I t ( I If! BY ARTHUR J,M,'BENTLEY;M,D,, L- AND REV, C. G. GRIFFINHOOFE, M,A, PART I. DHDEI( THE gHl\BOW OF THE PART II. TO INtfALIDg. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & Co. LTD. 1894. \_All rights resen>edl\ DT PREFACE. THE amateur who, after a brief visit to a land which other people do understand though he does not, ventures to give forth to the world a statement treating of the country in general, and to advance opinions as to what seem to him to be needed reforms, gains for himself well merited condemnation. In writing these pages we have therefore kept before us, as far as possible, our original intention to notice only one particular part of Egypt, a limited area about which our long residence on the spot had given us some right to speak. Our endeavour has been to throw light on an enjoyable way of spending the winter, and to record our experiences in a part of the world which is full of unique interest. In so far as we have mentioned the manners and customs of the Arabs, we have expressed opinions 163^581 VI PREFACE. with which we believe English residents in the country agree. We submit, therefore, these pages to the public trusting that they may go some way towards enlivening the days of those whose lot it is to * winter in Egypt.' LONDON, A. J. M. B. November, 1894 C. G. G. LONTENTS, PAGE PREFACE PART I. Chapter I. THE VOYAGE OUT II. OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EGYPT III. THE DESERT AND THE NILE VALLEY IV. MENA HOUSE ... V. INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID VI. THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS VII. THINGS AS THEY WERE IN MORE GLORIOUS DAYS VIII. BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED IX. ABRAHAM, JOSEPH AND MOSES IN EGYPT ... X. THE BAZAARS IN CAIRO XI. MORE CAIRO SIGHTS ... XII. DRESS OF MODERN EGYPTIANS XIII. HABITS AND CUSTOMS XIV. CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES XV. COUNTRY SCENES XVI. EVENTS OF INTEREST XVII. EXCURSIONS AND EXPEDITIONS XVIII. SAKKARAH AND MEMPHIS XIX. SHOOTING IN EGYPT ... XX. THE SPHINX BY MOONLIGHT... XXI. HOME AGAIN . PART II. HINTS TO INVALIDS II 15 25 28 36 43 5i 54 63 69 76 80 86 96 1 06 no 121 129 146 151 159 LLUSTI\ATIONS, PACK CAIRO ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 BOATS ON THE NILE 22 MENA HOUSE, PYRAMIDS, CAIRO ... ... ... 29 THE DINING HALL, MENA HOUSE ... ... ... 33 VIEW OF THK GREAT PYRAMID FROM THE SWIMMING BATH, MENA HOUSE 45 ARAB WITH WATER-SKIN 59 IN THE BAZAARS, CAIRO ... ... ... ... 72 VEILED ARAB WOMEN WITH WATERPOTS ... ... 83 BRIDGE OVER NILE, CAIRO ... ... ... ... 92 MOHAMMEDANS AT PRAYER 1OO GROUP. OF CAMELS 112 A PALM GROVE ... ... ... ... ... .. 1 26 A DAHABEAH ... ... ... ... ... ... 136 ARRIVAL OF COACH AT MENA HOUSE ... ... ... 154 ENTRANCE HALL, MENA HOUSE 167 THE DRAWING ROOM, MKNA HOUSE ... ... ... 177 MAP ... ... ... ... ... 189 PART I. UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMIDS, BY ARTHUR J, M, BENTLEY, M.D, PHYSICIAN TO MENA HOUSE, CAIRO ; EMERITUS PRESIDENT ROYAL MEDICAL SOCIETY, EDIN. ; FORMERLY COLONIAL SURGEON STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, MEDICAL ADVISER TO THE JOHORE GOVERNMENT, AND PHYSICIAN TO H. H. THE SULTAN. C. G, GJ^IFFINHOOFE, M,A LATE SENIOR CURATE OF ST. ANDREW'S, WELLS STREET ; AND SOMETIME CHAPLAIN OF MENA. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & Co. LTD. 1894. CHAPTER I. THE VOYAGE OUT. WHEN the actual day for leaving England comes, travellers generally find that, with all its faults, they love the country still no better place could be, if only its position on the globe did not necessitate in winter such joyless weather. No one could look very cheerful on the November morning on which we sailed. The clouds were of the dullest leaden hue ; only a little wind was blowing, but that was cold ; London was wrapt in a damp fog, and the dreariness of the docks was appalling ; .so gloomy did everything look that we were not sorry when the vessel started and the last farewells were over. The first meal on board is a somewhat stiff affair ; no one knows his neighbour, and the motion of the ship is unpleasant to constitutions which have not yet become accustomed to the roll. The best way is to go early to sleep ; in the morning things begin to look " ship-shape " ; there is no going back, and therefore the inevitable must be accepted ; but there are sad hearts on board, and well there may be, for partings are trying events. The view at sea is somewhat disappointing and decidedly monotonous, and the proof of this is the 12 THE VOYAGE OUT. joy with which even distant land or a passing boat is hailed. There is a sense of horror, too, about the great deep on a dark night when neither moon nor stars are visible, and as we lean over the bulwarks, all that can be seen is the foam made by the screw and the crests of the angry waves. We have thought sometimes in the silence of that loneliness, when the deck has been deserted by all the passengers, how awful it would be if by any accident we stumbled overboard, and how appalling would be the death in those black engulfing waves, while all who could have helped were being borne rapidly away. We were hardly forty hours from London, and already the sky was gloriously bright, and we could feel the sun ; overcoats were left off, and we experienced a sense of composure, for we knew that for one winter at least the cold was past. We had always heard much of the waves of the Atlantic great and swelling they certainly are. Com- pared with that of the Mediterranean sea, the roll of the Atlantic is big ; but the Bay of Biscay, when we crossed, was fairly calm, and it seemed to us that there was more to fear off the coast of Portugal, where the swell rolls back from those great rugged perpen- dicular frowning cliffs, near to which vessels pass. Within four and a half days from home we were anchored at Gibraltar under that huge rock which appears to have grown there by mistake. We were glad to stretch our legs, and walk through the town, which seems to be the home of shot and shell. The place bristled with forts and " Tommy Atkins" in all his glory was in evidenceat every turn, whilecannon mouths THE VOYAGE OUT. 13 obtruded at corners of the gardens. A regiment of the Queen was at drill ; the pride in our English birth rose up, as well it might ; and we wondered whether we shall ever be foolish enough, as a nation, to let the fortress pass from us. We turned our steps to the town, and were delighted with the shops pottery of capital design can be got here in plenty, and we thought how much it would be prized in London gaily painted and fringed tam- bourines took our fancy, though we are not " Salvation army " admirers ; but in the market we found to otlr disgust that the majority of things to be sold were cheap vulgar Birmingham goods. Strangers of every land are to be met in " Gib," and the Moors cut a striking figure in their sack-like cloaks with pointed hoods. We were sorry to leave the gay bright town, but it was time to rejoin our boat. During more days of calm and sunny weather we saw sights about which we had often heard ; a shoal of porpoises a turtle a shark a spouting whale, and a flying fish all disported themselves for our special benefit. The colour of the sea had uniformly been a deep purple indigo ; the phosphores- cence, too, at night was beautiful, and we had the satisfaction of feeling, we were rapidly making way. A few hours more, and we were at Naples. Boats of all kinds surrounded us, propelled by the handsome light-hearted rowers ; on every side was the twanging of mandolines, accompanied by the rich Italian voice. " Funiculi funicula " and " Margherita " were the songs which everyone sang. 14 THE VOYAGE OUT. We passed our day in the town and at the Museum ; the time allowed on shore admits on some occasions of a visit to Pompeii. Vendors of all kinds of goods were on board towards the hour of departure ; we noticed that the prices fell pro- digiously, as the time available for bargaining grew less. It was dark when we left that lovely bay, and a crack in the side of Vesuvius showed the angry glow of subterraneous fire. Stromboli, with its smoking crater and houses dotted on the green below, struck us as an uncomfortable place in which to live ; but the passage through the Straits of Messina left a charming impression on our minds. CHAPTER II. OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EGYPT. SOMETHING seemed to tell us we were nearing Alexandria, and a look shorewards revealed to us the fact that land was close by. The first sight of the coast is disappointing nothing more than a dull stretch of sand, with ruins of silent forts. To the left shines out in a wealth of splendour the Palace of Ras-et-Tin. Steam was actually being slowed down, and we were passing between vessels of many nations a little more, and we were in port. What a sight it was ! A sea of perfectly transparent blue, rippling in gorgeous sunlight. Before us was an Eastern town, and the houses were actually white. It is curious, after some months stay under that brilliant sky, to find on arrival at what are known as sunny parts of Europe Sicily, for instance how the glory of brightness seems gone. The sunlight of Egypt is to that of Europe as electric light to ordinary gas. A swaying crowd was waiting to board us. Every- one was shouting and gesticulating, and the noise was terrific. There was colour everywhere ; and a con- tinuous procession of turbaned heads of men in " smocks " of light or dark blue ; stately old men wearing the black abayeh, very much like a college 1 6 OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EGYPT. gown ; boys with various coloured waistcoats, and cloths of many hues round their necks and heads ; officers in handsome uniforms ; Cook's men in scarlet jerseys with large yellow letters ; a sight of joy to tourists, for in our travels we have found Cook's officials invaluable. The porters have a strange facility for carrying heavy baggage in the east. The package is supported on the back, and kept there by the hands placed under- neath. We have seen Arabs thus carry cumbersome weights at which an Englishman would rebel. Arrived at the destination, they simply sit down backwards on the ground they seem none the worse, and the box is standing on end unharmed. At last we were on shore and our luggage was borne off to the customs, and quickly passed. A carriage whirled us through the town to Abbat's hotel past lovely gardens, where pointzettias as large as lilac shrubs were in full and luxuriant bloom with what look like flowers of a foot or more in diameter at least. The garden of Abbat's hotel is always delightful : all round it are yellow walls, relieved, however, by the charming green of the shutters ; on one side is a kind of. cloister of the same arrangement ; running across the garden is a small bridge, and as a means of reaching this from below there is a spiral staircase of very pretty design with an umbrella-like top; two stone lions survey the scene of peace : lovely palms sway gently in the breeze ; many birds chirp and hop in pretty cages, and over all the Egyptian sun diffuses its delightful warmth. After a rest we went forth to see the wonders OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EGYPT. I? of the town. It was strange to feel we were in what was formerly one of the greatest cities of the world. Under the Ptolemies Alexandria rose to eminence. It was here that Euclid the great geometrician lived ; here also was once the noted lighthouse and the far-famed library, a great part of the books of which were used to light bath fires, because, forsooth, they were other than the Koran. Here the Septuagint Greek Version of the Jewish Scriptures was made, which prepared the way largely for the knowledge of the Jewish religion and the coming of the Christ. From Alexandria the sainted body of Mark the Evangelist was shipped to lovely Venice. Apollos and Jerome, Athanasius and Antony, Cyril and even Cleopatra were all con- nected in history with this city. Later on it has been famous for the massacre of Europeans in 1882, and the subsequent bombardment. One thing we did was to view the large Greek church close by. Bells clanging as if to wake the dead had warned us it was somewhere at hand and we tried the doors. An Arab proffered his aid, but we refused ; like a leech he stuck to us, however ; at last we were obliged to let him gain the admission which we had not achieved, and a grin of conscious triumph crossed his swarthy face. And here let us remark an Arab who is determined to be your guide will generally conquer in the end ; he knows the ropes better than you, and as very often submit you must, it is better to submit pleasantly and at once. Inside the build- ing we found an absence of anything tawdry. The church like others in the East possesses a highly B 1 8 OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EGYPT. decorated screen ; behind this we passed and found a by no means unusual mixture of neatness and incongruous surroundings. The altar was richly clad, and on it lay the Book of the Holy Gospels covered with a beautiful veil ; by the side of this was a very dirty prayer-book and a small jar containing incense; the lid had on it in English characters the name of a tooth-paste firm. We then turned our steps to the town and witnessed as we passed an amusing fight between two boys, an interested crowd of brother shoeblacks meanwhile looking on. The combatants evinced no very great display of temper, and they rather mauled than hit each other. They were far less keen than London street arabs would have been, for they quite forgot to keep any look out for the officers of the law ; a policeman leisurely approached, gave each a whack, and led both off" to prison. All their anger seemed to have vanished and they were dreamily led away, taking it all as a part of the day's business. The time was up for us to leave for Cairo. At the station we found a scene of confusion ; nothing was known, nothing was in order ; it was quite a labour to purchase cigarrettes and to get the proper change given, for the platform was crowded with touts and guides who made a true Eastern turmoil. After half an hour we got off. The view as we passed along was novel and interesting. The general impres- sion was of sand diversified with the grey green palms and fields of cotton, mud villages with white-washed mosques and quaint Arab cemeteries, rough and primitive in the extreme. Horses seemed to have OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF EGYPT. 