Chapter VI

Disgrace and flight of Artim Bey — Visit to Achmed Bey — Palace of an Egyptian noble — Arabian horses — Tombs of the Caliphs — The gardens of Shoobra — The imprisoned lady — Grotto of the Virgin Mary — Heliopolis — Boulac — Ishmael Bey — The boats.

As soon as we were settled in Cairo, we proceeded to deliver our letters of introduction; one was for Artim Bey, who had for many years held a high post in the government. To our great disappointment, however, he was not to be found, having absconded only a few days previously, in order to avoid an examination of his accounts, which had been called for by Abbas Pasha. It was said that he had gone to Italy, but it afterwards turned out that he made his way to Constantinople, where he was favourably received by the Sultan, and is now filling a distinguished office in his service.

Another of our letters was for Achmed Bey, a son of Ibrahim Pasha, and third in succession to the Vice-regal throne. I may here observe that the title of Bey, which is hereditary, is given to all the sons of Pashas; it is also frequently bestowed on men eminent for their scientific attainments. Pasha denotes a much higher rank, though this is sometimes conferred on Beys. Achmed Bey is by far the richest man in Egypt. He possesses one of the largest estates in the vicinity of Cairo; this alone brings him in £10,000 a year. He has numerous other estates, and many ships and manufactories, besides upwards of five hundred slaves, and last year he shipped from Alexandria twelve thousand bales of cotton. He is said to be worth altogether about £200,000 a year.

On calling at the town residence of the great Bey, we found he was from home, but were most politely received by his agent, with whom we had a long conversation. The next day, this Afendi, as he was called, brought us a message from the Bey, apologising for not visiting us, on the ground of illness, and requesting that, as he was unable to shew us Cairo himself, we would make use of his carriage for our ladies, and his horses for ourselves, and go wherever we pleased. We thankfully accepted his offer, and on the morrow, at nine o’clock an elegant English carriage was driven up to the door, drawn by four Arabian horses, and attended by two outrunners, with one of the Prince’s Afendis for our guide: in this order we set off.

Our destination was one of the Bey’s palaces, a suburban residence, then undergoing extensive repairs. We soon arrived there, and found it a large white structure, of two stories, the lower one spanned by arches, which had a very stately appearance. There were two wings, one of which was to be appropriated to the white, and the other to the black slaves. The lower apartments were intended for offices, and are on a scale commensurate with the Bey’s dignity. On the first floor, opening from a spacious hall, of greater dimensions than any I ever saw in a private house, are the receiving and withdrawing-rooms, the guard-chamber, and the apartment of the agent. The floor above comprises another large hall, of the same size as the first, and four lofty rooms, painted with the most exquisite art, and hung with dazzling chandeliers; while very high windows, (inaccessible from the floor), give abundance of light. These are the apartments of the four wives, or chief ladies of the hareem, and could not have been approached at another time. I ought to add that the upper floor is reached by a fine staircase, and that all the recesses, both above and below, are gorgeously painted, and furnished with superb candelabras.

On leaving the house, we drove to the stables, having had our curiosity greatly excited by the stories we had heard respecting his stud. We were first shown the great stable, which is about one hundred and twenty yards long, and affords stabling to thirty-six horses, eighteen on each side, every horse being allowed a space of about seven yards. They are not kept in stalls, as in England, but are tethered by a rope to the manger. The large stable was devoted exclusively to first-rate Arabs; some of these were certainly very beautiful creatures, though small, being not more than fourteen hands high. I particularly admired their fetlocks and cleanness of limb, yet I have seen horses in England, which, in my judgment, presented a more striking _ensemble_, and especially excelled them in the shape of the head. The Bey’s horses were all estimated at very high prices, varying from £500 to £1500, and a filly three months old was valued at two hundred bourses, or £1000; but these sums were merely nominal, as such animals are never bought or sold. In an adjoining stable, we saw twenty or thirty carriage horses: fine animals, but in no way remarkable. There was one magnificent horse in the stud. He was an iron-grey Arab, thorough bred, with his pedigree as carefully preserved, and as much prized as that of a German prince. That we might see him to greater advantage, he was brought out of the stable; and stood with lamb-like gentleness till an Arab boy, an Eastern “petit Ducrow,” sprang on his back, when he became the wild horse of Mazeppa. But the young slave was his master, and galloped him furiously about, making him turn on one leg, and plunge and rear and kick in a manner truly astonishing. During this performance, he quite realized the masterly conceptions of Horace Vernet.

