Chapter I (6)

We should have often been much pleased, when thus agreeably aroused from rest, to have sought some consolation in a good supper, had not our cook Achmet, a long, lanky native, too often left us unprovided with the materials for one. Long had this man been our daily torment, from his ill-conditioned, obstinate, and contradictory spirit; and even the most vigorous appliance of the karbatsch failed in effecting his cure, as he submitted standing erect, stiff, and perfectly silent, never giving sign or note of pain, and treating our most cutting blows with stoical indifference, and when all was over asking, “Schenu di?” (What’s this for?) He even now and then ventured to set us to rights, and ever was at open war with all our other servants. The man was born with a mania for discord; could he not get up a squabble with his fellows at home, he would sally out and cast about for some cause of quarrel amongst our peaceful neighbours. That he ever lived in peace with any one, or spoke a good word of another, we never heard. With us and our actions he, as a matter of course, constantly found fault. Out of revenge, he for fourteen days in succession gave the other servants no butchers’ meat; and often when we had a sheep killed, he purposely kept the meat till it was putrid, so that they might not be able to eat it. He also carried off our and the servants’ things, and hid them, merely to be able to turn with his slanderous words suspicions of theft on some other one. The only good about him was his talent for cooking, as he could, indeed, produce a good dinner out of almost nothing; but this he never would exercise unless we stood over him and compelled him, or when he desired to appear exceedingly active in our eyes, for some purpose of his own. From a fellow of such character we had every thing to fear; and when at last we discovered him to be a thief, and learnt from his own confession that he had often, ere now, stolen money, clothes, sugar, coffee, rice, various bottles of wine and rum, and sold them, our patience and forbearance towards him were at an end, and, ere half an hour was over his head, he found himself enrolled by the Bimbaschi Hassan Effendi, as soldier in the 1st regiment. We had at first pardoned him, merely dismissing him our service; although the persons to whom he had sold the stolen goods had come forward to give evidence against him, and had proved him beyond doubt to be the thief: but, on the day we made him a soldier, I was lying, much worn out, on my angareb, the fever having just left me, when I heard in the back part of our hut a case of provisions being broken open. I looked round, and there was Achmet, who had taken out a loaf of sugar, and was about to carry it off by the back door. I cried out, “Rugh fenn?” (Where with that?) He put down the sugar, and with a snarling “Aus è?” (What’s wanted?) advanced up to me, as if, I being all alone, he would have throttled me; but, at the instant, I seized one of my pistols, which hung near me, and pointed it at his head; on which he remained as if rooted to the ground, his eyes glaring on me like a tiger’s. As if it had been arranged, and perchance fortunately for me, my brother at that moment entered the hut by the back door, and Topschi Baschi by the front, at the same instant; and now I had to spring up to prevent the wild Kurd, who at once comprehended how matters stood, from splitting Achmet’s head on the spot. Although our friend Achmet came from the land of Djaal, the inhabitants of which, as well as of Barabra, are not compelled to serve as soldiers, their countries being much depopulated, still an exception was made in his favour. He was thus rendered harmless to others, as now the Nabut would take care of his doings; and the example we made of him had the best effect on our other servants.

The noble art of cooking is as little known in Bellad-Sudan as in Arabia or Turkey. Cleanliness, there, is even less attended to than it is generally among the Arabs and Negroes, and the cook is ever distinguished by being dirtier and more filthy in his dress than others. Even in Europe, it is said, if a man would enjoy his dinner, he must not see it cooked; but let one here only cast a glance into the filthy hole they call a kitchen (matbach), see the dabblings of the cook with filthy hands, an equally dirty pipe ever in his mouth, and how, without knife, fork, or spoon, he tastes every dish with his fingers, and with these arranges each _plât_ on its dish, and he must indeed be a man of strong stomach, and stronger appetite, who can eat at all. Arab cookery is certainly very simple, as it is composed of boiled beans, and flesh, either boiled (lachame masluk, or mistaui) or roasted (kabab). This last consists of small pieces of meat stuck on wooden skewers, and roasted over the embers, and if it be desired to make it somewhat better than common, pieces of flesh, fat, and liver are placed on the skewers alternately. The Turks of rank have generally their food prepared for them by the female slaves of their harem, but, even then, cleanliness is no matter of boasting, and none of the Turkish ladies know anything of cookery, and their laziness prevents their acquiring any knowledge of it. Soup is never seen at Turkish tables, as it would be impossible to eat it with the shallow spoons they use, generally made of wood or horn. All the meat to be used for the dinner is boiled or sodden together in one great pot; from this mass afterwards the various _plâts_ are prepared, almost all of which have a similar taste, having been all at first subjected to the same treatment. In some the meat is cut down smaller than in others, in some smothered by a vile sauce of butter or melted fat; some slightly roasted, and otherwise disguised; but in this way the cook prepares a number of dishes, as quantity, not quality, is his object, and constitutes the goodness of the dinner; but in none of them, is there either nourishment or flavour,—all are sodden and tasteless, from want of salt, pepper, spice, &c. The vegetables are ever villanously cooked, and floating in grease, or the water the meat has been boiled in. The sweets, of which all Easterns are especially fond, are better and more varied; but even these are very similar in taste, and cannot for a moment compare with an European dessert.