19 given place to camels and donkeys, and we remarked how well the ugly appearance of the former fitted in with the surroundings. Groups of striking figures were returning from work along the odd looking roads, birds of many kinds seemed to abound, some were specially graceful, which are commonly called the white ibises, or paddy birds, but are really a kind of heron later on we will say more about them. The scene at the stations en route is always engrossing and we learned that the aim of an Arab's life seems to be to get paid for doing nothing. A ceaseless demand is made for backsheesh ; sometimes it is asked for in return for answering a question or for being a nuisance. This habit of craving for money just because yon have more than they is bad, and a great blot upon the character of the Egyptians. We may well be thankful that to a great extent Englishmen can claim immunity from a similar fault : though we remember hearing once how in college days a friend had saved a lad from drowning, and was somewhat surprised on the following morning to receive a visit from the boy's father asking for money to drink the health of the man who had saved his child's life. The stolid ease and self-satisfaction of the rich and well-to-do was in striking contrast with the down- trodden look of those who were evidently poor. The injustice and cruel oppression which the lower classes for years endured cannot be forgotten all at once. Things are better now, but we have often seen Arabs when they felt they were being treated unfairly put on the most piteous look of consciousness that for B 2 20 OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OK EGYPT. them justice was not to be. Why some of them should be so poor in a land where life is so easily and so cheaply sustained by a diet of tomatoes and bread and lentils is not for us to say,* but very poor many of them are, and their poverty has often made us sad. We remember once seeing a resident at Mena, one of the kindest and most generous of men, give a substantial coin to a poor old blind man who was sunning himself by the side of the mud hovel which he dignified by the name of home. The old fellow was mainly supported by his son, the ugliest and " eeriest " boy we ever remember seeing. His joy at the gift was a sight to see : he promptly hugged the coin in his hand and spat upon it for luck, sorrowing that his poor blind eyes could no longer look upon its form. God reward you ! was the old Muslim's simple prayer. We trust the wish may come true. The train had quickly sped, and we were at Cairo. Porters and dragomans from the various hotels were there in numbers, and the same scene of turmoil to a certain extent had to be gone through. By all means have your decision clearly made before arrival as to which hotel you mean to patronize firmness on this point is needed. We hailed a man wearing the neat and attractive uniform of Mena House, and all our troubles were at an end. We remember once at this station experiencing great courtesy during a difficulty from a young English commissioned officer of the * An Arab once told us that food and tobacco cost him one piastre (2\J.) a day. A field lalxnirer usually receives as wages about three piastres (7i INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID. begun over steps and rubbish heaps to the actual entrance, which is in the north face, some distance above the ground. This in itself is a giddy piece of work, but we soon found a ledge on which to rest before going in. Then begins a descent of some 50 feet down a slippery square passage, too low for standing in, which leads like a rabbit hole into the interior. At the bottom of this we had to stoop, and crawl under a portcullis of granite, only 3 ft. high. Once through this, we found ourselves in an uneven chamber of rock, in one side of which steps had been cut ; up these, for about 10 ft, we had to climb, and then by clambering on to a ledge, we found ourselves in the gallery that led upwards. After a crawl of some distance over polished granite which is so slippery that if we once slid back, we felt we should not stop till we reached the bottom, we arrived at a level space. Again the ascent begins, but for some distance the centre of the sloping pavement of the gallery is cut away to admit of an entrance to another corridor below, and in place of the broad footway, only ledges at the side remain. Up these narrow shelves tourists must crawl clinging tight to the wall ; or else avail themselves of holes cut in the sides, while standing in mid-air with legs far apart, and a yawning hollow beneath. Once past this, the gap in the footway ceases, and except for the slippery character of the stone, the climb is easy. In the King's Chamber there is little to see, but the im- pression of awe struck us, and we realised that we were in the centre of a mountain of stones laid by human hands. INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID. 4! If the ascent is fairly easy, certainly the descent is the harder of the two, and when coming down, we reached the yawning gap with only a shelf on each side down which to crawl, and a good fall below us if we slipped we wondered why here, where so many pass, the idea of making some wooden steps had never entered Arab heads ; until such steps are placed there, the going into the Pyramid can never be other than an awkward climb for ladies, and a not altogether pleasant one for men. We were thankful to get into the open air, and to feel "we had done it." The impression left on our minds is a confused medley of many things air that seemed to have been stagnant for centuries ; dust that pervaded all things ; candles which dropped their grease over clothes and hands ; shining faces and flashing eyes of Arabs ; long galleries of polished granite, which gleamed and looked mysterious in the fitful candle- light ; strong arms and hands of guides, who certainly proved themselves invaluable ; chattering voices which made a horrid din, and echoed and re-echoed in the long tunnels ; scents, partly of spices and partly of measureless antiquity and over all these the sense of heat which, though by no means unbearable, was very perceptible ; and of a great enwrapping horror of darkness which the candles only seemed to make more intense. We had been inside " the biggest " thing in tombs in the world, wonderful in its perfect construction and awful massiveness ; for six or seven thousand years that great mountain has probably been standing. Long before Abraham moved from Ur of 42 INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID. the Chaldees, this structure was already old. Possibly, when it was built, the Sphinx was already carved, and the Temple of the Sphinx may even stretch into the still more dim and distant past. What will have happened in another 6,000 years to those marvels of stone ? Virtue alone outbuilds the Pyramids, Her monuments shall last when Egypt's fall.* * Young's fftght Thoughts. CHAPTER VI. THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS. FOR nearly twenty miles along the desert edge, there is one vast cemetery. From Aboo-roash past Gizeh and Sakkarah it stretches to Dashoor and Medum. No one knows all that lies beneath. Much indeed has been discovered and overhauled, but the continual drifting of the sand effectually covers every thing and has done so for centuries gone by. Without permission of the authorities digging is not allowed, but the stirring of the sand may at any time bring some small treasure to light. Of one thing we may be sure, the Arabs know a great deal ; if there is anything valuable to be found they are more or less acquainted with the spot ; if they let strangers search in peace it is because there is nothing to be obtained. Still there is always the chance of picking something up. Men are but mortal, and robbers of tombs may sometimes drop odds and ends of booty which a European would greatly prize. We have picked up small atoms of interest, although of no value ; but their valuelessness is to some extent compensated by the charm of search. The exploration of any part of that long table land of graves is lull of interest. There are pyramids which look as if they had never 44 THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS. been finished, massive in their solid ugliness,surrounded by rubbish-heaps of stone, and duly set according to the compass, and each possessing on one side a ruined temple, or something that docs duty for one, where the ancient rites were performed ; pyramids great, which in the fading sunlight look like solid gold, and pyramids small ; pyramids which have nobly stood the wear and tear of ages, and pyramids of which the shape is nearly wholly gone ; less important tombs called mastabas.large rambling places which are divided into chambers adorned with painting and sculptured figures and endless hieroglyphs and ornamented recesses, and subdivided into rooms where on entering you experience a fearful sense of oppressive air, and where you bend down in passages until you think your back is broken and realise at last the only way is to crawl. There are also rock-hewn caverns with marks of smoke where the natives lit their fires when they used them as dwelling houses ; caverns that are large, and containing perhaps half-a-dozen rooms all cut out of the solid rock and beautified only by decapitated heroes and gods whose shape is gone ; caverns with wooden doors and inhabited even now; and caverns that are only the abode of snakes and bats. There are great gaping four-sided burial shafts down which it makes you shudder to look, while a stone seems to take a minute to reach the bottom ; shafts too numerous to count which pierce into the very bowels of the earth, down which in the old days the mummies were let by ropes but which are now only nesting places for owls and other birds ; tombs with carved lintels, oddly THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS. 47 placed and now all plundered and desecrated and only redolent with the odour of the dust of years. Insideoroutside these tombs maybe found fragments of many bones, sculls of dark coffee colour with their well-set grinning teeth still intact, pieces of little blue images with which the soul of the dead was supposed to find companionship, bits of resinous pitch that will melt after all these thousands of years, scraps of mummy cloth soaked in natron, bits of coffins and .atoms of necklet ch'arms ; everywhere is interest, but it is the interest of a charnel-house, for the whole place is strewn with bones. The scene is diversified with marks of wild beasts in the sand jackal and lynx and fox and an occasional hyena. Anyone capable of walking will find his afternoon made pleasant by the few following hints about matters of interest outside the general run. At the base of the front of the great Pyramid may still be seen in the original position two of the huge surface stones. So carefully are they cut and cemented that not even a -penknife will penetrate the section so exactly was every stone planned. At the corner of the north-west angle is the iron ring marking the limit to which the angle line extended.* Passing on to the corresponding space before the second Pyramid we see those strange tables of rock on which it is said the stones were wrought. Above in the face of the surrounding wall are some hieroglyphs splendidly cut. As we continue to pass round there are caverns with roofs cut in the * The space occupied by the base of the Great Pyramid is said to be about the size of Lincoln's Inn 1- ields in London. 48 THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS. likeness of tree trunks. Some way to the south-east of this pyramid there may be found a square of ground bounded by natural rock, in one corner of which is a typical tomb. The entrance is down steps under a carved lintel ; inside, the place is full of interest for the tomb is old, and the spot has been made ad- ditionally sacred by the recent burial of a shkh. When we entered our guide seemed terribly alarmed : for a long time he refused to come in, and only did so after saying some prayers with intense devotion. We remember an interesting incident one Sunday afternoon with reference to this particular tomb which was then unknown to us. We walked in this direc- tion ; the day was sweetly peaceful not peaceful like an English Sunday which has a charm all its own, but still a day when all was calm ; our con- versation had for some time flagged : even the one of us most given to making jokes seemed impressed by the occasion and was silent. All around there was a deathly stillness the sunlight slept upon the sand not even a bird soared overhead all was still sud- denly from the heart of the rock came a weird sad sound as of a man in woe. The wail was continued in strange sorrowful modulation in some ways like a Gregorian chant.* We learned afterwards it was a derwish singing within this tomb, which he made his home, verses of * A Bishop who shall he nameless once told us there was nothing new to him in plainsong tones : for in the heart of Africa he had known them as the attempts at song of the native tribes. Certainly around Mena those who care for Gregorian chants can hear, if they keep their ears open, enough and to sprue. THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS. 49 the Koran in that minor key of which they are so fond. The voice was not unmusical, but it sounded uncanny in the extreme. We listened for awhile and then moved nearer ; the chanting ceased ; the holy man had heard our steps, and his communing with his soul for the time was stopped, and once more stillness reigned around. It was as if we had listened to some anthem of a bygone age that reached us from the heart of the earth, and it will be years before the strange effect produced fades from our mind. Not far away may be found Campbell's tomb, which is well worth seeing ; while close by is a deep pit which is generally partly filled with water. Near at hand too is the modern Arab cemetery, which we have noticed in another place. Farther to the south and over the adjoining hill will be found a number of tombs which are well worth a visit and are for the most part un- known to Mena residents. During the last spring the authorities were opening up a royal tomb at this spot royal we were told it was ; and for days we went to look in the hope of being allowed to see the finding of the sarcophagus. We were always told it would not be yet. One day a lady of our party discovered a large piece of painted coffin which had been unearthed ; in temper at its being seen the attendant Arab smashed it to bits. Still later we waited and returned one day to find what we considered sure indications that the opening was over ; we should have done no harm, but anti- quarian research is an impossible idea to the Arabs ; the only interest in this world according to their view is that of paltry gain. D 50 THE CEMETERY OF MEMPHIS. Returning homewards there are the relics of the large causeway along which if report be true were brought all the huge stones wherewith to build. We refrain from noticing other details of interest, except to point out the remains of the temple belonging to the smaller pyramid still standing to the south-east of that of Cheops. Not far too from this may be found a tomb in which is the carefully wrought cartouche of that mighty king. A great deal of interest may be gained by a visit also to the tombs in the hill side immediately over- looking the adjacent village. We have endeavoured briefly to point out how much there is to see apart from and beside the better known show-places men- tioned fully in every guide book. CHAPTER VII. THINGS AS THEY WERE IN MORE GLORIOUS DAYS. WHILE gazing upon the scene around the Pyramids, we have often wondered how things looked in the days of the