[Picture: In the Suez Canal]
After a stormy passage through the Mediterranean we turned in towards
Port Said, and soon after sighting the handsome lighthouse took the
French pilot on board, anchoring broadside on to the main street of the
town and within fifty yards of the shore. A motley throng, in boats
quite as motley soon filled up the space between the ship and the shore,
and a wild jabber composed of a mixture of English, French, Italian, and
Arabic filled the air. Presently the usual tribe of pedlars came on
deck, and having spread out their wares invited the passengers to buy,
somewhat after the fashion of London tradesmen in Cheapside hundreds of
years ago with their cry of "What lack ye?" The inevitable Maltese with
his lace, the Greek money-changer walking about with his hands full of
silver offering to change, and astonishing the honest Britisher on his
first voyage by his liberality in proffering twenty shillings for a
sovereign--the rate of exchange, however, leaving him a very good profit.
Near him is a Hebrew, whom I remember having seen at Aden, the black
curls over his brow reminding one forcibly of Benjamin Disraeli. This
man keeps to his trade of dealer in ostrich feathers.
[Picture: A Feather Merchant]
Here also are gentlemen of the long robe--not lawyers, but Arabs, in
ample white night-shirts and turbans--offering to young ladies in the
most seductive tones, at two shillings each, coral necklaces, which can
be purchased in Birmingham at three shillings the dozen, while dealers in
photographs, melons, and oranges walk about always ready to take
one-fourth of what they ask for their wares. Parallel with us are the
quays, on which are crowds of people of all nationalities. The Custom
House in front is occupied by a company of English artillerymen, the
entrance being guarded by a British sentry, while overhead the Egyptian
flag is flying. Away to the left is the old Dutch hotel, recently bought
by the British Government, and now occupied by two hundred men of the
Royal Marine Light Infantry.
Immediately in front of the ship is the main street of the town. It is
perfectly straight and about half a mile long, with a small public garden
near the end. In this street are a large number of _casinos_, where
music is dealt out at nights by bands of female performers, who are
called "Bohemiennes," and where, we are assured, everything is properly
respectable--until eleven o'clock! Many of our lady passengers, in the
innocence of their hearts, looking forward to a pleasant concert during
the evening, are much shocked when they learn that the said concerts are
held in _casinos_.
We landed at ten o'clock, and had a leisurely walk through the town and
halfway through the Arab quarter, but the smells were so offensive that
we turned back. A lot of young Arabs, however, urged us to go on
farther, for there was an Arab hanging, but as we did not think a dead
Arab would be likely to be a more agreeable sight than a living one we
declined. The culprit had been executed that morning for the murder of
his grand-daughter, nine months previously. An account of his crime was
written in Arabic and attached to his breast, and the large scissors with
which he committed the murder were suspended around his neck. Some of
the young Arabs were vexed with us because we would not give them
_backsheesh_, and began to be insulting, talking about Arabi, when
presently a smart youth of ten years old interfered, and, cuffing the
ears of the young monkeys, loudly proclaimed the prowess of the British.
We went to look at the Dutch House where the Marines were quartered, and
a young officer, Lieutenant Cotter, kindly asked us to go over the
building. The rooms are very fine; but what a change in the scene since
we slept here for a night two-and-half years ago! Then the hotel was in
operation, and the rooms were furnished as elaborately as in the house of
an English gentleman. But everything had been taken away, and the
officers were sleeping on the marble floors, and the men on the floors of
the adjoining warehouses, where also the horses were stabled. Lieutenant
Cotter had made a bedstead for himself, and one of his men had made him a
bath, and these, with a chair, completed the furnishing of his room; his
wash-basin consisted of a large flower-pot, with a cork in the hole at
the bottom. The Marines arrived in Egypt a few days after Tel-el-Kebir,
and so saw no fighting; but they had to march over to Fort Gemileh, seven
miles away, and fully expected a very severe fight, as the fort is
heavily armed with modern guns, and was manned by Nubians, who are
reported to be excellent soldiers. Fortunately, however, there was no
need to fight, as the commander recognised that the war was over.
At night a number of our passengers, of all classes, went ashore to
attend the concert, and one of them known as Cetewayo, _alias_ the Carrib
or the Pirate King, announced his intention of kicking up a great row at
the _casino_ (of course _after_ eleven o'clock), and he was as good as
his word, and others besides, several having to be locked up for the
night. We visited the soldiers in the barracks, and they were very glad
to have a chat. We sent them the newspapers we had brought from England;
with which they were greatly pleased. They told us the numbers, variety,
and voracity of the insects was something maddening; some being busy at
night, and others during the day, and that it was almost impossible to
keep oneself decent. Altogether Port Said must be a dreadful place for
Englishmen to live in; there was very little society, and I was told that
at the time there was only one unmarried lady left.