From the stables we strolled round the gardens, which are laid out in the Italian style, without beds; are traversed by covered walks, while streams of water, running in stone channels, (form continual cascades), imparting a delicious coolness to the air. Shaded paths lead to a circular pavilion, rising from marble columns, and overgrown with the most beautifully-variegated creepers, red, blue, and jasmine. In the centre is a bath of white marble, and a large marble fountain, carved and polished in as finished manner, as if it had come fresh from the chisel of Canova. Several handsome chairs and sofas were ranged around.

We were presented, on leaving, with two large baskets of fruit, containing pomegranates, pears, grapes, peaches, and walnuts, all of immense size, and of rare excellence. With these we returned to our hotel, gratefully impressed by the civility and kindness of the Pasha.

We desired to see as much as possible of the environs of Cairo, particularly the antiquities, and early one morning rode out to the Tombs of the Caliphs; a most disagreeable ride, through a perfect Sahara of sand. The tombs lie in a hollow, between some hills, from which may be obtained a charming view of Cairo, the Pyramids, and the Nile, which almost compensates for the blinding glare of the sand, and the scorching heat.

At a distance, the place has the appearance of a large town, but it is a city of the dead, being merely a collection of tombs and mosques, among which the Caliph’s mosque, an extensive and stately building, now falling into decay, is pre-eminent. Here, in a stone which no chisel can cut, or impress with the slightest indentation, we saw some of Mahomet’s footmarks, with indelible traces of his toes, left as a memorial to believers through all time. The tombs, fast mouldering away, were of every kind of architecture; varying in date from as early as 400, to the present year.

Having ended our meditations among the tombs, we once more mounted our donkeys, and an hour’s ride brought us to the petrified forest—an area of about a mile square, covered with pieces of petrified wood, the largest of which is not more than two feet in length. We were shown three or four fragments, half embedded in sand, which still retain a resemblance to trees. Searching about, I found some helix, which I never met with before, and some fossils, chiefly fan-shells. The whole journey, including Caliphs-Town, and our return home, occupied us from nine till four o’clock.

Through the good offices of a Turkish merchant, with whom we had made acquaintance, we obtained permission to visit the gardens of Shoobra. The road thither, unlike that to Caliphs-Town, is one of the most pleasant imaginable, winding through a picturesque avenue of acacias and mimosas. The gardens are very extensive, and are laid out with admirable taste. More flowers are grown here than at any spot near Cairo; and most of the walks, radiating from the centre to every part of the grounds, are covered with trellis-work, overgrown with beautiful creepers. Abbas Pacha, however, has destroyed the retirement of the place, by laying out carriage drives, which cut through the finest walks.

The great feature of Shoobra is the fountain: it rises from an immense basin, seventy yards square, and nearly two in depth, and is surrounded by a balustrade, dividing it from a sort of cloister, from which kiosks project into the water. At each corner is a handsome room, expensively fitted up, in the European manner, with easy chairs and sofas, and divans, each in a different style of rose-coloured satin. The fountain, which is the work of some eminent Italian artists, is supported by columns of marble, of the most chaste and elegant design, and is ornamented with curiously carved fishes and quadrupeds, over which the water falls in glittering showers. In another part of the gardens is a pavilion, the interior formed entirely of alabaster. From the windows, looking in every direction, the eye may range over the gardens and a wide extent of country, including the Nile and surrounding hills.

A palace, one of the residences of the Viceroy, rises in the midst of the gardens. It is a stately structure, commanding a varied and extensive prospect, and is fitted up with Asiatic splendour. It derives a higher interest from its connection with a mystery, that has excited many conjectures and speculations, and an incalculable amount of curiosity; but has never yet been penetrated. That palace is a prison; and the captive who pines within its walls, amidst everything that dazzles and enchants the eye, is a young and lovely woman. Who she is, or what has been her offence, no one can tell; or if a few possess the secret, fear and prudence have effectually sealed their lips. Her captivity has already extended over several years, and will probably last till her death.

