Of all the travels of an adventurous age, none have been more quirky and colorful than this Victorian traverse of the Middle East by canoe. Transported to the Suez Canal by steamer, the Rob Roy -- an oak and cedar one-man kayak canoe -- slipped into the water at Port Said and began a six-month voyage from Egypt to the Bay of Acre, a trip brimming with incident and hazards recounted with relish by the intrepid paddler. Stalked by jackals, shadowed by bandits, and attacked by crocodiles, MacGregor battles on to be rewarded with the adventure of a lifetime. This is the Middle East seen from a...