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24 January 1912 — Luxor | |
Wednesday. 24th [January 1912]. We started off at 9.30 for the river side & took a boat over to the dahabeeyah “Bedouin” where “the gurls” (Misses Buttles) were ready for us & from there we started for Medinet Abou temple. The girls in a sand cart Eda & I mounted on donkeys. It was a delicious morning & we had a delightful ride of abt ¾ hour. Arrived at Medinet Abou. Miss Janet Buttles showed us over the temple explaining the hieroglyphics & figures– There we were quite alone & saw all quietly & could picture to oneself a little what it all must have been like when it was in all its glory & perfection. It made one realize that priests in all ages love power & mystery in order to keep their power over their fellow men who are too ready to be their dupes. I felt thankful that we Protestants have no priests over our religion. We got back to the Nile & came across to our hotel by 1 o’cl & got luncheon. Read & rested & at 4 started off on foot for the Savoy Hotel to have tea with Marquesa Guadalmina & there met Mme Maspero & Mlle Joanot whom I met last year at the Winter Palace a little French spinster delicate, rich & sad– Mme Maspero is a little French bourgeois lady with grey hair & quiet manners. After this little entertainment we walked back to the hotel esplanade to the dahabeeyah where Countess Contadone is & had a 2nd edition of tea with her. She is up & better. She regaled us with an overflowing dish of gossip—in wh nearly everyone at Luxor came off sadly. How Mr Wejall had had to leave as he had set abt that he had taken the Queen of the Belgians alone to the Tomb of the Kings—how she Contadone had had words with Mme Maspero (which I rather doubt) on the subject. Then she told us how Mr M. dislikes & illtreats his subordinate Mr Legrain &c & we came away with a complete confusion of ideas, except that all these savants were at war with each other. | |
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