Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

SYRIA, EGYPT, GERMANY, &C. 24I
amidst the numerous little islands which the river had formed was
On the banks the inhabitants were engaged in
highly agreeable.
watering the more elevated grounds which could not receive the
benefit of the inundation. For this purpose they employed lea-
thern buckets, one of which was fastened to the extremity of a
long pole, having at its other extremity a heavy stone to counterpoise
the weight of the bucket, and forming in this Way a kind of
lever. The water was thus drawn up from the Nile, and thrown
into troughs, from which furrows were carried to convey it to every
part of the high grounds. On these grounds the dourra or Indian
corn and indigo plant had a very healthy and promising ap-
pearance.
Between the two banks of the Nile there was a singular contrast.
The eastern shore exhibited little more than a desert, the cultiva-
tion being confined to a very narrow slip of land, near the villages;
and a chain of
lofty
and sterile mountains which terminated at
Mount Mokatam near Cairo ; while the western bank displayed
a
considerable number of extensive groves of date-trees, inter-
spersed with grounds in a highly cultivated state. The rich and
beautiful appearance of the date-trees was at this time heightened
by the fine golden colour of the ripening fruit. This was not, how-
ever, the state in which it was preferred by the Arabs in general ;
that they eat it in its unripe and crude state, when it is very un-
wholesome and indigestible, is a fact I have already noticed; and,
in reality, their choice with respect to fruits and vegetables of eve-
ry description, which they seem to prefer before they have attained
a due maturity, is highly depraved. Several of the date-trees were
of the dwarf kind, anil were denominated by the Arabs Belah Mahat,
in contradistinction to those of a larger growth, but yet of
the dwarf kind, which are called Belah Scezvay.
We entered a small canal, and proceeded to the villages of
Menshee and Dashou, distant from Grand Cairo about twentyfour
miles, and situated at the foot of the mountain on the summit
of which we observed those of the
pyramids in the neighbourhood
of Saccara that have the most elevated position One only
of them
was entire; and they differed
very essentially
in their
figure
from.
those of Giza. We followed in a northern direction the elbow of
the canal, and were carried into a large lake formed by the inunda-
tion, and extending to the village of Saccara, near to which stand
the two principal pyramids, and, in their vicinity, the plain of
( 31 )