The commanding officer of the Marines told us that the principal duty
they had to perform as "police" was to keep the English sailors and
visitors in order, almost all the drunkenness and trouble coming from
them--to our disgrace be it said.
The land all along the coast lies very low, and is not seen until the
yellowish-green water near it is reached. The water is discoloured by
the mud of the Nile, one of the mouths of which (the Tanitic) is situated
a little to the west of Port Said. This ceaseless flow of mud was one of
the greatest difficulties experienced in making the Canal, and
necessitated important and expensive works to prevent its access to the
harbour. Lake Menzaleh is formed by this Nile mouth, and covers an area
of about 1,000 square miles. Good wildfowl shooting is to be had there,
and there are numbers of flamingos and other birds. Port Said, as is
well known, owes its origin to the Canal, and is situated on an island
separating Lake Menzaleh from the Mediterranean. The town was expected
by M. de Lesseps to progress very rapidly--indeed to rival Alexandria,
but it has not gone ahead so fast as he expected. At present there are
about 12,000 people there, and I should say more than half are Europeans.
The town is built very regularly, and consists of rather temporary brick
and wooden houses. The making of the harbour was a very difficult work.
It occupies 570 acres, and is excavated to a depth of 26ft. Two massive
piers protect it, running out to the sea in a north-easterly direction
for about a mile and a half. At starting they are 1,440 yards apart,
narrowing to 770 yards, the navigable entrance being about 150 yards
wide. The piers are constructed of artificial stone, composed of seven
parts of sand from the desert, and of one part of hydraulic lime from
France. The concrete was mixed by machinery, and then poured into great
wooden moulds, where it remained for weeks, after which the wood was
taken away to allow of the blocks hardening. Each block weighed twenty
tons, and contained 13.5 cubic yards; no fewer than 25,000 of these
blocks were used in constructing the breakwater. The lighthouse is a
very handsome structure, and is also formed of blocks of concrete; it is
164ft. high, and can be seen twenty-four miles away, being fitted with
the electric light. (_Baedeker_).
At 4.30 p.m. our vessel started for the Canal, and having safely entered
it made fast for the night, as no travelling is allowed after sunset.
During the evening myriads of gnats and mosquitoes came on to the ship,
the electric light being absolutely dimmed by them in many places, and we
had good reason to expect a trying night from their presence.
While our ship's doctor and a party of friends were ashore at Port Said
they were greatly amused by the attention of a number of Arab lads who
followed them everywhere. During their walk in the native quarter the
party came upon a great crowd, and one of the young Arabs referring to
the man who had been hanged during the morning stated that the man was
not an Arab, but a Greek, and proceeded to explain the distinguishing
characteristics of the various nationalities represented at this
cosmopolitan port; he said--
"The Greek, he bery bat man, he stab--so (with a vigorous motion as
though stabbing an opponent in the chest).
"'gyptian, he bery goot man, he only slap, so.
"English man, he bery goot man (striking an attitude); he say 'Come on
and box.'
"English man--he bery goot man.
"English man--he bery goot man.
"Melikan man--he bery goot man.
"Melikan man--he bery goot man.
"'talian man--he bery bat man."
Ending with a very uncomplimentary allusion to our Irish fellow-subjects.
What is wanted to make Port Said really prosperous is a railway from the
interior to bring the produce from the cotton and wheat fields, and then
the steamers which bring the coals could at once load up for home, saving
the necessity of going empty to Alexandria for their homeward freights.
Last year 540,000 tons of coal were sold at Port Said, and all the ships
which brought it had to go away empty. But so long as the Canal Company
are entitled to all the Customs dues at Port Said, it is not to be
expected that the Egyptian Government will favour the construction of
such a line.
Some of our fellow-passengers were members of the Blue Ribbon Army, and
although they were by no means obtrusive in supporting their views, being
contented for the most part with wearing the "bit of blue"--others
resented this reasonable liberty, styling it an impertinence, and formed
themselves into an opposition Order, which they called the _Red_ Ribbon
Army, and they busied themselves in enlisting recruits. It was
noticeable that, with the exception of an old _roue_ or two, only young
men with small heads and long legs, who, if they ever indulged in
reading, confined their choice to books translated or adapted from the
French, composed the rank and file, the officers being older men, who
were not often seen out of the gambling or smoke-room. One of these
latter was called the "Spider," because from an early hour in the morning
he sat in the smoke-room waiting to "play" with any who might choose to
try conclusions with him.
