Esneh — Dancing girls — Mehemet Ali — Summary justice — The mountain of
the Chain — Angling in the Nile — A battle with the natives.
Our dragoman, Daireh, had made a solemn prediction, that the favourable
breeze, which lasted all the time we lingered at Thebes, would, on the
morrow, entirely die away; and though modern prophesies are seldom
realized, the result proved him a complete Murphy. For two days we were
becalmed, and with our utmost efforts, could only accomplish ten miles.
But the morning of the third brought out Æolus once more, and the huge
sail swelled to the wind, and bore us rapidly on. Gradually the breeze
increased, and the water became quite troubled, making the motion
extremely disagreeable. This lasted till three o’clock, when we arrived
at Esneh, distant from Thebes between fifty and sixty miles; here we
anchored, being under an engagement to remain twenty-four hours, that
our crews might bake a fresh supply of bread.
Esneh is, in point of size, a town of some importance, but has little
else to recommend it. It is the Egyptian Botany Bay,—all loose and
depraved characters being sent there from Cairo. We had a glimpse of the
staple of the population in some dancing-girls, who, immediately on our
arrival, came down to the shore, and danced for some time before our
boat. The performance was anything but graceful, and by no means
delicate. All the time it lasted, these Eastern Undines kept up an
incessant cry for baksheesh, making our ears ring with their voices; and
certainly, if a douceur could ever be turned to account, baksheesh would
have been well bestowed in getting rid of them.
Soon afterwards we had a visit from a person of a different stamp, but
who was scarcely less importunate. This was an officer in the service of
the Governor, who, with as little ceremony as can well be imagined,
quietly ensconced himself in our cabin, and seemed determined on
retaining possession. He was very inquisitive, asking questions with
American avidity, and took a strange fancy, which he by no means strove
to conceal, to everything his eye fell upon. One moment he wished to be
presented with our rifles; the next, he begged hard for the inkstand;
and what was more amusing, refusal made not the least impression upon
him. It was with some difficulty that, after repeated efforts, we got
rid of him, at last, with the help of some cigars and a little wine.
The people on shore were at the same pitch of barbarism; on going over
the town, we were mobbed in every street, while swarms of children, who
followed in the background, cheered us in the most vehement manner. This
did not prevent our visiting the various places of resort, and I had the
satisfaction of hunting out a temple, which almost escapes the notice of
travellers, and is not mentioned in the guide-books with sufficient
praise. It is approached from the bazaar, on emerging from which it
presents itself. Thirty-six lofty and massive columns, with capitals of
distinct orders, support the roof, which is entire, and in beautiful
preservation. Three of the sides, embellished with hieroglyphics, both
indented and in relief, are also standing; and, having been cleaned by
Mehemet Ali, look amazingly fresh. The columns are extremely grand, and
are untainted by the grotesque. Antiquaries, fix the date of the
structure at about A.D. 20, which would make it of Roman origin; and
from the unique character and beauty of the architecture, superior to
anything we had yet seen, we were inclined to concur in their verdict.
Esneh also boasts a royal palace, which, as one of the retreats of the
renowned Mehemet Ali, we could not leave unvisited. It is a quiet little
villa, furnished with innumerable divans, and painted and decorated in
the usual manner. In one of the rooms we found a handsome French
bedstead, which seemed strangely out of place, the rest of the furniture
being so essentially Oriental. The grounds, though not extensive, are
laid out in good taste, and include a tolerable kitchen-garden. In the
time of Mehemet Ali, they were kept in admirable order, though on one
occasion, arriving unexpectedly, the great Pasha found they had been
neglected, and sending for the Governor of Esneh, admonished him to take
care this did not occur again, giving him two hundred lashes with the
bastinado to impress it on his memory. The lesson had its effect, and
there never was any further cause for complaint.
We were much concerned, in our way through the town, to observe the
numbers of men who had maimed or mutilated themselves to escape the
hateful yoke of the conscription. So great is the repugnance to this
cruel servitude, that in Esneh there is scarcely one man in five,
between the ages of twenty and fifty, who has not been hideously
disfigured by his own hand. Some have deprived themselves of an eye;
others have torn out their teeth; and several, more desperate, have
chopped off their fingers, or their good right hand. Such are the
horrors of Eastern despotism!
