Death on the Nile: Chapter Seven  Summary & Analysis

At eleven o’clock the next morning, Simon and Linnet head off toward Philae (with the plan that they will ultimately go to Shellal to catch the Nile steamer boat the Karnak). Jacqueline, on the hotel balcony, watches them go. She does not, however, notice that a car is also departing the hotel, taking their luggage and their maid, Louise Bourget, to Shellal.

Poirot decides to spend a couple of hours before lunch on Elephantine, an island reachable by boat that’s right across from the hotel. He notes two other men making the same boat journey to the island. The men don’t know each other: one is a dark-haired young man, looking ready for a fight, with clothes that look out of place in Egypt. The other is a pudgy, middle-aged man, with a slight accent, and he immediately starts talking to Poirot, taking particular interest in their skilled Nubian boatman.

Soon after the boat reaches the island of Elephantine, the middle-aged man introduces himself to Poirot as Signor Guido Richetti, an archeologist. He walks with Poirot to a museum, speaking first in Italian, then in French. The dark-haired young man loiters near them at first, before eventually going his own way.

Later, Poirot and Signor Richetti see the dark-haired young man again near some ruins on the island. Poirot is distracted, however, when he sees a green sun umbrella that he recognizes as Mrs. Allerton’s. She’s sitting on a big rock with a sketchbook. He greets her politely. Mrs. Allerton complains about “these awful children,” meaning a group of “small black figures” surrounding her, all of whom are holding out a hand and asking for “bakshish” (money, like a charitable donation or a tip). She is annoyed by their persistence and finds their staring faces “disgusting.” Poirot tries to get rid of them, but they keep coming back. Mrs. Allerton says she’d prefer Egypt if she could just get some peace.

Poirot asks Mrs. Allerton why her son, Tim, isn’t with her this morning. She says Tim has letters to send before they take a trip to the Second Cataract (the same Nile boat trip that Poirot and many other characters will be taking). She then mentions her and Tim’s recent visit to Majorca, where her friend Mrs. Leech lost a ruby ring. She wishes Poirot had been there to help her find it.

Mrs. Allerton then reveals that from her window at the hotel, she saw Poirot walking and talking with Simon Doyle. She talks about Simon’s recent marriage to Linnet and the earlier rumors that Linnet would marry Lord Windlesham instead. Mrs. Allerton says she doesn’t know Linnet well but that her cousin, Joanna Southwood, is one of Linnet’s best friends. Poirot is also aware of Joanna, from having read her name in the news. Mrs. Allerton makes a snide comment about how Joanna really knows how to “advertise herself,” then admits that she doesn’t like Joanna, even though Joanna and Tim are good friends.

Mrs. Allerton changes the subject, saying that pretty much the only young person she’s seen around is “that pretty girl with the chestnut hair [Rosalie] and the appalling mother in the turban [Mrs. Otterbourne]”. Mrs. Allerton and Tim find Rosalie “sulky,” but Mrs. Allerton says they may have to act friendly toward her, since she and her mother will be taking the same Nile trip, and they’ll all be stuck on the same steamer.

Mrs. Allerton then says that Tim told her that “that dark girl” (i.e., Jacqueline) was engaged to Simon Doyle and that it must be awkward for them to meet in Egypt as they did. Mrs. Allerton says she found Jacqueline almost scary. Poirot agrees, saying “A great force of emotion is always frightening.”

Changing the subject a little, Mrs. Allerton asks Poirot if all people interest him or if he only takes an interest in “potential criminals.” Poirot replies, “Madam—that category would not leave many people outside it,” an idea that surprises Mrs. Allerton. Poirot adds that he thinks most people would commit a crime if given the right motivation. They discuss several hotel guests—Mrs. Allerton herself, Simon, Linnet, Jacqueline, Pennington, and Mrs. Otterbourne—and come to the conclusion that all of them could commit murder for different reasons.

Mrs. Allerton asks about the most common motives for murder and Poirot replies, “Most frequent—money. That is to say, gain in its various ramifications. Then there is revenge—and love, and fear, and pure hate, and beneficence…” He goes on to discuss murders he’s seen in the past, how murderers often take it upon themselves to play God. Mrs. Allerton jokes that if there are so many motives for murder, it’s a wonder that anyone survives at all. 