ancient empire. The same brilliant light enwrapped all around, and made the same striking contrasts of sunshine and shade. The desert was there with its expanse of undulating trackless sand ; the same green of luxuriant verdure in the Nile valley made a pleasing foreground to the lilac tinted hills behind. But surely there was something more attractive than this monotonous stretch of untidy and uneven ground, strewn with fragments of bones and of coffins, and interspersed with awkward-looking remnants of sepulchres, and gaping shapeless pits, and surface dips, which are exactly like pools of sand ; something more worth looking at than these rough partly ruined Pyramids, surrounded by endless mounds of rubbish heaps ; surely some other atmosphere pervading this great cemetery of kings, than the general air of neglect and desertion which now so pathetically envelops what remains. There must have been some brightness and neatness and order, some appearance of life and action, of trees and vegetation about this district which contained the royal mauso- D 2 52 THINGS AS THEY WERE IN MORE GLORIOUS DAYS. Icums of the monarchs of one of the greatest of empires, instead of the present squalor and wretchedness, which the ever drifting sand only half covers up. It would be a relief to many minds if something could be done towards making things look respectable by clearing away the mountains of sand which have drifted where they were never meant to be ; and if some attempt could be made to bring about a general excavation such as that which laid Pompeii bare. We can imagine the scene as it existed of old everywhere order and careful arrangement with no rubbish or refuse ; even the sand kept from encroaching by dint of strenuous care ; the Sphinx and Temple standing out in solemn majesty ; the Pyramids aglow with gold and colour ; the many other temples resplendent with paint and wondrous architecture and graceful statuary ; tombs of all kinds, properly tended and cared for amid avenues of palm trees ; constant processions of stately priests trained in all the dignified ritual of mysterious rites ; everywhere life and activity ; crowds of Egyptians visiting on a holiday, or on many other occasions the tombs of their kings and statesmen just as nowadays people go to see the tombs at Westminster Abbey or St. Paul's and, what is more, many a group of sorrow-stricken survivors arriving to pay the last mark of respect to departed relations or friends ; men, such as Abraham and Joseph and Moses, coming to gaze upon one of the most impressive scenes that the world could produce. Are we wrong in our dream that pomp and splendour of all kinds once surrounded the Pyramids ? We venture to think we are right. THINGS AS THEY WERE IN MORE GLORIOUS DAYS. 53 We may grieve for the cruelty which could make so many lose their lives while working at the erection of tombs, which were to satisfy the pride and conceit of one or two men, but we may be sure that a people who thought so much about the state after death, and who called their homes only " hostels," but their graves " eternal habitations," must always have found a supreme attraction in the spot where were situate the grandest of tombs. If the population of ancient Egypt was somewhere about 6,000,000, as Lane seems to think, then we may be confident that the scene around the Pyramids was one of active interest.* That cemetery was one of the world's grandest conceptions. Even in all its present degradation the pathos of it leaves an ineradicable impression on the mind, and as we think upon all that has been, we can but say " Ichabod," for the glory has indeed departed. * One remark we would make. A large cemetery presupposes the existence of a large town. Although we have little doubt that Egyptians were brought from many other parts of the kingdom to be buried near the resting place of mighty Cheops, still we have often thought that the large number of interments in the neighbourhood points to the fact that Memphis was a city of very considerable size, even larger than is commonly supposed. CHAPTER VIII. BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. THE natural home of conservatism is the East, where manners, ways, and customs are the same now as they were thousands of years ago. The rule of fashion is supreme, but the fashion is one and un- changing. From father to son traditions are handed down ; it would be a crime to suggest that the children could know more than their parents, or that modern ways could surpass the older ones. Change, in one sense, there has been by one nation after another Egypt has been conquered ; Greeks and Romans, Persians and Arabs, French and English have gained the upper hand, and have made some impression on the conquered race and yet all the winds of alteration, which have swept over the land, have after all, left the quiet unobtrusive country life virtually unaffected. Slow is the pace at which things alter, and the ancient Egyptians probably tilled their land, and reaped their harvests, in much the same way as do the Fellahin at the present day. Rulers have come and gone ; dynasties have begun and ended ; nation after nation has tried its hand at governing the country : but still much of the old life survives. Even faces are much the same, and many a donkey boy has features like the statue of BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. 55 Rameses II., and many a memory of the monuments is awakened by the street scenes in Cairo to-day. For those who are familiar with the language of the Bible,Eastern lands have a double charm. The life lived in them at the present time is in many ways an exact representation of scenes about which we have so often read. The Bible is an Eastern book ; the incidents and events it relates all bear an Eastern tinge ; the manners and customs of its heroes and heroines have a significance, when viewed in an Eastern light, which no amount of European knowledge can explain. The life described in the Scriptures was much more like that which may be witnessed in Egypt at the present day than the conventional presentations with which our English eyes are familiar. Egypt diffeis little from Palestine itself in habits and way of thought. One fact which is ever being specially forced upon us is that in Egypt women occupy quite a subordinate position. It is the men who are all-important ; they are the richly dressed persons, and alone are thought worthy of consideration. The " rule of contrary " is worked out under many forms, and the exact opposite of English notions is the custom of the land. As a point of correctness the head is often shaved while the beard is generally allowed to grow ; shoes are removed out of reverence to holy ground or otherwise, while to take off the head covering is an act of disrespect ; writing is made to go from right to left ; in beckoning anyone to come to him, an Eastern motions from himself to the other party ; carriages in meeting take the right side, in passing 56 BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. take the left ; as a rule, if one of two must walVr, it is the man who rides, while the woman has to keep pace by his side ; women are the drudges, and do the hard work, and the men rest in idleness, conscious of their handsome looks ; it is the reverse of good breeding to enquire after a man's wife ; women uniformly veil their faces, and specially the mouth, in the presence of men ; but it is not considered immodest for them to show the ancle, or even part of the leg. Many other incidents which anyone may notice for himself bear a still greater likeness to the ways of life in Bible history. The low oblong " black tents " of the Bedouin tribes, dotted down upon the plain in some spot where forage is abundant, are one and the same with the " encampments " of old. These striped, rag-patched homes of camels-hair canvas are probably much the same as those in which the Patriarchs lived. After residence for a period in one spot, the camels and flocks and herds are collected together.the tents are struck,and with all the furniture are placed on the camels' backs, and the whole tribe moves on to fresh ground. Arrived there, once more the tents are pitched, and life goes on as usual for a time. It is a strange sight to inspect the inside of these desert dwellings ; the women's part is curtained off from that of the men ; crowds of children surround the tents ; the head of the tribe receives strangers with great grace, but is by no means above receiving backsheesh. A Bedouin Shckh, mounted on his camel, adorned with its many rich trappings, his head and body swathed in an ample white shawl, over which is flung the large BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. 57 black cloak, with his long-barrelled rifle in his hand, and his general warlike look, has probably the the same appearance as had Abraham of old. Women come twice daily this task is never per- formed by men to draw water at the stone wells of the desert or the village, with their waterpots poised upon their heads. This habit of bearing weights upon the head conduces to the erectness of stature, for which Egyptian women are famed. It may not be generally known that to lift one of these pots, when filled, and to place it on the head, requires all the strength of a man. The rock-hewn tombs cut in the hill sides, com- fortable dwelling-places too, cool in summer and warm in winter, are very much like those in which people lived in our Lord's time. The tomb of Macpelah in which Abraham and Sarah were buried still remains in Hebron, and probably that place of sepulture was very much like many of the tombs with hollowed-out body-recesses, which may be seen any day round the Pyramids. The houses are mostly flat-roofed, and on these " house-tops " people sit and enjoy the air. To such an extent are they used, that it has been remarked that blind men are generally chosen to mount the minarets of the mosques of an Eastern city, and give the call to prayer, that they may not overlook all that takes place on these roofs ; m?ny of the poorer houses and hovels in the villages round Mena have no roofs at all, save the sugar-canes or " flax-stalks," which are laid cm end, so as to keep out the sun, protection against rain being hardly needed. Pigeon cots will be found in 58 BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. every village tower-like domes of mud, with palm- branches sticking forth from the walls and round these " the doves " whirl and circle in all the joy of freedom. The same rough and primitive ploughs are used now as in the days of old ; to them sometimes may be seen animals " unequally yoked ; " a camel and a donkey do not look well in this connection, more especially as a camel is properly not a beast of draught, but of burden, and, therefore, for such pur- poses is seldom used. Oxen still tread out the corn, with a kind of wooden roller, and, while doing this, the law as to their being unmuzzled seems to prevail. Little children often may be seen leading a whole string of camels, the strange, unloving, yet submissive faces of the latter being a striking sight. The shepherd of the flock still goes before the sheep, meek and mild- looking creatures with long pendent ears, who follow him wherever he leads. Goat-skins, retaining the form of the animal's legs and body, with all the rough hair still attached, are used as water-bags, wherewith to water the roads. Skins, akin to these, once formed the "bottles," which new wine would surely burst. Saises or " fore-runners," clad in gor- geous running robes, go before the carriages of the great, carrying long wands, and crying out that the way must be cleared in front. The outer cloaks which all the natives wear, are useful for many purposes ; men often lie down on them as a bed, or use them as carpets for prayers ; it was these cloaks which the Jewish pawnbrokers were bidden to restore at night. The beds on which the people sleep, are simply ARAB WITH WATER-SKIN. tty permission, from a photograph by Zangaki.) BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. '.QI mattresses often placed on a bedstead made of clay. They are quite light, and can easily be taken up, and carried. The houses are generally built of mud, and could certainly be easily swept away, if .at any time the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon them. There is, too, the sand, in which treasures could easily be buried, of which, indeed, we see evidence all around. There are the birds ever wheeling round, ready to pounce on the stray carcase, which may have, for a few minutes only, dotted the yellow sand. There are the valleys, which are full of bones " bones which are very dry." Dogs of savage appearance prowl round the villages night and day dogs which are nought but scavengers, scorned and despised, fierce and morose, ready, at any time, to eat a Jezebel up. Shoes are easily removed, when the sanctity of place demands ; so too can the loose outer cloaks be taken off, and together with palm-branches, strewn in the way over which great men are about to ride. It is quite dignified for high officials to ride on donkeys, and the sight may often be seen of mother and child on donkey-back, and the father walking by the side like Joseph of old, accompanying the Virgin with the Holy Child. Women are often to be seen grinding at the mill. Children are trained, at least in outward show, to obey their parents in all things. The teacher sits on the ground in the midst of his scholars, just as the Lord " sat and taught " surrounded by His Apostles. In any village quarrel,dust is freely thrown in the air.and the rending of the clothes would not be an unknown sight. " Locusts and wild honey " could form a very 62 BIBLE INCIDENTS EXPLAINED. acceptable diet ; and one understands how, in the desert, thieves could easily " dig " through, and steal the possessions, which are generally in the form of gold and silver bracelets, anklets, jewelry, and raiment. One realises, too, the value of a "hiding-place from the wind," and " a covert from the tempest," and "the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." It is significant to remember how the Israelites, who had, we may feel sure, so often heard of and seen the Pyramids, sick and weary of the desert life in Arabia after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, must have thought the fertile Nile valley was better to live in, albeit as slaves, and how in grumbling des- pair they sighed after " the cucumbers and the melons, the leeks and the onions," and asked Moses, if there were " no graves in Egypt," that he must needs bring them into that joyless barren waste to die. CHAPTER IX. ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, AND MOSES IN EGYPT. IT is well to remember that the Pyramids were not built by the Israelites, but had long previously existed ; and, to be chronologically correct, we must think of those monuments as upwards of a thousand years old when Abraham came upon the scene. We may be astonished when we think of the Pyramids as having been built some six or seven thousand years ago ; but it is a far more difficult question as to what would be the age of those fossilized remains of living creatures which form the very stone of the 'plateau on which the Pyramids themselves are built ; the span of man's existence on the globe, so far as known to history, occupies but a few years after all. When the Pyramids were of a respectable antiquity, and Cheops had been resting in his coffin for a considerable time, some unsettling of the natives in Chaldaea was the secondary cause of bringing Abraham to Syria ; from thence he passed on to Egypt, and after remaining there for a time withdrew to Palestine, where he and Sarah were buried and where, it is believed, their bodies still remain. The coming of Abraham was the first of the connecting links between the history of ancient Egypt and the Bible, and took place probably somewhere 64 ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, AND MOSES IN EGYPT. about the twelfth dynasty. Several kings' reigns were included in a dynasty, the duration of which may roughly be said to be rather over one hundred years ; Cheops, who built the great Pyramid, lived in the fourth dynasty ; eight lines of kings had therefore come and gone since his time when Abraham came. He must have found on his arrival an advanced state of civilisation, if not a civilization of which the climax had been already passed ; for here the curious nature of Egyptian history comes in, that the earlier the dynasty the higher seems to have been the pitch at which art and culture had arrived ; but how many centuries prepared the way for that refinement of civilization which certainly existed in the fourth dynasty, as may be witnessed in the Gizeh museum, we dare not say. Almost alone the Father of the Faithful entered the land, but ere long in large numbers his descendants came to it. Years had gone by, and the chosen family had grown ; the eleven brothers hated the younger, and by their means Joseph was sold to a party of Midianitc merchants travelling by the caravan route from Damascus to Egypt. Friendless he entered the land in which, by a providential chain of circumstances, he rose gradually to eminence. Steward and overseer of his master's house, favourite in the city prison, interpreter of dreams to the king, prime minister and sole administrator of the country, the ' saviour ' and protector of the people, such were the honours to which he attained. He, of course, saw the Pyramids, for the numerous offices which he filled would of necessity bring him in personal touch with all ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, AND MOSES IN EGYPT. 65 places in the dominions as he -travelled about to see what could be done to stem the tide of famine, which resulted from a continuance of low risings of the Nile. Had we been by the Pyramids in those days we say it with all reverence we might have driven over to Heliopolis close by Cairo (the On of Scripture) to see the wedding between Joseph the Premier and Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, one of the high- born priests of the Egyptian faith. The pressure of the famine, which seems too to have been felt in other lands, brought the brethren of Joseph and his aged father into Egypt. We need not repeat the story of those w r onderful chapters, of which every detail fits in with what has been discovered and is now known of Egyptian life. They were bidden to dwell in the land of Goshen,and to make their habitation somewhere not far from Ismailia. The date at which Joseph rose to this high position was probably under the Hyksos or Shepherd dynasty. The kings of that line had wrested the crown from the old Egyptian blood royal, and among them was most likely that ruler, a shepherd himself, who showed such a willingness to promote Joseph, who was come of a race at once pastoral and akin to his own. This solution seems accepted by all the great writers on Egypt,* and it certainly explains the cause of a foreigner rising to such a supremely important position. After another long spell of silence in the Bible record, during which years had gone by, Jacob's sons and * Birch, Prugsch, Maspero, Wiedemann, and Sayce. E 66 ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, AND MOSKS IN EGYPT. their families had become a nation, and all the favourable conditions were changed. The Pharaoh was actively hostile. The old days when Joseph's name was one to which honour and respect were due had gone for ever. Only a grinding slavery existed for those descendants, who as a pastoral race might be supposed to be in favour with the Shepherd kings, who had in their turn been driven out by the old Egyptian race. The growing numbers of the Israelites had become a positive danger, and hence the hard rule was enacted that all the male children should be destroyed. Slavery now began in earnest. Work was the order of the day. Everywhere the Israelites were scourged into carrying on ceaselessly those great building opera- tions of which the ruins still remain. Under Seti I. and under Rameses his son the bitterness of bondage was felt : in the morning the people longed for night, and in the evening they longed for day ; hardly bearable was their daily round of toil. Then came the episode of the birth and finding of Moses. Events shaped their course to favour the prospects of the Hebrew boy ; reared in the royal palace, cared for by a royal princess, he grew learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and doubtless went to the university of Heliopolis, then greatly renowned ; and so gained the training which fitted him for his future arduous task as Prophet, Ruler, and Lawgiver. But his people were still brick-making slaves, ever at work for their hated lords. The building opera- tions on which they were engaged were according to the Bible authority the erection of the treasure cities Pithom and Raamses. By recent laborious investi- ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, AND MOSES IN EGYPT. 67 gation the remains of these very cities have been discovered hidden far beneath the sand. The excavations brought to light the foundations of the town of Pi-Turn (Pithom), situate somewhere near Tel-el-Kebir. For the building of these cities bricks were used. These bricks, some of which are in the British Museum and are stamped with the name of Rameses II., may have been the very ones made by the Israelites of old. Moses had by this time grown up, and seeing one day an instance of oppression displayed by an overseer towards one of his brethren, in his indigna- tion rose up and slew the man, and hid his body in the sand. But he had done a dire act ; his life was in danger, and he had to flee. For years he stayed in Midian, in the south, not daring to return. At last Rameses died, and Moses came back, to be the liberator of his people. His first appeal was received with haughty contempt. In course of time the plagues followed, which were probably spread over several months the darkness of the sandstorm which might be felt ; the unusual prevalence of frogs, and lice, and flies and locusts ; the breaking out of the skin disease : the downpour of hail ; the death of the first- born. Residence in Egypt suggests how dreadful these things might be. In haste the Pharaoh had bidden them go forth from Goshen. They set out eastward, and marched to the bitter lakes, whose waters were probably then joined to the Red Sea below, somewhere near the modern Ismailia. In safety they crossed, while their oppressors perished in the waves. Some seem to E 2 68 ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, AND MOSES IN EGYPT. think that possibly king Mcncpthah stayed at home, and so escaped death on that occasion. In the Gizeh Museum at Cairo, under glass cases, exposed to every vulgar stare, lie the remains of those old kings whom Moses dared at his peril to withstand. The mummied forms of Scti and of Rameses, in all their ghastly glory, still repose in their last long sleep. The bodies of these old monarchs, who were the terror of their times, whose word was law, and who were supposed to be half divine, have been ruthlessly dragged forth from their secret resting places, treated with but scanty respect, and are now looked on as curiosities of a certain interest sic transit gloria mundi ! CHAPTER X. THE BAZAARS IN CAIRO. To ride on a donkey, or to be driven through the streets of Cairo is a delight.* The Mouski is the representative street ; narrow even now, but broad compared with what it once was. Above is the sky of cloudless blue, while the street itself is in shade broken by occasional gleams of brightest sunshine. On cither side smaller streets and still narrower passages open out. The upper stories of the houses generally project, while the windows of moushrabeah work reach still farther forward, until in many of the narrow lanes the houses nearly seem to touch. The dark wood of these windows placed against the light-coloured walls ; the pink and white striped mosques, which every- where abound ; the artistic appearance presented by the architecture in general, and in particular by the finely tapering minarets ; and the Eastern tone which * The usual way of sight-seeing, and visiting the bazaars in Cairo is on donkeys. The authorized Police tariff for these, and for hackney carriages, can be obtained at the Zaptieh, or Police Bureau. Visitors would save themselves the trouble and annoyance of over-charges, by obtaining a copy of the tariff on their arrival in Cairo. The regulation price for a carriage is from six to eight piastres an hour, equal, in English money, to about 1/6. 70 THE BAZAARS IN CAIRO. seems to pervade all things all go to make the scene in Cairo one never to be forgotten. On the roadway of the Mouski itself is a never- ending panorama of moving human forms. Types of every kind of inhabitants may be found there ; all chattering, bargaining, complaining, or singing to themselves. Merchants sleek and fat, clad in wondrous combinations of subdued colours ; stately Bedouins in black and white ; Fellahs in blue with bare feet and brown caps ; Nubians with black, shiny faces well set on their shapely bodies, handsome well- made men, tall and dignified ; negroes with a wealth of grinning teeth ; women with a down-trodden look shuffling along in their dressof dark blue; grander ladies in veil of white and encased in the balloon-like cloak, walking or on donkeys, but all looking awkward and fat, some even driving in English broughams of the most modern type ; dragomans in wondrous baggy trousers ; boys with sad, intelligent faces leading noble-looking donkeys harnessed with bright-red saddles and bedecked with tinkling brass chains. In the general medley, cooped up in the narrow way also, are dogs appearing to have tempers which never could be made sweet, and to possess a close relationship to wolves ; camels laden with huge loads, now of sugar canes, now of planks or stones, caring little for the dire confusion their passage causes ; poor, weak-looking donkeys loaded with more than they can bear ; water-carriers with artistic, brass-bound jars ; lemonade-sellers giving notice of their approach by the clinking of the brass cups they carry ; sellers of sweetmeats, sellers of oranges, < s ^ < a *i THE BAZAARS IN CAIRO. 7$ sellers of cigarettes, all howling out their business in a melancholy street cry ; podgy officials in scarlet fez and European black coat ; still grander Pashas driving in carriages with gaily dressed servants on the box ; tourists and visitors of every nationality ; beggars, mostly blind, and always dirty, screaming for a stray piastre ; people of every hue and dressed in every fashion. Such is the scene the Mouski presents. Arrived at the Bazaars, we find still further wonders. Those who have been to Damascus tell us that the bazaars of Cairo present a genuine Eastern appearance which is nowhere surpassed. Each trade has its own special bazaar, and is probably represented by many shops. In that bazaar nothing else can be bought. The shops themselves are open to the street, and are about the size of and somewhat like the window of one of our very small shops with the glass removed. On the raised floor of these shops the merchants sit surrounded by their goods, which present to the eye in many cases a charming assortment of colour. The lanes of the bazaars are very narrow, and are crowded with passers-by, sometimes diseased and dirty, who jostle you at every turn. As one passes along, quite a bewildering scene of variety presents itself: so many are the things exposed to view for sale. Crockery of all shapes, design, and colour ; saddlery, gleaming with a general tone of red ; bespangled embroidery beautifully made and worked with gold or silver ; fezzes of spotless scarlet carefully blocked and trimmed ; 74 THE BAZAARS IN CAIRO. .slippers in yellow, and slippers in mauve or red, with pointed turncd-up toes ; firearms and weapons of many kinds, some of wondrous inlaid work and antique design, some quite new and ready for butchery to come ; swords with inscribed blades ; daggers in leather sheaths ; pipes red and white, and brown ; spices, and seeds, and powders of every colour and shade ; sweetmeats pink, and sugary, and horrible to behold ; examples of the many uses to which the moushrabeah wood-work can be put ; odds and ends of all kinds ; children's dresses and gay-coloured handkerchiefs, startling in design and mostly manfactured in Manchester ; toys and fabrics of every sort and description and make. Some of the shops are redolent with the odour of wonderful scents, above which tiny streamers of gold and silver foil flutter in the wind and make a soft musical sound. Some display goods of gold and silver workmanship and trays of priceless gems ; while others are rich in beautifully inscribed brass work and a wealth of carpets and rugs. Should the owner desire to go to mosque to say his prayers, he leaves everything just as it is, only hanging a net in front of all to signify he is away. If he be there and ready to sell, a purchase is not a very speedy matter, though we have been told he will think twice before refusing the first offer of the clay. Our first request to know the price of any particular article is met by a counter request to sit down in the shop ; after a time coffee and cigarettes arrive, and a conversation goes one ; we signal to our dragoman that we want to get to business ; the THE BAZAARS IN CAIRO. 