I have but this moment received your letter of the 18th March, which went
after Janet, who was hunting at Tel-el-Kebir. We have had a tremendous
Khamseen wind, and now a strong north wind quite fresh and cool. The
thermometer was 92 degrees during the Khamseen, but it did me no harm.
Luckily I am very well for I am worked hard, as a strange epidemic has
broken out, and I am the _Hakeemeh_ (doctress) of Luxor. The _Hakeem_
Pasha from Cairo came up and frightened the people, telling them it was
catching, and Yussuf forgot his religion so far as to beg me not to be
all day in the people's huts; but Omar and I despised the danger, I
feeling sure it was not infectious, and Omar saying _Min Allah_. The
people get stoppage of the bowels and die in eight days unless they are
physicked; all who have sent for me in time have recovered.
_Alhamdulillah_, that I can help the poor souls. It is harvest, and the
hard work, and the spell of intense heat, and the green corn, beans,
etc., which they eat, brings on the sickness. Then the Copts are fasting
from all animal food, and full of green beans and salad, and green corn.
Mustapha tried to persuade me not to give physick, for fear those who
died should pass for being poisoned, but both Omar and I are sure it is
only to excuse his own selfishness. Omar is an excellent assistant. The
bishop tried to make money by hinting that if I forbade my patients to
fast, I might pay for their indulgence. One poor, peevish little man
refused the chicken-broth, and told me that we Europeans had _our_ heaven
in _this_ world; Omar let out _kelb_ (dog), but I stopped him, and said,
'Oh, my brother, God has made the Christians of England unlike those of
Egypt, and surely will condemn neither of us on that account; mayest thou
find a better heaven hereafter than I now enjoy here.' Omar threw his
arms round me and said, 'Oh, thou good one, surely our Lord will reward
thee for acting thus with the meekness of a Muslimeh, and kissing the
hand of him who strikes thy face.' (See how each religion claims
humility.) Suleyman was not pleased at his fellow-christian's display of
charity. It does seem strange that the Copts of the lower class will not
give us the blessing, or thank God for our health like the Muslimeen.
Most of my patients are Christians, and some are very nice people indeed.
The people here have named me Sittee (Lady) _Noor-ala-Noor_. A poor
woman whose only child, a young man, I was happy enough to cure when
dreadfully ill, kissed my feet and asked by what name to pray for me. I
told her my name meant _Noor_ (light--_lux_), but as that was one of the
names of God I could not use it. 'Thy name is _Noor-ala-Noor_,' said a
man who was in the room. That means something like 'God is upon thy
mind,' or 'light from the light,' and _Noor-ala-Noor_ it remains; a
combination of one of the names of God is quite proper, like Abdallah,
Abdurachman, etc. I begged some medicines from a Countess Braniscki, who
went down the other day; when all is gone I don't know what I shall do.
I am going to try to make castor oil; I don't know how, but I shall try,
and Omar fancies he can manage it. The cattle disease has also broken
out desperately up in Esneh, and we see the dead beasts float down all
day. Of course we shall soon have it here.
_Sunday_, _April_ 17.--The epidemic seems to be over, but there is still
a great deal of gastric fever, etc., about. The _hakeem_ from Keneh has
just been here--such a pleasing, clever young man, speaking Italian
perfectly, and French extremely well. He is the son of some fellah of
Lower Egypt, sent to study at Pisa, and has not lost the Arab gentility
and elegance by a _Frenghi_ education. We fraternized greatly, and the
young _hakeem_ was delighted at my love for his people, and my high
opinion of their intelligence. He is now gone to inspect the sick, and
is to see me again and give me directions. He was very unhappy that he
could not supply me with medicines; none are to be bought above Cairo,
except from the hospital doctors, who sell the medicines of the
Government, as the Italian at Siout did. But Ali Effendi is too honest
for that. The old bishop paid me a visit of three and a half hours
yesterday, and _pour me tirer une carotte_ he sent me a loaf of sugar, so
I must send a present 'for the church' to be consumed in raki. The old
party was not very sober, and asked for wine. I coolly told him it was
_haraam_ (forbidden) to us to drink during the day--only with our dinner.
I never will give the Christians drink here, and now they have left off
pressing me to drink spirits at their houses. The bishop offered to
alter the hour of prayer for me, and to let me into the _Heykel_ (where
women must not go) on Good Friday, which will be eighteen days hence.
All of which I refused, and said I would go on the roof of the church and
look down through the window with the other _Hareemat_. Omar kissed the
bishop's hand, and I said: 'What! do _you_ kiss his hand like a Copt?'
'Oh yes, he is an old man, and a servant of my God, but dreadful dirty,'
added Omar; and it was too true. His presence diffused a fearful
monastic odour of sanctity. A Bishop must be a monk, as priests are
married.
