At Benisouef, which used to be the great cattle place, not a buffalo was left, and we could not get a drop of milk.  But since we left Minieh we see them again, and I hear the disease is not spreading up the river.  Omar told me that the poor people at Benisouef were complaining of the drought and prospect of scarcity, as they could no longer water the land for want of oxen.  I paid ten napoleons passage-money, and shall give four or five more as backsheesh, as I have given a good deal of trouble with all my luggage, beddings, furniture, provisions for four months, etc., and the boat’s people have been more than civil, really kind and attentive to us; but a bad dahabieh would have cost forty, so I am greatly the gainer.  Nothing can exceed the muddle, uncertainty and carelessness of the ‘administration’ at Cairo:  no coals at the depots, boats announced to sail and dawdling on three weeks, no order and no care for anybody’s convenience but the Pasha’s own.  But the subordinates on board the boats do their work perfectly well.  We go only half as quickly as we ought because we have two very heavy dahabiehs in tow instead of one; but no time is lost, as long as the light lasts we go, and start again as soon as the moon rises.  The people on board have promoted me in rank—­and call me ‘el-Ameereh,’ an obsolete Arab title which the engineer thinks is the equivalent of ‘Ladysheep,’ as he calls it.  ‘Sitti,’ he said, was the same as ‘Meessees.’  I don’t know how he acquired his ideas on the subject of English precedence.

Omar has just come in with coffee, and begs me to give his best salaam to his big master and his little master and lady, and not to forget to tell them he is their servant and my memlook (slave) ’from one hand to the other’ (the whole body).  If we stay at all at Siout, I will ride a donkey up to Wassef’s house, and leave this letter for him to send down with his next opportunity to Cairo.  At Keneh we must try to find time to buy two filters and some gullehs (water-coolers); they are made there.  At Thebes nothing can be got.

How I do wish you were here to enjoy all the new and strange sights!  I am sure it would amuse you, and as the fleas don’t bite you there would be no drawback.  Janet sent me a photo of dear little Rainie; it is ugly, but very like the ‘zuweyeh’ (little one).  Give her no end of kisses, and thank her for the cock robin, which pleased me quite as much as she thought it would.

January 5, 1864:  Sir Alexander Duff Gordon

To Sir Alexander Duff Gordon. Tuesday, January 5, 1864.