A Court[yard] at Siout.details

Before we can run in to el-Homra, the harbour of Siout, the river winds so frequently that it appears to lie first on our left and then again on our right; but at least we reach our destination. We steer in towards land between two steamboats and among a host of Nile boats. We keep of the swarm of sellers of pipe-bowls, jars, and other articles in pottery—which are made here of excellent quality and beautiful shapes—and mounting the best of the asses which are waiting for hire, we ride inro the town, over a dyke road shaded by fine sycamores, and past the huge Government buildings. The long bazaar, well furnished with goods, is swarming with people, for to-day is Sunday, and a market-day in Siout, and crowds of country-folk have come into the town, which has 30,000 inhabitants of its own. There is plenty indeed for a European to gaze at in this motley assemblage, but the street-life of Cairo is still fresh and vivid in our memory, and, knowing the greater, we are upt to under-estimate the lesser, so we do not think much of the Sook of Siout, with its crowd of citizens, peasants, and bedaween, and pay small heed to the shopkeepers, who make signs for us to inspect their little stalls, where they watch over many pretty articles of native workmanship, particularly beautiful embroidery on leather and velvet, and we soon make our way out again into the open air. (p. 184)