with
the dark reed-beds which encircle them, and with the
sombre hues of the desert sand. Here and there the
way is marked by little heaps of stone ranged in
a line, which once reached from the cells of Macarius
to the monastery of Anba Bishoi. The track is
called to this day the Path of the Angels :
for
legend tells that angels made the road to guide the
hermits of Scete to church on holy days. At one
point on the route, after Dair Anba Bishoi and Dair-
as-Suriani, which stand within bowshot of each other,
have risen above the horizon in front, the white walls
of Macarius are still visible in the far distance
behind: while on either side the broad valley spreads
reposing in monumental silence.
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