All food is served, not on dishes, but on plates, many often not larger than a saucer, and all are at one time crowded and heaped on a sennié, _i.e._ a large copper flat dish, with a low edge, which is placed on a stool a foot or twenty inches high, or an equally low table. The honourable company sit round this, on carpets spread on the floor, and each at once plunges his hand into any or every dish that pleases him, and gropes about till he gets hold of the best bits, pulls them out, and swallows them. Very often a bite is only taken from the piece thus seized on, and the rest returned to the dish; but, in spite of the cleanly treatment it has undergone, it is again soon seized hold of by another, and, perchance, again similarly handled, till all is finally bolted. The Turks eat incredibly rapidly, as they bolt every thing, and keep cramming into the mouth more ere the former mouthful has been swallowed; while a smacking of lips, and licking of sauce-dripping fingers succeed, and proclaim their pleasure in the meal. Bread is generally to be found on the table, but neither salt, oil, vinegar, or pepper; although when they dine with Europeans they show no dislike to highly seasoned dishes, or strong drinks. Although their dishes are numerous, they contain but little, and that little by no means of a quality suited to a German stomach, and this, too, would require to satisfy its cravings as much as four Turkish; but, after all other _plâts_, comes the never failing pillau, and he who has not already got his fill had better now lose no time in idling up between his two first fingers and thumb some balls of its mass, and cramming them down his throat; as the pillau is an invariable sign that the feast is ended. If there are many courses, or more dishes than the table will hold at one time, the entertainer is ever busied making signs to the attendants which are to be removed; and not seldom the guest finds that the very dish he was about to help himself from is carried off from under his very nose. The Pascha used often to amuse himself by playing tricks on his guests, by ordering off with the utmost rapidity those dishes he found their longing eyes fixed on, ere their outstretched hands could convey any portion of them into their watering mouths. Water, in abundance, is never wanting to wash down the repast, as many slaves stand by, in readiness to pour it out, as well as to keep off the flies. At first, in spite of the pillau, we never were quick enough to get sufficient to eat, not having been brought up to bolt our food; and that the Turks are so quickly satisfied, and by so little, is wholly owing to this bolting of their food, is undeniable: and this, also, produces the repeated eructations they so loudly and joyfully give vent to, as proving their high health and vigour. A newly arrived European is almost certain to rise from table unsatisfied, on dining with a party of Turks; for this dabbling of hands in the dishes, these handlings and tastings of the meat without taking it wholly away, must be disgusting to him; and, even now, when we have become pretty well used to it, we cannot wholly get over our dislike and loathing to the whole eating business; yet all the other Franks here have adopted it, looking upon it as a most comfortable method of feeding.

The contributions come in very sparingly, and are so small, that they more resemble presents than tribute. Of cows only 300 have been delivered, while Churschid Pascha, and with much less ado about it, got 3,000, and also managed in his two campaigns to pick up some 950 purses. When the wealth of these people in herds and flocks is considered, it is no small piece of daring in them to fancy they can make the Pascha credit that these 300 animals are anything like a tenth; and he is furious at the return thus made him for his mildness and forbearance, has sharply rebuked all the Sheiks about it, and has summoned Mohammed Din, Sheik Mussa, and the two Sheiks of Mitkenab to appear before him. All have appeared, though their people, fearing evil, would have prevented their coming in; but they felt secure, depending on the Amàhn already granted by the Pascha to them. But he, like all Turks, faithless in word and deed, had instantly all four made prisoners and laid in irons; chains are placed on their necks and feet, besides their being chained to each other. When we first beheld in camp, with the white handkerchief (mandilla) round his neck, as sign of submission and pardon, the great Sheik Mohammed Din, we more than suspected that old fox would soon be trapped, have, as hostage for his tribe, to travel to Chartum, and most certainly not die in his own land, like the other chiefs of the island. He may, indeed, then have in his heart laughed at his investment in a robe of purple and red shawl, and fancied he had done well in coming in; but, in spite of all his cunning, he has fallen into the snare, and his fate is fixed. Could not the old freebooter have been once again as wise as to confide his fortunes to his forests and arms, instead of having, as now, advanced with steady step to certain ruin? For most surely for long, if not altogether, would the impenetrable and extensive forests have afforded him safe shelter, and there might, indeed, his javelins have dealt death and destruction on our army; but perchance his policy was to hold the Turks here, by empty promises and false hopes, till the rainy season, and then to have seen them, in this inhospitable and totally over-flooded land, perish, man and beast, from sickness and starvation, aided, if needed, by his tribe’s arms. But the Pascha has forestalled his plans.