75 merchant persists in showing us many other things first. At last we determine to know the price of what we want ; of course, it is exorbitant, and we offer very much less ; the shopman evinces amusement and contempt, and we depart. Before we have gene far, however, we are summoned back, and the bargaining is repeated ; his price comes down, and our offer rises ; possibly, someone else will enter the fray, and take the merchant's part, and all the while beggars persistently bother us. At last we warn our dragoman he must bring things to a close, and that we shall give no more than we have offered. The bargain is at last concluded, and we feel confident that we have been swindled after all ; if we are wise, we demand backsheesh before depart- ing : a concession which the merchant, knowing that he has made a good profit, can well afford to give ; we retreat at last, half wondering whether the purchase has been worth the trouble. After constant practice we found that we became so inured to the ordeal that we grew quite bold in our demands, and obtained what we desired after a period of haggling which, considering we were in the East, was brief indeed. CHAPTER XI. MORE CAIRO SIGHTS. THERE are several Coptic churches which are well worth a visit. The way to them is a dusty one, leading to old Cairo, where they may be found mostly situate in the ' Ders ' or walled-in districts which are inhabited by the Copts. A wealth of paintings of saints, remarkably well done, grace the walls of these churches, while inlaid work abounds in pulpit or in screen ; in arrangement and in ' oldworldism ' they are very interesting. Whether the story that the Holy Family came to the region of the pyramids, in their flight from Herod's wrath be true or not, is not a matter for us here to enter on. To Egypt the Infant Christ was taken ; and it is almost certain that His parents would in that land have made for the abode of Jews ; a determination which may very likely have brought them into the region of Cairo. The tradition tells that Mary and Joseph and the Divine Babe, on entering Egypt, came to Helio- polis, where a tree is still shown, marking the spot where, in the well hard by, the Virgin washed the travel-stained clothes ; from Heliopolis they passed to Cairo, and there for a time remained. MORE CAIRO SIGHTS. 77 Around one of the oldest of the Coptic churches in Cairo, that of Aboo Sergah, hangs the odour of sanctity, for in an ancient stone vault, below the floor of the present church and far below the level of the modern city, is shown the resting-place of the Holy Child and His Mother. Certainly the Citadel must be seen. Arrived at the summit of the crag on which it stands, you find a perfect view of the city and the river and the Mokattam hills behind. It was from the Citadel rock that the Memlook took his memorable leap, and landed at the bottom unhurt. The mosque of Mehemet Ali, built, let us hope, in expiation of evil deeds, is beautiful in its way with its alabaster walls and lovely carpets and a wealth of lamps which hang like gold fish globes from the roof. It is new, and therefore in better order than other mosques, and about the size of, and in someways not unlike, the Dome of St. Paul's. We remember one night driving in from Mena to .see the ceremony of the Leilit el Kadr, when the Khedive goes to this mosque to pray. By faulty information as to the time of service we arrived a little late, and met the Khedivial cavalcade returning to the Palace. We pressed on, however, and arrived in time to have the doors shut in our faces. Not even one fair look were we allowed to have, despite all our entreaties. We had driven ten miles out, and we had before us a drive of ten miles back. It was certainly a hardly bought experience, for from the glimpse we had of the interior we gathered that the effect of the building when lit up, about which so very much is said, was most ordinary after all. 78 MORK CAIRO SIGHTS. The mosque of Sultan Hassan at the foot of the hill is one of the oldest of the lot, ragged, and in bad repair for the Arabs erect new buildings, but never restore the old but yet venerable in its wealth of malachite and marble. Some of the other mosques of the city are covered in and dark, while some are completely open to the air. The noted mosque of El-Azhar forms the University of Cairo, and is regarded as one of the most important of the Muslim schools. In the huge courtyard with its wealth of columns may be seen many a small circle of Arab boys clothed in a variety of colours, seated on the ground, and listening to their teacher, or committing portions of the Koran to memory. That of El Touloun is a huge quadrangle open to the sky and surrounded by a cloister which alone is roofed. Reiterated visits to them grow monotonous, for there is a sameness about them all and an emptiness which we do not admire : though the kibla or niche-like ' east end ' and the pulpit are often superbly decorated with marble, and the walls are lined with coloured tiles. Before all things else in interest comes the wonderful Gizeh Museum. The gardens in which it stands are well worth a visit, laid out with true Eastern magnificence. But the marvels of the interior are unsurpassed. We have alluded elsewhere to the most important mummies ; once we remember going into a small room where many of these swathed forms, not yet ticketed and labelled, were lying around ; by the scent of the room it was all too plain that even mummies will not keep for ever. To the two well known statues of Ra-hetep and MORE CAIRO SIGHTS. 79 Nefert we draw attention to remark upon their age and perfect execution. Dating probably from the time before the Pyramids were built, they yet display great finish. Very life-like is their expression, and it is due to the arrangement of the eyes, which are inserted in an eyelid of bronze ; the eyeball is of quartz, the iris of crystal, and the pupil looks like a nail-head in the centre ; but so perfect is the imitation that we felt in some way the figures must be instinct with life. Other statues there are of almost equal interest ; we refrain from mentioning more, except to advise a search for the dark diorite stone figure of Cephren, who built the second Pyramid, which was found in the Temple of the Sphinx, and the wooden statue of the Shekh el beled, which looks life-like in its portly stateliness. The jewelry in the museum is of perfect workman- ship and beauty. There is plenty of it to be seen ; and the find that caused such a sensation in the spring of 1 894 is said to be equal to, if not to surpass in excellence of finish, those productions for which Bond Street jewellers are nowadays greatly famed. Hours may be passed in this most deeply inte- resting place, and still half of the wonders left unseen. CHAPTER XII. DRESS OF THE MODERN EGYPTIANS. ROUGHLY we may divide the Mohammedan inhabit- ants into members of the higher class, and Bedouin and Fellahin. The complexion of the higher class of Egyptians is very much the same as that of a Euro- pean ; while the coffee-coloured face of the Bedouin is thinner and less round than that of the Fellah, but it is often hard to distinguish them apart. The Coptic Christians, of which there are many, and who generally hold positions in the Government service, are supposed to represent the old Egyptian stock, and certainly their profile is at times not unlike the portraits delineated on the monuments but inter- marriage among the various sections of the population greatly obliterates the distinguishing features of all. The general dress of the Egyptian official is very much of a European cut ; he (and among the Copts this is specially noticeable) wears ordinarily a kind of black frock-coat of a clerical cut, his head being covered by an ordinary red fez. Next to these officials, high or low, as the case may be, comes the class of the town merchants gaily clad gentlemen they certainly are, often of large build, but with a fat, pasty-looking face. The dress worn by DRESS OF THE MODERN EGYPTIANS. 8 1 them is purely Eastern, and is varied in colour, any shade and combination they choose being permissible. These merchants are generally clad in a dressing- gown like garment reaching to the feet of striped silk and bound round the waist with a handsome girdle over this robe, which has long sleeves, is worn a kind of ordinary cloth coat, also reaching to the feet, generally of one plain colour, subdued brown or blue, or mulberry or maize ; the head is often shaved, and swathed in a large turban of white or possibly green or yellow muslin. Such is the dress of the townsman of position. The Bedouin is of a quite different race. In his own estimation he is a lordly gentleman, and it. is against his principle to dwell much in towns'. He is supposed to belong to a race which lives in tents, and to be a free-born son of the desert, whom none can tame ; but circumstances are now greatly changed. The one thing against which he revolts is military conscription. As a rule, his dress is a study in black and white ; the plain calico cassock which he wears displays a piece of the yellow waistcoat beneath ; but he is fond of wrapping both head and body in the ample folds of a voluminous finely spun Algerian shawl. Over this he will wear the black cloak, very much like the gown of a college don, and will at times tie a gaudy silk scarf on his head, with the ends falling down over his shoulders and neck, and so make himself look not altogether unlike the Sphinx. The ordinary Fellah is the agriculturist, living in the villages around. He is a poorly clad person, his clothes being often much torn and in rags. His dress F 82 DRESS OF THE MODERN EGYPTIANS. is a kind of long blue shirt, under which appears at times a yellow or red waistcoat ; if he has a girdle, it is of leather (like John the Baptist of old), and his head is covered with a brown felt skull cap, round which a white turban is sometimes bound. On some occasions he will wear a cloak of striped camels' hair, white and brown, of striking appearance. His whole dress is rough, and often dirty ; his feet are unshod, and his person is not kept very clean. The dress of women of the lower class is always a kind of dark blue robe which hangs very loosely from the shoulders, and has very long sleeves ; the head is covered with a black muslin handkerchief which hangs down far behind, and this they use to cover the mouth when need arises, for they often wear no other veil ; their necks and ears are loaded with cheap but glittering orna- ments. The dress of the women of all classes is very much more sober than that of their lords. In the towns they wear over all else a dark blue and white sheet-like garment which wraps in head and dress as well, and makes them look like walking sacks ; the eyes alone are visible, for all the rest of the face is thickly veiled in black. The grander ladies are generally more carefully dressed, sometimes in pink or other colour, with a white face-veil, but over head and dress alike is placed the usual large overall, in this case of black silk which fills out when the wind catches it, and makes their figures look like an inflated balloon. The ladies who are at the top of the social scale wear much the same, with the exception that the face-veil is of the thinnest muslin, and is scarcely a blind at all. The beauty of VEILED ARAB WOMEN WITH WATERPOTS, (By permission, from a photograph by Zangaii.) F 2 DRESS OF THE MODERN EGYPTIANS. 85 the eyes of Egyptian ladies, all deeply painted round with " kohl," quite makes up for the hiding of their other features which are hidden by the veil. Two more classes of men we must mention, and first the dragomans. They are of many nationalities, but the general arrangement of their dress is as follows : large baggy Turkish trousers, looking like a " divided skirt," drawn in at the ancles and very often of a brilliant hue ; a waistcoat of different and equally dazzling shade, and over that a short jacket very much like that of an Eton boy, of another gay colour ; over the head is arranged the handkerchief of silk a gaudy dress it sounds to English ears, but then Easterns have an inborn facility for choice of colours which though brilliant, blend in exquisite accord, and never clash. One more class we must notice the saises who run in front of carriages of great officials, and wear a striking garb. They are clothed in a thick, white, amply pleated muslin shirt and knicker- bockers, bound round the waist with a wondrous sash of gay coloured silk ; the braided sleeveless waistcoat generally of scarlet and gold, and the red skull cap, with an extra long tassel of blue, complete the get-up. The effect of these runners, as with their white sleeves and trousers, both made very full, showing off against their dark skin and legs bared below the knee, the}' run through the streets, clearing the way with their long wooden wands, is imposing in the extreme. CHAPTER XIII. HABITS AND CUSTOMS. THK manners of the Arabs are certainly taking ; graceful and courteous they naturally are and they walk with a studied bearing ; they are mostly fine fellows and very fond of a joke, though their faces sometimes bear a sad and pathetic look ; old age draws on very early, and then their ugliness is marked. Men's faces are often lined with scars, two or three parallel cuts having been made on the cheek, either for luck or so that their mothers might not mistake them ; while their arms (and specially the chins and foreheads of the women) are often tattooed. Where an Arab has the advantage, is in his beautiful dreamy eyes, and his perfect teeth ; the latter, especially when first noticed, are striking by their cleanliness and spotless whiteness ; the exact arrangement and absence of all decay, made us feel that artificial teeth in Egypt can seldom be in request. We have been told that bone picking and meat tearing with the teeth is what we need to practice if the growing degeneracy of English teeth now-a-days is to be stayed. It may be the perpetual chewing and biting of sugar cane among the Arabs that conduces to the preservation of their teeth, certainly it seems to conduce to their strength. We tried with our feeble HABITS AND CUSTOMS. 87 masticators to tear some sugar cane one day ; we made not the slightest impression but gave ourselves con- siderable pain ; and we found difficulty in cutting the cane even with a knife, though they rend it like orange peel. The Bedouins make most excellent guides ; they can, too, be very useful in helping you to climb ; and the way in which by holding your arm on either side they lift you easily over obstacles is charming to experience. They are ever on the look out to sell you some old bit of rubbish, or even modern imitations of ancient curios, all the time declaring that they are providing you with a genuine " anteeker " and that you may indeed trust them. Their demeanour is usually very calm, sedate and self composed, but they are very much disinclined for work, except it be for handsome pay. Their delight is to sit in the sun and smoke. They wear shoes, it is true, but if any speed be required in walking, they take them off and carry them, thus shewing what their true idea of comfort is. An Arab if he is well paid for it, will start from the hotel, tear up the Pyramid, come down again, and return to the hotel, all in about 12 minutes.