The weather has set in so horrid, as to dust, that I shall be glad to get
away as soon as I can. If you have bought a dahabieh for me of course I
will await its arrival. If not I will have two small boats from Keneh,
whereby I shall avoid sticking in this very low water. Sheykh Hassan
goes down in his boat in twenty days and urges me to travel under his
escort, as of course the poor devils who are 'out on their keeping' after
the Gau business have no means of living left but robbery, and Sheykh
Hassan's party is good for seven or eight guns. You will laugh at my
listening to such a cowardly proposition (on my part) but my friends here
are rather bent upon it, and Hassan is a capital fellow. If therefore
the dahabieh is _in rerum naturae_ and can start at once, well and good.
_April_ 14.--The dahabieh sounds an excellent bargain to me and good for
you also to get your people to Assouan first. Many thanks for the
arrangement.
Your version of our massacre is quite curious to us here. I know very
intimately the Sheykh-el-Arab who helped to catch the poor people and
also a young Turk who stood by while Fadil Pasha had the men laid down by
ten at a time and chopped with pioneers' axes. My Turkish friend (a very
good-humoured young fellow) quite admired the affair and expressed a
desire to do likewise to all the fellaheen in Egypt. I have seen with my
own eyes a second boatload of prisoners. I wish to God the Pasha knew
the deep exasperation which his subordinates are causing. I do not like
to say all I hear. As to the Ulema, Kadees, Muftis, etc., I know many
from towns and villages, and all say 'We are Muslims, but we should thank
God to send Europeans to govern us,' the feeling is against the
Government and the Turks up here--not against Christians. A Coptic
friend of mine has lost all his uncle's family at Gau, all were shot
down--Copt and Christian alike. As to Hajjee Sultan, who lies in chains
at Keneh and his family up at Esneh, a better man never lived, nor one
more liberal to Christians. Copts ate of his bread as freely as Muslims.
He lies there because he is distantly related by marriage to Achmet
et-Tayib, the real reason is because he is wealthy and some enemy covets
his goods.
Ask M. Mounier what he knows. Perhaps I know even more of the feeling as
I am almost adopted by the Abu-l-Hajjajeeah, and sit every evening with
some party or another of decent men. I assure you I am in despair at all
I see--and if the soldiers do come it will be worse than the cattle
disease. Are not the cawasses bad enough? Do they not buy in the market
at their own prices and beat the sakkas in sole payment for the skins of
water? Who denies it here? Cairo is like Paris, things are kept sweet
there, but up here--! Of course Effendina hears the 'smooth prophecies'
of the tyrants whom he sends up river. When I wrote before I knew
nothing certain but now I have eye-witnesses' testimony, and I say that
the Pasha deceives or is deceived--I hope the latter. An order from him
did stop the slaughter of women and children which Fadil Pasha was about
to effect.
To turn to less wretched matters. I will come right down Alexandria with
the boat, I shall rejoice to see you again.
Possibly the Abab'deh may come with me and I hope Sheykh Yussuf, 'my
chaplain' as Arthur Taylor called him. We shall be quite a little fleet.