0 t l\\e KMogicxf 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 /c. 
 
 Purchased by the Hammill Missionary Fund. 
 
 Division 
 Section * 
 
 H.X54 
 
 Wb56 
 
 — ■ 
 
 •» 
 
 Number 
 
Girls offering Water at a Railway Station. 
 
 Frontispiece. 
 
RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT, 
 
 AND 
 
 MORE ABOUT RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 BY 
 
 V 
 
 M. L. WHATELY, 
 
 MEMBER OP THE SOCIETY POR PROMOTING PEMALE EDUCATION 
 IN THE EAST. 
 
 “ They shall come, which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the 
 outcasts in the land of Egypt.”— ISAIAH xxvii. 13. 
 
 NEW EDITION. 
 
 SEELEY, JACKSON, AND HALLIDAY, FLEET STREET, 
 LONDON. MDCCCLXX. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. INTRODUCTORY ..... 1 
 
 II. FIRST GLANCE AT AN EASTERN CITY . . 5 
 
 III. HOUSE- HUNTING IN CAIRO ... 8 
 
 IY. THE CAIRO BAZAARS . . . .13 
 
 V. THE HOUSETOPS . . . .19 
 
 VI. FIRST ATTEMPT AT SCHOOL . . . 27 
 
 VII. THE boab’s FAMILY .... 33 
 
 VIII. SHOH AND FATMEH .... 39 
 
 IX. SCENES IN THE DESERT .... 47 
 
 X. THE COFFEE-HOUSE .... 57 
 
 XI. VISITS TO EASTERN WOMEN WHO DO NOT LIVE IN 
 
 HAREEMS . . . . .62 
 
 XII. THE BLIND AND THE SICK . . . 69 
 
 XIII. THE KHAMSEEN . . . . .77 
 
 XIV. THE CITY ARABS .... 83 
 
 XV. THREE DAYS AT SUEZ . . . .90 
 
 XVI. RECRUITING ..... 97 
 
 XVII. A SCHOOL-TREAT IN CAIRO . . .105 
 
 XVIII. THE TAMARISK-GROVE . . . .113 
 
 * XIX. MOTHERS’ MEETING IN CAIRO . . . 119 
 
 I 
 
IV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. INTRODUCTORY . . . . .129 
 
 II. RAGGED SCHOOL RE-OPENED . . .132 
 
 III. VISITS TO THE LANES AND FIELDS . . 137 
 
 IV. THE FARM-HOUSE . . . . .144 
 
 V. THE FARM-HOUSE CONTINUED . . .152 
 
 VI. A FEW WORDS ABOUT MISSION WORK IN THE EAST 160 
 
 VII. HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED . . . 169 
 
 VIII. POPULAR SUPERSTITION . . . . 181 
 
 IX. ZEYNAB ...... 187 
 
 X. THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS . . . 195 
 
 XI. ZEYNAB AGAIN ..... 207 
 
 XII. THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO THE NILE VILLAGES . 213 
 
 XIII. THE TENTS AND THE PYRAMIDS . . . 222 
 
 XIV. THE BOYS’ SUNDAY-SCHOOL . . . 231 
 
 XV. THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP . . 239 
 
 XVI. CONCLUSION ..... 252 
 
 APPENDIX ..... 264 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 For TJm Usuf read Um Yosef. 
 
 The folios attached to the illustrations have been accidentally printed 
 without alteration from a former edition, and must therefore be disregarded. 
 
RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Much interest is felt in the present day in the condition of the 
 poorer classes in onr own country, and some go so far as to 
 maintain that we should feel no interest and take no pains for 
 any others. Undoubtedly our country people have the first 
 claim on our attention and on our Christian and benevolent 
 efforts ; but a more extended interest does no harm to the 
 home-field of labour, and those who work most for the one are 
 generally the most active for the other also, as opportunity and 
 circumstances enable them. Almost all who are deeply engaged 
 in the cause of suffering humanity, in finding out the evil and 
 bringing in the remedy, are also ready to feel more or less for 
 strangers, whether foreigners who have found their way across 
 the water, or inhabitants of distant lands, to which health, or 
 business, or pleasure may have taken them. 
 
 But it is difficult to feel keenly, or take a living, active 
 interest in any set of people we have not seen, or have only 
 slightly glanced at, and of whose ways and habits we know 
 little or nothing : it is only of late years that the condition 
 of our own poor has been carefully observed and brought to 
 
 B 
 
2 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 light, and the more we know the more we see the need of every 
 effort that has been made, and of many more still, to advance 
 the cause of Christianity, and ameliorate as far as possible the 
 evils of poverty. 
 
 It is the hearing about these matters that has interested so 
 many in the good cause, and brought so many more workers 
 into. the home mission-field; and if this is the case with our 
 own people, it must be even more so with those at a distance : 
 they do not live as we do in any respect, and it is hard for us 
 to sympathise with them, yet we know that a soul is equally 
 precious in God’s sight, whether it be that of an Englishman, 
 or an African, or an Asiatic ; and the condition of immortal 
 beings, wherever they are, must be interesting to all who 
 seriously think on the subject. 
 
 Missionaries are constantly sending home accounts of the 
 state of the heathen, and their appeals are not, thank God ! 
 disregarded ; the way in which the sympathies of our own 
 poor people, and the children of our Sunday and Ragged 
 schools, are called out in their behalf, is often delightful to see, 
 and must tell advantageously for both parties. 
 
 But something seems wanting occasionally between the 
 general reports of missionaries in regular stations, and the 
 vague and hasty sketches of rapid travellers, who can only see 
 the surface as they hurry along through various countries, 
 especially if ignorant of the language. We seem to want 
 particulars concerning the lower classes, who usually constitute 
 the majority of every society, so as to be able to bring them 
 in some degree before our minds : such a class come before 
 passing travellers most frequently in a disagreeable manner, 
 either as beggars, or, at all events, as so dirty aad ragged as to 
 be quickly dismissed from his thoughts, or at best only put on 
 paper in his sketch-book as a “picturesque creature, though 
 dreadfully dirty.” Nor is it possible, with the most benevolent 
 intentions, for a passing traveller, or one who only sojourns a 
 fe w weeks in a country, to see much of the uneducated classes, 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 3 
 
 unless quite familiar with their language : while, on the other 
 hand, if such an interest do not exist, he may reside for years 
 among them in vain, just as is too often the case at home.* 
 
 Though a residence of less than a year is quite insufficient, I 
 am aware, to enable any one to give a minute and full account 
 of the state of the lower classes in Cairo, yet, as it was a second 
 visit, I had some superficial acquaintance with the habits of 
 Eastern life, on arriving there, and also some Arabic words and 
 phrases to begin with. Living in a native house, and in a 
 quarter where all the poorer residents were Moslims, I had 
 opportunities of observing a good deal of the ways and customs, 
 the joys and sorrows, of the lower class of people, and the more 
 so, as the climate enables them to live chiefly out of doors, and 
 carry on all domestic occupations on their housetops, or in the 
 street. 
 
 When the projected ragged-school for little girls was opened, 
 there were, of course, still more frequent means of observation, 
 though these were in a great degree confined to the female 
 portion of the family, the men being generally absent at work 
 during the day, as with us in England. A good many artizans, 
 however, resided close to our house, and thus “ Mahmoud ” the 
 blacksmith, and “ Khaleel ” of the fruitshop, and the old seed 
 and fodder man who lived opposite the school-room windows, 
 all became familiar faces, and their daily habits, and almost 
 their daily pleasures and troubles, were well known to their 
 Christian neighbours in the course of a few months. 
 
 It was very interesting to trace the differences and resem- 
 blances between these poor city Egyptians and the corre- 
 sponding class in our own great towns. I am inclined to think 
 that those who have laboured among the ignorant and poor in 
 various places, will agree that the differences appear most at 
 first , and the resemblances increase as we look closer and see 
 
 * It is hardly necessary to say that this was written several years ago, 
 and that the present edition lias had the benefit of correction. 
 
4 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 more of them, for “ as in water, face answereth to face, so the 
 heart of man to man.” (Prov. xxvii. 19.) 
 
 Such persons may be interested in these short sketches, 
 which may be relied on for accuracy as far as they go, though 
 exceedingly brief and imperfect ; nothing is introduced but 
 what came under my own notice, no hearsay details given, as, 
 however good the authority, they could not be personal 
 observations, to which it seemed desirable, for many reasons, to 
 confine myself. 
 
5 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 FIRST GLANCE AT AN EASTERN CITY. 
 
 The first sight of Egypt — the first landing on an Eastern shore 
 — can any one who has come straight from the cold North ever 
 forget it 1 
 
 That warm transparent colouring — those feathery palms and 
 graceful minarets standing out against the clear blue sky, and 
 relieving the monotony of the flat, sandy coast — that golden 
 sunshine, making the shadows so deep by the contrast with the 
 intense light — and those moving crowds, so different from the 
 figures with which our eyes have been familiar from childhood ! 
 One must pity the mind that cannot relish the novelty of such 
 a scene ; yet if witnessed a second time, after a long interval, 
 the charm is almost greater, perhaps ; a pleasant mixture ©f 
 novelty and familiarity seems to enhance the delight with 
 which the eye wanders round the half-remembered pictures of 
 Eastern life, and enables one to appreciate them even more 
 fully than at first sight. 
 
 The tall Bedouins, in their white flowing drapery, stalking 
 through the motley crowd — the troops of ragged, vociferating 
 donkey-boys, with their white teeth displayed in perpetual 
 grins — the women, in their scanty robes of blue cotton and 
 black face- veils tied under their eyes, and little brown babies, 
 with tiny red caps or dirty kerchiefs on their heads, clinging to 
 the shoulders of their mothers — Levantines, in half- European, 
 
6 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 half- Oriental costume, loitering about, cigar in mouth — ladies 
 in black silken shroud-like dress, hurrying along to the bath — 
 Negroes and Nubians in gay-coloured turbans, and scarfs of 
 every rainbow hue ; Jews and Algerines, Greeks, and Turks, 
 and Maltese, — these are some of the figures that swarm in the 
 streets of the only seaport of Northern Egypt. It is true that 
 Alexandria is, compared to the towns of the interior, only half- 
 Eastern in its inhabitants, and even its buildings ; numbers of 
 houses are built in European style, and fair-haired Franks are 
 plentiful in its streets ; but still it is wonderfully different 
 from any city which a native of our “ isles of the sea ” has ever 
 seen in his own land, or in the whole continent of the North. 
 There passes the first string of camels he has ever gazed upon ! 
 Who that has studied Scripture does not feel a thrill of delight 
 as he watches them walking past him, associated as are camels 
 with so many precious narratives and allusions — with Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob 1 Singular creatures they are — gaunt, and 
 yet stately — awkward, yet graceful, contradictory as it seems — 
 for they have a grace of their own : as each great spungy foot 
 is lifted up, the animal sways his long neck and looks down 
 with solemn cautiousness, as if he were going to tread on eggs, 
 while his large, beautiful dark eye turns occasionally to one 
 side or another with an expression of dignified contempt, which 
 is almost human in its intelligence. The heavy skins of Nile 
 water, slung with hair-ropes to his steep sides, make a squishing 
 sound with the jolting motion, which is quite refreshing on a 
 hot dusty day, and the progress of the long file is marked by 
 the drops which escape from the older and more leaky vessels. 
 One man, and often one little boy, will guide a whole string of 
 camels, and the docile creatures patiently follow a master who 
 does not reach so high as their knees. 
 
 Bewildered with sights and sounds so new and strange, the 
 traveller at last is weary with gazing, and rests under his 
 mosquito-curtains till next day dawns, and he begins the new 
 life in those old regions where everything has stood still for so 
 
FIRST GLANCE AT AN EASTERN CITY. 
 