* A strict Mohammedan has an honest dread of being photographed, for to make a picture of anything, u forbidden by the Koran ; the aversion to it is of course of necessity now gradually dying out, but he who submits to have his picture taken, expects large backsheesh in return. * We believe the practice to be a very dangerous one, for such sudden and violent exertion must cause a great danger of a chill if nothing worse. HABITS AND CUSTOMS. The conception of play and recreation hardly enters into the life of the Fellahin ; theirs is an existence of work for gain, and when that is attained of idleness ; amusement seems to be an idea not realisable, for the heart has been taken out of them by years of oppression. Things are better now, but the cringing down-trodden look remains. However hard they worked in the old bad days, they were always heavily mulcted in money or in kind, and had to give up much to their betters. The rapacious Pashas wanted money somehow, and so the Governors of the Provinces oppressed the Nazirs or mayors of the towns ; the Nazirs oppressed the Shekhs ; and the Shekhs ground down the Fellahin. We growl about a middleman in England ; in Egypt there were half a dozen middlemen, but the taxes are collected fairly and equitably now. Dirt is not a thing which perturbs the poorer class very much. Their religion teaches them to wash, but the washing is often done in water which is used by all, and is never changed ; for the tanks in the courtyard of the mosque are replenished, but never cleaned out. The better class of persons are of course much more cleanly in their habits. We have often asked the boys, why they wore such dirt}' clothes, when water was so cheap? the answer seemed to be, that washing wore the garment out. The girls are even worse than the boys, which may be attributed to the fact that they are engaged constantly in collecting manure wherewith to make fuel for the oven fires. The women too, have a very dirty look ; and the ugly fashion of staining the nails HABITS AND CUSTOMS. 89 a brownish red colour with henna, is with them the height of fashion. Mothers, we have been told, regard the washing of their infants until they are two years old as harmful to a degree ; two years' dirt on a child is not a pleasant thought, and goes some way to account for the large infant mortality. They generally carry their children by placing them astride on their shoulders, and they quickly hide them if you look at them, fearing the evil eye. The same occult and baneful influence is feared for the camels, many of whom wear as a talisman, a portion of the Koran, which the owners feel must save them from harm. It is unlucky to drive away flies from the children's faces : we have often seen the eyes literally surrounded with them, and no effort taken to prevent it ; it is therefore not to be wondered at that ophthalmia Largely prevails. Many of the Arabs are blind in at least one eye, and their blindness is very disfiguring, and makes them assume a piteous look. Cripples of all kinds too are to be seen, and they make their lameness an excuse for extorting backsheesh. It is the custom of the villagers, if they have the chance, to ask Europeans to dinner, or at least to coffee, and presents are expected in return. We have never ourselves accepted these invitations, for we feared that the coffee might be boiled with water drawn from the village pond. We remember how once, when we were visiting a Bedouin encampment for a brief space, we gave as presents things that would please a child ; the great shekh of the tribe 90 HABITS AND CUSTOMS. being delighted with a small hand mirror, in which he viewed himself with glee. One specially noticeable piece of furniture in Egypt is the open wicker work frame, made in the shape of a box, which does duty for so many things. These frames are strongly and simply made, and adapted to many purposes. They are used as bedsteads and covered with a mattress, as divans, as seats, as book- rests, as baskets, as cages, as tables, as provender bins, as travelling boxes, and in other ways. It is interesting to see a man climb the branchless trunk of a date palm ; he places round the tree a loose loop of rope, which is attached to his waist, and by jerks he manages to raise himself, planting his feet firmly against the stem until very quickly he is at the top of the tree. Bedouin and Fellahin alike are cruel. Far too many sad sights have we seen to hesitate to say this. Donkeys, staggering under a load of clover too heavy for them to carry, are mercilessly beaten if they stumble ; while often under the saddles which look so nice their backs are painfully sore. For birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and insects the natives seem not to have any kind thoughts, unless it be for their own camel or horse. Once we rescued a lynx, of course by paying for its release, which was tightly bound round the legs ; as we gave the money we threatened our displeasure if the Arab tried this manoeuvre to get money again. In many respects the ordinary inhabitants are strangely patient and respectful of the law. We remember from the top of the Barracks witnessing the HABITS AND CUSTOMS. 93 state entry of his Highness the present Khedive, into Abdin Square, after his sudden accession to the throne. The official procession was followed by a surging mob which broke the line and threw all things into disorder. The police had hard work to keep back the crowd ; but the way in which they went to work was to hit as many as they could sharply on the head with a stick. In England those policemen would have met with opposition, but the Arabs took it very quietly. On another occasion, near the Nile bridge, an old man got in the way of our victoria ; it is difficult indeed to make them move on one side ; and before we could prevent it, our driver had furiously lashed him over the shoulders with his whip. The severity of the blow made us shudder the old man started and stared, but that was all. We made it our business to study, as far as we could, the characters of the Arabs we came across, and for many of them we formed a great liking. Our guides Mohammed and Abdul Salam Dobree were all that we could wish. Arabs have their faults, and they are many ; but we certainly found that with them as with all people in the world, kindness pays. We have sometimes heard apparent gentlemen speak to Arabs as if they were dogs ; that they can be annoying at times, we well know ; but after all they are human beings, with the same strange ambitions and sensibilities as our- selves ; and one who fails to recognise this will never understand the Arab nature. The Bedouin in a way considers himself a gentleman, and as such he ex- 94 HABITS AND CUSTOMS. pects to be humanely treated. If you want to get real help from him by treating him civilly alone will you succeed. There must always be remembered the difference of religion and race and ancestry. He sees no wrong in what to you is mean and despicable ; and if you would convert him to your way of looking at things, you must not despise the level to which he has already attained. We say and we believe it to be true, that when you have once won an Arab's heart, you have gained in him an unwaver- ing friend, who will serve you faithfully and well. We have often seen the boys of Kafra enjoy a game of football on the sands in the evening hour. They play with unshod feet, and this says much for the strength of their joints. One day to Kafra there came a primitive merry- go-round. It consisted of some rough wooden seats which were swung round like a millwheel. The preparing of proper sockets or the use of oil or grease did not occur to the Arab mind, and the piteous aggressive groaning of this awkward machine, while hour after hour it was patronized by the boys we shall never forget. We wonder how the first few lines of the " Elegy written in a Country Churchyard," would have been adapted, had Gray had Egypt in his eye. Nearing the hour of sunset, all the villagers may be seen returning from their work ; men and boys in brown and white, going before flocks of peaceful looking sheep and goats women with baskets of tomatoes on their heads children riding ugly looking buffaloes grandly dressed men sitting astride small donkeys HABITS AND CUSTOMS. 95 camels carrying loads of clover all join in one long procession to the village gate. We were much amused by a donkey boy, who had achieved the high honour of being sent on show to the World's Fair at Chicago. He had returned with the superior bearing acquired by travel, and with the dignified surname of Toby. His reply to our morning salutation was always " I'm all right, t'ank you. How's y'self?" We asked him whether he would have liked to remain in America. " No," he instantly replied, " I no wish to talk by my nose." The New World had clearly failed to impress the Old. Arabs never can tell you how old they are ; even the boys have no clear statement to convey to you as to their age or even their birthday. We remember asking one respectable-looking Arab, how many summers he had seen. He seemed in serious doubt, and solemnly replied he was not sure whether he was 49 or 94 ! CHAPTER XIV. CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. EGYPT was once a Christian land. Its close proximity to Jerusalem made it one of the first countries to which the early preachers of the new faith came to convert people to the worship of a Greater than Osiris. Bishops, priests, and deacons abounded ; and those who know Kingsley's " Hypatia " will remember how important a Christian colony Alexandria became in. later years. The country submitted* to the Mohammedan conquest some years after the flight of Mohammed. The ancient Church, however, never died out, but continued to exist, and the ancient Egyptians are represented now by the Copts, though intermarriage of all kinds has prevented the distinctions of race from being very strictly kept. Persecution, bitter and severe, has swept over these Egyptian Christians ever since Diocletian's time. But to-day they still exist as a genuine body, and entitled in many ways to great respect. On their arms is generally tattooed the mark of the Cross. Proud of their ancestry, and clinging through all troubles to the faith, they were the first to welcome the protectorate of the English. Their liturgy is dignified and ancient, reaching back to the times of St. Mark ; and their ritual is very striking. * About 640 A.I). CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. 97 Their churches may be seen at many places in the country, in the midst of the ' Ders,' or fortified townships in which they still generally live. It is true that their churches are dirty, their services somewhat irreverently performed, and their whole religion rather lifeless, but still in name and in practice they are Christians. The foundation has been laid, and though at the present time it seems that little can be done to raise them and give their priests a semblance of education, still in them is the nucleus of better things, and if Egypt is ever to become more largely Christian, most assuredly the power of the Coptic Church must not be ignored. It was our privilege on the eve of the Epiphany Feast to attend one of their solemn gatherings at the new cathedral in Cairo. We started for the service about 9 p.m., and passing through the narrow streets and more or less crooked short cuts, we found the church fairly well filled. On this one night in the year there was formerly observed a great ceremony of the blessing of the Epiphany tank of water, in which members of the congregation were plunged, in memory of the Baptism of the Lord. This rite has for various reasons ceased, and the only survival now is the special blessing of the people by the Patriarch, who signs them with the cross. Like other Eastern churches the sanctuary is divided from the nave by a lofty screen which hides nearly all behind it from view. The building was lighted with candles, and there were two rows of choir boys, or acolytes, clad in white with gaily decorated 98 CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. scarves. All were bare-footed, as in the presence of God, and wore the red fez. The Patriarch an old man of no very prepossessing appearance was there, clad in a gorgeous cope of blue and gold. To this was attached a tasselled hood which he wore during the service. The old man swayed in his walk, and the constant swinging to and fro of the tassel from his hooded head resembled the motion of a pendulum. Attendant bishops were there standing round the altar in equally gorgeous robes and surrounded by assistant priests, some of them with heads covered right through the service. The singing of the choir was not inspiring. An elderly man kept the others in order and accompanied the music with the clash of cymbals, no organ being allowed in Eastern worship. In the middle stood the desk on which was placed the Gospels. From behind the screen from time to time the Patriarch appeared to give the benediction with his cross. The Kyrie was solemnly sung, and the Gospel read first in Coptic by an official in ordinary dress, and after that in Arabic by a deacon who chanted it clearly to the people. The mass with its attendant ceremonies was duly celebrated. We were only able to stay for part of the service. After we left we were told there was a long sermon preached. The whole function gave us much to think about, and despite the seeming perfunctoriness which somewhat marred the effect, we felt we had witnessed worship which in many points was like that of the Apostolic days. After this service, which was so clearly Christian, it was strange to go out into the streets and feel that MOHAMMEDANS AT PRAYER. (/>> fcrm'.utOH, from a ffiott^raftt fry Zangaki,) CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. IOI after all we were in a thoroughly Mohammedan land ; for although in Egypt there are many Coptic Christians, the prevailing religion of the country is that of Mohammed. Christianity once held sway with a vigorous Church, but the dissensions of parties, among other causes, made way for the Arab conquest. The outward expression of Mohammedanism is attractive ; drunkenness is looked upon as horrible, and a special Christian failing ; forms of prayer are rigidly practised in public rather than private ; though the instances of Arabs spreading their cloak by the way side and praying are less frequent than they were. The mosques are often crowded,especially on Fridays, by whole rows of worshippers apparently absorbed, who prostrate themselves on the mats. Mohammedans constantly read the Koran, and tell their rosaries, and keep the stated fasts and feasts. They have a respect for most of the Jewish and even many of the Christian saints, and agree with Christians in many ways, but they hold a faith of a distinctly lower order, and there are dark spots in their practice ; their often brutal treatment of women, and the facility for divorce ; the hard, chilling fatalism ; the utter want of spirituality ; the lack of appreciation of truthfulness ; the degraded tone of morals ; the failure to make religion sanctify the life these, and many other things made us feel only too well where they come short. Their reverence for Allah is supreme : and there is ever present to their minds the dread of incorrect thought about His unity. They constantly repeat, as if in terror of forgetting it, " there is no God but One." 102 CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. Missionaries, we are told, work among Moham- medans generally with wonderfully small success. Into the reasons for this failure we dare not venture to intrude, but one thing we say : If the conversion of Muslims to the Christian faith is to be achieved, it will only be by the missionary primarily stating the fact that while Muslim and Christian worship the same God, " Allah, the merciful, the compassionate," yet the Christian can teach the Muslim a better way to pray, through the merits of Him who was alike God and man. The exaggerated fervour of worship, which is practised among some of the derwishes, is an excres- cence on the ordinary state of religion, and corresponds to the vagaries of the " Salvation army " among ourselves. We went one night to see a thanksgiving service on an important occasion, close by Mena. Lamps swung from the roof of the tent which had been specially erected. When we arrived we found in the dim light about sixty men of whom some were derwishes. Forming themselves into two long rows they faced each other, and began their strange devotions. Two musicians playing on a kind of flute produced most mournful music, very much like that of bagpipes in distress. The monotonous wail seemed to excite those who were present to a pitch of fervour. They jumped as if they were hung on wires, and all the time hardly lifted their feet from the earth. With perfect drill they rolled their heads from side to side, and then swayed their bodies forwards and backwards. They knelt and did the same. They rose up and faced the music, and then turned sharply round. This CflRISTIAN ; AND ; MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. 