The great pyramid passages and chambers

PLATE XXI,

LETTER I.

Hotel Bristol, Catro, Thursday, 27th May, 1909.

DEAR BRETHREN,— Yesterday morning I arrived safely at Port Said after a calm and uneventful voyage. Some time was spent in getting moored, and during the manceuvres small craft of various descriptions drew around. Most of them belonged to vendors of wares, who crowded eagerly on board whenever the port doctor had passed the ship. I had heard great stories about these vendors, and wondered what kind of reception we should have, but they were quiet, and not very persistent. One of the boats was Cook's ; as soon as their man came aboard, I told him I wanted his services to take my baggage ashore and see it through the customs. AsI havea large supply of special photographic films with me, besides other things on which duty might be charged, I was afraid the custom house officials would demand a large sum of money ; but I explained that I was merely a tourist, and would be using all the materials I had brought with me. They let me off easily, charging duty on only half the value of the films.

217 On leaving the customs, I went direct to the Sailors' Rest, recommended to me by Brother Cotton of London, and had a pleasant talk with the manager, Mr. Locke, about the Divine Plan of the Ages. I gave him a handful of tracts for distribution among the sailors, and a copy of the brochure Where are the Dead? After accepting a kind offer of a cup of tea, I went off to the station. The train left at 1 p.m., and arrived in Cairo about 5 o'clock.

218 The journey to Cairo was very interesting and instructive. For the first two hours the train travelled through the sandy desert alongside the Suez Canal, but at Ismailia the track left the canal and traversed cultivated land. Every now and again we passed villages built of dried mud. Such of the houses as were in ruins seemed to

99

On board the S.S. “ Martaban,” en route for Egypt.