 7 
 
 many ages ! The land of mummies and pyramids — the land of 
 the Pharaohs and their treasure-cities ; and, what is more 
 interesting still to the mind of any one who labours in God’s 
 vineyard, the land where so many thousands of human beings 
 live at this present day who know nothing of the “city of 
 refuge,” but wander in various paths, all leading them astray. 
 
8 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOUSE-HUNTING IN CAIRO. 
 
 There is not much of Oriental life to be seen while residing in 
 an hotel kept by a European, and where, except a few native 
 servants, scarcely anything appears to mark that you are in 
 Africa. Cheshire cheese and porter bottles figure on the table, 
 the English tongue is heard on all sides, and English or French 
 furniture is seen in every room ; it is very comfortable, no 
 doubt, but it is not Egypt. Nor is a Nile boat, beautifully 
 fitted up with every European luxury, and stocked with home 
 provisions and home articles, from the last-invented portable 
 easy chair to the latest new novel. The Nile traveller sees a 
 panorama of the Nile and enjoys its climate, and feels the 
 stings of its mosquitos and sand-flies, but, in general, he does 
 not learn nearly as much of the ways of the people and the 
 details of their daily life as is gained by a residence of even a 
 few weeks in a native house and in a native quarter. For this 
 last advantage, however, one must pay pretty dear at first, by 
 taking a great deal of trouble ; for if house -hunting is a 
 troublesome work everywhere, it is particularly so in Cairo, 
 and the poor hunter is led occasionally to envy the wandering 
 Bedouin, who has but to pitch his tent, instead of groping 
 into dark passages and stumbling over heaps of rubbish in 
 search of an abode. 
 
 The old houses are apt to be very old indeed, very dirty, 
 
HOUSE-HUNTING IN CAIRO. 
 
 9 
 
 and the wood-work hopelessly full of vermin : the new, on 
 the other hand, are not furnished, for it is usual in Egypt to 
 leave a house uncompleted until the builder has secured a 
 tenant, a plan very convenient to him, because he can thus 
 leave many little details and “ finishing touches ” to be added 
 at the expense of the said tenant, unless he is more than com- 
 monly sharp in making the bargain. Thus the house-hunter 
 is between two sets of difficulties : the old houses, however, 
 after visiting a few of them, we decided against entirely, and 
 turned our thoughts to the new, as offering the least evil. 
 
 Some of the streets to which we had been directed were so 
 narrow that the projecting wooden lattices touched from oppo- 
 site sides, and only a small strip of sky appeared at the top 
 of the houses. As the inhabitants keep the ground perpetually 
 sluiced with water, these very narrow streets are damp even 
 in this dry climate, and, except on the roofs, no free air can 
 be obtained in them. One house, however, though in the 
 close Coptic quarter, where the streets are particularly damp 
 and narrow for the most part, was well spoken of, as it stood 
 at a corner, and was consequently not crowded on all sides by 
 its neighbours. It was, moreover, quite new, so new, indeed, 
 that the staircase was not half finished, and a series of feats of 
 scrambling, worthy of goats upon a cliff, had to be performed 
 before we could reach the top room, whence a very fine view 
 was to be seen, and pure air to be breathed. But the walls 
 were not even plastered, nor the windows glazed, nor the doors 
 made, and, to crown all, the workmen were lying upon the 
 floor in one of the rooms fast asleep, among heaps of shavings, 
 though it was only ten o’clock in the morning. It appeared 
 that they had been locked into the house to prevent them from 
 leaving their work, and thus a fine example was produced of 
 the effects of forced labour, they could not get out, indeed, but 
 they slept instead of working ! The master promised to have 
 it ready in fifteen days, but it must have been a very credulous 
 
10 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 rasheen, the cant term among the natives for a new-comer, to 
 believe him, with the sleeping labourers before his eyes. 
 
 After many failures and much fatigue, a house was at last 
 found, which possessed many advantages ; it was in a healthy, 
 airy quarter, and, though a Moslim quarter, many Syrian 
 families resided in it : it was also very near the country, and 
 yet quite in the town, which for a school-house is a very 
 important combination. This house was, moreover, so nearly 
 completed, that two days of active work would have sufficed to 
 make it habitable, as no paint was used. The Copt to whom it 
 belonged was a sly-looking fellow, but he promised “on his 
 head” to have all done in seven days. His future tenants 
 visited their intended abode nearly every day during this period, 
 to urge the workmen to work. But when the eighth day 
 came, and they presented themselves, humbly following on foot 
 the ox-cart which conveyed their effects, the landlord appeared 
 a good deal disconcerted at being taken at his word. 
 
 Yet it was the only chance for the tenants to get all things 
 finished, to be actually on the spot, inhabiting such rooms as 
 ■were fit for use, otherwise the house might have remained 
 unfinished to this very day ! The outside was clean and white, 
 and looked pretty and inviting, but it certainly did require 
 some courage to enter the scene of dirt, litter, and confusion 
 that appeared within. We had to spring over pools of white- 
 wash, and clamber over loose stones and bricks, in order to get 
 to the stairs, where we were met by a troop of dirty, half-clad 
 boys and girls, with hods of mortar on their shoulders and pails of 
 water on their heads. Threading our way with some trouble 
 among this ragged regiment, we attained the first story, and 
 there found at least doors and windows, though the former, 
 having neither locks nor latches of any kind, obstinately 
 refused to remain shut, unless by means of a violent slam, ; and 
 then we had no means of escape, and were prisoners till our 
 servant came and forced the door open by the application of his 
 shoulder. 
 
HOUSE-HUNTING IN CAIRO. 
 
 11 
 
 In half an hour’s time, however, a change took place ; the 
 sly Copt sat at the head of the stairs, watching the active pro- 
 ceedings of his new tenants with great surprise, for, instead of 
 reclining on their carpets in a corner of the dirty apartments 
 and smoking a pipe in peace and quiet, as he doubtless had 
 expected them to do in such circumstances, they were assisting 
 their servants in clearing away rubbish and arranging and 
 unpacking furniture. When he saw one lady handling a 
 broom, while the other was helping the maid to uncord a box, 
 and at the same time directing the Nubian servant who was 
 arranging bedsteads, he could not repress a broad grin ; but as 
 to lending a hand, that never occurred to him. By sunset he 
 took his welcome departure, and the workmen also cleared off. 
 By this time the rooms, if bare and desolate, were at least 
 clean and habitable ; the new cook, a respectable Syrian, was 
 calmly boiling rice and milk for supper in the kitchen, which 
 had only been finished an hour ago, and the tenants sitting 
 down on the palm-wood frames, covered with mattrasses, which 
 were the chief part of their furniture as yet, could at least say 
 they were monarchs of all they surveyed ! The rooms were 
 whitewashed exactly like the outside, and from the absence of 
 paint on any of the wood- work, and a certain deficiency in 
 straight lines and in general finish, which is to be observed in most 
 Egyptian handy works, the whole concern had a bare appearance ; 
 the only seats were the palm- wood frames, already mentioned, 
 like the bedsteads, only smaller, and called Jcavasses ; these are 
 used for a hundred different purposes in Cairo ; but, bare as it 
 looked, it was a home, and the little “plenishing” which 
 persons of moderate tastes require in such a climate could be 
 added by degrees. 
 
 It is, indeed, a work of time to get the simplest furniture, 
 where everything has to be separately hunted for, and bargained 
 for, and brought home by yourself ; that is, by your servant, or 
 a porter, or donkey-boy, for shopmen do not send articles 
 home for you, as with us. Eor a mattrass it was needful to go 
 
12 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 to the Cotton Bazaar, get the raw cotton weighed, bargain for 
 it, with the help of a more experienced friend, then send for a 
 man whose work it is to pluck it and stuff the mattrasses and 
 cushions, and to watch him pretty closely lest he put it in half- 
 plucked, to save trouble. Then for shelves, so necessary in 
 houses without any closets, a carpenter is sent for ; and when 
 he comes he says, “I have no wood!” “Well, get some 
 directly.” “ I must go to Boulac for it,” two miles off. With 
 great persuasion he is induced to try if the city of Cairo cannot 
 produce a little wo<?d, and brings some, of a bad quality enough, 
 certainly. Two hours before sunset he is requested to make 
 another shelf, having actually finished three, and replies, “ To- 
 morrow I will make it.” “ Why not now 1 it still wants an 
 hour and more to sunset.” “ I am tired,” holding his head on 
 his hand, “I have worked all day,” which was not strictly true ; 
 “bukra, bukra,” to-morrow, to-morrow.* 
 
 It would be well for the poor Egyptians if we could teach them 
 that to-day is better than to-morrow ; but we must take them 
 young for such lessons : our friend the carpenter was too old, I 
 fear, ever to learn to do anything to-day which he can possibly 
 put off till to-morrow. 
 
 * Literally, “ Early early ; ” but this is the Egyptian idiom always used 
 for to-morrow, or by-and-bye. 
 
13 
 
 CHAPTER I V. 
 
 THE CAIRO BAZAARS. 
 
 Anyone who expects the Orientals to be always sitting quietly 
 smoking, and languidly bargaining with a solitary individual, as 
 is so often represented in prints and paintings of bazaars, would 
 be amazed, as I was, at seeing the bustle, life, and activity 
 which the most frequented ones present. There are quiet 
 bazaars, indeed, which are still, and almost gloomy, covered 
 overhead, and so narrow that only a slender streak of sunshine 
 can penetrate their recesses on the brightest day ; the scent- 
 bazaar is one of these, where grave old men sit crouched in 
 their little dens, on each side of a pathway which barely admits 
 two persons abreast, and dispense their delicious odours, and 
 the curious pastes and essences, kohl for the eyes, and henna for 
 the fingers, from mysterious-looking boxes and bottles, while 
 bunches of gold paper, used in wedding festivities, dangle from 
 the top, and make a strange rustling sound in the breeze. 
 These are queer, dark places certainly, and few persons at a 
 time are usually seen in them. But the great bazaars, where 
 the necessaries of life are sold, are also thoroughfares, and in 
 the middle of the day so noisy and crowded, that it requires 
 much skill on the part of the boy who guide one’s donkey, as 
 well as considerable vigilance in oneself, to avoid being knocked 
 down or squeezed to a mummy. A sea of white and red 
 turbans is in front, here and there interrupted by a huge camel, 
 
14 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 towering above everybody, and apparently going to trample 
 down some balf-dozen in bis progress, or by a long line of 
 donkeys laden witb dripping skins of water, or great stones for 
 building, loosely fastened witb cord-netting, and threatening to 
 fall on tbe feet of tbe passengers ; though, indeed, from the 
 density of the crowd, they do not seem to have any feet — only 
 heads. 
 
 To penetrate the mass is a puzzling affair, but the young 
 guide calls out, “To the right!” “To the left!” incessantly 
 adding plenty of hints to individuals, — “ 0 boy ! O man ! O 
 lady! 0 camel-driver!” No one, in speaking Arabic, ever 
 calls on another without the “ya” or “ oh! ” which expresses 
 the vocative ; if wishing to be more particular, he alludes 
 to the article the person is carrying, thus : “ 0 chickens, O 
 oranges, get out of the way ! ” and so by degrees one gets 
 along. 
 
