"By the original charter the company was allowed to charge ten francs (two dollars) a ton on the measurement of each ship going through the Canal, and ten francs for each passenger. The revenue, after deducting the expenses of operating, amounts to about five per cent. on the capital of the company, and the officers think it will be seven or eight per cent. before many years. "The following figures show the dimensions of the Canal: Feet Width at water-line, where the banks are low 328 Width at water-line in deep cuttings, where the banks are high 190 Width at bottom of the Canal 72 Depth of water in the Canal 26 [Illustration: NIGHT SCENE ON LAKE MENZALEH.] "The scenery on the Canal is not particularly interesting, as one soon gets tired of looking at the desert, with its apparently endless stretch of sand. At Ismailia and Kantara there has been an attempt at cultivation, and there are some pretty gardens which have been created since the opening of the Fresh-Water Canal, and are kept up by irrigation. But nearly all the rest is a waste, especially on the last twenty-seven miles, through Lake Menzaleh to Port Said. If you make this ride on one of the small steamers maintained by the Canal Company you find that one mile is exactly like any other, and you are soon glad enough to seek the cabin and go to sleep. "Here are some figures showing the saving in distances (in nautical miles) by the Canal:" Via Cape of Good Hope. Via Canal. Saving. England to Bombay 10,860 6020 4840 New York to Bombay 11,520 7920 3600 St. Petersburg to Bombay 11,610 6770 4840 Marseilles to Bombay 10,560 4620 5940 CHAPTER III. FROM SUEZ TO CAIRO.--THROUGH THE LAND OF GOSHEN. [Illustration: CAMEL AND YOUNG.] There is little to relieve the monotony of the desert between Suez and Ismailia beyond the view of the two canals, and the ships and boats moving on their waters. Occasionally a line of camels may be seen walking with a dignified pace, or halted for the adjustment of their loads, or for some other purpose. In every direction there is nothing but the desert, either stretching out into a plain or rising in mountains, on which not a particle of verdure is visible. Under the bright sun of the Egyptian sky the sands glittered and sparkled till the light they reflected became painful to the eyes of the observers. The prudent Doctor had bought some veils in the bazaar of Suez, and now brought them from the recesses of his satchel for the use of the delighted boys as well as for his own.