_Monday_.--To-day Ali Effendi-_el-Hakeem_ came to tell me how he had been
to try to see my patients and failed; all the families declared they were
well and would not let him in. Such is the deep distrust of everything
to do with the Government. They all waited till he was gone away, and
then came again to me with their ailments. I scolded, and they all said,
'_Wallah, ya Sitt, ya Emeereh_; that is the _Hakeem_ Pasha, and he would
send us off to hospital at Keneh, and then they would poison us; by thy
eyes do not be angry with us, or leave off from having compassion on us
on this account.' I said, 'Ali Effendi is an Arab and a Muslim and an
_Emeer_ (gentleman), and he gave me good advice, and would have given
more,' etc. No use at all. He is the Government doctor, and they had
rather die, and will swallow anything from _el-Sittee Noor-ala-Noor_.
Here is a pretty state of things.
I gave Sheykh Yussuf 4 pounds for three months' daily lessons last night,
and had quite a contest to force it upon him. 'It is not for money, oh
Lady;' and he coloured crimson. He had been about with Ali Effendi, but
could not get the people to see him. The Copts, I find, _have_ a
religious prejudice against him, and, indeed, against all heretics. They
consider themselves and the Abyssinians as the only true believers. If
they acknowledge _us_ as brethren, it is for money. I speak only of the
low class, and of the priests; of course the educated merchants are very
different. I had two priests and two deacons, and the mother of one,
here to-day for physic for the woman. She was very pretty and pleasing;
miserably reduced and weak from the long fast. I told her she must eat
meat and drink a little wine, and take cold baths, and gave her quinine.
She will take the wine and the quinine, but neither eat nor wash. The
Bishop tells them they will die if they break the fast, and half the
Christians are ill from it. One of the priests spoke a little English;
he fabricates false antiques very cleverly, and is tolerably sharp; but,
Oh _mon Dieu_, it is enough to make one turn Muslim to compare these
greasy rogues with such high-minded charitable _shurafa_ (noblemen) as
Abd-el-Waris and Sheykh Yussuf. A sweet little Copt boy who is very ill
will be killed by the stupid bigotry about the fast. My friend Suleyman
is much put out, and backs my exhortations to the sick to break it. He
is a capital fellow, and very intelligent, and he and Omar are like
brothers; it is the priests who do all they can to keep alive religious
prejudice. _Alhamdulillah_, they are only partially successful.
Mohammed has just heard that seventy-five head of cattle are dead at
El-Moutaneh. Here only a few have died as yet, and Ali Effendi thinks
the disease less virulent than in Lower Egypt. I hope he is right; but
dead beasts float down the river all day long.
To turn to something more amusing--but please don't tell it--such a joke
against my gray hairs. I have had a proposal, or at least an attempt at
one. A very handsome Sheykh-el-Arab (_Bedawee_) was here for a bit, and
asked Omar whether I were a widow or divorced, as in either case he would
send a _dellaleh_ (marriage brokeress) to me. Omar told him that would
never do. I had a husband in England; besides, I was not young, had a
married daughter, my hair was gray, etc. The Sheykh swore he didn't
care; I could dye my hair and get a divorce; that I was not like stupid
modern women, but like an ancient Arab _Emeereh_, and worthy of Antar or
Abou Zeyd--a woman for whom men killed each other or themselves--and he
would pay all he could afford as my dowry. Omar came in in fits of
laughter at the idea, and the difficulty he had had in stopping the
_dellaleh's_ visit. He told the Sheykh I should certainly beat her I
should be so offended. The disregard of differences of age here on
marriage is very strange. My adorer was not more than thirty, I am sure.
Don't tell people, my dear Alick; it is so very absurd; I should be
'ashamed before the people.'
_Saturday_, _April_ 23.--_Alhamdulillah_! the sickness is going off. I
have just heard Suleyman's report as follows: Hassan Abou-Achmet kisses
the Emeereh's feet, and the bullets have cleaned his stomach six times,
and he has said the _Fathah_ for the Lady. The two little girls who had
diarrhoea are well. The Christian dyer has vomited his powder and wants
another. The mother of the Christian cook who married the priest's
sister has got dysentery. The hareem of Mustapha Abou-Abeyd has two
children with bad eyes. The Bishop had a quarrel, and scolded and fell
down, and cannot speak or move; I must go to him. The young-deacon's
jaundice is better. The slave girl of Kursheed A'gha is sick, and
Kursheed is sitting at her head in tears; the women say I must go to her,
too. Kursheed is a fine young Turk, and very good to his _Hareemat_.
That is all; Suleyman has nothing on earth to do, and brings me a daily
report; he likes the gossip and the importance.