The Patron and President of the Society was a noble lord, and certainly a
better choice could not have been made. Amongst the rules of the Society
were these:--
Any member found without his red ribbon is to be fined in drinks all
round.
Members are to be neither too drunk nor too sober.
Members must never go to bed quite sober.
Members must never refuse a drink.
The President certainly set a fair example in his endeavour to perform
the duties of his office, and would never be mistaken for a member of the
Blue Ribbon Army, even if he did not wear the badge, for good wine had
marked him for its own. Under the fostering influence of such rules and
such a "noble" example, it is not to be wondered at that the Army showed
a blatant front to the enemy, and that their proceedings soon became
disorderly. At this juncture some good-natured moderate men joined the
Reds, with the view, it appears, of moderating their offensive tactics,
and the result was a manifesto which set forth, amongst other
things--That the Red Ribbon Army entertained no feelings of ill-will
toward those who did not agree with them, and invited all to join their
ranks, and that they assured abstainers that there was always iced water
on the sideboard of the smoke room for their convenience. One of the
chiefs of the Reds was a dark man, already referred to as Cetewayo,
_alias_ the Carrib. I one day heard this worthy call one of the Reds to
account for appearing without his badge, the defaulting member replying
that he had "resigned." "That won't do," said the Carrib, "Once a member
always a member; come and pay up." Yes, I thought, when the devil has
once got his claws in a man retreat is all but impossible.
Every one of the young fellows who joined the Reds fell into the
"Spider's" web, and were most of them eased of their spare cash through
the agency of a pack of cards.
This "Spider" was one day on deck sitting by the side of one of my
friends who had just awaked from a doze, to whom he said, "You have had a
nap?" "Yes," I said, "Mr. -- takes his nap on deck in the face of day,
but you have yours in the dimness of the smoke-room" (alluding to the
game of "Nap"). "That's true," said he, "I like to play when the light
is somewhat dull. These fellows say I am always winning. Well, suppose
I am? They keep coming to me, and in Melbourne if they consult an expert
on any subject they have to pay two guineas, and I take no less." "You
take no less, and don't refuse more," said I. "Exactly, that is just
it," said the Spider, and he was said to have cleared out most of the
card-playing fraternity. Ultimately, the almost unvaried success of the
Spider caused a general feeling to be raised against him amongst the
gamblers; but as long as there still remained some who had not been
relieved of their money, and others whom the Spider had allowed to win
from him occasionally, this feeling did not exist to any great extent.
One evening, however, the Pirate charged the web-spinner with having
cheated him, and a general disturbance ensued, the Pirate assuring the
Spider that as soon as they quitted the ship he would soundly thrash him
with a whip, which he displayed, so we were in hopes of having a little
excitement on leaving the vessel. One result, however, was to
practically dissolve the Red Ribbon army, and the Carrib then came out in
a new character. At the fancy dress ball held on the promenade deck he
appeared in a dress suit, and was at once saluted with the cry, "Here's a
lark, Cetewayo disguised as a _gentleman_!"
The noble President of the Reds was somewhat of a curiosity in his way, a
very kind-hearted sympathetic man, as many a poor invalid in the second
and third classes could testify. The doctor told us of many instances of
his lordship's kindness in visiting some of the sick third-class
passengers, and giving them dainties from his private stores; and I heard
one poor woman tell him she should never forget him for his goodness to
her husband. Some of our colonial passengers, wishing to make the most
of their unusual proximity to nobility, were too persevering in their
attentions to his lordship, and evidently bored him; but the tact with
which he "shunted" them, and the studied politeness of his language, did
not prevent onlookers detecting a silent "confound their impudence"
terminating each reply.
[Picture: Cetewayo Disguised as a Gentleman]
Once, in referring to the pertinacity of these people, he remarked to a
bystander, in a hissing tone, "One _must_ be civ-il." The noble lord
took a great interest in everything pertaining to sailors; his regard for
them was evidently warm and genuine. While we were passing through the
Canal, coming to our anchorage for the night, we found the space at our
disposal was very limited, as the vessels were numerous, consequently our
men had to be very active in getting the ship into her berth. I was
standing by his lordship's side, looking at the sailors running along the
sandbank, carrying the heavy cable as nimbly as though it was a fishing
line. Lord -- was delighted, and, turning to me, and in his funny
fashion grasping his clothes in front of the place where his stomach
should be, exclaimed in tones of rapture, "Look at our _de-ah_
blue-jackets, look!"
His lordship was very popular with the young men on board, but I hope he
did not often make such observations to them, as one young gentleman
informed me he had made to him, speaking of his past life. "I have
committed many sins in my time," said his lordship, "and I hope to live
to commit many more."