We were not at all annoyed by insects, and we were but little incommoded by the heat.

In the sun the temperature never exceeded 33 degress; and in the shade the greatest heat was 22 degrees Reaumur.
August 17th.
At seven o'clock this morning our cage was at length opened.

Now all the world rushed in; friends and relations of the voyagers, ambassadors from innkeepers, porters, and donkey-drivers, all were merry and joyous, for every one found a friend or an acquaintance, and I only stood friendless and alone, for nobody hastened towards me or took an interest in me; but the envoys of the innkeepers, the porters, and donkey-drivers, cruel generation that they were, quarrelled and hustled each other for the possession of the solitary one.
I collected my baggage, mounted a donkey, and rode to "Colombier," one of the best inns in Alexandria.

Swerving a little from the direct road, I passed "Cleopatra's Needles," two obelisks of granite, one of which is still erect, while the other lies prostrate in the sand at a short distance.

We rode through a miserable poverty-stricken village; the huts were built of stones, but were so small and low that we can hardly understand how a man can stand upright in them.