 It is in the “Goreeah” (or Gorieh ?) and Hamzaue that the 
 most lively traffic is carried on, and also in the “Mosky,” where 
 the Greek, Maltese, and Italian shops are chiefly situated. 
 Here carriages are constantly to be seen, as the space is wide 
 enough to admit of driving, though not always with safety : 
 the Arab drivers, however, are rash and he id strong, and dash 
 furiously along, a “ says,” or running footman, armed with a 
 long wand, going before to clear the way. “ And some shall 
 run before his chariots.” (1 Sam. viii. 11.) By night the car- 
 riages are lighted by torches, borne by the says, which cast a 
 beautiful red glare as they hurry past, and strongly bring to 
 mind the passage of Scripture where it is said, “ The chariots 
 shall be with flaming torches .... the chariots shall rage in 
 the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad 
 ways : they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the 
 lightnings.” (Nah. ii. 3, 4.) 
 
 But it is in the daytime that the chief crowds are to be seen 
 in the East ; they do not, like Europeans, turn night into day ; 
 and instead of requiring gas to light up their shops, when the 
 
THE CAIRO BAZAARS. 
 
 15 
 
 sun has set, they shut them up and go home ; in this respect, 
 surely, civilisation would not improve them ! 
 
 Leaving the Mosky, we enter on a street occupied chiefly by 
 Syrians, whose gay silks hang in festoons, or are piled in 
 tempting heaps in their little shops. We used to call this 
 quarter “ Sham Sorayer,” * or Little Syria, and always were glad 
 of an excuse for stopping to deal with the pleasant-looking and 
 pleasant-mannered Syrians, to whom we sometimes brought 
 Arabic tracts, which were always well received, and occasionally 
 even asked for. 
 
 From the Syrian region we proceed to the Goreeah, where 
 native trinkets, Manchester cottons, and Syrian crapes are 
 found piled with quantities of other articles all along the bazaar, 
 till the eyes are dazzled with the variety of colours, and the 
 glittering of the gold and brass in the sunshine. Many of the 
 English goods are manufactured expressly for Negro taste, and 
 are of hues and patterns never met with at home ; they are 
 sent out for the use of the slaves in hareems, or for the Negress 
 beauties of Darfoor and Soudan. 
 
 Women carrying bread, fruit, or vegetables on their heads 
 add in no small degree to the noise as well as to the crowd in 
 the bazaars, their shrill cries sounding above every other din. 
 They are not, apparently, thought worthy of keeping shops, 
 but whatever can be borne on the head they may sell ; and it 
 makes a greater difference than one who has not seen it would 
 fancy, to see all burdens on the head instead of on the arm or 
 in the hand. At home, a troop of market-women have both 
 hands full, and are usually bent to one side with the weight of 
 a basket on the arm ; here, they are always erect, and seem 
 incessantly gesticulating with their gracefully -rounded brown 
 arms : I speak of those who are not arrived at age and decrepi- 
 tude, and tinkling their silver bracelets, while huge trays or 
 
 * We use the r with a mark over it to express an Arabic guttural, not 
 easily caught by Europeans, and which none of our letters meet exactly. 
 
16 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 heavy water-pitchers are skilfully poised on their heads. The 
 greater number have their faces hidden all but the eyes, still a 
 good many of the lowest class are unveiled, or at most have 
 only a corner of their head- veil drawn across the mouth, and 
 held in their teeth while passing along a public place. 
 
 Sometimes, in the midst of all the bustle, a wedding- train 
 passes, Moslim weddings being celebrated in the daytime ; and 
 a Christian must take care not to get entangled in the train, as 
 this would give offence. The poor little bride, smothered in 
 scarlet shawls strung with jewels, till she looks more like an 
 idol than a human being, staggers along under a silken canopy, 
 while her black-robed female relatives support her on each side, 
 and a large company of both sexes follow with a band of native 
 music. 
 
 The variety of races and complexions among the crowds here 
 is at first quite bewildering, but in time the eye learns to dis- 
 tinguish each of the principal ones, at least. These are the 
 Caireen, or Moslim-Egyptian, the Copt, the Nubian, the Arab, 
 the Turk, the Negro, the Abyssinian, and the Jew. As to the 
 mixed multitude of Greeks, Italians, Maltese, and others, they 
 go under the general denomination of Franks , and are, unhap- 
 pily, too often designated by the natives as the people who 
 drink, and who eat pork. If a fracas takes place, or a drunken 
 man is seen, or a pickpocket apprehended, it is sure to be one 
 of these miscalled Christians. 
 
 The most picturesque and remarkable of all the moving 
 figures of the Eastern crowd is, undoubtedly, the Bedouin Arab. 
 Strong, but wiry and slender in frame, graceful in his move- 
 ments, as he follows his stately camels, or stops to purchase 
 cotton or provisions in the bazaars, his striped abba, or white 
 burnouse, hangs easily in heavy folds over his shoulder, and his 
 dark skin, and prominent features, and keen black eye, all mark 
 the unchanged son of the desert, who belongs not to the city, 
 but passes through it, indifferent to its conveniences and luxuries, 
 and despising its customs like his ancestors. 
 
THE CAIRO BAZAARS. 
 
 17 
 
 The Moslim-Egyptians are believed to be descended from the 
 old inhabitants of the land, mixed with their Saracen invaders, 
 and the Copts to be the unmixed remnant of the ancient race. 
 The difference is not now very striking, the language, dress, and 
 manners being so much alike, for the black turbans formerly 
 imposed on the Copts are not now obligatory, so that many of 
 them have adopted red or white ones. Still, there is a difference, 
 the sharper and more prominent features of the Asiatic showing 
 its traces in the Moslim, while the Copt has usually thicker lips 
 and a heavier cast of countenance. The Nubians and Abys- 
 sinians, for the most part, are slaves or servants in wealthy 
 families, or boatmen from the Nile, as are some of the Negroes ; 
 but the Pasha has whole regiments of black soldiers, who are to 
 be seen in the streets in numbers, their ugly features and awk- 
 ward limbs forming a great contrast with the remarkable grace 
 of the native Egyptians. 
 
 Leaving the busy Goreeah, we turn into the Turkish bazaar, 
 or “Khan Kaleel ; ” nothing but wealth and splendour there, 
 few poor people, and more foreigners than natives among the 
 scarlet and gold horse-trappings and amber pipe-heads, and 
 stores of trinkets from Stamboul. Then we dive into a dark 
 little street, and are in the midst of red and yellow shoes : it is 
 the shoe-bazaar, or rather one of them, for there are several ; 
 more lively, certainly, than shoemakers’ shops at home ; and 
 though these gay shoes do not fit as accurately as ours, they are 
 better suited than our shoes for wearing on the stone floors of 
 native houses, from the thickness of their soles. 
 
 A little circuit brings us home by the quarter called by the 
 ominous name of “ Bab-el-Sharir,” or “Gate of Evil gate is 
 constantly applied to a whole quarter. No grandeur is here, 
 but plenty of business \ sieve-makers, and comb-makers, and 
 &q/hss-makers, all sitting at their doors working, and selling as 
 opportunity offers, while numbers of little, mean-looking shops 
 sell native articles of diet, lentils and beans, masses of squeezed 
 dates (always beset with swarms of flies, of course), pickled 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 roots, and queer compounds in small brown dishes, name and 
 nature unknown, and which it would probably require a native 
 palate to relish. From the “ Bab-el-Sharir” we soon arrive at 
 our own quarter, the “ Bab-el-Bahar,” or “ Gate of the River,” 
 the river, or rather the canal, touching the extreme end of the 
 region, though far enough from our street. 
 
19 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 THE HOUSETOPS. 
 
 In the winter-weather of Egypt, which is for the most part 
 delightfully temperate, the housetop is a very pleasant perch , 
 from whence a view of great extent may be enjoyed, as well as 
 much “ native life ” seen, which could hardly be gained from any 
 other place so well. Our roof became almost a parlour during 
 the cool weather, and afforded the best substitute for a garden 
 that circumstances allowed. Standing at a corner, and there- 
 fore only joined behind and on one side to other houses, and 
 being much higher than those nearest it, our dwelling com- 
 manded a clear view of the city and of the country for miles 
 round ; on one side the graceful spires of the citadel showed 
 against the pure blue sky, and the Mokattam cliffs changing, 
 according to the atmosphere or time of day, from purple to 
 pink, and from pink to gold. In the opposite direction we 
 looked upon the gardens which surround the city like a dark 
 green mass, varied by the tall palms shooting up their feathery 
 branches amid the orange and acacia trees, and by the white 
 villas and palaces of rich pashas or Franks. A streak of pale 
 yellow or pink in the far distance, just on the horizon, marked 
 the desert beyond the narrow limit of fertility. All around us 
 were the crowded, flat-roofed dwellings of the city, of every 
 variety of height and shape, with hundreds of beautiful minareh 
 towers and domed mosques, some dating back to the times of 
 Saracen magnificence, others more modern and less exquisitely 
 finished. No one who has not been on a housetop a little 
 
 c 2 • 
 
20 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 before sdnset knows what Cairo is, or how well it merits the 
 title of “Grand,” when seen under these advantageous circum- 
 stances, when the blue haze of evening throws a charitable veil 
 over dust and rubbish, and the setting sun makes the citadel 
 look like some fairy palace, rather than a creation of stone and 
 mortar. 
 
 From our sky- terrace, indeed, we could see both bad and 
 good, and all was welcome ; if the near view be less attractive, 
 it was yet more interesting ; for what can be so interesting as 
 human beings, their life, with all its difficulties and toils, its 
 pleasures and its cares 'l 
 
 Down in the street below us, we looked on the humble sellers 
 of onions, bread, or sugar-canes, who, seated all day upon their 
 mats, soon became familiar both by face and voice ; the sugar-cane- 
 seller especially, who lived at the corner opposite my window, 
 furnishing many an animated group for the sketch-book in the 
 crowds of boys and girls who came to buy her very popular 
 articles. Her existence was less monotonous than might appear, 
 for she talked incessantly to any one who came within ear-shot, 
 whether customer or not. 
 
 Late in the day, when sellers were making up their accounts, 
 and a few sharp bargainers trying to get oranges, beans, &c., at 
 a lower rate than before, the clatter of tongues was quite 
 astonishing ; the ringing sound of slaps upon some one’s 
 shoulders was added to the cries of “You dog !” “You 
 buffalo !” “You ass !” “ You Jew /” the last being considered 
 the worst insult. They are a merry as well as a quarrelsome 
 set, however, and at least as much laughter as scolding went on : 
 nor are the men graver or more silent on their side. I wonder 
 who invented the fable of Oriental gravity, or whether some 
 Eastern race really exists which is habitually grave, silent, and 
 solemn ? The Egyptians remind one constantly of the Irish in 
 their love for conversation, mirtlifulness, and propensity to 
 dispute, and general excitability of character. A southern cli- 
 mate will give a certain degree of languor and idleness, but 
 
A Sugar-cane Seller. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE HOUSETOPS. 
 
 21 
 
 their tongues are not idle, as any one who lived in our street 
 could well testify. 
 
