It was late in the afternoon when our friends arrived at Assouan, and there was only time to stroll through the bazaars before sunset. Plans were made for an excursion to the island of Philæ on the following day, and everybody went early to bed. CHAPTER XIX. A CAMEL JOURNEY.--THE ISLAND OF PHILÆ, AND THE FIRST CATARACT OF THE NILE. Frank and Fred were destined to enjoy a novelty in the way of travelling. They were to make their excursion to the island of Philæ on the backs of camels. It is about five miles from Assouan to Philæ, and the road is chiefly through the rocky desert, or along the equally rocky bank of the river. The travellers had the choice of camels or donkeys for the journey, and the two youths unhesitatingly decided in favor of the former. "You can ride almost any time on a donkey," said Fred, "but it isn't every day you can have a camel." "I quite agree with you," Frank replied. "We'll have a jolly ride of it, and have a good story to tell when we get home." The boys went out before breakfast and found, close to the landing-place, a group of camels waiting for the proposed excursion. They were all lying or kneeling on the ground, and the boys walked around them with the air of having been familiar with camels all their lives. Finally they selected two, and at the suggestion of the drivers Frank proceeded to mount his new beast of burden, just to try his qualities. "I began," said Frank, afterward, in telling the story to the Doctor--"I began by patting the camel on the head, and saying 'good fellow! good fellow!' He returned my kindness by trying to bite me, and if I had not jumped quickly to one side he would have had a good nip at my arm. The driver then stood by his head, and I proceeded to take my seat in the saddle, which resembled a wood-sawyer's 'horse' with a blanket thrown across it. "As soon as I was in place I seized the front and rear of the saddle; the driver then pulled at the halter, and said something that sounded like '_heyda! heyda!_' "The camel began to move as though there was a small earthquake under him. There were three motions--a surge backward, a surge forward, and then a backward plunge that brought him to a level. [Illustration: THE SHIP OF THE DESERT.] "I could not see exactly how it was done; but Fred, who was looking on, said the camel rose on half his fore-legs, then on all of his hind-legs, and lastly on the remaining half of his fore-legs. This will account for the three motions that were required to bring him up standing." "Yes," answered the Doctor, "and he kneels in the reverse way--half the fore-legs, all the hind-legs, and then half the fore-legs. He is always made to kneel for receiving his burden or being relieved of it. He makes a great fuss when he is being loaded, and leads you to suppose that the burden placed on him is much more than he can bear. The older the camel the more noise does he make."