Chapter XI

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.