The Snake, the Crocodile & the Dog [antikvár]

EDITOR'S NOTE A brief explanation of Arabic and ancient Egyptian terms may be in order for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with those languages. Like certain other Semitic scripts, Arabic and hieroglyphic Egyptian do not write the vowels. It is for this reason that English spellings of such words may legitimately vary. For example: the hieroglyphic writing of the name of the little servant figurines consists of five signs: sh, wa, b, t, and i or y. (Some of these may look like vowels, but they aren't. Take the editor's word for it, will you please? You really don't want to hear about semi-vowels and weak consonants.) This word may be transcribed into English as "ushebti," "shawabti," or "shabti." note: A glossary of Arabic words and phrases can be found on page 339. Arabic personal and place names are subject to similar variations when written in English script. Fashions in these things change; the spellings common in Mrs. Emerson's early days in Egypt have sometimes been replaced by other, more modern versions. (Dahshoor with Dashur, Meidum with Medum, and so on.) Like most of us, Mrs. Emerson tends to cling doggedly to the habits of her youth. In some cases she has modernized her spellings; in other cases she has not. Since this does not bother her, the editor sees no reason why it should bother the reader and feels that a sterile consistency in these matters might mar to some extent the dashing spontaneity of Mrs. Emerson's prose. (The editor also wishes to remark that she is not the individual referred to in Chapter One. She has absolutely nothing against poetry.) The quotations at the head of each chapter are from The Collected Works of Amelia Peabody Emerson, Oxford University Press, 8th ed., 1990.