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

THE FIRST CATARACT. 177
be daunted by such a cheek ; there was still
another passage to attempt, and attempt it we
would !
And
should that too fail, it would then
be time enough to talk of returning to Es-souan
and turning our backs upon the Cataracts.
But the day was too far advanced to commence
fresh operations at the other gate; besides, Mo-
hammed had misgivings about the Reis of the
Cataract having furnished men enough to carry
us through the difficult pass before us. He there-
fore set off by land to Es-souan, and represented
the affair to the Turkish governor there, Sulei-
man Effendi, who, as soon as he heard of the
accident that bad happened to English travellers,
wrote a letter to the Reis of the Cataract, order-
ing him to convey the English Consul's boat in
safety through the Cataract, and to take two
hundred men, if necessary, to effect the ope-
ration. Before Mohammed quitted Es-souan,
Suleiman Effendi had imprisoned the unlucky
pilot who had caused our first disaster ; he also
sent his own Ghawass back with Mohammed to
see that his orders were attended to ; and this
man, as well as Mohammed, talked very
seriously of hanging four of the Reis of the
Cataracts' assistants, should our last efforts fail.
To ensure success it was deemed advisable to
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