 Some of the houses in Bab-el-Bahar were, like our own, tall 
 and white, and respectable-looking. One of these was exactly 
 opposite ; its “ rez de chaussee ” was inhabited by an old seeds- 
 man, or seller of beans, corn, and fodder, but the upper part 
 was occupied by a wealthy Christian Syrian family. It seemed 
 to have been an old one, partly remodelled, as the upper 
 windows were furnished with the picturesque “ meshrabeers,” 
 or Arab lattices, projecting from the walls, and made of beauti- 
 ful and elaborate carved wood-work, while the lower ones had 
 the Turkish lattices, which are exceedingly inferior in appear- 
 ance. From these windows we often saw one of the three ladies 
 of the house, who were all pretty, their long plaits of hair 
 hanging over an embroidered jacket, and a handkerchief called 
 a mendeel fastened round the head. Sometimes they were at 
 work on some garment made of beautiful striped Damascene 
 silk, sometimes busy making the beds of the children, or dusting 
 furniture with a palm-branch, for Syrian ladies are very 
 domestic, and not above homely duties, though they were aided 
 by two sturdy Negresses, one of whom was fonder of the 
 window than her mistresses, and spent many a half hour in 
 leaning out, and in grinning at her opposite neighbours from 
 time to time. The master of the house, a handsome, dark 
 Syrian from Damascus, was husband to one of the ladies, 
 and brother to the two others ; he was in bad health when we 
 first settled, and used to recline on a divan at the window, 
 playiug with a quill a rather monotonous tune on a curious old 
 guitar ; and the native doctor’s ass was frequently seen at the 
 door ; but after a time he was seen going off to his business in 
 the city, richly dressed and flourishing. He was scribe or 
 writer to the Pasha, we were told, and therefore eminently 
 respectable in position, and apparently quite the Oriental 
 gentleman. 
 
 But we had plenty of neighbours of a lower class, and it is upon 
 
22 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 the housetops of the inferior dwellings that native life is most 
 displayed. They were built of mud bricks, and stood so much 
 lower than our house, that even from the windows we could 
 plainly see the goat sauntering on the roof of one of them, and 
 the turkeys pecking among the rubbish, or the matron, in her 
 trailing garments, spreading fuel, called geeleh, to dry in the sun, 
 picking dour a, or maize, from the husk, sifting wheat, winding 
 thread on reels, or squatted before a small extempore fire, 
 cooking some of the queer native messes that suit Egyptian 
 palates. On another, perhaps, lies an idle boy, fast asleep in 
 the bright sunshine, while his little brothers are playing with 
 the kids, and his elder sister busy with the “ wash ” of family 
 clothes, or hanging pink trousers and blue shirts to dry. She 
 seems to get up and down by a sort of rude mud steps, through 
 a hole in the roof which gives light and air to the dens below. 
 This description applies to the houses in the lane ; many, aglittle 
 better than this, and having windows, or at any rate lattices, 
 though not often glazed windows, are yet built of mud brick, 
 and curiously irregular, some parts being higher than the rest, 
 with no apparent object, and the whole looking as if it were 
 dropping into decay. 
 
 The roofs are usually in a great state of litter, and were it 
 not that Hasna , the seller of geeleh , gets a palm-branch and 
 makes a clearance once in a while, her roof would assuredly 
 give way under the accumulation of rubbish. One thing never 
 seemed cleared away, however, and that was the heap of old 
 broken pitchers, sherds, and pots, that in these and similar 
 houses are piled up in some corner ; and there is a curious 
 observation to be made in connection with this. A little before 
 sunset, numbers of pigeons suddenly emerge from behind the 
 pitchers and other rubbish, where they had been sleeping in 
 the heat of the day, or pecking about to find food. They dart 
 upwards and career through the air in large circles, their out- 
 spread wings catching the bright glow of the sun’s slanting 
 rays, so that they really resemble shining “ yellow gold ; ” then, 
 
THE HOUSETOPS. 
 
 23 
 
 as they wheel round, and are seen against the light, they appear 
 as if turned into molten silver, most of them being pure white, 
 or else very light coloured. This may seem fanciful, but the 
 effect of light in these regions is difficult to describe to those 
 who have not seen it, and evening after evening we watched 
 the circling flight of the doves, and always observed the same 
 appearance. “ Though ye have lien among the pots , yet shall 
 ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers 
 with yellow gold.” (Ps. lxviii.) 
 
 It was beautiful to see these birds rising clean and unsoiled, 
 as doves always do, from the dust and dirt in which they had 
 been hidden, and soaring aloft in the sky till nearly out of sight 
 among the bright sunset clouds. Thus a believer who leaves 
 behind him the corruptions of the world, and is rendered bright 
 by the Sun of Righteousness shining upon his soul, rises higher 
 and higher, and nearer and nearer, to the light, till, lost to the 
 view of those who stay behind, he has passed into the unknown 
 brightness above ! 
 
 It is from the housetops that the street-criers, so charac- 
 teristic of every nation, as showing the wants and tastes of the 
 masses, are best seen and heard. Many of these vary with the 
 season, as with us, but the one that begins the day never 
 changes ; and though so much that is painful to a Christian is 
 mixed up in it, still the early call to prayer must always strike 
 one as a most suitable commencement for the work of every 
 day. Just as the first ray of sunshine breaks forth, the 
 muezzin’s cry is heard, “ To prayer, to prayer, O ye believers ! ” 
 It is but a form, alas ! with most of the hearers, yet the very 
 form reminds a servant of God of the privilege and duty of 
 beginning each day with prayer. Then, when the echoing 
 voices from minaret to minaret have died away, the “ working 
 day” begins, and the wants and pleasures of man make them- 
 selves known one after another. 
 
 First is heard the milk-woman’s call, answering to u Milk 
 below !” “ Haleeb wa laban !” that is, new milk, and that which 
 has been purposely turned slightly sour and thick, and is a 
 
24 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 favourite article for breakfast, and also used in cookery all over 
 tbe East. 
 
 Sometimes a woman passes bearing a tray on her head, with 
 small earthenware bowls filled with the cream of buffalo’s milk 
 scalded, and somewhat resembling Devonshire clotted cream ; 
 this dainty is called kishtar, and is much liked by Europeans as 
 well as natives. 
 
 In the autumn, as soon as the harvest of maize is commenced, 
 the seller of parched corn is heard at intervals all day. “ Ma- 
 shallah ya Doura ! ” she exclaimed, in a prolonged, chanting 
 cry, and her store of young ears of corn roasted in their own 
 husks is much in request. The sweetmeat seller is usually a 
 man, who goes calling out in the name of the Prophet — 
 comfits ! I never recollect seeing a woman selling sweetmeats ; 
 probably it was considered a dignified business, as consisting of 
 manufactured articles ! 
 
 The most musical, perhaps, of all our street-cries was that of 
 the seller of parched peas, and a certain little nut or seed which 
 is much eaten by children, and I suspect by grown people also : 
 “ Ya humoos — ya habil aziz — ya humoos ! ” O parched peas ! O 
 nuts of love ! &c., was given in a really pretty, chant-like 
 manner, and with a good voice : whether the tune belonged 
 to the individual or the profession, I do not, of course, profess 
 to know. 
 
 The orange- crier was generally a woman ; so was the seller 
 of radishes, who in a dismal minor key used to groan out her 
 “ Eiglee liibiat ! ” as if it were a last effort of a despairing 
 wretch ; but very likely she was as cheerful as her neighbours, 
 and only cried in this style because it was customary. A little 
 later in the day the sherbet-crier was heard; he had more 
 custom in summer than winter, and on days when the Khamseen 
 wind was blowing, the tinkle of his brass cups was sometimes 
 the only sound in the hot and dusty street, during the sultry 
 afternoon hours. The sherbet most commonly sold among the 
 poor is merely raisins boiled in water which is cooled, or else 
 
THE HOUSETOPS. 
 
 25 
 
 treacle and water, or some such cheap preparation, all harmless 
 enough. The itinerant seller of cotton handkerchiefs and 
 muslin for the ladies passes oftenest in the afternoons, crying 
 his English cotton and Indian muslins, “ Shash Hindee!” 
 with long phrases puffing his goods, just as itinerant vendors 
 do with us. 
 
 * When the seasons arrive, the various fruits and vegetables 
 have each their crier. “ Eat Habbee ! ” says the woman selling 
 the small fruit of a kind of jujube-tree commonly called Nabbee , 
 and very little worth eating, to my taste. “ Sugar-canes ! 
 white sugar-canes ! in the name of the Prophet ! ” shouts 
 a fellah, or peasant, fresh from the country, and bearing a load 
 of thick, pale-green canes on his shoulder. The purple canes 
 are prettier, but I oftener heard the others cried, so I sup- 
 posed they were considered sweeter. Then, when the real 
 hot weather set in, about the middle of April, the cucumbers 
 were in abimdance, and eagerly devoured by all classes ; and 
 the cucumber-seller had a very musical and lively cry, of 
 which it was not possible to catch all the words ; but tall or 
 long cucumbers, compared to Bedouin, or else, more likely, 
 offered to Bedouin, as supposed to be specially acceptable to 
 men of the desert, seemed to be the gist of the song, as far 
 as one could tell. 
 
 Perhaps no cry is more striking, after all, than the short and 
 simple cry of the water-carrier. “ The gift of God ! ” he says, 
 as he goes along with his water-skin on his shoulder. It is 
 impossible to hear this cry without thinking of the Lord’s 
 words to the woman of Samaria : “If thou knowest the gift 
 of God , and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, 
 thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given 
 thee living water.” It is very likely that water, so invaluable, 
 and so often scarce in hot countries, was in those days spoken 
 of, as now, as the “ gift of God,” to denote its preciousness : if 
 so, the expression would be exceedingly forcible to the woman, 
 and full of meaning. 
 
26 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 The water-carrier’s cry in Egypt must always rouse a 
 thoughtful mind to a recollection of the deep necessities of the 
 people, of the thirst which they as yet know not of, and of the 
 living water which few if any have yet offered to the poor 
 Moslims in that great city, and makes him wish and pray for 
 the time when the sonorous cry of “ Ya aatee Allah ! ” shall be 
 a type of the cry of one bringing the living water of the Gospel, 
 and saying, “ Behold the gift of God ! ” 
 
27 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 FIRST ATTEMPT AT SCHOOL. 
 
 Moslim girls "will not come to school ; you are sure to fail.” 
 Such was the dictum again and again repeated when the 
 intended effort was spoken of. “ Among Copts,” it was said, 
 “ some chance of good might possibly be expected ; but Mahom- 
 medan girls , and of the lower class too, — it was certain to fail ! ” 
 Even a native gentleman, educated in England, echoed nearly 
 • the same thing that had been said both at home and here, by 
 Europeans, though he cordially wished success to every project 
 that had for its end the good of his country. “ They do not 
 wish for education in the lower class,” said he, “ especially for 
 girls, who are, as you know, looked on as inferior beings 
 altogether by Moslims. Besides, if you collected a few, who 
 would come from curiosity, some bigot would soon frighten 
 away the children, and tell the parents you wanted to make 
 Christians of them.” 
 
 “We shall tell them, then, that we cannot make Christians ; no 
 human being can. In Ireland the priests have cleared our 
 schools again and again by threats and persecution, but the 
 children soon return, and when they find it useless they give up 
 the point. The word of God has a marvellous power in itself, 
 and one point in our favour is, that the Moslim religion does 
 not forbid the reading of our Scriptures.” 
 
 “True,” he replied ; “they even speak of them with respect, 
 
28 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 though maintaining that Christians omit a part of the Gospel 
 which alludes, as they pretend, to Mohammed. But as to a 
 school ” — and here followed an enumeration of a whole host of 
 difficulties and hindrances to such an undertaking. We could 
 only reply, “Time will show.” 
 
 Perplexed, but not in despair, the little room was made ready 
 in spite of all. The poor Syrian family who occupied the lower 
 part of the house, and whose eldest girl, though but thirteen 
 was to be my sole teacher and assistant, took a lively interest 
 in the affair, and their children helped to nail up a few prints 
 and texts in Arabic, the latter written out fair by the father 
 for the purpose. A work-basket was stocked, and alphabet - 
 cards provided ; nothing more was needed to begin with, 
 benches and tables being unnecessary for an Egyptian school. 
 All was ready except the pupils ; how to procure them was the 
 problem. 
 