The day he was put in chains the evening gun was loaded with grape shot, and fired into the forest of the Haddenda land, probably to alarm any Arabs concealed in it, as the thunder of the great guns ever strike terror into the souls of these Arabs and blacks, even of such of them as should be well used to the noise; for we often have seen these, when by any chance near the cannon when fired, start back some six or seven paces, pale and trembling at the report. When the Turks attacked a large, populous, and fortified hill near Faszogl, the blacks sent out spies to learn how strong were their foes, and how they were armed; these spies came back laughing, with the report that there was no great body of troops, and such as there were had no other arms than polished sticks over their shoulders, but neither lances, swords, nor shields. Ere long, however, the ignorant unfortunates discovered the fearful efficacy of these polished sticks, though they could not for a moment comprehend how such small pieces of lead could so speedily wound, nay, slay outright; so the general opinion pronounced that an Afritt scheitàn (devil or evil spirit) lived in the muskets, and under this idea a black, who had laid hold of a soldier’s musket, instantly placed his hand on the muzzle to keep the scheitàn in; the soldier drew the trigger, and the leaden devil shattered the hand and breast of the poor negro. Still they hold their own lances as much the most deadly, and far superior to the invisible balls; hence a negro, after a skirmish, having got possession of some six or seven muskets of the slain soldiers, bore them joyfully home, to convert the barrels into lance heads, in the midst of a circle of admiring countrymen. Some of the former, however, chanced to contain the charge, and becoming red hot in the fire, burst, and sent wounds and death among the astonished lookers-on.

The mere cocking of the piece, and, far more surely, the report, will send most Arabs flying, though no damage has been done, as we have often beheld in the tribes of Taka; but the inhabitants of Hedjas have taken a wiser part, having managed to provide themselves with muskets, and though very slow they are sure shots; hid behind their rocks and walls, they are pretty sure, with their far carrying flint-guns, to hit their man; and in most skirmishes with them the fallen soldiers are found to have been hit on the foreheads, as the red tarbush affords them an excellent mark to aim at.

These Arabs have been known from oldest times as a brave and freedom- loving tribe, and even withstood the conquering arms of Rome, preserving their liberty. The mountains of their country (Hedjas) rise some short day’s journey from the Red Sea, steep and high, so that almost two days’ laborious travel is required to reach the plateau on which they dwell. The path up is steep and rocky, and gives even a good climber enough to do to ascend; and yet these Arabs have trained their horses, and even their camels, to ascend it with heavy loads. If these latter come to a steeper or more dangerous place, they kneel down and crawl along on knees and belly. On the shore are coral reefs. The hills themselves are composed of granite, naked and rugged, to the sea; but no sooner is the plateau or inhabited land reached, than one beholds the most luxuriant verdure, splendid though wild cypresses, oranges, peach, apricot, plum, and pear trees, and, above all, the most flourishing vines and date-palm trees. Hill streams pour their crystal waters from rock to rock, while from their banks rise the balmy perfumes of herbs of all kinds, balm, fennel, &c. &c. The fields, however, are poorly cultivated, as the constant feuds of the various families or clans among each other prevent any careful culture of the soil. Only during a short armistice for sowing and harvesting, do they live at peace and work together, nay, even visit one another; for then, by ancient and inviolable custom, all feuds are at rest; but hardly is the last seed buried in the earth, or the last ear gathered off it, when the old feuds again commence and continue as bitter as ever. _Blood-vengeance_, which reigns there in full force, is usually the origin of these feuds, and ere long the whole clans on both sides are involved in the quarrel. From the ever-enduring feuds one sees none but armed men in this country, and their houses are converted into small fortalices, in which they can hold out and defend themselves; these are built of stone, in a tower-like form, but with only one very low entrance, through which men can only pass by stooping much; and the upper story of the house is used to contain the horses, camels, cows, &c., all of which have been used from birth to creep in on their bellies through such low doorways, and the inside thus gained have again to mount up a narrow, small stone staircase, at which they are all most expert, difficult though the task may be. Instead of windows these houses have small arrow-slits, and when the inmates have (if necessary) built up their doorway from the inside with stones and stakes, the fortress is in readiness for a siege, as care is ever taken to hold it provided with stores of food for man and beast.

Hospitality is ever and at all times a sacred duty with these Arabs, even towards an enemy; and they have, too, held fast to all their old virtues and good customs, which is far more than can be said of the tribes of the sea coasts and plains; but this may be easily accounted for, from the latter having been more thrown in the way of holding intercourse with foreign nations, and from their trading much more with such. They are particularly distinguished from the mountain races, who will have nothing to do with them, by their darker skin, but they wear a similar dress, and all acknowledge themselves to be of the sect of the Wachabites (Wahabi), thus distinct from the Mussulmen as also by building no mosques, smoking no tobacco, nor adorning their dress with silk or gold, &c.; as they plundered the chaaba in Mecca, and robbed the richly endowed groves of Mahomet and his daughter Fatima in Medina, so also did they take from all caravans without exception, their silver, gold, and valuables, and when they no longer dared venture on such robberies, they invented another means of levying toll on all pilgrims, by compelling them to let fall on the ground their money and other valuables, so that they might afterwards take it to themselves as windfalls; but this procedure is also now forbidden them.

