I told them my baptismal name, which they accurately remembered; they told me theirs in return, which I very soon forgot.

I mention this trifling circumstance, because I afterwards was frequently surprised at the retentive memory of these people during my journey through the desert towards the Red Sea.
August 21st.
Although I felt solitary among all the voyagers on the barque, these two days passed swiftly and agreeably away.

The flatter the land grew, the broader did the lordly river become.

The villages increased in size; and the huts, mostly resembling a sugar-loaf, with a number of doves roosting on its apex, wore an appearance of greater comfort.

Mosques and large country-houses presently appeared; and, in short, the nearer we approached towards Cairo, the more distinct became these indications of affluence.