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

240 THE VENDETTA.
more than one life has already been sacrificed
to this barbarian principle of revenge, our two
boatmen felt that their safety depended upon
their presence at Dandour being unknown, and
neither of them showed himself upon deck
until we had left the place far behind us. They
were right, for Mohammed told us that our boat
had not been there half a day before several
men, aware that the two Berbers in question
exercise the profession of Nile boatmen, had
been down to the beach to enquire whether
they were on board our Dahabieh; had the
question been answered in the affirmative, they
would have watched the opportunity of their
landing to have w^reaked their vengeance upon
those unoffending young men.
At Dandour Mohammed purchased from a
slave-dealer a young negress for his sister, and
we have permitted him to convey her to Cairo
in our boat, where there is plenty of room for
her. She is from Darfour, and is about thirteen
years old, black as ebony, with a mild and
patient expression of countenance. Poor thing !
the tears rolled silently down her cheeks when
she was taken away from the slave-merchant
and brought among strangers. She neither
knows to whom she belongs nor whither she is