Against these Wachabites, whose warlike qualities were well known, Mehemet Ali declared a religious war, which was highly approved of by the Porte. The latter hoped to see that by this the ever-increasing powers of the Pascha, would be much weakened (a favourite plan of the Porte as regards such powerful vassals); but the old wily Pascha gladly used this approval of the sultan to increase his army greatly, and organise it in European style and to European tactics. Nor did he fail to inflame the Moslem with zeal for the holy war, and so win again to his side those bigots who had been much estranged from him by his many innovations and new institutions, and lead them to publicly proclaim that it was the duty of every Mussulman to advance to the aid and protection of the country of the Holy Prophet, especially to that of Mecca and Medina, the former of which, along with the great chaaba, contains within its walls also the Well and Baths of Purification. Never, for a moment either, did his calculating mind lose sight of the ports of the Red Sea and their trade with India (Hind), the influence of the large caravans, which brought from all parts of the world where Islam existed crowds of pilgrims to the holy shrines and purifying springs, or the quantity of gold these pilgrims or future Hadji expended (a highly honourable title among both Greeks and Turks, and gained by such pilgrimages), and by their means opening up an intercourse with the land of Yemen, and its rich and important trading city of Mocca, where coffee already yields such great gains. It may here be remarked, in passing, that the richer inhabitants of Yemen, as also those of Hedjas, do not use the beans of the coffee in preparing that liquid, but the inner shell or skin that contains these, which they hold to be much higher and better flavoured; they also mix in their coffee cloves, cinnamon, aromatic spices and gums, so that this beverage with them is very similar to a perfumed cordial. Nor do they drink it in such small portions as are usual in Egypt and Turkey, but the attending slave holds ready a large vessel, from which he fills the cups as often as they are emptied, while his masters sit and smoke their well-loved long dschihschi[13] pipes, with long tubes passed through water, that the smoke may come cold to the mouth, and which, when a few inveterate smokers meet together, keep up a boiling and bubbling noise, not unlike a distant corps of drummers in full performance.

The battle with the races of Arabia now began, but never had any of Mehemet Ali’s former wars devoured so many bleeding victims as this with the races of Hedjas and Yemen. Their lands proved a bottomless gulph that nothing could satisfy; and only by the greatest exertions, did he in the end manage to overrun, and in a measure conquer, these tribes. For although, after long-continued marches of twenty-four or twenty-six hours, without the smallest rest, among rocky hills, burning plains, without water, every where harassed by Arabs and tormented by fearful heat, the Egyptian army held out stoutly, and behaved bravely, still the mountain district of land called Assir, between Hedjas and Yemen, proved a refuge not to be forced, and one he never could win, as the _élite_ of the population, composed of a body of not more than five hundred warriors, holding themselves distinct from the others, have, by their wild courage and fiery love of fatherland, ever been victorious, and triumphantly beaten off all attacks.[14]

But to the conscienceless Pascha, this destructive and murderous war was most welcome, as it afforded the best and surest vent for getting rid of those restless fellows who stood in the way of his plans. To it were sent all whose deaths were desired; to it were insubordinate regiments despatched, and to it were thousands on thousands of Arnauts hurried off. By these most assuredly had Mehemet Ali been raised to power. By their love of blood he had swept his foes from his path and made firm his rule, but now no longer did the master want his tools; their claims and demands were too great, their excesses and cruelties were the dread of the land, and so the cunning Pascha gladly availed himself of this excellent opportunity of sending them to destruction, causing them to be most anxious to go, by dazzling their eyes with visions of rich booty and unrestrained plunder and bloodshed. Nay! so far did old Ali carry his shameless inhumanity, as to give secret orders to his trusted officers to “expend” the Arnauts in every way; and so, during the march to Arabia, many of these latter were ordered on distant expeditions into the deserts, with certain promise that camels should be sent after them with food and water: but no supplies were ever sent, and those unfortunate men were allowed to perish miserably in the wastes from thirst and starvation. If Mehemet Ali sought a defence for such barbarity, one well suited to him might be found in this, that his own safety and the maintenance of his power demanded the extirpation of these Arnauts; and certainly from his refusal to admit their claims, and the evil way in which he rewarded their former services, as well as their ever being at the call of him who paid best, they were, undoubtedly, most ready and able to attach themselves to any other aspirant to power, and well fitted to ably assist in overturning the wily old Pascha, already most hateful from his many innovations, and increasing rapacity,—a ruin all the easier effected, as there was always in the country a strong party hostile to him, and this was supported both by the Porte and by the remains of the Mamalukes, who still existed, though in secret. These Arnauts had also, ere now, threatened his life in Cairo, on his refusing to yield to their violent demands.

