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t and then must say good…bye to。 The young ladies and Capt。 Buckle and Cust came down to see me off and Buckle brought me a photo four feet long of Gib； an official one which I had to smuggle out with a great show of secrecy and now I shall be sorry to leave these people。 Just as I wrote that one of the officers going out to join his regiment came to the door and blushing said the passengers were getting up a round robin asking me to stop on and go to Cairo。
Since writing the above lots of things have happened。 I bid farewell to everyone at Malta and yet in four hours I was back again bag and baggage and am now on my way to Cairo。 Tunis and the Bey are impossible。 As soon as I landed at Malta I found that though I could go to Tunis I could not go away without being quarantined for ten days and if I remained in Malta I must stay a week。 On balancing a week of Egypt against a week of Malta I could not do it so I put back to this steamer again and here I am。 Tomorrow we reach Brindisi and we have already passed Sicily and had a glimpse of the toe of Italy and it is the coldest sunny Italy that I ever imagined。 I am bitterly disappointed about Tunis。 I have no letters to big people in Cairo only subalterns but I shall probably get along。 I always manage somehow with my 〃artful little Ikey ways。〃 It was most gratifying to mark my return to this boat。 One young woman danced a Kangaroo dance and the Captain wept and all the stewards stood in a line and grinned。 I sing Chevalier's songs and they all sit in the dining room below and forget to lay out the plates and last night some of the Royal Berkshire with whom I dined at Malta came on board and after hearing the Old Kent Road were on the point of Mutiny and refused to return to barracks。 Great is the Power of Chevalier and great is his power for taking you back to London with three opening bars。 Malta was the queerest place I ever got into。 It was like a city； country and island made of cheese； mouldy cheese； and fresh limburger cheese with holes in it。 You sailed right up to the front door as it were and people were hanging out of the windows smoking pipes and looking down on the deck as complacently as though having an ocean steamer in the yard was as much a matter of course as a perambulator。 There were also women with black hoods which they wear as a penance because long ago the ladies of Malta got themselves talked about。 I was on shore about five hours and saw some interesting things and with that and Brindisi and the voyage I can make a third letter but Tunis is writ on my heart like Calais。
Today Cleveland is inaugurated and I took all the passengers down at the proper time and explained to them that at that moment a great man was being made president and gave them each an American cocktail to remember it by and in which to toast him I am getting to be a great speech maker and if there are any more anniversaries in America I shall be a second Depew。
It is late but it is still the season here and it will be gay； but what I want to do now is to go off on a little trip inland although Cairo is the worst of all for it is surrounded by deserts and nothing to shoot but antelope and foxes and those I SCORN。 I want Zulus and lions。 I shall be greatly disappointed if I do not have something to do outside of Cairo for I have had no adventures at all。 It is just as civilized as Camden only more exciting and beautiful although Camden is exciting when you have to get there and back in time for the last edition。 From what I have already seen I am ready to spend a month in Cairo and then confess to knowing nothing of it。 But we shall see。 There may be a W A R or a lion hunt or something yet if there is not I shall come back here again。 I must fire that Winchester off at least once just for all the trouble it has given me at custom houses。 Something exciting must happen or I shall lose faith in the luck of the British army which marches shoulder to shoulder with mine。 If I don't have any adventures I shall write essays on art after this like Mrs。 Van。 Love and lots of it。
DICK。
CAIRO； March 11； 1893。 DEAR MOTHER：
In a famous book this line occurs； 〃He determined to go to that hotel in Cairo where they were to have spent their honeymoon；〃 or words like that。 He is now at that hotel and you can buy the famous book across the street。 It is called 〃Gallegher。〃 Soin this way everything comes to him who waits and he comes to it。 〃Gallegher〃 is not the only thing you buy in Egypt。 You ride to the Pyramids on a brake with a man in a white felt hat blowing a horn； and the bugler of the Army of Occupation is as much in evidence as the priest who calls them to prayer from the minaret。 I left the people I liked on the Sultey last Thursday in the Suez Canal and came on here in a special train。 It is very cold here； and it is not a place where the cold is in keeping with the surroundings。 You see people in white helmets and astrakan overcoats。 It is an immense city and intensely interesting； especially the bazaars； but you feel so ignorant about it all that it rather angers you。 I wish I was not such a very bad hand at languages。 That is ONE THING I cannot do； that and ride。 I need it very much； traveling so much； and I shall study very hard while I am in Paris。 Our consul…general here is a very young man； and he showed me a Kansas paper when I called on him； which said that I was in the East and would probably call on 〃Ed〃 L。 He is very civil to me and gives me his carriages and outriders with gold clothes and swords whenever I will take them。
It is so beastly cold here that it spoils a lot of things； and there are a lot of Americans who say； 〃I had no idea you were so young a man；〃 and that； after being five years old for a month and playing children's games with English people who didn't know or care anything about you except that you made them laugh； is rather trying。 I am disappointed so far in the trip because it has developed nothing new beyond the fact that going around the world is of no more importance than going to breakfast； and I am selfish in my sightseeing and want to see things others do not。 And if you even do see more than those who are not so fortunate and who have to remain at home； still you are so ignorant in comparison with those who have lived here for years and to whom the whole of Africa is a speculation in land or railroads； it makes you feel like such a faker and as if it were better to turn correspondent for the N。 Y。 Herald； Paris edition； and send back the names of those who are staying at the hotels。 That is really all you can speak with authority about。 When you have Gordon and Stanley dishes on the bill…of…fare； you feel ashamed to say you've been in Egypt。 Anyway； I am a faker and I don't care； and I proved it today by being photographed on a camel in front of the Pyramids； and if that wasn't impertinence I do not know its name。 I accordingly went and bought a lot of gold dresses for Nora as a penance。
As a matter of fact； unless I get into the interior for a month and see something new； I shall consider the trip a failure； except as a most amusing holiday for one； and that was not exactly what I wanted or all I wanted。 After this I shall go to big cities only and stay there。 Everybody travels and everybody sees as much as you do and says nothing of it； certainly does not presume to write a book about it。 Anyway； it has been great fun； so I shall put it down to that and do some serious work to make up for it。 I'd rather have written a good story about the Inauguration than about Cairo。
I am well； as usual； and having a fine loaf； only I don't think much of what I have writtenthat's all。
DICK。
CAIRO； March 19th； 1893。 DEAR MOTHER：
I went up the Pyramids yesterday and I am very sore today。 It sounds easy because so many people do it； but they do it because they don't know。 I have been putting it off； and putting it off； until I felt ashamed to such a degree that I had to go。 Little had never been either； so we went out together and met Stanford White and the Emmetts there； and we all went up。 I would rather go into Central Africa than do it again。 I am getting fat and that's about itand I had to half pull a much fatter man than myself who pretended to help me。 I finally told them I'd go alone unless the fat man went away； so the other two drove him off。 Going down is worse。 It's like looking over a precipice all the time。 I was so glad when I got down that I sang with glee。 I hate work like that； and to make it worse I took everybody's picture on top of the Pyramid； and forgot to have one of them take me； so there is no way to prove I ever went up。 Little and I hired two donkeys and called them 〃Gallegher〃 and 〃Van Bibber〃 and raced them。 My donkey was so little that they couldn't see himonly his ears。 Gallegher won。 The donkey…boys called it Von Bebey； so I don't think it will help the sale of the book。
Today we went to call on the Khedive。 It was very informal and too democratic to suit my tastes。 We went through a line of his bodyguard in the hall； and the master of ceremonies took us up several low but wide stairways to a hall。 In the hall was a little fat young man in a