Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
Category: Nonfiction
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the interior of Russia and made his way to foreign lands.Before he entered into the insurrection he was a qualified engineer;nevertheless he devoted a year to the study of hydraulics. Later hesecured a position at the Canal and in the course of a few years, whenhis expert knowledge, energy, and industry became known, he assumed theimportant position of senior engineer.
Stas was born, bred, and reached his fourteenth year in Port Said onthe Canal; in consequence of which the engineers called him the childof the desert. At a later period, when he was attending school, hesometimes, during the vacation season and holidays, accompanied hisfather or Mr. Rawlinson on trips, which their duty required them tomake from Port Said to Suez to inspect the work on the embankment orthe dredging of the channel of the Canal. He knew everybody--theengineers and custom-house officials as well as the laborers, Arabs andnegroes. He bustled about and insinuated himself everywhere, appearingwhere least expected; he made long excursions on the embankment, rowedin a boat over Menzaleh, venturing at times far and wide. He crossedover to the Arabian bank and mounting the first horse he met, or in theabsence of a horse, a camel, or even a donkey, he would imitate Farys*[* Farys, the hero of Adam Mickiewicz's Oriental poem of the samename.--_Translator's note_.] on the desert; in a word, as Pan Tarkowskiexpressed it, "he was always popping up somewhere," and every momentfree from his studies he passed on the water.
His father did not oppose this, as he knew that rowing, horsebackriding, and continual life in the fresh air strengthened his health anddeveloped resourcefulness within him. In fact, Stas was taller andstronger than most boys of his age. It was enough to glance at his eyesto surmise that in case of any adventure he would sin more from toomuch audacity than from timidity. In his fourteenth year, he was one ofthe best swimmers in Port Said, which meant not a little, for theArabs and negroes swim like fishes. Shooting from carbines of a smallcaliber, and only with cartridges, for wild ducks and Egyptian geese,he acquired an unerring eye and steady hand. His dream was to hunt thebig animals sometime in Central Africa. He therefore eagerly listenedto the narratives of the Sudanese working on the Canal, who in theirnative land had encountered big, thick-skinned, and rapacious beasts.
This also had its advantage, for at the same time he learned theirlanguages. It was not enough to excavate the Suez Canal; it wasnecessary also to maintain it, as otherwise the sands of the deserts,lying on both banks, would fill it up in the course of a year. Thegrand work of De Lesseps demands continual labor and vigilance. So,too, at the present day, powerful machines, under the supervision ofskilled engineers, and thousands of laborers are at work, dredging thechannel. At the excavation of the Canal, twenty-five thousand menlabored. To-day, owing to the completion of the work and improved newmachinery, considerably less are required. Nevertheless, the number isgreat. Among them the natives of the locality predominate. There isnot, however, a lack of Nubians, Sudanese, Somalis, and various negroescoming from the White and Blue Niles, that is, from the region whichprevious to the Mahdi's insurrection was occupied by the EgyptianGovernment. Stas lived with all on intimate terms and having, as isusual with Poles, an extraordinary aptitude for languages he became, hehimself not knowing how and when, acquainted with many of theirdialects. Born in Egypt, he spoke Arabian like an Arab. From thenatives of Zanzibar, many of whom worked as firemen on the steamdredges, he learned Kiswahili, a language widely prevalent all overCentral Africa. He could even converse with the negroes of the Dinkaand Shilluk tribes, residing on the Nile below Fashoda. Besides this,he spoke fluently English, French, and also Polish, for his father, anardent patriot, was greatly concerned that his son should know thelanguage of his forefathers. Stas in reality regarded this language asthe most beautiful in the world and taught it, not without somesuccess, to little Nell. One thing only he could not accomplish, thatshe should pronounce his name Stas, and not "Stes." Sometimes, onaccount of this, a misunderstanding arose between them, which continueduntil small tears began to glisten in the eyes of the girl. Then "Stes"would beg her pardon and became angry at himself.
