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

372 LAST DAY ON THE NILE.
ing of the sakkias were alone heard in the fields,
— for in Egypt there are no singing-birds — at
least I have not heard any,— and the ear is never
greeted with those wild wood-notes which in
England impart such a charm to an evening
ramble in the fields, when from every bough the
liquid gurgling of the thrush, the melodious
whistle of the blackbird, and the clear monoton-
ous note of the cuckoo are heard in sweet con-
fusion, chaunting their vesper hymn to the set-
ting sun. It was our last excursion from the
Dahabieh, and this was to be our last night on
board ; and the thought saddened us ; for our
voyage has been one of such interest, we have
had so much tranquil enjoyment, and have met
with such good conduct — I will even say devotion—
from our Egyptian attendants and crew,
that we shall separate from every individual of
them with sincere regret. And when we step-
ped on board, and found that during our absence
everything had been packed up, and all the com-
fortable litter of books, work, and writing appa-
ratus, — which gave such a home-look to our
cabins, — removed for final departure, I felt my-
self growing quite pathetic at the idea that our
pleasant days on the Nile had come to a close.
Shut up for two months and four days in a