I meant to have written to you by Arthur Taylor, who left for Cairo yesterday morning, but the Simoom made me so stupid that I could hardly finish a letter to Alick.  So I begin one to-day to recount the wonders of the season here.  I went over to Mustapha’s island to spend the day in the tent, or rather the hut, of dourrah-stalks and palm-branches, which he has erected there for the threshing and winnowing.  He had invited me and ‘his worship’ the Maohn to a picnic.  Only imagine that it rained! all day, a gentle slight rain, but enough to wet all the desert.  I laughed and said I had brought English weather, but the Maohn shook his head and opined that we were suffering the anger of God.  Rain in summer-time was quite a terror.  However, we consoled ourselves, and Mustapha called a nice little boy to recite the ‘noble Koran’ for our amusement, and out of compliment to me he selected the chapter of the family of Amran (the history of Jesus), and recited it with marvellous readiness and accuracy.  A very pleasant-mannered man of the Shourafa of Gurneh came and joined us, and was delighted because I sent away a pipe which Abdurachman brought me (it is highly improper to smoke while the Koran is being read or recited).  He thanked me for the respect, and I told him I knew he would not smoke in a church, or while I prayed; why should I?  It rather annoys me to find that they always expect from us irreverence to their religion which they would on no account be guilty of to ours.  The little boy was a fellah, the child of my friend Omar, who has lost all his cattle, but who came as pleasant and smiling as ever to kiss my hand and wait upon me.  After that the Maohn read the second chapter, ’the Cow,’ in a rather nasal, quavering chant.  I perceived that no one present understood any of it, except just a few words here and there—­not much more than I could follow myself from having read the translation.  I think it is not any nearer spoken Arabic than Latin is to Italian.  After this, Mustapha, the Maohn, Omar, Sally and I, sat down round the dinner-tray, and had a very good dinner of lamb, fowls and vegetables, such as bahmias and melucheeah, both of the mallow order, and both excellent cooked with meat; rice, stewed apricots (mish-mish), with nuts and raisins in it, and cucumbers and water-melons strewed the ground.  One eats all durcheinander with bread and fingers, and a spoon for the rice, and green limes to squeeze over one’s own bits for sauce.  We were very merry, if not very witty, and the Maohn declared, ’Wallahi! the English are fortunate in their customs, and in the enjoyment of the society of learned and excellent Hareemat;’ and Omar, lying on the rushes, said:  ’This is the happiness of the Arab.  Green trees, sweet water, and a kind face, make the “garden"’ (paradise), an Arab saying.  The Maohn joked him as to how a ‘child of Cairo’ could endure fellah life.  I was looking at the heaps