 Our servant had been sent to ask some of his wife’s friends 
 to send their daughters, and though a devout Moslim, he seemed 
 to take an interest in the novel concern, and promised to spare 
 no eloquence ; that is to say, he told us he would talk “plenty.” 
 Meantime I, my little teacher, and her mother, looked as anxiously 
 out at the windows as if listening for some one’s chariot- wheels. 
 The good woman hailed the old seedsman opposite, who was 
 just eating his breakfast with his three young daughters, and in 
 most conciliatory tones asked him to send Cadiga and her sisters 
 to learn to read and work. “ But we are Moslims, and don’t 
 want to learn,” was the reply, given in a most sullen voice. 
 
 It was necessary to go out into the highways and urge them 
 to come in. The matron, therefore, assumed her white veil, 
 and we set out together, and went first into the street, and 
 then into the lane, near the house where girls of all sizes 
 appeared to be a very plentiful article. Every woman we met 
 we stopped and accosted in a friendly way, and then began to 
 speak of the intended school, and urged her to send her 
 children. Some laughed and passed on, others said, “ V ery 
 
FIRST ATTEMPT AT SCHOOL. 
 
 29 
 
 good,” and at last we returned with the promise of several 
 girls, feeling quite triumphant and thankful. 
 
 As we re-entered the house a woman, wearing a quantity of 
 coral and silver ornaments, though otherwise poorly dressed, 
 came in with us ; she was accompanied by a nice-looking child, 
 of nine or ten years old. She was invited in with the customary 
 salutation, “ Be welcome !” and after throwing back her bur/co, 
 or black crape face-veil, she began to pour forth a volley of 
 words, of which all I could make out were, that her child was 
 timid and afraid to stay, but she would send her to-morrow. 
 Here was disappointment ! The first fish seemed just hooked, 
 and now it was escaping the fisher’s hands. However, I 
 reassured the child by caresses and kind words, and they went 
 away, promising again to return, which they did the next day • 
 and I heard it reported afterwards that the woman had said, 
 approvingly, “ She kissed my child !” And she did send her 
 next day, but at the time I could not be sure the promise 
 would be kept. Presently, however, two little girls, about 
 eight years old, trotted in, followed by their respective mothers, 
 and I think their grandmothers also, for several women of 
 different ages and degrees of rags came in, and there was a 
 great deal of unveiling, and saluting, and chattering. At last 
 the grown-up children departed, and the two little scholars, with 
 the two Syrian children, sisters to the young teacher, were estab- 
 lished on the mat, and were soon joined by several more, till at 
 length, by about ten o’clock, we had nine pupils seated in a 
 semi-circle, all Moslims ! Ho recruiting sergeant was ever half 
 so pleased with a handful of future soldiers, for it was beating 
 up for recruits for the Lord ! Each was now asked her name 
 in turn, and then who had made her, to which the older ones 
 replied, “ Allah.” Several little ones said “ Mohammed.” 
 
 The first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning,” &c., was 
 then repeated to them, and they were taught to say, first each 
 one by herself, and then altogether. This was the beginning of 
 instruction for them, poor children ! The young teacher was 
 
30 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 too inexperienced to be able to explain it, so I did what I could 
 in that way ; and then we both set to teaching the five first 
 letters of their difficult alphabet, till they seemed to be getting 
 tired ; they were then allowed a rest, and afterwards a singing 
 lesson was commenced. 
 
 The neighbours might have supposed a set of cats to be the 
 pupils, if they listened to the discordant sounds which the first 
 attempt at a gamut produced ; but, as the proverb says, 
 “ Children and fools should not see things half done.” Three 
 months later a stranger visiting the school was delighted at the 
 sweet singing of the hymns ! The mewing and squeaking were 
 nearly forgotten by that time. 
 
 The children were delighted when the work-hour arrived, the 
 real inducement to most of them and their mothers having been 
 the needlework. Perhaps the teachers were not sorry when 
 every little brown middle finger was supplied with a new 
 thimble, and they could sit down for a few minutes. No one 
 who has not tried it can conceive the difficulty of teaching those 
 who have not only no wish to learn, but no idea of what learn- 
 ing is, or what possible good is to be gained by all this trouble : 
 and, of course, the strain upon the mind is greatly increased when 
 one’s knowledge of the language is very limited indeed. 
 
 The children all took willingly to sewing ; indeed, they had 
 many times in the course of the forenoon thrown down the 
 cards, and cried out, “ The work ! give us the work !” The 
 English needles and scissors gave much pleasure, and were 
 eagerly examined by some mothers and elder sisters who paid 
 visits to the school-room, in the course of the day, to see 
 what the foreigner was doing with their little ones ; for, if 
 ignorant, they are usually very fond parents. Some brought 
 bread, bunches of raw carrots, or some such dainty, and, after 
 giving it to the children, would squat down on the mat to watch 
 the proceedings. Of course, it did rather interfere with 
 business, but it will not do to strain a new rope too tight ; and, 
 besides, Eastern manners are unlike ours, and I thought it 
 
The School, 
 
FIRST ATTEMPT AT SCHOOL. 
 
 31 
 
 wisest never to meddle with them, unless some real evil was in 
 question. 
 
 Though ragged and dirty, the children had not in general 
 the starved looks of too many scholars in our beloved country ; 
 nor do ragged clothes and dirty faces imply such a degree of 
 poverty as with us. In the higher classes, a child is often in- 
 tentionally kept dirty to avoid the evil eye ; and, perhaps, this 
 feeling may have given the idea that ragged clothes were no 
 disgrace. In the country villages, a blue cotton shirt is the 
 unvarying costume of boys and girls, the latter having the 
 addition of a veil, the former of a cotton cap. But, in the city, 
 dress is more varied, and most of the scholars wore coloured 
 print trousers and little jackets, or some other article : they 
 looked much as if the contents of an old clothesman’s bag had 
 been scattered over them at random, as there was not one of 
 the nine in whole or well-fitting garments. Still when, between 
 coaxing and a little manual aid, the young faces were all 
 washed clean, they were not a bad-looking circle : several had 
 very pretty features, the soft, black eye of Egypt has great 
 beauty, and they all have white and even teeth. 
 
 On the second day we had fourteen scholars. As they 
 entered, each kicked off her slippers, if she possessed any, at 
 the door, I think more than half had some kind of shoe, and 
 then went up to kiss the hand of the superintendent, and lay it 
 on her head ; both which processes became pleasanter when 
 cleanly habits had come a little into fashion ! One little thing 
 was led in by an elder sister, a fine, tall girl, about fourteen or 
 fifteen, wearing the common blue cotton garment, with its 
 limp drapery, and a pink net one within it, and what resembled 
 some one’s old table-cloth upon her head. This was Shoh ! — a 
 name almost impossible to render correctly by writing, except, 
 perhaps, by a note of admiration, to imply the sudden stop of 
 the sound ; it signifies “ Ardently loved ! ” 
 
 We did not know at this time that Shoh was married, and 
 only supposed she thought herself too old to come to school, 
 
32 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 though manifestly wishing to do so. She came in and out, 
 listening and smiling, and at last, about noon-day, again 
 returned, bringing an infant brother, in a very dirty condition, 
 riding on her shoulder, and a quantity of oranges in the end of 
 her veil. These last she poured into my lap, being a present to 
 show her good-will, and at almost the same instant the baby 
 was adroitly lowered from the shoulder and propped upon the 
 floor, with a bit of sugar-cane stuffed into his little hand ; while 
 Shoh planted herself triumphantly on the mat at my feet, and, 
 seizing an alphabet-card, began repeating “ Alef-beh ” in an 
 undertone. 
 
 The love of learning, or curiosity to see and hear something 
 new, had conquered matronly dignity, and from that time she 
 paid frequent visits to the school. 
 
33 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE BOAB’S FAMILY. 
 
 Our Boab and his family may be taken, probably, as a fair 
 specimen of “ Ragged Life in Egypt,” or, at least in Cairo, for, 
 as far as we could see, it appeared that most of the same grade 
 lived nearly in the same way, except that such small habita- 
 tions as the one they occupied were not common inside the 
 city, though often seen in the suburbs and villages. We had 
 opportunities of watching the life of these our nearest neigh- 
 bours, which made us well acquainted with their habits : indeed 
 it was impossible, unless we shut our eyes, to avoid observing 
 them, from the peculiar proximity of our respective dwellings. 
 
 When we first arrived in Bab-el-Bahar, the half-finished 
 lower room, or mandarah, as the Egyptians call it, was already 
 occupied by the person alluded to, the Boab , i.e. the gatekeeper 
 of the street, or rather of the whole quarter. It seemed that 
 he had intended quartering himself and his large family upon 
 the new-comers, doubtless hoping that, as foreigners, they 
 might be persuaded into thinking it a customary proceeding ; 
 so we found them sleeping in our lower room, as aforesaid, by 
 night, and hovering about the door all day. But, for various 
 reasons, it would have been very unwise to submit to this, and 
 after two or three “ warnings to quit,” the venerable guardian 
 left the shelter of our roof, and about the same time the masons 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 and their ragged assistants were got rid of, and quiet reigned 
 in the new household. 
 
 Our friend the Boab was not, however, going far off, as was 
 soon evident from the operations set on foot immediately on his 
 dismissal : in a few days’ time a sort of lean-to , made of mud 
 and plaster, and strongly resembling a pig-stye, arose just out- 
 side the future school-house, whose wall served as a back for it. 
 Windows it had none, nor could the owners stand upright in it, 
 but there was a doorway, which, if not quite regular in outlines, 
 yet served for them to creep in and out ; and when the warm 
 weather came, and the little den grew close, for the family 
 was numerous, one or more could sleep on the roof, nestled 
 down among the heaps of straw or other rubbish which generally 
 lay there. 
 
 In our country, such a ragged troop, in such close neigh- 
 bourhood, would have been a great nuisance, but the evil was a 
 good deal diminished in Egypt, because the climate allowed 
 them to live all day out-of-doors ; nor, we must in justice add, 
 did they incommode us by showing any desire to pry into our 
 concerns, or meddle with any of our property ; the children 
 neither begged nor stole, nor, except sitting on the door-step, 
 and keeping, it littered with the stones and bits of crockery 
 which served as toys, did they at all interfere with their neigh- 
 bours’ residence ; which was lucky, as, had they been ever so 
 annoying, I do not know that we could have sent them away. 
 
 The family were, I believe, more “respectable” than one 
 might have imagined from their squalid exterior. Our sketch 
 represents the father, as he often stood, leaning against his 
 hovel, which was considerably lower than his head, enjoying 
 his evening pipe ; he was by far the most decent-looking of the 
 party, having always a turban of comparative cleanliness, and a 
 pair of red slippers. His wife, if not quarrelling with her 
 neighbours in the lane, or hunting down her children, or 
 fetching water from the river, which were the chief varieties of 
 her life, might be seen indistinctly from the door grovelling in 
 
The Boab and his Family. 
 
THE BOAB’S FAMILY. 
 
 35 
 
 the dark recesses of her little abode, wrapped in faded and dirty 
 blue cotton garments, which hung limp and ragged about her 
 thin shoulders, while her brown and wrinkled throat was 
 decorated by a row of silver coins dimmed by age and dust, 
 three or four of which would have procured her new trousers 
 and a clean veil. In the dust, just before our door, a little 
 dusky creature, between one and two years old, is rolling 
 about ; that is the Boab’s youngest hope, and one of the right 
 kind, too, for it is a boy ! The family were considered un- 
 fortunate in having a much larger proportion of girls among 
 their tribe of children ; and though three of them, I think, had 
 been disposed of in marriage, there still remained more girls 
 than Mrs. Boab at all approved of. One of these was particu- 
 larly fond of sitting on the roof of the famil y stye, enjoying a 
 piece of sugar-cane quite as much as her father did his pipe, or 
 fighting for it with the neighbours’ little boys who were playing 
 in the rubbish with her. One little fellow, a neighbour’s son, 
 who had a solemn expression of countenance, which contrasted 
 oddly with his ragged blue shirt and cotton cap, rejoiced in the 
 appellation of “ Abdul-Nebby,” or the Servant of the Prophet ! 
 
