An Unprotected Female at the Pyramids | Page 5

France wouldn't do it." This was
addressed by Mr. Damer to M. Delabordeau, whom he had caught after
the abrupt flight of Mr. Ingram.
"Den we will borrow a leetle from England," said M. Delabordeau.
"Precious little, I can tell you. Such stock would not hold its price in
our markets for twenty-four hours. If it were made, the freights would
be too heavy to allow of merchandise passing through. The heavy
goods would all go round; and as for passengers and mails, you don't
expect to get them, I suppose, while there is a railroad ready made to
their hand?"
"Ye vill carry all your ships through vidout any transportation. Think of
that, my friend."
"Pshaw! You are worse than Ingram. Of all the plans I ever heard of it
is the most monstrous, the most impracticable, the most--" But here he
was interrupted by the entreaties of his wife, who had, in absolute deed
and fact, slipped from her donkey, and was now calling lustily for her
husband's aid. Whereupon Miss Dawkins allied herself to the
Frenchman, and listened with an air of strong conviction to those
arguments which were so weak in the ears of Mr. Damer. M.
Delabordeau was about to ride across the Great Desert to Jerusalem,
and it might perhaps be quite as well to do that with him, as to go up
the Nile as far as the second cataract with the Damers.
"And so, M. Delabordeau, you intend really to start for Mount Sinai?"
"Yes, mees; ve intend to make one start on Monday week."
"And so on to Jerusalem. You are quite right. It would be a thousand
pities to be in these countries, and to return without going over such
ground as that. I shall certainly go to Jerusalem myself by that route."
"Vot, mees! you? Would you not find it too much fatigante?"
"I care nothing for fatigue, if I like the party I am with,--nothing at all,

literally. You will hardly understand me, perhaps, M. Delabordeau; but
I do not see any reason why I, as a young woman, should not make any
journey that is practicable for a young man."
"Ah! dat is great resolution for you, mees."
"I mean as far as fatigue is concerned. You are a Frenchman, and
belong to the nation that is at the head of all human civilisation--"
M. Delabordeau took off his hat and bowed low, to the peak of his
donkey saddle. He dearly loved to hear his country praised, as Miss
Dawkins was aware.
"And I am sure you must agree with me," continued Miss Dawkins,
"that the time is gone by for women to consider themselves helpless
animals, or to be so considered by others."
"Mees Dawkins vould never be considered, not in any times at all, to be
one helpless animal," said M. Delabordeau civilly.
"I do not, at any rate, intend to be so regarded," said she. "It suits me to
travel alone; not that I am averse to society; quite the contrary; if I meet
pleasant people I am always ready to join them. But it suits me to travel
without any permanent party, and I do not see why false shame should
prevent my seeing the world as thoroughly as though I belonged to the
other sex. Why should it, M. Delabordeau?"
M. Delabordeau declared that he did not see any reason why it should.
"I am passionately anxious to stand upon Mount Sinai," continued Miss
Dawkins; "to press with my feet the earliest spot in sacred history, of
the identity of which we are certain; to feel within me the awe-
inspiring thrill of that thrice sacred hour!"
The Frenchman looked as though he did not quite understand her, but
he said that it would be magnifique.
"You have already made up your party I suppose, M. Delabordeau?"

M. Delabordeau gave the names of two Frenchmen and one
Englishman who were going with him.
"Upon my word it is a great temptation to join you," said Miss Dawkins,
"only for that horrid Englishman."
"Vat, Mr. Stanley?"
"Oh, I don't mean any disrespect to Mr. Stanley. The horridness I speak
of does not attach to him personally, but to his stiff, respectable,
ungainly, well-behaved, irrational, and uncivilised country. You see I
am not very patriotic."
"Not quite so much as my friend, Mr. Damer."
"Ha! ha! ha! an excellent creature, isn't he? And so they all are, dear
creatures. But then they are so backward. They are most anxious that I
should join them up the Nile, but--," and then Miss Dawkins shrugged
her shoulders gracefully, and, as she flattered herself, like a
Frenchwoman. After that they rode on in silence for a few moments.
"Yes, I must see Mount Sinai," said Miss Dawkins, and