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

236 GHIRSCH^ HOUSSEYN.
boat, thought it right to accompany us, armed
with some sharp-bladed culinary implement ; so
that altogether we presented a very formidable
appearance. The whole population of a village
at the foot of the hill assembled round the
entrance of the temple as soon as they became
aware of our landing, and we were assailed with
clamours for backshish, which sounded more like
threats than supplications. Demands for gun-
powder were also made, and innumerable en-
treaties for medicines, and all sorts of plaisters
and eye-water. The Arabs fancy that all English
travellers understand medicine and surgery, and
they have an absolute passion for being doctored
and physicked by them. In the commencement
of our voyage we soon found the necessity of
withholding from our crew the knowledge that
we had a tolerably well stocked English phar-
macy on board, for they would always have been
petitioning for a dose of medicine as a preventive
to illness, and fortunately not one of them have
required it. On the day after we left Cairo, one
of the men tore his hand, which I set to rights
for him with court-plaister. Their admiration of
this remedy is not to be described ; every suc-
ceeding day a new applicant came to me, holding
out a foot or a hand to be doctored, and exhibit-