 He and a troop of such small fry were constantly rolling 
 about with the Boab’s children, and were objects of interest and 
 concern which they little guessed, poor things ! as they laughed 
 and quarrelled over the dates given them from the window of 
 the strangers. 
 
 A little degree of influence began, after a time, to be gained ; 
 they would sometimes stop in a dispute at the voice of gentle 
 expostulation, and a little girl would sometimes run for refuge 
 under the wall, when tyrannised over by a boy, and call out for 
 redress with upturned face and imploring eyes directed to the 
 windows. 
 
 In due time Salhah , the little maiden who sat on the roof, 
 became a scholar, though never a very regular one, for she was 
 idle and saucy, and sometimes ran off to play with the boys 
 again just as lessons were commenced. 
 
 d 2 
 
36 
 
 BAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 One day she took a “huff,” as children say, and stopped from 
 school for a week, because another girl had torn the arms off a 
 doll which she had with some ingenuity manufactured out of a 
 piece of rag ! J ust after this we heard that Salhah was going 
 to be married ! It seemed a horrid mockery of the name of 
 marriage, when this little creature’s utter childishness was 
 so plainly shown by her conduct : she was eleven years old, but 
 neither in looks nor manners was at all older than girls of that 
 age among city children of the poor with us. It was found 
 that the mother selfishly wished to get rid of the burden of her 
 support, and that the mother of a lad about fifteen, who lived 
 near, wished, with equal selfishness, to get a drudge who should 
 carry water, and perform menial offices for her household. 
 Neither Salhah nor the boy were consulted, apparently, but the 
 two mothers arranged everything, and made a feast to celebrate 
 the betrothal. This was at the house of the bridegroom’s 
 family, the stye being certainly incapable of affording a guest- 
 chamber even of the humblest description. The feast did not 
 consist of a lamb roasted whole, or any such dainties, but “they 
 cooked some meat” we were told, with an air that implied this 
 was no ordinary treat. Some sweetmeats were given to the 
 bride-elect, which were all she obtained of the banquet. How- 
 ever, her bridegroom made her a present, with which he had 
 been provided for the occasion, as was customary. As they 
 were poor, this only consisted of two piastres, about fourpence. 
 “ What did Salhah buy with the money ? ” I asked. “ She 
 bought more sweetmeats, and then her mother beat her when 
 she found she had done so,” was the reply. Poor child ! how 
 we longed, on hearing this fresh proof of her youthfulness, to 
 have her again at her alphabet and needle ! Happily she did 
 return to us very shortly, for the match was ultimately broken 
 off by her own perseverance : she had more spirit than a Moslim 
 girl often dares to show, and persisted in saying, “ Mush ouz,” 
 Not want, till the parents gave way, perhaps aided by the 
 indifference of the boy-bridegroom, and the facility with which 
 
THE boab’s family. 37 
 
 her place could be supplied, as little ragged girls were not 
 scarce in that quarter. 
 
 A younger sister of Salhah’s, called Haanem, was a more 
 pleasing object to look at, being a dear little thing of four 
 years old, with a round, plump face, and large, bright black 
 eyes, and a sweet plaintive voice ; she used to trot in among 
 the earliest scholars, in her scanty blue cotton garment, I never 
 saw her in the possession of a second, and an old faded kerchief 
 tightly tied round her little head, with two ends hanging down 
 behind. In spite of this unbecoming costume, Haanem was a 
 pretty child, and graceful in her ways ; it was amusing to see 
 the earnest look with which she would bring her morsel of 
 sewing to exhibit, and to hear her lisp out, “ Shoofe ! dee 
 quaiss % ” — Look ! is this nice h 
 
 A married daughter of the Boab came now and then to spend 
 a few days with her parents, but where or how she was accom- 
 modated remained a mystery to the last ; possibly some of the 
 young folks “ camped out ” to make room. 
 
 To do her justice, the mother was ready to dispose of her 
 children, as was seen in Salhah’s case, but the expense and 
 trouble of support was more of a burden than want of house- 
 room to their feelings. The Boab received four piastres 
 a-month from us, and probably the same, or rather less , from 
 thirty or forty other houses, the very poor would pay nothing, 
 of course ; this would make a sufficient income to live decently 
 in that climate, so that I conceive it was more ignorance than 
 actual poverty that kept them in so low a condition. 
 
 What the business of the Boab was, I never could clearly 
 ascertain. He always seemed to be loitering about our door, 
 solemnly smoking a long pipe, or doing nothing, by day, and at 
 night disturbing our rest by calling out in a loud voice 
 u Yadai ! ” at certain hours in the night. We were informed, 
 however, that he was guardian of the street, and perhaps some 
 terrible evil might have occurred had he not been there. 
 
 In Bamazan he shouted a sort of chant about midnight, 
 
38 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 which ought , I believe, to have been a great deal longer by- 
 rule, but he or the imams cut it short ; and every morning 
 in this season he went round to all the true Moslims’ doors, 
 rousing the people and exhorting them to get up and go to 
 prayers. These were all the offices which we could discover, 
 and if they were all his business, he certainly did not work 
 very hard for his daily bread and onion ! 
 
39 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SHOH AND PATMEH. 
 
 A 
 
 Though a matron, even of fifteen, could not be expected to be 
 a regular attendant at school, my young friend Shoh did her 
 best to come when she could. At first her husband beat her 
 for coming ; but when he was in a better humour, or absent 
 with his donkey, she would run across the lane and enter the 
 school with a triumphant expression in her odd, bright face, 
 and seat herself, with a card in her hand, upon the mat. But 
 she was too full of questions to give steady attention to the 
 alphabet, and, as there was little probability of her staying 
 long enough to learn to read, I was glad to let her get what 
 knowledge she could in her own way. After a time the 
 husband gave her permission to come, when not engaged in 
 household work ; and often she would rush into school, her 
 hands all white with flour from bread-making, or with a piece 
 of needlework on her arm, for she could sew in the coarse 
 style used by native women, and soon improved very much in 
 this branch. 
 
 The worthy Syrian matron, Um XJsuf * (i.e. Joseph’s mother, 
 as she was always called), had now taken charge of the school, 
 as her daughter, Menni, was found too young to be my sole 
 teacher ; and this good woman, whom I had reason to believe 
 
 * She was afterwards obliged to return to her own country on account 
 of health, and is now usefully employed as Bible-woman under Mrs. 
 Thompson, at Beirut. 
 
40 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 a sincere Christian, took much pains to talk to Shoh ; and 
 while the younger children were eating their bread at noon, 
 I used to make Menni read aloud part of the Gospel, or of 
 a simple Arabic tract, to Shoh, and some of the older 
 scholars. 
 
 The matron was fully imbued with the Gospel doctrines, 
 and pretty well acquainted with Scripture, at least with the 
 New Testament, but was quite inexperienced in teaching. I 
 often wished she could have had a little of the training 
 afforded by one of our Dublin or Loudon ragged-schools ; but, 
 as it was, we rather resembled the men in “ Sandford and 
 Merton,” one of whom was lame, but could see , the other blind, 
 but with good legs, who got along the road by assisting each 
 other. So, with a superintendent deficient in language, and a 
 teacher inexperienced in teaching, we were one blind, and the 
 other lame. However, pains were not wanting, and made up 
 for some deficiencies. 
 
 One day I allowed Shoh to pay me a private visit, which she 
 thought a great privilege. Robinson Crusoe’s man Friday 
 could hardly have been more astonished and delighted at the 
 very simple, and even scanty furniture of the apartment. The 
 curtains of white cotton, bound with red, seemed splendid in 
 her eyes ; the home-made pictures, fastened with pins to the 
 whitewashed walls ; the toilet, formed of a kafass covered with 
 chintz, and the general air of cleanliness and order, made it 
 appear a luxurious room to poor Shoh, accustomed to a mud- 
 walled and dirty abode in the neighbouring densely -peopled 
 lane. A small workbox, with its contents, delighted her as 
 much as if she had been a child of two years old ; and when 
 she drew from it a yard-measure made of a polished shell, and 
 found out the mystery of pulling out and winding up the ribbon 
 in it, her ecstacy knew no bounds, and she clapped herself 
 violently on the chest, as if to knock the breath out of her 
 body, rolling up her eyes, and exclaiming, “Wonderful! 
 wonderful ! ” 
 
SHOH AND FATMEH. 
 
 41 
 
 It was pleasant to see, with all her childishness, how new 
 ideas gradually began to take root ; and though her versatility 
 would often cause her to interrupt her teachers, just as her 
 attention seemed fixed, by observing, “ Let me try your ring 
 on my finger, I want to see your thimble,” &c., still she would 
 return after a time to the subject, and she soon learned to 
 associate the book of God with the school and with us : and it 
 is surely something gained when the Bible is known as our flag 
 and insignia, as it were, among an ignorant neighbourhood such 
 as this ! On a subsequent visit, Shoh took up the English 
 Bible which lay on the table and asked what it was ; and I 
 took the opportunity to explain that, though in another lan- 
 guage, it was the same as the book Um Usuf read to her in 
 school, and tried to impress her with a sense of its value. She 
 asked more questions than I was able to answer, and seemed 
 interested and pleased by the conversation. 
 
 It was very amusing to see the young matron’s delight when, 
 after an absence of several days, she obtained time or permission 
 to make her appearance among us again. She bounced in 
 with such a look of joyous triumph, seized my hand to kiss as 
 usual, and then skipped round the room, nodding to the 
 scholars, till at length she flung herself down in a corner, 
 pulled the yellow kerchief off her head, in order to show that 
 her plaited locks were clean and neat, then sprang up again 
 and ran to the window-seat, where soap and water stood, to 
 wash her hands, holding them up significantly, as if to say, 
 “ I know you are fanciful about cleanliness,” and finally 
 snatched up a card from the shelf and commenced repeat- 
 ing her alphabet aloud. I made her a present of a small pair 
 of scissors, having lately received a parcel of them from 
 England ; and certainly the superstition about edgetools cutting 
 love did not prove right in this case, for poor Shoh’s regard 
 had not diminished when I parted from her, and her joy at the 
 gift was unbounded. She held them aloft, gazing with comic 
 admiration at their brightness, pressed them to her heart 
 
42 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 at the risk of wounding herself, and finally relieved her 
 excited feelings by catching Menni round the neck, and half- 
 suffocating her in a warm embrace while she repeated, “ The 
 scissors ! the scissors ! ” 
 
 Poor Shoh was not fortunate in a mother, as I soon dis- 
 covered. We were engaged in singing one day, the children 
 beginning to get some notion of a tune, and Shoh’s hearty, 
 though somewhat unmusical, voice joining us, when an ugly, 
 blear-eyed, old woman walked in with an extremely dirty child, 
 of two years old, on her shoulder. Having deposited him on 
 the floor, she squatted down and began to make her observa- 
 tions. These visitors were Shoh’s mother and her youngest 
 brother, for they were a very numerous family. When we 
 ceased singing the old woman began to talk, and I gathered 
 from her voluble speech that more children would attend school 
 if the mothers did not fear that we should carry them off to 
 England. 
 
