An associate was provided, however, in an unexpected quarter. The Rev. Jonas King had been elected Professor of Oriental Languages in Amherst College, and was then pursuing the study of Arabic in Paris, under the celebrated orientalist De Sacy. Mr. Fisk lost no time in requesting him to become his associate. On receiving the letter, Mr. King wrote at once to the American Board, tendering his services for three years, and they were accepted. There were then neither steamers nor telegraphs, and the response of the Prudential Committee could not be received until after the favorable season for oriental traveling would have passed. Mr. King's friends in Paris and in some other European cities, therefore, advanced the needful funds to enable him to start at once, and he landed at Malta early in November. A few days later, the celebrated Joseph Wolff also arrived, for the purpose of going with Mr. Fisk to Jerusalem. The three started January 3, 1823, to go by way of Alexandria, Cairo, and the desert. During the three weeks spent in Egypt they ascended the Nile as far as Thebes, distributing Bibles and tracts at most of the villages along the river. They were able to communicate religious truths in several languages, and sold more than six hundred copies of the Bible, or parts of it. The whole number of copies distributed was eight hundred, in twelve languages, besides more than two thousand tracts. They left Cairo without waiting for a caravan, but were joined by Turks, Arabs, Greeks, and Armenians, before entering the desert, until they numbered seventy-four persons, with forty-four camels, and fifty-seven asses.