On this occasion, assembling in great bodies, they marched through the city with shouts and riotings, threatening to lay it all in ashes, committing every kind of crime, and at last surrounded the citadel of Jussuff or Sal-ed-din, the beautiful acropolis of Cairo, and began formally to besiege it, purposing to capture it, and with it the Pascha, and murder him. But the old fox probably foreseeing these plans, or having had some hint of the intended mutiny, had, during the preceding night, stolen out of the citadel to the palace of his son-in-law on the Esbekieh, and at once seeing that his power was endangered, failed not to avert the evil. His confidential messengers were immediately with the most influential leaders of the revolters, and weighty purses changed hands and altered murderous intentions; inactivity and quarrels filled the camp, and suddenly a proposal was heard, probably started by the cunning Pascha’s emissaries, that it would be better fun to plunder the city, than remain idle before the fortress. This idea, so well adapted to the character of these troops, was hardly hinted at, when a small body being left to watch the citadel, all set off and broke into the richest bazaars of the city, there robbed, spoiled, and plundered, cutting down and murdering all who offered the smallest hindrance to their savage fury and bloody greed. There, too, was slain, the youngest and fairest daughter of the Prussian consul, Bokhti, who was shot by an Albanian whose path she unfortunately crossed. The richest spoils were sold for a song, and the coin thus got was lavished in excesses of all kinds, and in these the drunken Arnauts forgot all about siege or Pascha. But by the latter every use was made of the time gained: in all haste the nearest quartered regiments of the line were sent for, and, on arriving, distributed partly in the citadel, partly posted at the most important points and commanding situations of the city; so the Arnauts, on awaking from their debauch, found themselves outwitted, and on Mehemet Ali promising them speedy payment of their arrears, they marched quietly back to their former quarters. The pay, wondrous to say, they did receive, but as surely were all, under one or other excuse, despatched into countries from which for them there was no return. The merchants ruined by the Pascha’s stratagem received some millions of piastres as indemnification, but, as may be easily supposed, this sum nothing like covered their losses.

The conduct of the Arnauts from Rumelia, Albania, and elsewhere, during their time of power, is almost incredible. Not one night passed in Cairo, that a number of men were not murdered by them in the most public streets and places. Ever drunk, they wandered about the town, and more than one Frank was shot down merely because he was a Frank: but not alone did Franks suffer; as they spared neither country, sex, or age; every inhabitant trembled at their approach, and at the sight of their yatachans[15], with which they most dexterously sliced off men’s heads, as well as before the ever-loaded pistols stuck in their girdles, and never laid aside day or night, asleep or waking. They spread fear and horror around them on all sides, and were, in one word, the pest of Egypt. Never did I gaze on countenances that more strongly testified to savage passions, and eager love of blood, than those of these Arnauts; such vile and savage faces never did I see, not even among the infuriated and wild Greeks, during their war of freedom, when, in the pomegranate groves of Ti Myli (Lerna, near Argos), they roasted alive their Turkish captives. Their characters are in true keeping with their debauched and brutally savage features. Their dress and equipments perfect the horrors of their appearance; they wear dirty ragged tarbushes dragged down low over the eyes, or carelessly hanging on one side of the head, the bull-like neck and brown breast ever bared, a jacket, always at first of a yellow colour, but now from age, holes, and dirt, colourless, and under it a gay vest of many hues; the once white Albanian or Grecian shirt[16] with large wide sleeves, but now black or brown, as washing it never knew. This shirt falls like a tunic over their short breeches; their leggings generally fastened with innumerable buttons, are of a different colour from the jacket, usually bright red or green, and the naked foot is thrust into old slippers. Over an old torn scarf or shawl is worn a leathern girdle, in which are carried their ornaments, all valuables, and deadly weapons of every kind; at the back hang two small leathern pouches for powder and ball, along with a small flask holding oil for their arms; during war they carry a long musket, and with it, in spite of its short and awkward stock, they take sure and deadly aim. When I last met with them, they had formed a camp near Cairo, and my brother, as medicine major of the chief hospital, Kasr-el-ain, received orders to visit their sick. Arm in arm we held our way boldly down the centre of the street, till near the gates we fell in with two bodies of them, singing, shouting, and half drunk, who seemed inclined to block up the way. My brother cried out “dropp” (out of that); what charm lay in the word I know not, but the line opened and we passed through uninsulted, though in European garb. Ere long we met the second body, and passed them in like way, but in doing so, I greeted one or two of them in Greek, on which many of them rushed up to me, and hailing me as a brother and compatriot, embraced me, insisting on escorting us into the camp. These Arnauts are merely irregular troops, acting as tiralleurs, and generally as it pleases themselves; their officers are always fellow-countrymen. Brave and death defying they are, but only on those occasions when they look for spoil; indifferent and even cowardly where honour alone is the prize, at it they laugh, as at the sufferings of their prisoners, whom they often murder with cruellest tortures. Better they know not; living in their own land without almost any agriculture, industry, or trade, they support themselves by war, plunder, and murder, till at length, forced by starvation to quit it, they seek richer and more favoured lands, in which to pursue their horrid trade. At the present day few Arnauts are to be found in Egypt, the late arrivals having been rapidly forwarded to where they were soon expended. During our residence at Cairo, there arrived in the Arnaut camp before the city, a regiment of them from Syria; as usual these were to be seen drunk, quarrelling, and committing all kinds of excesses in the city and its environs. Thus, one of them, without the least scruple, murdered a poor girl, who from her yellow slippers was easily known as a Turkish female, because she would not yield to his brutal wishes.