163 continued right through the evening, everyone meanwhile uttering a deep gutteral staccato 'Allah.' At times one of the number would get worked up- to a pitch of frenzy ; then totter the whole length of the tent, and, with eyes glaring and nostrils- dilated, violently roll against the rest, who somehow saved him from falling. Until he recovered he was laid flat on the ground. The whole thing was a continual repetition. We admired their simple faith which expressed itself in the utterance of the " High and Holy Name " ; but how a great Englishman once brought himself to speak with favour of this kind of worship we certainly cannot tell. It was by courtesy, we were told, that we were allowed to be present we who were but " dogs of Christians n amidst the true believers : it was a fact with which : we had yet hardly learned to deal, that a Muslim looks with contempt upon the members of every other faith. A funeral in Egypt is a quaint, mournful spectacle, taking place sometimes on the same day as the death. About six blind or decrepit men lead the procession, chanting their melancholy requiem. Then follow the male friends and relatives of the deceased ; possibly among them being some derwishes who carry green flags on poles. Then comes the open bier in which the body is laid covered with a large cloth or pall, the head being carried foremost. Behind this come the women in abject grief, making an awful wailing. The body itself is simply laid in the sand, and the mourners return. At the funeral of a great man the display is grander : 104 CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. the procession being headed by camels laden with bread and water for distribution to the poor. The Ramadan Fast is very strictly kept. We once asked a Bedouin what would be the penalty if a Muslim refused to obey the fasting rule. ' If a man no keep Ramadan, he go hell,' was the man's simple reply. His religion was at least a practical one. Certainly there is a universal agreement that the fast has an irritating effect upon the temper. The heavy meals taken during the night in part make up for the strain endured in the day; but also bring about the result that the men are lazy and indisposed for work, for from sunrise to sunset Muslims neither eat, nor smoke, nor drink. We recall how on one of the days of the Ramadan month we had taken an Arab with us to Sakkarah ; the morning was intensely hot, and our guide ran the greater part of the way, a good ten miles ; even we who had driven were parched by noon ; but until the gun from off the Citadel at sunset had flashed forth the intelligence that the fast was done, not one drop of liquid would he let pass his lips. We could but admire such strong consistency and obedience to his faith. When once Ramadan is over, the Feast of Bairam begins. The Arabs explained its festival nature to us by calling the first day of it their ' Christmas.' Certainly they make much of it, donning new clothes and putting on holiday attire. We were told that on that morning the telegraph offices are crowded by Arabs who send messages of congratulation to their friends. Telegraphic good wishes will perhaps with us one day supersede Christmas cards. CHRISTIAN AND MOHAMMEDAN OBSERVANCES. 105 In the early hours of Bairam morning an interesting ceremony takes place. The people keep the occasion as a kind of All Souls' Day, and in a body go to visit the graves of departed friends. We joined the company at the cemetery close by Kafra. The scene looked like a village fair : sweet-stalls abounded, and boys were shooting with toy guns, or blowing india- rubber squeakers. The elder people had taken to the graves palm boughs and flat cakes of bread these latter being provided by the well-to-do for their poorer brethren. Prayers were said at the tombs, and good wishes exchanged. Men and women alike seemed in high good humour. By eight o'clock on that lovely April morning the opening ceremony of Bairam was over. CHAPTER XV. COUNTRY SCENES. IN Egypt, we may fairly say, no rain ever falls ; the showers when they come are very brief, and spread as they are over the few winter months, could probably be compressed into 24 hours' rainfall. The one source of fertility is the Nile. In July the rise begins, and as the overflow is good or bad so will next year's harvest be a success or failure. The need for Egypt is by some feat of engineering to collect the water when the river is in flood and there is such an abundant supply, and to prevent it being so rapidly carried away to the sea. Schemes for that purpose are under consideration at the present moment. Some of the water left from the overflow is now retained by means of ponds and canals of which there are many in the valley. From these the water is raised by " sakiehs " or " shadoofs," and poured into the channels whence by a wonderful arrangement of connecting furrows it is dispersed broadcast over the fields. Very pretty it is to watch the water that has perhaps come from some distance, coursing along in its narrow groove, and meanwhile nourishing every inch of the cultivated land over which it pours. The sakich is the larger arrangement of the two. COUNTRY SCENES. I*>7 It consists of a wheel which is turned by a donkey or a buffalo ; to this wheel pots are attached, which continuously raise the water, the whole machine all the while making a queer melancholy groaning sound which is audible from some distance off. The shadoof is a simpler arrangement, and is worked by men. A post is fixed in the bank of the pond or canal, and on this is poised a thick cumber- some kind of pole, which will move up and down. To one end of this pole a heavy stone is attached ; to the other a piece of rope at the bottom of which hangs a pail, or more properly, according to fashion > a basket closely woven. The basket is lowered and filled with water, the man gives it an upward jerk, and the weight of the stone at the other end quickly carries on the impetus, and the water is thus raised to the proper level on the bank. It is said that the working of the shadoof is hard whether it be so or not we do not know. Arabs are not wont to give themselves more trouble than they need, but we have wondered sometimes whether the work required by the use of the shadoof is so very much less than would be the labour of lifting the water straight from the river by the aid of a pail and a rope, with no shadoof at all. On the highly cultivated lands as many as three harvests may be obtained in the year off the same ground. First wheat or barley or lupins are sown ; when that harvest is gathered in, a sowing with millet or indigo takes place ; after that has been reaped, the ground is again sown with millet a second time or maize. So fertile is the soil that little 108 COUNTRY SCENES. labour is required that these great (to English minds) results may be obtained. The growth of crops in Egypt is luxuriant in the extreme. Very lovely is the appearance of the Cairo gardens in the spring; and though the country can hardly be said to be famed for flowers, still the orange and lemon trees, palms and bananas, acacias and oleanders, pointzettias and aloes,all go to make the scene effective. Marguerites and nasturtiums, geraniums and agera- tums, sweet-williams and beautiful roses of all kinds bloom in profusion, but there is a great lack of grass. The houses in Cairo are rendered a picture by the bougainvillea creeper with its hanging blossoms of a deep purplish mauve so different from the ghastly colour they assume even in hothouses in England. Palm groves lend a charm to the open country, and their appearance by moonlight is soft and enchanting. Some very pretty wooded walks may be found beyond what is known at Mena as the second village (an annexe of Kafra), where tamarisk trees and palms and prickly pears blend together in a beautiful negligence. The latter plants are often used for hedges to surround the cultivated gardens ; awkward, graceless shrubs they are, and yet not without a kind of beauty. Aloes are much cultivated, for there is supposed to be a charm about them ; they are grown in tubs, and placed on the housetops, and specially also over graves and tombs. The birds of Egypt are very beautiful in plumage, if not in song, and abound near Mena huge brown vultures and falcons, buzzards and kites, which seem to poise themselves in mid-air with no apparent COUNTRY SCENES. 1 09 movement of muscle or wing ; crows, large and powerfully built, with a grey head piece and a wise and crafty look ; lovely white ibises or paddy birds, properly called herons ; cream coloured coursers ; snipe, and endless quantities of quail ; lovely hoopoes, with their knowing look, and green bee-eaters later in the spring ; dapper little birds of black and white plumage, which flit from stone to stone, and sweep across the fields ; elegant wagtails, and owls pre- tending to look grave all these may every day be found. Scavenger birds fulfil a most important function, for they keep the desert perfectly clear of decaying substance. What the vultures leave, the dogs devour, and what they leave, the beetles under- mine and bury. It is curious in the desert to notice how the creatures which pass their life within it are more or less the colour of the sand. Snakes and lizards, and mammals and birds, spiders and beetles, and snails are all of a neutral tint. Once or twice we have been startled to see the sand grouse running along, hardly discernible from the ground ; and to notice what was apparently a little lump of sand but really a beetle take sudden life, and hurry under a stone. Holes, from which issue forth colonies of ants of considerable size may frequently be found. The long " runs" of these insects often stretch for a great distance, sometimes upwards of twenty-five yards. CHAPTER XVI. EVENTS OF INTEREST. WE remember how on one occasion the height of the Pyramid dawned on us. We were hardly acquainted with its size and appearance, and at first we had thought it by no means so huge as we expected. Turning our gaze there one morning we saw what looked like huge black flies on its surface. We looked again, and found the huge black flies were living human beings. Once we witnessed a strangely incongruous scene. It was New- Year's Eve. The whole number of the hotel waiters had mounted to the summit at midnight to welcome in the New Year. To see the darkness lit up with Bengal lights, and to hear from the top of that monument of antiquity the well-known sounds of " God save the Queen," was an experience we shall never forget. There was considerable excitement one day in the neighbourhood of Kafra, for a wedding was about to take place, and this would ensure a village fantasiau There was quite a gathering of women and boys about 3 o'clock. A few men too had come to enjoy the occasion all armed with guns, whether it was according to usual custom or owing to excitement we cannot say but their manner of handling these firearms was EVENTS OF INTEREST. 113 somewhat startling to lookers on, unversed in the innocence of their movements ; for no sooner had they pointed their guns in one direction than they turned sharply round, and faced the other way, the guns remaining pointed as they moved ; after sundry jumps and continued turning backwards and for- wards, they would shoot with a very excellent chance of hitting somebody. Of course, they assured us the weapons were only loaded with powder an excuse often made with fatal consequences ; but as even powder discharged in our eyes we imagined might be painful, we withdrew to a respectful distance. The excitement seemed to be increasing, till at last the band arrived and enjoyment was at its height. The band consisted of a by no means tuneful drum, and three horns of squeaky sound. The effect of the music, which was not charming, resembled that of a drum and fife band when all the fifes are cracked, but for Arab ears the noise had an attraction. The next business was to prepare a bower for the bride, which they did by affixing in an upright position four palm branches to the corners of a square board placed on the ground, the tops of these branches being tied together and forming one feathery plume ; this skeleton tent was now draped with a counterpane and became a canopy fit for the sacred carpet itself. The whole thing was tied on to a camel's back, and into this bower the bride was put for the procession round the town. A second camel was now brought, and a huge net was attached to each side of the saddle ; in one was placed a gaily painted coffin-like box, containing we were told the trousseau ; while H 114 EVENTS OK INTEREST. in the other were placed the bed, and blankets, and sundry pieces of furniture, as well as, no doubt, the frying pan and the inevitable saucepan. These were " all the worldly goods with which one was endowing the other " ; but which was the donor and which the recipient we could not quite make out, for the husband buys the wife, and the wife with the money buys the trousseau which she takes to him ; this is the same as saying that the husband buys the trousseau, and gets the wife for nothing. There was a great shouting made by the boys to cheer everybody up as the procession started to go round the village. The men with the fire-arms led the way, pausing at times, and while jumping and dancing fired off the guns ; other men fought with sticks or pretended to do so, for we never saw them hit each other : then came the camels with the bride, who all the time in her bower was receiving a fearful jolting : after these followed the women friends and many young girls. Noise, and clamour, and shrieks were heard on every side, and we were told that this is a great opportunity for the lads to select their future wives. As in England so in Egypt, one wedding leads to many more. At last the procession arrived at the bridegroom's house, the bride entered it and remained ; the bridegroom himself was far away feasting in the house of a friend ; the betrothal and the dowry had of course been arranged long before ; at night in solemn procession he would return to his home, and there receive his bride from the hand of her friends. One afternoon while walking from the Sphinx on to EVENTS OF INTEREST. 