Finally Jordan said:  “This looks like Arizony, only more so.  Arizony looks as though thar war a strike among the mechanics and it war never finished.  This looks like it were finished once and then ther perprieter, not bein’ satisfied with ther contractor’s job, smashed it.  They tell me ther mustang is ther blood-horse run down by starvation ’nd abuse, ’nd in-breedin’, but mostly from in-breedin’.  This country looks ez though it hed been ruined ther same way precisely.  I shouldn’t wonder but it wur true.  Them old Faros wuz big fellers; so war Sesostris and ther hull race of the old chaps from ther Shepherd Kings down, and they useter call this ‘the granary of the world,’ didn’t they?

“And old Cambysis cum here on a robbin’ expedition?

“Well, it’s clear enough since then things has been goin’ ter ther dogs heah.  I tell yo’, Jim, civilization gone to seed is wuss than ’riginal barbarism.

“Them chaps as bilt the pyramids and obelisks war powerful men.  They must er hed sum pride in the kentry or they wouldn’t been so everlastin’ perticelar ’bout their gravestunes, and this must uv been a different kentry from what it are now.  Yo’ve seen men as has lived too long.  It’s so, I reckon, with patches of this old world.  Anyway, I ain’t buyin’ no sheers in Egypt, leastways not on the showin’ these croppin’s make.”

When the ship passed into the Gulf of Suez the temperature was something fearful.

“This wur the water that divided, wur it not?” asked Jordan.

“Yes,” said Sedgwick, “this is the water, I believe.”

Jordan was silent for several minutes.  At last he said:  “No mistake ’bout thet story, Jim?”

“Why do you ask?” was Sedgwick’s response.

“Nothin’ much,” said Jordan, “only hain’t yo’ noticed ther newspapers don’t hardly ever git things right?”

Sedgwick acknowledged that he had known them to make mistakes.

“Hain’t it jest posserble,” said Jordan, “thet what war really the fact war thet the Gipshins war drowned jest ter git ’em outer ther misery in this cussed place, and ther Jews war saved jest ter punish ’em?”

“I never thought of that,” said Sedgwick.  “But if the weather then was anything like it is now, the theory is not improbable.”

“’Zactly,” said Jordan.  “From ther other side over there ther Israelites started for Canaan, didn’t they?”

“I believe so,” was Sedgwick’s reply.

“It must uv been like goin’ from Tuscon to Fort Yuma in August, don’t yo’ think, Jim?” said Jordan.

“Very like, I believe,” said Sedgwick.