Our favourite Bellad-Sudan has also consumed a number of Arnauts, who had been attracted thither by the tempting promises of Ismail Pascha, and of the monster Mohammed Bey Defterdar[17], and son-in-law of Mehemet Ali. They were the principal agents in the horrible and unequalled cruelties of the Defterdar, and this tiger had even three or four hundred of these fellows as his body guard, and paid out of his own pocket. These were the _élite_ of and pattern for the rest, and their master was the most inhuman miscreant of all. Even yet there may be found here and there in Bellad-Sudan, some one or two of these executioners, but old, worn out, and, by sufferings of many kinds, humbled and tamed down. Sulky and disinclined to talk, they are only to be stirred up by awakening their recollections of past times; by these can their quenched fire be again momentarily revived; at such tales again do their eyes gleam, and sparkle as the old lust for blood is aroused, and the trembling hand grasps the well-blooded weapon. The Defterdar is still their idol, and many other soldiers show their admiration of him; Mograbin and Schaigie have over and over again assured us that his like is no where now to be found. In truth, these are men who know nothing of regular work or orderly occupation, who lead a wild unrestrained life, and support themselves by robbery and murder. In these respects the Defterdar was the very man to satisfy them; he kept them in constant employment, knew well how to reward them, for he was liberal and generous to his own men as he was harsh and cruel to a conquering or conquered foe. No sooner did he sit down before a town, than forth went the order to burn, murder, and plunder,—for the dread his name inspired, and his successes in his many and bold enterprises, checked all attempts at resistance. The plunder he shared with his soldiers, as well as their cruelties and excesses.

CHAP. VII.

Position of Mohammed Din. — Camels stolen. — Ant Hills. — Chameleons. — Animal Fraternity. — Uses of Tobacco. — Rosaries — Beads — Amulets. — Blacks — Appearance and Opinions.

Our Pascha seems to have gained nothing by holding as prisoners Mohammed Din, Mussa, and the two Sheiks of Mitkenab, as now no tribute of any sort comes in from their tribes, and not an Arab is to be seen at our lately-established market. That he will, by these means, succeed with Mohammed Din and his people seems to us far from probable, or rather, we feel certain that he will not, and Mohammed Din is repeatedly demanding why he is kept a prisoner, and not at once put to death; he says he fears not death, and would rather meet it than undergo such treatment, that leads to nothing. And we believe him, and, if so, the Pascha will never receive aught from his tribe, who seemingly are guided in all by Mohammed Din’s orders. If he dies, in his people’s eyes, he will have fallen a sacrifice to his country’s weal, and will be honoured by them as a martyr (Schahied, as we have already heard him styled), his grave will become a holy spot, and he himself be numbered among their saints. Who can tell whether or not Mohammed Din has taken all this into consideration, and may not have made up his mind to sacrifice himself, even though in so doing he may have been less influenced by patriotic feelings than by the honour and fame such a death would bestow on his name, and so gloriously wind up a career like his own,—a life of the utmost reverence from, and influence with, his countrymen, thus closing with a death bringing everlasting honour and renown? Most of the leading men among the blacks of our army have expressed to us their dissatisfaction with the Pascha’s conduct towards Mohammed Din; all accuse him of breach of his word; he having given the Sheik the “Amahn,” and it is possible they may at heart be alarmed for a like fate for themselves. Further it is plainly to be seen that the Pascha himself is by no means sure he had done right in taking this course, although he has doubtless well considered and long intended it; on our waiting on him after the decisive step was taken, his first question was, as he looked inquiringly at us, “Chabare?” (What’s the news? What’s going on?) On our giving no direct answer, he broached the subject and said, on our remarking that we were not sufficiently acquainted with the state of matters to judge fairly of them, that he certainly had the strongest grounds for so acting; nay, that this course was absolutely the only one. Of one thing, however, he may rest certain, that his meditated mighty plans of improving these countries are, if not for ever, at least for a long, long period, all crushed and baffled, as he will never now make aught of their inhabitants, who will, after this, much rather desert and quit for ever these lands, than allow _him_ to introduce alterations and improvements among them. With Mohammed Din’s incarceration, all faith of the Arabs in the Pascha has vanished; kind and friendly as he has acted, and may in future act toward them, all confidence is gone, and their hatred to the Turks, strong enough already, from the reports of their cruelties related by fugitives from Schendy and Damer, as well as by the former visits of the Defterdar, yet too well remembered, will be by his conduct inflamed and strengthened.