The reis of a cargo-boat brought me up your Lafontaine, and some papers
and books from Hekekian Bey. Sheykh Yussuf is going down to Cairo, to
try to get back some of the lands which Mahommed Ali took away from the
mosques and the Ulema without compensation. He asked me whether Ross
would speak for him to Effendina! What are the Muslimeen coming to? As
soon as I can read enough he offers to read in the Koran with me--a most
unusual proceeding, as the 'noble Koran' is not generally put into the
hands of heretics; but my 'charity to the people in sickness' is looked
upon by Abd-el-Waris the Imam, and by Yussuf, as a proof that I have
'received direction,' and am of those Christians of whom _Seyyidna_
Mohammed (upon whose name be peace) has said 'that they have no pride,
that they rival each other in good works, and that God will increase
their reward.' There is no _arriere pensee_ of conversion that they
think hopeless, but charity covers all sins with Muslimeen. Next Friday
is the _Djuma el-Kebeer_ (Good Friday) with the Copts, and the prayers
are in the daytime, so I shall go to the church. Next moon is the great
Bairam, _el-Eed el-Kebeer_ (the great festival), with the Muslimeen--the
commemoration of the sacrifice of Isaac or Ishmael (commentators are
uncertain which)--and Omar will kill a sheep for the poor for the benefit
of his baby, according to custom. I have at length compassed the
destruction of mine enemy, though he has not written a book. A fanatical
Christian dog (quadruped), belonging to the Coptic family who live on the
opposite side of the yard, hated me with such virulent intensity that,
not content with barking at me all day, he howled at me all night, even
after I had put out the lantern and he could not see me in bed. Sentence
of death has been recorded against him, as he could not be beaten into
toleration. Michail, his master's son, has just come down from
El-Moutaneh, where he is _vakeel_ to M. Mounier. He gives a fearful
account of the sickness there among men and cattle--eight and ten deaths
a day; here we have had only four a day, at the worst, in a population of
(I guess) some 2,000. The Mouniers have put themselves in quarantine,
and allow no one to approach their house, as Mustapha wanted me to do.
One hundred and fifty head of cattle have died at El-Moutaneh; here only
a few calves are dead, but as yet no full-grown beasts, and the people
are healthy again. I really think I did some service by not showing any
fear, and Omar behaved manfully. By-the-by, will you find out whether a
_passaporto_, as they call it, a paper granting British protection, can
be granted in England. It is the object of Omar's highest ambition to
belong as much as possible to the English, and feel safe from being
forced to serve a Turk. If it can be done by any coaxing and jobbing,
pray do it, for Omar deserves any service I can render him in return for
all his devotion and fidelity. Someone tried to put it into his head
that it was _haraam_ to be too fond of us heretics and be faithful, but
he consulted Sheykh Yussuf, who promised him a reward hereafter for good
conduct to me, and who told me of it as a good joke, adding that he was
_raghil ameen_, the highest praise for fidelity, the sobriquet of the
Prophet. Do not be surprised at my lack of conscience in desiring to
benefit my own follower _in qualunque modo_; justice is not of Eastern
growth, and _Europeo_ is 'your only wear,' and here it is only base not
to stick by one's friends. Omar kisses the hands of the _Sidi-el-Kebeer_
(the great master), and desires his best salaam to the little master and
the little lady, whose servant he is. He asks if I, too, do not kiss
Iskender Bey's hand in my letter, as I ought to do as his Hareem, or
whether 'I make myself big before my master,' like some French ladies he
has seen? I tell him I will do so if Iskender Bey will get him his
_warak_ (paper), whereupon he picks up the hem of my gown and kisses
that, and I civilly expostulate on such condescension to a woman. Yussuf
is quite puzzled about European women, and a little shocked at the want
of respect to their husbands they display. I told him that the outward
respect shown to us by our men was _our veil_, and explained how
superficial the difference was. He fancied that the law gave us the
upper hand. Omar reports yesterday's sermon 'on toleration,' it appears.
Yussuf took the text of 'Thou shalt love thy brother as thyself, and
never act towards him but as thou wouldest he should act towards thee.'
I forget chapter and verse; but it seems he took the bull by the horns
and declared _all men_ to be brothers, not Muslimeen only, and desired
his congregation to look at the good deeds of others and not at their
erroneous faith, for God is all-knowing (_i.e._, He only knows the
heart), and if they saw aught amiss to remember that the best man need
say _Astafer Allah_ (I beg pardon of God) seven times a day.
I wish the English could know how unpleasant and mischievous their manner
of talking to their servants about religion is. Omar confided to me how
bad it felt to be questioned, and then to see the Englishman laugh or put
up his lip and say nothing. 'I don't want to talk about his religion at
all, but if he talks about mine he ought to speak of his own, too. You,
my Lady, say, when I tell you things, that is the same with us, or that
is different, or good, or not good in your mind, and that is the proper
way, not to look like thinking "all nonsense."'
ESNEH,
_Saturday_, _April_ 30.