It was nearly five o’clock before we could get away from Esneh, when the
wind, which had been pretty steady hitherto, began to fall, and our
progress became slow. On the two following days we had a succession of
little breezes, carrying us on a few miles, and then dying away. The
second evening brought us to Gebel-Silsilus, or the Mountain of the
Chain, where, according to Arab authorities, one of the ancient kings
fixed a chain across the river, and exacted toll of all vessels passing
beneath. Here we went on shore, and climbing a lofty hill, obtained a
commanding view of the desert, which stretched far away on either side,
while the Nile, girded with a narrow strip of vegetation, growing every
moment “beautifully less,” lay stretched out below. The desert was not
the boundless, unbroken plain of sand of our home traditions; and ridge
upon ridge of towering hills met our eyes, following at intervals upon
each other, nearly all crowned with the tomb of a Sheik, which in the
distance formed a most picturesque object. There was one of these rude
memorials on the hill where we stood; and a few of our sailors, who had
followed us up from the boat, deposited some five para-pieces in its
centre heap, as an offering to the mouldering bones beneath.
While our boats were at anchor, we made some experiments in fishing, and
not without a degree of success. First we hooked up a turtle, eighteen
inches long, and weighing twelve lbs., which our ingenious Abbas very
soon converted into capital soup. Our next prize was a more startling
one, though no great delicacy, being nothing less than an alligator-
lizard, about four feet long, supposed by the ignorant natives to be the
product of an addled crocodile’s egg. We preserved its skin as a trophy.
These tranquil occupations were interrupted by a dire uproar, such as
would have disturbed the serenity even of Izaak Walton. Our two crews,
like all Arabs, had very imperfect perceptions of _meum_ and _tuum_, and
in this respect, were aptly described by the dragoman as “very rascal
people.” It was their constant practice, whenever an opportunity
presented itself, to carry off from the shore every fragment of wood
they could lay their hands on, wholly regardless as to who was the
lawful owner; and on the present occasion, being hard pushed for fire-
wood, and finding nothing portable, they had pounced upon a shadoof, at
that moment actually in operation, and brought it bodily off. This
outrage aroused the indignation of some labourers, by whom it had been
observed, and they collected on the shore, demanding restitution. Our
men, however, were in no mood for it—stripping to the waist, they
snatched their sticks from the boat, and announced their determination
to retain their spoil. On this, the enraged labourers set up a yell,
that would have done honour to Tipperary, at the same time throwing
handfuls of dust in the air, which, I presume, is the Egyptian mode of
declaring war, being invariably followed by an onslaught. The tocsin
sounded by their voices elicited a prompt response; and from every
quarter—
“On right, on left, above, below,
Sprang up at once the lurking foe.”
At least fifty half-naked savages came rushing down, armed with
murderous-looking clubs, and not a few with spears, while one gaunt
fellow, a very Ramesis in stature, ostentatiously brandished a sword.
They made a desperate attempt to board the boat, but were driven off,
when the fight was continued in a cotton-field, the owner of which, a
poor, inoffensive old man, had his arm broken in the _mêlée_. At length,
the enemy gave way, though not till we had lost a tarboosh, belonging to
one of the crew, that was displayed as a trophy by its captor, who,
however, made an overture for the suspension of hostilities. Orders had
already been given to restore the shadoof; and, now that a truce was
established, it was most amusing to see some of our men, who were
natives of this part of the country, recognizing brothers and kinsmen
among their antagonists, and kissing them in the most loving manner. To
render the spectacle more ludicrous, these fraternizing warriors
exhibited on their faces significant tokens of each other’s prowess. On
the whole, however, the casualties were slight. Our dragoman, who
greatly distinguished himself, received a blow in the height of the
combat, from one of his own comrades, which sprained his wrist; and our
two captains were both severely bruised. One had maintained, for some
time, an unequal contest with an Arab, armed with an axe, which he most
adroitly parried with a stick, though, with all his dexterity, it
frequently came much too near his head. But the occurrence, however
annoying in some respects, taught all a lesson, and strict orders were
issued that no such provocation should be given again, and no more wood
stolen. Meanwhile, peace was re-established, and all but the crew and
two or three of their friends dispersed, leaving the shore deserted—
“It seemed as if their mother earth
Had swallowed up her warlike birth.”
A light wind brought us next morning to Assouan, after a passage of
twenty-seven days from Cairo—an average run, the range of passages being
from twenty-one days to thirty-one.