Life in our camp has little to recommend it. At night Arabs swarm round us on all sides, whose peculiar cries and howlings portend nothing pleasant. The war-cry of the Arabs, a high shrill “Rara ra la lah,” similar to that of the Maniotes, has something hideous and unnatural about it, especially during the night, and leads one to suppose the utterers to be far more numerous than they really are. Measures of great precaution have been taken on our side, in case of any sudden attack. The whole cavalry encamp at night outside the seriba, and one-third of the infantry is always under arms, being relieved at intervals of two hours by the other divisions. The fatigues of these duties, added to the bad food, have brought sicknesses of all kinds on the soldiery. Why should not one division remain on duty all night, and thus give the infantry two full nights’ rest out of every three?

To the tedium and ennui of our camp-life had now been added other annoyances. Our camel-keeper, Mahomet, must have his siesta during the day, and so allow to be stolen from under his guard the two dromedaries given us by the Pascha, that were celebrated for their power, speed, and endurance, as also a young naga (female camel of highest breed), that the Sheik Soliman had sold us as a great favour. She had not in all the camp her equal in endurance, was gentle in her paces, not too tall, and got over the ground quickly and smoothly. When a dromedary does not step out strong and boldly, the Arabs say he has a cold back (Dach’r bärt). Along with these went also three of our pack-camels,—a heavy loss for us. The keeper too, from fear of punishment for his neglect, has also absconded; but on our sending out our other servants, they soon hit upon the track of our stolen beasts, leading in the direction of Soggilab, and this showed plainly they had been carried off by the thieving Haddenda. The Pascha certainly at once wrote to the Sheik of Soggilab, to have our animals sought for, but they have never appeared again, and the Pascha has omitted to compel this rascally tribe to supply their place by others. Our equipment for this expedition had, ere we left Chartum, already cost us 8000 piastres, and now we are again put to the fresh expense of buying other dromedaries and pack-camels (as we have only four left), to convey ourselves and goods, the daily rumour of the camp being that we march in the morning. It is too well known, unfortunately, to all, that we must buy, which will compel us to pay double price. The sums of money lost on these chasuas are great, and men like ourselves, engaging in one for the first time, have to pay a premium for experience. But the greatest annoyance, as well as additional expense, is the servants’ waste, extravagance, and insolence. We have as few of these pests as possible, but still have five for loading, feeding, and attending to our camels; one as cook; one as attendant on ourselves, and to bring in coffee when we have visitors. The tricks, lies, idleness of these gentry is beyond my powers of relating. One European servant would do more than any four of them; indeed, were not the karbatsch kept ever in hand, one would neither get work out of them, nor be able to get on with them.[18]

The only remarkable quality these fellows possess is a curious power of distinguishing, and this enabled our servants to track our lost camels to Soggilab, following their footmarks among those of hundreds of other animals. It is incredible how the natives here can distinguish and follow up a lost beast’s foot-tracks, and even the footmarks of a man. Have they merely once or twice glanced at the footmark of man, camel, horse, ass, &c., they can with certainty distinguish it from a thousand others, follow the trail any distance, so long as the ground is tolerably favourable, and wind or rain has not obliterated the marks. When need requires it, a professional tracker is called on, shown the foot-print of the lost man or beast, and then he, no further question asked, follows up the track over paths and roads, through streets and towns where daily thousands pass, and seldom fails to hunt out the game; nor does he move on slowly, or bending down with eye examining the ground, but moves on briskly, at a sharp run, along the quickly spied- out track. We ourselves beheld, near the Armenian Karabet, how one of these men, being shown the track of a runaway slave, followed it up, and, after three days, overtaking the fugitive, returned again with him a prisoner. On one occasion, my brother having, more than an hour before, left the Pascha’s dwelling in Chartum, to visit some sick in a distant part of the city, was again wanted by the great man; the tschausch (orderly) was sent after him, and tracked his footsteps out, amongst thousands of others, through street and lane, and found him. When we remained behind the army, on the Atbara’s bank, the Schaigies sent back to escort us discovered, among the tracks of the 700 or 800 asses of the army, the footmarks of one belonging to a friend, and the event showed they were right.

