A pilgrimage to the temples and tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and ...

166 ELEPHANTINA.
This was a reasoning lie did not appear at all
disposed to adopt ; and indeed, on returning to
the boat, I found from Mohammed that the
Hadgee is quite a Blue Beard, and although he
does not cut off his wives' heads, he has taken
advantage of the extraordinary facility afforded
to all classes for divorce in this country, to cut
the marriage knot whenever it pleases him, and
has taken unto himself sixteen or seventeen
wives already ! On dismissing him I gave him
some gilt ear-rings (from a provision I brought
out with me for the Nubian women) for his
Statira and Roxana ; and he was just petitioning
for some oranges on the plea that one of his
wives was unwell, when he was interru2)ted by
Mohammed, who put him a little out of coun-
tenance by exclaiming, " What? is your wife not
cured yet V and then, turning to me, added, " I
have been eight or ten years going with travellers
to Es-souan, and every time I get here Hadgee
Hassan has a sick wife who wants oranges to
cure her !
"
Later in the day we crossed over to Elephan-
tina, that highly—indeed too highly— praised
island ; for I confess that, in a picturesque point
of view, I could not discover grounds for the ex-
travagant encomiums bestowed u])on it by some