"And again： how extraordinary the contrast of the serenity and the savageness of the kings！ Raineses， with his placid smile，THE NILE IN NUBIAgrasping the shrieking captives by the hair， is the frontispiece of every temple； and Ammon， with a smile no less placid， is giving him the falchion to smite them. The whole impression is that gods and men alike belong to an age and world entirely passed away， when men were slow to move， slow to think； but that when they did move or think， their work was done with the force and violence of giants. One emblem there is of true monotheism -a thousand times repeated-always impressive and always beautiful-chiefly on the roof and cornice， like the cherubim in the Holy of Holies-the globe with its wide- spread wings of azure blue， of the all-embracing sky： "Under the shadow of Thy wings shall be my refuge.""Beyond Ipsambul， the Nile comes floating， not through mountain passes， but through an absolute desert. The second cataract， by stopping the navigation， terminates the explorations of ordinary travellers； nor is there much beyond to tempt inquiry. In the dim distance two isolated mountains mark the route to Dongola， and they are often veiled in the clouds of sand driven upwards by the winds over the wide expanse of the desert.
WORDS
advantages， benefits.
alluvial， deposited by water. antediluvian， before the Deluge. approaching， nearing.
circuit， circumference. colossal， gigantic. communication， intercourse. conceived， imagined. confines， boundaries. cultivators， agriculturists. derived， obtained. despoiled， robbed. discharges， empties. domain， region.
elevated， raised. excavated， hollowed out. existence， being. explorations， researches. falchion， sword.
frontispiece， decoration in front. fruitfulness， fertility. impressive， affecting. inundations， overflowings. irrigation， artificial watering. isolated， detached.
ludicrous， exciting laughter. marvel， wonder. modifications， changes.
perceptible， noticeable. recorded， mentioned. regularity， uniformity. renowned， famous. sanitary， affecting health. sculptured， carved. serenity， calmness. solitude， loneliness.
squalor， foulness.
suggestive， stimulating thought. supplemented， augmented. swathings， grave-clothes. transition， passage.
tributary， affluent.
vegetation， plant-growth.
NOTES
① Great lakes， namely， the Victoria Nyanza and Albert Nyanza.
② Oases.-Of these are several in Egypt. The principal of them are the Great Oasis， west of Thebes； the Western Oasis， still farther west； and the Lesser； Oasis， half-way between the latter and the sea.
③ Delta.-The triangular tract of land between two of the mouths of the Nile is so called.
It received its name from its re-semblance to the Greek letter della(Δ).
④ Indigo， a plant which yields a valuable blue dye.
⑤ Pompey"s Pillar.-See lesson on The Overland Route， Note 7.
⑥ Mehemet Ali， a famous pasha of Egypt， who began life as a shopkeeper. He rose chiefly with the help of the Mamelukes， the rulers of Egypt before its conquest by the Turks； but he massacred them in 1811. Mehemet Ali died at Cairo in 1849.
⑦ Saladin， a celebrated sultan of Egypt in the twelfth century， who distinguished himself in the time of the Crusades.
⑧ Ibises.-The ibis (a wading bird) was held sacred by the Egyptians.
⑨ Sarcophagus， a stone coffin. (See lesson on Cairo and the Pyramids， Note 9.) The plural， sarcophagi， is used two lines below.
⑩ The bull Apis.-See lesson on Cairo and the Pyramids， Note 11.
Rarieses.-The third of that name， called also Sesostris， who conquered Arabia， AsiaMinor， Persia， and India. He is said to have flourished about 1618 B. C.
Ammon， the chief god of the Thebans， to whose worship the temples of Luxor and Karnac were dedicated.
Osiris， the supreme god of the ancient Egyptians， sometimes identified with the sun，and commonly worshipped under the symbol of a sacred bull called Apis.
Monotheism， belief in a single God.
QUESTIONS
What makes Egypt a habitable country？ How far has the course of the Nile been traced？ What is the breadth of the cultivable Nile Valley？ For what has that valley always been famous？ Upon what is its fruitfulness consequent？ When does the river begin to rise？ What causes the inundation？ When is it at its highest？ When is the land tilled？ When is the harvest reaped？ How many crops are sometimes obtained in oneyear？ What crops are chiefly grown？ What is the capital of Lower Egypt？ What is its character？ Where are the ruins of the ancient city？ When was it destroyed？ What are the two modes of reaching Cairo？ From what point are the Pyramids first seen？ What was the ancient capital of Lower Egypt？ Where are its ruins？ What were recently discovered there？ How far is the first cataract above Thebes？ How many cataracts are there？ What generally shuts in the Nile Valley in Nubia？ What is the character of the country there？ How is cultivation there carried on？ What， above this， is the greatest marvel to be seen？ What remarkable place stands eight hundred miles from the Mediterranean？ What great temple is at Ipsambul？ And what gigantic statue？