An hour’s ride from Cairo, along the picturesque bank of the river, brought us to Old Cairo, a walled city, about a mile in circumference. Here there is little to admire, though there are some strange-looking buildings; and the archæologist, versed in antiquarian lore, will find many objects of interest. The city is chiefly inhabited by Greek and Coptic Christians, who seem to be a very simple and credulous people. We were shown a Greek church, erected over a grotto, in which the Virgin Mary, on reaching Egypt, is said to have found refuge from the Herodian massacre; the building is regarded with the greatest veneration by the devout Greeks. We were much more impressed by the flowing white beard of the high-priest, than we had been by his Church.

Heliopolis, another vestige of antiquity, is a ride of two hours from Cairo. The obelisk is very fine, resembling that in the Place de la Concorde at Paris, though it is not in such good preservation. The English Vandals have been at their work here, covering with vulgar names a memorial honoured by a Ptolemy and a Cleopatra. A tree pointed out to us as having given shelter to the Virgin and Child, during the flight into Egypt, does not appear to be of this great antiquity; judging from some I have seen, I should conceive its age not to exceed eight centuries.

We frequently visited Boulac, the distance being not more than a mile and a half; the road leading through the public gardens, under an avenue of fine trees, chiefly acacias. The grand drive is terminated by three immense mounds, looking like enormous barrows, enclosed by walls ten feet high. We were surprised to find that these miniature mountains were composed of provisions, such as corn, barley, beans, and lentils, which the Pasha, like another Joseph, had laid up for the winter.

The streets and houses of Boulac are more spacious than are generally seen in an Arab village; though much less clean, and commodious, than those of Cairo. There is, however, quite a European air of bustle in the town; the population having no lack of employment, is not seen, as at Cairo, lolling about the leading thoroughfares, and in the coffee-shops, eternally smoking and idling. On approaching the river from the bank, one is nearly stifled by the clouds of dust rising, where vessels are being loaded with corn or cotton, beans or lentils, shipped for every country of Europe; and the stir among porters and lightermen strongly recalls to mind an English dock.

There is a fine palace at Boulac, formerly a residence of Ishmael Pasha, one of the sons of Mehemet Ali—a monster of iniquity and vice, who came to a terrible end. He was engaged in a war with the Ethiopians, on whom he had practised the most refined cruelties, when they fell upon him in an unprotected spot, called Shendy, and heaping his huts round with reeds, set them on fire, and burnt him alive with his whole hareem.

We availed ourselves of the opportunity afforded by our excursions to Boulac to inspect the Arab boats, hoping to procure two, with suitable accommodations for our transit up the Nile. We found a great many in the river, of all classes and sizes, and with some difficulty escaped the polite attentions of the Arab owners, who, whenever we presented ourselves, would insist on our joining them with a pipe. Not seeing any boats that exactly met our wishes, we one day proceeded from Boulac to an arsenal belonging to Ali Bey, some distance up the river, where we hoped to be more successful. Two young urchins, of the respective ages of six and seven, carried us off in a small ferryboat, the cumbrous lateen sails of which, puffed out by a strong north wind, were almost more than they could manage. About an hour and a half brought us to our destination, where we had our choice of boats; and having fixed upon a pleasure-yacht, very clean, and just ready, were brought back by our juvenile navigators, whom we dismissed with two piastres, (_anglice_ 5_d._,) as a handsome remuneration for their services.

At Boulac, we picked up another boat, for which we were asked £20 a month; we secured it at the rate of £20 for the first month, and £17 10_s._ for every subsequent month, and the contract was signed at the Consul’s the next day. This we named ‘The Fanny,’ and it was taken formal possession of by my brother and myself, as joint occupants and commanders. The pleasure-yacht, which was not secured till after some days’ bargaining, and considerable difficulty, at the high terms of £30 a month received the designation of ‘The Eagle;’ and was appropriated to my father and our two ladies.

We had now to make our preparations. ‘The Eagle’ was soon equipped, and ‘The Fanny,’ to get rid of all redundancies, was first sunk, and then painted inside and out, the divans being covered with new calico, the floors matted, and muslin curtains suspended as a protection against the swarms of flies. The awning was repaired, and the provisions and luggage stowed. At length, after four or five days’ incessant toiling, everything was announced to be ready. We had then to wait a day for the Pasha’s firman, or letter of command, and it was not till the very last moment that we received our game-certificates, which serve as a kind of passport. Our boats, meanwhile, had been brought together, between Rhoda Island and Old Cairo, about half a mile from the grand city, and there awaited our arrival.