He had, however, an annoying habit of speaking slightingly of her eightyears and citing by way of contrast his own grave age and experience.He contended that a boy who is finishing his fourteenth year, if he isnot fully matured, at least is not a mere child, but on the contrary,is capable of performing all kinds of heroic deeds, especially if hehas Polish and French blood. He craved most ardently that sometime anopportunity would occur for such deeds, particularly in defense ofNell. Both invented various dangers and Stas was compelled to answerher questions as to what he would do if, for instance, a crocodile, tenyards long, or a scorpion as big as a dog, should crawl through thewindow of her home. To both it never occurred for a moment thatimpending reality would surpass all their fantastic suppositions.
II
In the meantime, in the house, good news awaited them during thedinner. Messrs. Rawlinson and Tarkowski, as skilled engineers, had beeninvited a few weeks before, to examine and appraise the work carried onin connection with the whole net-work of canals in the Province ofEl-Fayum, in the vicinity of the city of Medinet near Lake Karun, aswell as along the Yusuf and Nile rivers. They were to stay there forabout a month and secured furloughs from their company. As theChristmas holidays were approaching, both gentlemen, not desiring to beseparated from the children, decided that Stas and Nell should also goto Medinet. Hearing this news the children almost leaped out of theirskins from joy. They had already visited the cities lying along theCanal, particularly Ismailia and Suez, and while outside the Canal,Alexandria and Cairo, near which they viewed the great pyramids and theSphinx. But these were short trips, while the expedition to Medinetel-Fayum required a whole day's travel by railway, southward along theNile and then westward from El-Wasta towards the Libyan Desert. Stasknew Medinet from the narratives of younger engineers and tourists whowent there to hunt for various kinds of water-fowls as well as desertwolves and hyenas. He knew that it was a separate, great oasis lyingoff the west bank of the Nile but not dependent upon its inundationsand having its water system formed by Lake Karun through Bahr Yusuf anda whole chain of small canals. Those who had seen this oasis said thatalthough that region belonged to Egypt, nevertheless, being separatedfrom it by a desert, it formed a distinct whole. Only the Yusuf Riverconnects, one might say with a thin blue thread, that locality with thevalley of the Nile. The great abundance of water, fertility of soil,and luxuriant vegetation made an earthly paradise of it, while theextensive ruins of the city of Crocodilopolis drew thither hundreds ofcurious tourists. Stas, however, was attracted mainly by the shores ofLake Karun, with its swarms of birds and its wolf-hunts on the deserthills of Gebel el-Sedment.
But his vacation began a few days later, and as the inspection of thework on the canals was an urgent matter and the gentlemen could notlose any time, it was arranged that they should leave without delay,while the children, with Madame Olivier, were to depart a week later.Nell and Stas had a desire to leave at once, but Stas did not dare tomake the request. Instead they began to ask questions about variousmatters relative to the journey, and with new outbursts of joy receivedthe news that they would not live in uncomfortable hotels kept byGreeks, but in tents furnished by the Cook Tourists' Agency. This isthe customary arrangement of tourists who leave Cairo for a lengthystay at Medinet. Cook furnishes tents, servants, cooks, supplies ofprovisions, horses, donkeys, camels, and guides; so the tourist doesnot have to bother about anything. This, indeed, is quite an expensivemode of traveling; but Messrs. Tarkowski and Rawlinson did not have totake that into account as all expenses were borne by the EgyptianGovernment, which invited them, as experts, to inspect and appraise thework on the canals. Nell, who, above everything in the world, lovedriding on a camel, obtained a promise from her father that she shouldhave a separate "hump-backed saddle horse" on which, together withMadame Olivier, or Dinah, and sometimes with Stas, she couldparticipate in the excursions to the nearer localities of the desertand to Karun. Pan Tarkowski promised Stas that he would allow him
somenights to go after wolves, and if he brought a good report from schoolhe would get a genuine English short rifle and the necessary equipmentfor a hunter. As Stas was confident that he would succeed, he at oncebegan to regard himself as the owner of a short rifle and promisedhimself to perform various astonishing and immortal feats with it.
On such projects and conversation the dinner passed for the overjoyedchildren. But somewhat less eagerness for the contemplated journey wasdisplayed by Madame Olivier who was loath to leave the comfortablevilla in Port Said and who was frightened at the thought of living forseveral weeks in a tent, and particularly at the plan of excursions oncamel-back. It happened that she had already tried this mode of ridingseveral times and these attempts ended unfortunately. Once the camelrose too soon, before she was well seated in the saddle, and as aresult she rolled off his back onto the ground. Another time,