Finally, Mrs. Allerton declares that they must start getting back from Elephantine to the hotel for lunch, so she and Poirot go back to the boat, where they see the dark-haired young man and Signor Richetti. Poirot makes a friendly comment to the dark-haired young man about all the great wonders of Egypt, but the young man responds that they make him sick. Poirot asks him to elaborate.

The dark-haired young man tells Poirot and Mrs. Allerton that he feels ill thinking of all the suffering workers who built the Pyramids in order to stroke the ego of some old king. Mrs. Allerton asks if he’d prefer a world without ancient architectural wonders, if the only thing that mattered was “that people got three meals a day and died in their beds.” The young man scowls and replies, “I think human beings matter more than stones.” Poirot comments that stones are more durable, but the young man insists he’d prefer a well-fed worker over any supposed art. Signor Richetti, the archeologist, overhears and gives a passionate but incomprehensible speech in opposition to the young man, who continues to rail against capitalism.

The boat finally arrives back at the hotel, and Mrs. Allerton, Poirot, Signor Richetti, and the dark-haired young man all disembark. In the hall of the hotel, Poirot meets Jacqueline, who is on her way out to go donkey riding. Poirot warns her not to buy any expensive native knick-knacks along the way (which are really cheap imports from Europe), and Jacqueline says she’s smarter than that and then goes about her business. Poirot finishes packing his things, takes an early lunch, then takes a hotel bus to a local station, beginning his journey to Shellal, where he’ll catch the Nile steamer. Mrs. Allerton, Tim, the dark-haired young man, and Signor Richetti travel along with Poirot. Mrs. Otterbourne and Rosalie took a different route but will also meet the steamer at Shellal.

At the busy train station, Poirot is separated from Mrs. Allerton and Tim, and ends up in a compartment with a disdainful, aristocratic old woman (Miss Van Schuyler) and her clumsy, disheveled young companion (Cornelia). For the whole train trip, Miss Van Schuyler snaps orders at Cornelia. The train ride is brief, though, and they soon arrive at the S.S. Karnak, where Rosalie and Mrs. Otterbourne have already boarded.

The Karnak passengers are shown their rooms. Poirot makes sure his possessions are taken care of in his cabin, then goes out to watch the steamer depart and finds Rosalie at the deck rail, looking out at the Nile. Rosalie says she’ll be glad to be getting away from people, to which Poirot replies “Except those of our own number, Mademoiselle?” Rosalie replies, “There’s something about this country that makes me feel—wicked. It brings to the surface all the things that are boiling inside one. Everything’s so unfair—so unjust.” Poirot encourages her not to repress these feelings, to let them come up so that they can be skimmed away like scum on the surface of jam.

Rosalie tells Poirot she had no idea Linnet and Simon would be on the trip, and just as she says it, the two of them come out of their cabin, looking pleased with themselves and talking excitedly about their plans. But just as the steamer pulls away to begin their seven-day trip on the Nile to the Second Cataract, they hear Jacqueline laughing. Instantly, they lose their good humor. Jacqueline claims it’s a surprise to see them, and Linnet says likewise. Linnet and Simon pull away from the group muttering about escape, then in a louder voice, Simon says something about stopping running and about needing to “go through with it now.”

Later, at dusk, the Karnak passes through a narrow gorge. Poirot, watching from the “observation saloon” (a glass enclosed area on the front part of the deck, where passengers can see the river) notices rocks falling down into the Nile as the steamer crosses into Nubia.

Suddenly, Linnet appears beside Poirot and says that she is afraid—the violently falling rocks make her nervous, and she feels she is surrounded by enemies. She feels trapped, and Poirot is sympathetic. She says she’ll never escape Jacqueline, but Poirot suggests something she hasn’t considered yet: hiring out a private boat. Linnet says the problem is, while they’d have enough money, Simon is “sensitive” about things he sees as needless expenses. She hesitates, wondering if she was too open with Poirot, then apologizes for “talking a lot of foolish nonsense.”