Every evening now there is much lightning in the south-east, and it seems as if the rainy season had commenced in the Abyssinian mountains; we also have had here a forerunner of the much-dreaded chariffs, repeated showers, accompanied by thunder and lightning. This latter is called by the Turks “semscheck,” by the Arabs “bark.” We were, during these showers, well drenched in our airy tents, but slept on, wet as we were, till next morning, and did not suffer from our duckings. Every attempt to sleep in the day-time is now vain, from swarms of a small species of fly, that seems every day to augment its numbers; ants, too, are to be found in numerous troops, both in Taka and in the upper parts of Faszogl; all sorts of woollen or cotton clothes that come in their way are in an instant devoured, and in one night carpets, dresses, &c., are eat into rags. Their devastations are boundless, in the shortest time they have devoured the largest stores of grain; they are large in size, and of a different species from those in Dongola. We had for long observed in the fields mounds of earth, of a conical form, from five to twelve feet high, and three or five feet in diameter, and took them at first for look-out towers, such as are to be met with in Upper Egypt, with men on their tops to overlook the whole field, and drive away thieves, whether winged or biped. Round, and even in our camps, were many such mounds; anxious to discover their real purpose, we examined them, and, to our astonishment, found they were not the work of men, but formed by the small ant. On the outside were merely to be seen a number of irregularly-placed round holes, without seeming order or arrangement, save that at the foot of the pillar, and for two feet from the ground, there were none; these holes led into the interior, and there the swarms and multitudes of these small insects were beyond belief. The whole edifice was most artfully and scientifically laid out in small cells, with passages between them; the partitions of these were of the finest earth, vaulted, polished smooth, and about as thick as a sheet of paper. So smooth were these walls, that they seemed as if polished by water, and a finer or better earth had been chosen for them, as they were totally different from the outside of the structure, which closely resembled the soil it stood on; and, from its coarse, rude, and rough exterior, gave no promise of such beautiful master-work. Indeed, this excess of cells, the larger of which seemed as if formed for the saloons,—of winding passages story above story,—in short, all in the interior, was in an order, and of a masterly art, that man’s hand could hardly have given it. Beyond dispute, this indescribably exquisite building is far more artistical and beautiful than that of the bees, though certainly not of the same benefit to man; one cannot enough examine these labyrinths, nor sufficiently admire the work of the small artizans. These beautiful inner arrangements extended from the top to within 1½ foot of the ground; the under part was not so arranged or laboured, probably on account of the rains, as then the water may rise to such a height, and for this reason it may have no holes in its lower part, where the outer wall is formed more coarsely, thicker, and stronger; as the same instinct that causes these insects to raise the mound to protect and secure themselves from the storms of the chariffs, would also point out to them these minor precautions. The highest of these hillocks we measured was 12½ feet, with a diameter at the centre of 3½ feet. Some had inclosed within their retreat a tree-stem, and thus had a green, shady covering over them. In none could we discover any provision, magazines, or places for storing food.

Snakes continue to be brought to us in numbers. A soldier brought us a domestic cat, which he wished to sell us as a rarity; others brought frogs and such common reptiles. Chameleons are to be had in plenty here; their heads and tails form the larger part of their whole; these, as commonly believed, change colour, but neither so completely nor so variedly as men say. Their general colour is green, with yellow spots or streaks, and from heat, it changes from sunshine to shade; angry, or pleased, this green becomes darker or brighter; at times on one side of the body the colour is light green, without any yellow, and on the other, dark green with yellow spots, and the same colouring of the body’s sides extends down their long slender tails. The whole body becomes, at times, of a bright grey with some dark points and the yellow spots often wholly vanish, or are changed into lighter streaks. The changes from dark to bright light green, and the whole body becoming almost transparent, are the only variations of colour we have remarked after two months’ close observation. In fact, the animal, with its immense head and mouth, its pig-like back and long flexible tail, by which it can suspend itself from the branches, is no pleasant object to look at, and may well be hateful to many; its body is covered with a skin similar to that of a frog, its eyes small but cunning looking, and are so placed and moveable, that it can see directly behind itself with them. What it feeds on we cannot tell; probably, from the construction of its great toothless jaws, on insects. With these we have tried them, and with other kinds of food, and kept five tied up with cords, to try and discover their means of sustaining life, but in vain, as we never discovered them eating anything. They pass the whole day clinging by their claws or tail to the post or cord, seldom stirring, and in spite of this we can perceive no visible decrease in them, either in size or fatness, nor any perceptible change for better or worse.

A young wild cat (kediss, or otta el challa) we have, affords us far more amusement; it is now completely tamed, and its equal in beauty will not be easily found. Its prevailing colour is grey, but its feet, head, and whole body are covered over with the most beautiful leopard-like black spots. Its head is rather smaller and more pointed than those of our common German cats, but its crowning beauty is its large ears, that almost conceal its whole head, and are black with a white stripe. Many persons here hold it to be a young tiger (nimr), but its whole habits and structure prove it to be a cat. The natives call it fachet, or fagged, and say it is a kind of gins (cat). Its companion and playfellow is a rat, with long silvery tail, which, when enraged, it can, like our weasel (which it is much of a size with), stiffen and thicken, carrying it high over its back. The poor creature was brought to us with two broken legs, and we at once gave it to the cat that its pains might be ended; but the cat, either not recognising its prey, or being wearied of living alone, would not touch it, so the rat, cured by splints, gradually recovered, and tamed by pain, became first favourite of the cat; they became inseparable, ate together, and slept arm in arm, nor did the rat ever attempt to avail itself of its perfect liberty and leave us. It is not, as our European rats, ugly or ill smelling, and from its long silvery furred tail, may almost be called handsome.