On Thursday evening as I was dreamily sitting on my divan, who should
walk in but Arthur Taylor, on his way, all alone in a big dahabieh, to
Edfou. So I offered to go too, whereupon he said he would go on to
Assouan and see Philae as he had company, and we went off to Mustapha to
make a bargain with his Reis for it; thus then here we are at Esneh. I
embarked on Wednesday evening, and we have been two days _en route_.
Yesterday we had the thermometer at 110; I was the only person awake all
day in the boat. Omar, after cooking, lay panting at my feet on the
deck. Arthur went fairly to bed in the cabin; ditto Sally. All the crew
slept on the deck. Omar cooked amphibiously, bathing between every meal.
The silence of noon with the _white heat_ glowing on the river which
flowed like liquid tin, and the silent Nubian rough boats floating down
without a ripple, was magnificent and really awful. Not a breath of wind
as we lay under the lofty bank. The Nile is not quite so low, and I see
a very different scene from last year. People think us crazy to go up to
Assouan in May, but I do enjoy it, and I really wanted to forget all the
sickness and sorrow in which I have taken part. When I went to
Mustapha's he said Sheykh Yussuf was ill, and I said 'Then I won't go.'
But Yussuf came in with a sick headache only. Mustapha repeated my words
to him, and never did I see such a lovely expression in a human face as
that with which Yussuf said _Eh, ya Sitt_! Mustapha laughed, and told
him to thank me, and Yussuf turned to me and said, in a low voice, 'my
sister does not need thanks, save from God.' Fancy a Shereef, one of the
Ulema, calling a _Frengeeyeh_ 'sister'! His pretty little girl came in
and played with me, and he offered her to me for Maurice. I cured
Kursheed's Abyssinian slave-girl. You would have laughed to see him
obeying my directions, and wiping his eyes on his gold-embroidered
sleeve. And then the Coptic priest came for me for his wife who was ill.
He was in a great quandary, because, if she died, he, as a priest, could
never marry again, as he loudly lamented before her; but he was truly
grieved, and I was very happy to leave her convalescent.
Verily we are sorely visited. The dead cattle float down by thousands.
M. Mounier buried a thousand at El-Moutaneh alone, and lost forty men. I
would not have left Luxor, but there were no new cases for four days
before, and the worst had been over for full ten days. Two or three poor
people brought me new bread and vegetables to the boat when they saw me
going, and Yussuf came down and sat with us all the evening, and looked
quite sad. Omar asked him why, and he said it made him think how it
would seem when '_Inshallah_ should be well and should leave my place
empty at Luxor and go back with the blessing of God to my own place and
to my own people.' Whereupon Omar grew quite sentimental too, and nearly
cried. I don't know how Arthur would have managed without us, for he had
come with two Frenchmen who had proper servants and who left the boat at
Girgeh, and he has a wretched little dirty idiotic Coptic tailor as a
servant, who can't even sew on a button. It is becoming quite a calamity
about servants here. Arthur tells me that men, not fit to light Omar's
pipe, asked him 10 pounds a month in Cairo and would not take less, and
he gives his Copt 4 pounds. I really feel as if I were cheating Omar to
let him stay on for 3 pounds; but if I say anything he kisses my hand and
tells me 'not to be cross.'
I have letters from Yussuf to people at Assouan. If I want anything I am
to call on the Kadee. We have a very excellent boat and a good crew, and
are very comfortable. When the Luxor folk heard the 'son of my uncle'
was come, they thought it must be my husband. I was diverted at Omar's
propriety. He pointed out to Mustapha and Yussuf how _he_ was to sleep
in the cabin between Arthur's and mine, which was considered quite
satisfactory apparently, and it was looked upon as very proper of Omar to
have arranged it so, as he had been sent to put the boat in order.
Arthur has been all along the Suez Canal, and seen a great many curious
things. The Delta must be very unlike Upper Egypt from all he tells me.
The little troop of pilgrims for Mecca left Luxor about ten days ago. It
was a pretty and touching sight. Three camels, five donkeys, and about
thirty men and women, several with babies on their shoulders, all
uttering the _zaghareet_ (cry of joy). They were to walk to Koseir
(eight days' journey with good camels), babies and all. It is the
happiest day of their lives, they say, when they have scraped together
money enough to make the _hajj_.
This minute a poor man is weeping beside our boat over a pretty heifer
decked with many _hegabs_ (amulets), which have not availed against the
sickness. It is heart-rending to see the poor beasts and their
unfortunate owners. Some dancing girls came to the boat just now for
cigars which Arthur had promised them, and to ask after their friend el
Maghribeeyeh, the good dancer at Luxor, whom they said was very ill.
Omar did not know at all about her, and the girls seemed much distressed.
They were both very pretty, one an Abyssinian. I must leave off to send
this to the post; it will cost a fortune, but you won't grudge it.