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surprised by the amount of non-locals who strolled about the street; Luxor seemed a great melting pot of peoples.
       Sandy asked, in his pleasant-natured way, “Now, I am a bit confused. Mr. Farber said that you two would be arriving at the airport, two days ago. Then I received a message that you had caught a ship from France and were headed to Alexandria, with intent of traveling by train to Luxor.”
       Lucy and I exchanged quick glances, and she spoke only after I shrugged. “Yes, well, we had a change of heart.”
       Sandy gave a chuckle and said, “I don’t care for biplanes; crazy contraptions. A big ship, that’s the way to travel. Did you have a pleasant crossing?”
       Again, Lucy and I exchanged quick, nervous glances. She responded, “We had the finest accommodations offered on the particular ship. The trip was uneventful.”
       “Which ship were you on?”
       This question caused Lucy and me to look away from each other before she replied, “The S.S. Amiemois. ”
       Sandy gave a harrumph and said, “Never heard of her.”
       I was not surprised by his lack of familiarity with the vessel, as it was a cargo ship. Lucy and I had shared a very tight cabin that only the two best of friends could have managed in. The ship was quite small, and the rough seas had not been kind to poor Lucy’s disposition. In short, I doubted that we would ever speak of the experiences, unless pressed to recall the dreadful passage.
       Sparing Lucy the effort of a pleasant reply, I responded to Sandy’s comment. “You would prefer one of the flying contraptions over this particular ship.”
       Sandy gave a friendly chuckle and let the subject rest. “Righto. Well, I suppose I should start earning my keep, ah?” He pointed to the west. “Across the Nile there, see the hills?”
       I nodded my chin. What he called hills looked like mountains to me.
      “Those are the Theban Hills, and there is where you will find The Valley of the Kings. Beyond that is the dessert, and no man’s land. Of course, you find some little monasteries and bands of nomads, but that’s nothing the tourists care to see.”
       The handsome man gave a flourish of his hand to the east. “And here is Luxor. Back in the days of the pharaohs, the city was called Thebes. Temples, palaces, this was the place to be.”
       Lucy remarked, “I thought Cairo had been the capital.”
       “What’s that? Oh, yes, well, Memphis was the old-old capital. That all changed in the Eighteenth Dynasty. Invaders took over Egypt, but with the help of the priests in Thebes, these foreigner usurpers were driven off.”
       Lucy smiled and replied, “How interesting.”      
       Approaching the Nile, we arrived at a large hotel situated on the edge of the East Bank of the famous river. Constructed some twenty years ago, the place was quite grand. Faced with white limestone, the building was dazzling in the late afternoon sun. The bulk of the hotel ran parallel to the river, and at the center was a horseshoe-shaped double staircase that led from the street level to the second floor. This effect reminded one of a French palace. At each end of the main building were short wings, housing many rooms.
       Sandy pointed at the hotel and said, “The Winter Castle, Luxor’s modern marvel.”
       The motorcar came to a stop, and a porter opened the sedan’s door. I was surprised that the young man was not a native. He gave me a little bow and said, “Bonjour.”
       The French greeting was quite simple, but always fearful of butchering the language, I replied, “Good afternoon.”
       Sandy gave a chuckle and said, “Righto, the Winter Castle staff all speak English; seems they want to put us dragomen out of business!”
       Lucy and I ascended the stairs, and I was surprised by how mild the temperature was. So many people in London spoke of winter travel to Egypt to enjoy the warmth. I dare say on my first