115 the plain below, a great noise assailed our ears. In the village hard by a tribal feud was evidently in progress, for from all quarters people were hurrying with excited cries and there was a veritable gathering of the clans. Men dropped their outer cloaks for the women to carry home, and brandishing thick sticks (which seemed as if by miracle to be forthcoming) rushed to the fray. What the exact cause of the quarrel was we never made out ; but in the babel of conflicting tongues we thought we understood that a man from a neighbouring village had disputed over money with one living at Kafra. A quarrel ensued ; one banged the other, and somebody's head was broken.' Blood had been drawn, which was a serious fact. Representatives came to defend their champion's rights, all armed with " broom-sticks," and making a fearful row. They clashed each others' sticks ; they seized each others' limbs, and held them tight ; their faces bore every mark of passion, but the chief method of warfare seemed to consist in banging each others' clothes. It was a great disturbance ; dust in large quantities was thrown in the air ; women flew to the scene, uttering cries of woe.* They joined their hands, and threw them far behind their heads ; then brought them sharply forward while gradually parting them, to signify that the broil must cease. All were screaming to their hearts' content. At times a fight did seem imminent, but the blows always descended on ample skirts, and no one was badly hit. We could These cries sounded to us like hoch ! hoch ! possibly they may have been the familiar ul ! ul ! H 2 Il6 EVENTS OF INTEREST. not refrain from thinking them a very poor lot of cowards, and we felt one English boxer would have put the whole of them to the rout. At last the men of the farther village began to depart, and the shekhs ordered their own men to " move on " ; but the excitement still kept up. A man standing by himself who, we had noticed, had taken no part in the mele, would seem suddenly inspired with a talking mania, and would begin narrating the whole thing to the rest, who took no notice of what he said then another some way off would take up the parable, and so on from time to time. No one paid the slightest heed, but still they continued to give their version of the affair. They reminded us of old hens cackling out a story when the fowl-roost has been disturbed. The finish of this instructive and enter- taining episode was that we were called on to give evidence as witnesses. Considering that we had longed for blows instead of mere bravado, and had failed to see any delivered, and that the distinctive characteristics of one Arab were to us exactly like those of another, we declined to occupy the invidious position of taking a side in a possibly none too sweet native tribunal. Certainly if somewhat against their wish, the officials were wise in not continuing to demand our testimony, which could have in no way helped to elucidate the rights and wrongs of the case, but only to condemn everybody all round. Eventually things quieted down, and we heard no more. For the future, if we saw even the prospect of any quarrel impending in any of the villages, important business would immediately summon us away ; for " witnessing " EVENTS OF INTEREST. 117 under such circumstances may be a highly unpleasant task. One afternoon a small crowd of boys were watching some air balloons being sent off near the Pyramids. A tiny member of their number suddenly declared the stirrup had been stolen from his donkey, and a prolonged howling and whining began. He laid the charge of theft against a person or persons unknown, but as an act of precaution seized the bridle of the nearest camel, and stuck to it like grim death. The sight of this small specimen of humanity flooded in tears of abject grief at the loss of his stirrup, quietly appropriating a camel which was many times his own size, until his stirrup should be restored, was comic in the extreme. We tried the case, but could prove nothing. At last the stirrup was produced discovered in a neighbouring hole. Hereupon the small boy attacked the supposed culprit ; then the elder brothers on each side took part in the fray and there was a row, sticks being freely used. One got a knock on the head and fainted. He was restored by water being dashed on his face. When brought to, he promptly attacked the man who had the kindness to revive him. A general mele now began, and the shekhs had to be summoned. One day the Arab gardener was quietly at work by the hotel, and had placed his shoes close by him on the path. There was a sudden thud, and one of the shoes jumped upward in the air. In dire astonishment the Arab picked it up and looked it round. Here was an evil spirit clearly at work. By the beard of the Prophet ! the shoe was possessed ! After considerable Il8 EVENTS OF INTEREST. inspection, the gardener in consternation resumed his work, as no explanation seemed at hand. Yet another minute, and there \vas another thud, and the second shoe flew up in the air. " Allah ! Allah ! " cried the excited man. Here was a miracle indeed. Other Arabs were summoned to witness the magic shoes, and quite a party assembled to chatter, and wonder, and discuss. The good man doubtless believes to this day that some spirit possessed those shoes. It was a bullet in each case, accurately aimed from an air-gun, and shot from a window of the hotel by a friend of ours, which by extreme good luck took such unerring effect. Behind the shutters he was roaring with laughter, at the unwonted result which had attended his piece of innocent fun. \Ve recall how, on an occasion, it had entered the mind of one, who was never so happy as when delighting children, to have for the Arab boys and girls a downright good English school treat. Prizes of all kinds were purchased from Cairo, and a goodly array of young people upwards of 300 were invited. The time drew on, and only 50 had appeared. In dismay scouts were sent round to the neighbouring villages, to give a second invitation. The answer came back that, as the electric light in the hotel had failed for a little while the night before, none of the mothers would let the children come, for they felt sure our aim was to get hold of a boy for sacrifice, whereby to appease the angry and offended deity, who had caused the light to fail. The parents of those who did attend, knew us better, and therefore feared less the clandestine and uncanny design. EVENTS OF INTEREST. IIQ For the children who were there the races seemed to have little attraction ; the only aim they had was to seize all the prizes they could, and it was a matter of amazement to the boys that anything should be done for the girls. Egyptian children have a lot to learn, before they will manifest the cheerful brightness and common sense, the submission to rules, and general " esprit de corps," which, in most cases, would be the distinctive characteristics of English children on a like occasion. One of the sportsmen residing in the hotel, on one occasion killed at close quarters a fine specimen of the wild cat or lynx ; the fur showed that the animal had been shot close at hand ; friends jokingly hinted it was a large tame cat, decked with a blue ribbon and bell, which the slayer had cruelly enticed by honied- words. Meanwhile the skin was being dried ; unfortunately from insufficient curing the tail took to doing badly, and had to be destroyed. We suggested as a substitute, a spiral lamp-brush but whether or not our idea was followed out, we do not know. On another occasion a party went forth at dusk, to shoot jackals animals which are often to be seen in the neighbourhood. The sun had set, and in the rapidly increasing darkness there appeared to be some game worth shooting close at hand. The prize was duly stalked and shot, and proved to be what was thought a small specimen of the genus wild boar. It was solemnly borne home in triumph on the shoulders of the shikari. When nearing home the party encountered some of the Arab servants of the 120 EVENTS OF INTEREST. hotel eagerly looking for something. The object of their search proved to be one little stray tame pig, which had been purchased for the yard, and had just managed to escape. The last of this joke was not heard for some days. CHAPTER XVII. EXCURSIONS AND EXPEDITIONS. RIDES in the desert on camel-back are always exhilarating. They are still more enjoyed when once the habit has been learned of moving as the camels move and of offering no resistance to the swaying to and fro which their ambling slouch causes the rider to undergo. Very romantic do the strange beasts look as they move quietly along saddled with a wealth of many coloured trappings. The mounting itself is an easy matter as they lie upon the ground with their long unwieldy necks stretched out flat on the sand ; but then comes the tug of war during which it is well to hold tight ; all the while you are settling yourself, as you think, comfortably, the camel is making a noisy, unmusical, groaning complaint at the irony of life which compels him to thus minister to the carrying of man ; he is at all times a supercilious looking creature, unloving and unloved, and when about to be made to work, puts on a still more unpleasant expression ; you may be his master for the time, but he will take the pride out of you as much as he can. First his hind legs are partly raised, and you are nearly pitched forward ; then the raising of his forelegs reverses the process, and you are nearly pitched backwards ; there is still 122 EXCURSIONS AND EXPEDITIONS. one more prolonged and jerky movement to straighten the hind and front legs, during which you have a renewed inclination to fall ; if you have clung on through all this, you are safe for a time, but the jolting will cause you some excitement for the first half-mile. The reversing of this process, when he is arranging himself on the ground for you to dismount is even more distasteful to endure. The desert is wide, and a ride may be taken in any direction, the camel's feet being admirably suited to the sand. A pleasant journey may also be made to the Petrified Forest, and to some other places of interest. A very enjoyable expedition may be made to the ruined Pyramid of Aboo-roash. The way is along the desert edge to the north. The atmosphere, as usual, is deliciously fresh, and the sense of the in- vigorating air is very charming. Flocks of flamingoes may be seen sometimes whirling up from the road, dangling their long legs ; and at periods of the year the carpet of flowers is very gay, specially when the purple orchids are in bloom. After a long stretch of sand a turn to the left is made, and the ascent of the hill is begun. There is nothing very striking about the road until the defile, which leads to the top of the cliff, is reached. It is interesting to notice here what a lot of vegetation exists ; it is difficult to tell how anything green can find moisture ; but here on the glaring arid sand many a plant seems to luxuriate, and on every plant may be discovered several snails ; in addition to others, the ice plant grows in abun- dance, and is a sight of joy to the camel, with its EXCURSIONS AND EXPEDITIONS. 123 juicy succulent stems full of watery sap. We pass onward by huge boulders and awkward looking rocks until we reach the top of the hill. The plateau here is higher, and the view from the summit is lovely, stretching far in every direction ; far away to the north we gaze, and imagine the position of Alexandria, where the ships lie which, we trust, will shortly bear us back to home and friends ; nearer at hand is the Barrage, the towers of which are plainly visible ; from that, right away to the south, winds a blue streak, which we know to be the river Nile ; for a long way we can trace its course, beneath the pink hills of Mokattam ; far away in front of us lies Cairo itself, looking from this position a town of very considerable size, overtopped by the frowning citadel, where the white mosque minarets stand clearly out against the blue background of sky. We get from here a most excellent view of the whole desert ; and the pyramids of Gizeh, as if conscious of their superior size, form an effective spectacle on the sand ; the forms of those at Aboo- seer and Dashoor loom far away in the distance. Leading up to the plateau are the remains of the causeway, by which the stones were brought for the pyramid, which is now a mere ruin ; the foundations, which still remain, are well and solidly made, and this pyramid on its elevated site must once have been a very striking object. Immediately below the cliff is the large straggling palm grove which enriches the scene, and forms a pleasing foreground to the mud villages which lie beyond. Around us on all sides are rubbish heaps, and here in greater abun- 124 EXCURSIONS AND EXPEDITIONS. dance than anywhere else in the neighbourhood may be found those small pieces of red pottery (like egg cups and saucers) which some affirm to be of Roman date, but others ascribe to far more ancient times. There is little shade at Aboo-roash, and after lunch, taken very awkwardly under such shelter from the sun's rays as might be obtained, after one more look at the glorious view, we summoned our guides, gave backsheesh to the boys, who had done certain kindnesses for us, and returned. A race home over the desert in sand carts is not without its amusement, provided the temper of the mules is such as to make them willing to go fairly fast. Another charming ride may be made through the palm groves beyond the race course. Monday is a favourite day for this excursion, when at the village of Kerdasa in the palm woods a weekly fair is held. Those who go to see the ways of the country will not be disappointed, but they must be prepared at the fair itself to find a fearful state of dirt. Donkeys can well stand this trip, and very delightful it is to pass through the groves of palms, past tomato plantations and gardens which are being carefully irrigated and tilled ; the fitful shadows of the waving branches fall prettily upon the sand ; birds chatter in the trees, and flit across the path ; the air is laden with scent, and with the hum of bees ; groups of peasants pass or meet us on their way to or from the fair, with their camels and donkeys laden with stores ; villagers are attending to their sakiehs, or working their shadoofs. Arrived at the village, we dismount, and our guide 3 I EXCURSIONS AND EXPEDITIONS. 127 conducts us to the densely crowded square, where visitors must not mind somewhat of a crush among people who are none too clean. Business of all kinds is going on. Men are selling, bartering, haggling, and cheating ; camels are being clipped, and buffaloes slaughtered ; all kinds of beasts are for sale ; barbers are shaving Arab faces, and cropping Arab heads ; shoemakers, tailors, butchers, saddlers, basket makers, bakers, public writers, all are at work ; everybody is chattering, and making a dust, but all are in a good temper. We wish we were not quite such rar