 I exclaimed indignantly against the idea of being engaged in 
 a kidnapping transaction, “Listen, O woman! We have girls 
 plenty in our country, more girls than we want. Why should 
 we take yours 1 ” 
 
 Shoh presently interposed, assuring her mother that she had 
 seen pictures of the lady’s own “bint ocht,” or sister’s daughters, 
 so little, and pretty, and nice ! “ She want yours , indeed ! ” 
 
 pointing, rather scornfully, to her young countryfolk, who 
 really, if clean and neatly clad, would have looked quite as well, 
 in their way, as any set of English children, though we had no 
 desire to carry them away ! 
 
 TJm TJsuf and I did our best to explain that we had, not 
 only children, but schools in our land, and that our poor girls 
 were taught to read and to know God in them. 
 
 “ Here your girls are not taught, so we have come to teach 
 them.” 
 
 « Oh, there was a Prank school kept by Prench nuns,” the 
 old woman said, “ where several Copt girls went.” 
 
SHOH AND FATMEH. 
 
 43 
 
 “ That is not like ours/’ I replied ; “ those ladies teach 
 the children to bow before pictures and images ; they are 
 * servants of idols /’ * the common Arab term for the Catholics, 
 and God’s book is not read in their schools. But here we 
 have no images, and only pray to God.” 
 
 We endeavoured to show that it was not for our own benefit, 
 but for the children’s, that we acted ; but it is difficult to make 
 people who are unaccustomed to receive any gratuitous benefit, 
 beyond a mere trifling alms, understand such a course of action, 
 and Shoh’s mother looked as though she had both literally and 
 figurately grovelled in the dust too long to believe in any 
 unselfish or generous affections. 
 
 But Shoh herself listened eagerly, and after a while whispered 
 to Menni, looking across at me with a meaning expression, — 
 
 “ Does she love me ? ” 
 
 “ Ya habeebee (oh, my dear), certainly I do, and all of you, 
 — I want you to go to heaven with me, Shoh ! ” 
 
 The girl’s eyes, as she listened to this reply, had that touching 
 look which we observe sometimes in a very little child, when 
 its dawning intellect begins faintly to perceive regions of 
 thought which it cannot fathom. It is curious to note this 
 strange, questioning, wistful look in a grown person, if poor 
 Shoh could be so called, indeed. We may have long to wait, 
 for the difficulties that surround her are many ; but surely God 
 has purposes of mercy for her sooner or later. 
 
 Shoh had an elder sister called Fatmeh, who lived at Old 
 Cairo, which is more than two miles from Cairo itself, but who 
 came to spend a few days with her family some little time after 
 the school had been started. She had lately lost all her three 
 children by croup, the last only a fortnight ago ; and this severe 
 affliction had so broken her heart, that she was indifferent to all 
 her usual occupations, and “went mourning” all the day. But 
 her mind was naturally inclined to the subject of death, so 
 
 * Abdul-duttran. 
 
44 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 dreaded by Moslims in general ; and something she heard from 
 her young sister about the new school and what she had learned 
 there, made her go and pay Urn Usuf a visit, in order to ask 
 her some questions. 
 
 The excellent matron was only too glad of the opportunity, 
 and told her “ kilshei,” or everything, as she expressed it ; 
 meaning all of the great and blessed tidings of salvation which 
 so ignorant a mind could receive at one sitting. 
 
 Poor Fatmeh’s heart was softened by the tears of sorrow, 
 like furrows by the rain-drops from heaven, and she begged to 
 stay and help the good woman in her washing, in order to hear 
 more, and to tell her griefs. “ I will be your servant, I will 
 do anything, if I may stay all the day,” she said. 
 
 Next day she came to visit me. A greater contrast to the 
 active, vigorous, intelligent, but hot-tempered Shoh, could not 
 be found. The sister was at least a head shorter, thin, slight, 
 and chetive in appearance, with more insignificant features, but 
 with a sweet, sorrowful expression in her gentle black eyes, 
 which looked heavy with long weeping. As she sat on the 
 floor, her hands resting on her lap in an attitude of meek de- 
 spondency, it seemed as if sorrow had resumed its sway, and 
 the interest which a new subject had excited in her was for 
 the time forgotten. 
 
 Presently she noted the portrait of a little child on the wall 
 near her ; her lost darlings could hardly have been very like 
 that blue-eyed, fair-haired creature ; but still it was a child , 
 and poor Fatmeh gazed for a moment, saying in a soft voice, 
 “ Very pretty ! very pretty !” then bent forward and kissed it, 
 and then burst into tears, hiding her face in her blue veil. Oh, 
 the sorrow of a mother without hope ! — no one who has not 
 seen it can conceive how grievous it is to witness. I put my 
 hand on her shoulder, and tried to comfort her by the sympathy 
 which is a master-key for sorrowful hearts in all lands, and 
 gradually won her to listen and to speak to me. Her boys, she 
 said they had told her, would have thousands of Houris to wait 
 
SHOH AND FATMEH. 
 
 45 
 
 on them by-and-bye in Maliommed’s Paradise ; but she did not 
 seem to believe it, or to care for these monstrous fables ; it was 
 her own baby-boys her heart yearned for, and no falsehoods 
 could fill that aching, weary heart. 
 
 “Dear Fatmeh, God is good.” 
 
 “ Yes, He is good,” she said despondingly, as if she would 
 fain add, “ that is nothing to me.” 
 
 “ They tell you that He does not love women,” I continued, 
 “ but, Fatmeh, that is not true ; He loves us all, all, better 
 than we love each other.” And I endeavoured to tell her of 
 the love of God in Christ, of which I knew Um Usuf had 
 spoken the day before. The Moslims, having no belief in a 
 Mediator, a “ Daysman,” who can lay His hand on suffering 
 humanity, cannot, of course, understand the love of God, 
 though they often speak of His wisdom, greatness, &c. The 
 women are told that God cannot love them, and they are not 
 even encouraged to pray. This has led to the belief that all 
 Moslims hold women to be without souls, which is not strictly 
 true ; individuals may hold it, but it is not one of their dogmas, 
 though they look on the souls of women as of very little conse- 
 quence, so that virtually it comes to the same thing. 
 
 Whether Fatmeh’s husband believed her to possess a soul 
 worth caring for or not, I cannot tell, but certainly he was very 
 kind to her and fond of her ; and as she was not handsome, it 
 must have loeen for her amiable, gentle disposition that he loved 
 her, which did both parties credit in a Mahommedan country. 
 He left Old Cairo, at least for a time, and came to live near her 
 family, who lived close to us, on purpose to please her, and 
 allowed her to visit us as often as she liked. I gave her 
 washing and other things to do, as a pretext for bringing her 
 under Christian influence as much as possible. Often she would 
 come in when we were at morning worship among ourselves, 
 and sit reverently watching, though she could not understand : 
 and she was always ready to listen to Dm Usuf, when she 
 talked or read to her after school-hours. By degrees her 
 
46 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 extreme sorrow diminished, and, though far inferior to Shoh in 
 mind, her more docile disposition gave her an advantage, as did 
 also her husband. Poor Shoh often got into trouble, first with 
 her mother, then her husband, then her mother again, and so 
 on. The latter especially had a really savage temper when 
 roused, and sometimes beat her most cruelly. But I had hopes 
 of both the sisters long before leaving them : no one could help 
 feeling hopeful who had seen them listening to the history of 
 the crucifixion, which I made Um Usuf read to them one day, 
 when they came into school during work-hours, and seen how 
 Shoh’s bright face worked with emotion, and the tears stood in 
 her eyes, and how the sewing dropped from Fatmeh’s hand, 
 and how they looked at one another, and sometimes touched 
 each other, as if to say, “Do you hear that ?” In spite of 
 many hindrances and difficulties, we have cause for thankful- 
 ness and hope about these two. The seed is cast on the water 
 in faith, and after many days we may find it with joy. 
 
 Since the above was written poor Fatmeh has lost several 
 more children, all young infants. Her spiritual progress has 
 been so slow that it is doubtful if there be growth or not ; 
 Moslim relatives and all manner of counteracting influences 
 hinder her often visiting me, but she told me the last day I saw 
 her (in May, 1865), that if her poor baby survived, she would 
 send it to school (there being now a boys’ school belonging to 
 the mission here), and he should learn to read the holy book, 
 and then he would be good ! 
 
47 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SCENES IN THE DESERT. 
 
 In the winter season nothing in the neighbourhood of Cairo is 
 so pleasant as the open desert. The rocks and cliffs afford a 
 certain degree of shade, except just about noon, and then, if 
 spending a whole day out-of-doors, it is prudent to carry a tent 
 small enough to be easily taken on a donkey, and under which 
 one can rest for a couple of hours, while the sun is powerful. 
 The air is so pure and bracing, that it is far healthier than in 
 the gardens round the city, especially at the seasons when they 
 still remain damp from the recent inundation. Nevertheless, 
 these moist gardens, swarming with mosquitos, are generally 
 preferred to the airy expanse of dry sand and rock ; and our 
 favourite haunt, a ravine, which we called, from its prevailing 
 hue, the Wady Asfer, or Yellow Yalley, was seldom disputed 
 with us by any human beings. 
 
 This spot was a delightful resort in the fine days of winter, 
 in spite of the absence of a single blade of vegetation; the 
 peculiar desert atmosphere producing chameleon-like changes of 
 colour, which relieved it from the charge of monotony. The 
 Wady was shut in by cliffs of yellow ochre, which ap- 
 peared quite golden, when caught by the afternoon sunbeams, 
 broken here and there by volcanic rocks of red or dark grey, 
 which rose in irregular steps on each side, and from the 
 different levels were obtained a variety of views of the distant 
 
48 
 
 BAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 city. The cliffs terminated in a high plateau, extending all 
 along the ridge of hills, called Gibel-el-Hashib, leading to the 
 petrified forest ; on the other side they stretched nearly up to 
 the red mountain, which rose quite distinct from the yellow 
 rocks and sandy slopes which encompassed it, and stood like a 
 strange red mushroom in the plain. Looking up the ravine 
 towards Cairo, we could see the distant Nile shimmering in the 
 bright sunshine, or blending with the surrounding gardens 
 into soft blue, and purple hues, in which the white domes and 
 roofs stood out like specks of snow. Nearer to the eye, just at 
 the verge of the desert, were the scattered groups of the Sultan’s 
 tombs, in various degrees of preservation, but all beautiful. 
 They are built of warm-coloured sandstone, in the graceful 
 Saracenic style, with its curved lines and rounded forms, which 
 seem turned to gold where they catch the sunlight. 
 
 Many a donkey-boy now knows the name of Wady Asfer, 
 and many a quiet sleep has he enjoyed under its overhanging 
 rocks, while his patient ass stood beside him, and his em- 
 ployers were seeking fossils or making sketches. The complete 
 loneliness of our favourite spot had quite a strange effect, con- 
 sidering that we were within sight of a great and populous city, 
 but, save a labourer on his way to the stone-quarries, a Bedouin 
 with his camel, or, more rare still, a party of Europeans hastily 
 passing by, on their way to the famous petrified forest, we 
 never saw a human face there, except on one memorable 
 occasion, when our solitude was interrupted, not for a passing 
 moment, but for a whole day. 
 
 It was about the middle of February, and the servant, 
 assisted by the donkey-boys, were pitching the miniature tent, 
 which the heat of the sun already made desirable, when two 
 ragged Bedouins suddenly appeared, as if they had started out 
 of the rocks : their keen black eyes flashed, and their white 
 teeth were displayed in a grin of mingled curiosity and admira- 
 tion at the little tent and the pretty carpet spread under its 
 shelter : one offered his advice about driving in the pegs, and 
 
SCENES IN THE DESERT. 
 
