"'The man on the left is playing on a _nay_, or flute, which is a reed about eighteen inches long, with a mouthpiece at one end. It has six holes for the fingers, and is blown in a peculiar way, so that a person not accustomed to the nay would be unable to make any sound with it at first.' [Illustration: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PLAYING THE NAY.] "Frank asked if there was any other kind of flute. The guide told him there were several, but this was the most common. The Doctor added that this form of instrument was very old, as it could be seen pictured on some of the monuments of ancient Egypt, and appeared to have been used exactly as it is to-day. Some forms of it were blown into sidewise, as with the European flute, while others were blown at the end. "'The man next to the end is playing on a _kemenjah_ or fiddle,' said the guide. 'The body of it is made of a cocoa-nut-shell, with a piece of fish-skin or some other thin membrane stretched over it, and the "bridge" rests on this thin covering. There are only two strings, and they are vibrated by means of a bow, just like what you see at home, though the shape is a little different. The long top-piece of the fiddle is of wood, while the lower end is of iron, and rests on the floor or ground. The performers are quite skilful, and it would surprise you to know how much music they can get out of a fiddle with only two strings. [Illustration: THE TAMBOORA.] "'The next man has a _tamboora_, or lute, which corresponds to the guitar, or banjo of Western countries. There are many sizes and shapes of this instrument, but the most common is the one you are looking at. "'The most perfect tamboora is about four feet long, and has ten strings and forty-seven stops. Some of them cost a great deal of money, as they are made of valuable woods, and inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. The form in use by the man in the band is called the _ood_, to distinguish it from the other varieties of the tamboora. It is about two feet long, and you observe that the handle bends back very sharply to accommodate the fingers of the player. A smaller variety of this instrument is called the _sadz_, and very often forms part of a soldier's equipment. As you travel about Egypt you will often see a soldier playing on the sadz, which he accompanies with his voice. [Illustration: A DARABOOKAH.] "'The next and last man of the party has a _darabookah_, a sort of drum, which he holds under his left arm while he plays on it with the fingers of his right hand. The body of the instrument is of earthen-ware or of wood, and a skin or membrane is stretched over the large end. It has changed its shape very little in three thousand years. You see pictures of the darabookah on the walls of the tombs, and on other ancient monuments of Egypt, and the manner of playing it is the same as of old.'