 49 
 
 assisted, with his well-experienced hand to knock them in by the 
 aid of a great stone. He did not ask for anything, but I gave 
 him a piastre, as he looked very poor, and he nodded his satis- 
 faction. It is not customary to say “ Thank you ” in Egypt ; 
 but a polite person looks his thanks, and a very grateful one 
 kisses the article given. 
 
 While this man was squatted opposite to us, to watch the 
 strangers’ actions, another Bedouin came up, and then another, 
 and another, standing on the rock just above us, and looking 
 down on us. They showed no hostile intentions, though one or 
 two were fully armed ; but before I had time to transfer more 
 than half the party to my paper they dispersed, and went on 
 their way to the city. They were evidently part of a tribe 
 come up to “ buy corn in Egypt : ” several more passed in 
 the course of a quarter of an hour. A young girl, seated on 
 the hump of a fine young dromedary, and balancing herself 
 with marvellous dexterity, without any kind of saddle, rode by 
 so rapidly, that she had only time for one stare of astonishment 
 at the little encampment. Then a man fully equipped, on a 
 very tall camel, his long Arab rifle on his shoulder, and the 
 ends of his flowing drapery waving in the wind — a splendid 
 figure ! But he did not stay to be looked at. And at last all 
 had disappeared behind the cliffs but a fine old man, with a face 
 tanned to a copper hue by sun and wind, and a long beard, 
 still almost black. This individual sat just at our tent-door, 
 wrapped in his striped brown and white abba , or long cloak, 
 and a yellow scarf, a good deal the worse for wear, twisted 
 over a turban that had formerly been white. 
 
 It was decided to be both a benevolent and a safe proceeding 
 to offer him some bread with no delay, having often heard that 
 Arabs would not rob those whose bread and salt they had just 
 eaten ; for it was impossible to be sure that he might not be 
 posted there as a sentinel, and that the gentry with the long 
 guns might not return with hostile views. We had our Syrian 
 servant, indeed, but he had no arms except his cook’s knife, and 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 both it and he were more accustomed to contend with chickens 
 than Bedouins ; and the boys were not likely to be of the least 
 use if there were danger. 
 
 The old man accepted our bread, and gravely ate it up to the 
 last crumb without hesitation, so we felt tolerably easy about 
 the peacefulness of his intentions. He soon preferred a request 
 for medicine for his eyes, which, however, looked remarkably 
 good for his age. I disclaimed the honour of being a hakeem , 
 but, like all Arabs, he fancied Europeans were somehow 
 naturally gifted with medical powers. From his description, I 
 ascertained that no medicine could possibly have done any 
 good, as his was a case of becoming blind in the dusk, which I 
 had heard of as rather an idiosyncrasy than a disease, and cer- 
 tainly not a very terrible one in a country where there is so 
 little twilight. 
 
 While the old man was winking and talking about his eyes, 
 a troop of little girls suddenly emerged from behind a 
 projecting cliff ; it seemed as if they must have issued from 
 the clefts of the rocks, for where they started from no one 
 could guess. They said they lived in a Bedouin village among 
 these hi] Is : a bright-eyed, joyous group they were, from seven 
 to twelve or thirteen years old apparently, clad in rags, but as 
 healthy and vigorous as possible, their active movements full of 
 wild grace, and their black eyes and shining teeth looking like 
 gems in their dark, bronzed faces, as they sprang about the 
 rocks like kids, laughing and asking loudly for backsheesh ! 
 
 I could not give money, but produced some cakes from the 
 lunch-basket, which gave great satisfaction : several of the girls 
 danced about holding the novel dainty aloft in their hands with 
 a variety of gesticulations ; it might be called the “ Cake 
 dance.” 
 
 Our servant then named the school, and said they ought to 
 come. 
 
 The distance, I feared, would make this impossible, but the 
 idea of a girls’ school, and of anyone attempting to teach girls 
 
SCENES IN THE DESERT. 
 
 51 
 
 to read, diverted them extremely, and amid shouts of laughter 
 they cried, “ Oh, teacher ! oh, teacher ! ” 
 
 By-and-bye the group was increased by two or three lads, 
 brothers to these girls, and by a man and woman, who seemed 
 to own several of the young folk. The woman’s face was 
 mostly concealed by her face-veil of dirty lilac crape, but her 
 eyes peeped above it with a bright look, and the man, who had 
 but one eye, was rather an intelligent fellow. They all 
 squatted round us in a circle, with the old Bedouin, and began, 
 in true Eastern style, asking us about our relatives, reminding 
 one strongly of Scriptural expressions, — “Is your father yet 
 alive % ” “ Have you a mother 1 ” “ How many brothers and 
 
 sisters have you ? ” 
 
 Nothing can be more genuine than the sympathy of Arabs 
 for the loss of relatives, but most especially for that of a 
 mother, which they justly consider so irreparable. 
 
 The woman’s eyes glistened with tears as she heard us tell of 
 a broken family circle, and she turned to her husband, repeating 
 the information with a voice that expressed much feeling. I 
 endeavoured to tell them something about that better land 
 where those who loved God and believed in His word went 
 after death. We were not yet scholars enough to read to them 
 out of the Arabic Testament, though we had one, and showed 
 it to them, and it served as a subject for conversation. They 
 all looked at it with curiosity, and the boys and man each took 
 it in their hands, and seemed to wish to know the contents. 
 
 “You have heard of Moses 1 ” I said, knowing that Moses 
 is a sort of hero in these regions, nearly all the wells of the 
 desert being called after him. 
 
 “ Oh, yes ! Nebby Moussa, we know about him ! ” 
 
 “ God spoke to Moses, you have heard that h ” 
 
 “ Yes, yes, we know.” 
 
 “Well,” I continued, “ God does not speak now to men, but 
 listen, if you had a father far away, he could send you a letter, 
 could he not 1 You might thus know what he wished you to do.” 
 
 e 2 
 
52 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 “ Yes, lady, certainly,” said the man. 
 
 “ God’s book is His letter to man. We read in this book all 
 God wishes us to do and believe.” 
 
 “ Good ! good ! a letter, I understand ! ” he exclaimed, a 
 light of intelligence shining in every feature of his rugged 
 countenance, while the old man gave a grunt of acquiescence. 
 
 I endeavoured, as well as very imperfect Arabic would allow, 
 to explain how “ holy men of old” had written this book, taught 
 by His Spirit, and how, though put into various languages, it 
 was all one, God’s letter to sinful man ! 
 
 “You ought to come here every day,” said the man. 
 “ Look, you will soon know Arabic well, then come often here 
 and see us. Come, and read and talk to us. Come, and stay 
 all day, till the sun sets, and then, when you want to sleep, I 
 will give you a bed in my house ; ” and he made signs of 
 spreading something on the ground as he spoke, to make his 
 meaning clearer. 
 
 It was certainly a queer idea for European ladies to sleep in 
 one of those hovels, swarming with vermin, and full of goats 
 and rasped children, but his good intention was unmistakeable : 
 
 Oo 7 O 
 
 he was cordially seconded by the woman, and all the party 
 seemed full of friendly feeling. 
 
 There was no thought of gain, for none of them, except the 
 little girls, when we first saw them, had made any demands ; 
 and the word “ backsheesh,” so dreaded by travellers, was not 
 even named. 
 
 This meeting seems to give grounds for thinking that there 
 are, among the long-neglected Arabs of the desert, some who 
 would welcome a man bringing the tidings of salvation among 
 the black tents of Kedar, and who would soon be ready to cry, 
 
 “ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them that 
 publish peace ! ” 
 
 Ho one, however, who has had much experience in such 
 matters, will be surprised that our next rencontre was less 
 successful ; at home and abroad there is always this variation. 
 
SCENES IN THE DESERT. 
 
 53 
 
 Several attempts to find the village spoken of by our one- 
 eyed acquaintance as his residence, had failed : the sand-hills 
 and rising ground in the desert make it hard for any who are 
 not desert-bred to find their way ; and these little groups of 
 huts resemble in colour the surrounding cliffs so exactly, that 
 one must be close to them before they are visible. At length, 
 guided by a column of blue smoke from one of the huts, we 
 came upon a little colony of this kind, where some half-settled 
 Bedouin of the poorest description dwelt, in the midst of dirt, 
 dust, and rags. An ill-fed camel was eating a scanty heap of 
 fodder beside one of the huts, and goats, fowls, and children, 
 were lying in the hot sand, looking as if, in point of intelli- 
 gence, there was no great difference between them. Our 
 former friends were not to be seen ; indeed, from their descrip- 
 tion, I suppose they lived farther off, among the hills. 
 
 Two or three women, clad in rags which had once been blue, 
 but now scarcely retained any colour, came out to stare at the 
 strangers ; their faces were tanned to a hue almost as dark as a 
 Nubian’s, and their features prematurely worn by a hard life, 
 but they looked very good-humoured ; and when I asked for a 
 little water, one went immediately to a vessel half-imbedded in 
 the sand, and carefully covered up, and brought me some in a 
 coarse earthen jar, which she afterwards offered to the servant, 
 drawing the end of her tattered veil over her mouth as she did 
 so, to supply the want of a face-veiL Bedouin women, in 
 general, wear a short piece of pink oAlac crape, or else one of 
 a cream colour, being the natural hue of the undyed rough silk 
 of which it is made. This is often hung round with heavy 
 silver coins, and the effect is then as ugly as we should find it 
 uncomfortable ; but use is everything, and the Arab maiden 
 would doubtless pity us for wearing a bonnet ! 
 
 An old Syrian colporteur, who was with us on this occasion, 
 endeavoured, at my suggestion, to talk a little to the people • 
 but his private opinion being that Bedouins were quite hopeless 
 subjects, it was difficult, if not impossible, for him to speak in 
 
54 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 the way likely to attract them. When they heard that there 
 was a school for poor Moslim girls commenced in Cairo, they 
 all laughed heartily ; and I really believe the idea of teaching 
 women to read was quite as amusing and absurd to them as it 
 would be to English villagers if some one gravely proposed to 
 instruct their cats in the alphabet ! 
 
 The old man was too solemn for them, and wanted the tact 
 necessary in dealing with these people ; and, to add to his diffi- 
 culties, when he began to read a few verses out of his Testa- 
 ment, the servant interrupted him with the remark that 
 “ Bedouins were like stones, and one might as well preach to 
 the stones !” And the donkey-boys interfered more rudely and 
 loudly, especially one of them who was a Copt, if I remember 
 right, and had the usual contempt for Arabs felt by his people. 
 
 A man of spirit will not be daunted by such little trials as 
 these, but then he must have a genuine interest in the set of 
 people addressed ; and our old colporteur shut his book with 
 such a despairing look, that I feared they would all think it a 
 bad cause, unless I tried to come to the rescue even with 
 broken Arabic. 
 
 “ Well, is not that good that he has read to you V* I asked 
 one of the men, a ragged, lazy-looking young fellow, who stood 
 near me. 
 
 “ Yes,” he answered, indifferently; “but we are Arabs, and 
 do not understand all that.” 
 
 “You do not think, and that is why you do not understand 
 anything.” 
 
 “ Exactly so, I do not think !” said he with an air of great 
 complacency. 
 
 “ But you are not a camel or an ass ; you have a soul within 
 you.” 
 
 “ Oh, certainly ! A soul, — yes !” 
 
 “ Well, then, you ought to think !” 
 
 “Yes, yes ! that is true !” nodding his head with somewhat 
 more interest. 
 
SCENES IN THE DESERT. 
 
 55 
 
 I then endeavoured to show him that we had need to think 
 about our souls in life, because death is not far from any, and 
 we know not how near it may be. He looked uneasy at this, 
 and said, — 
 
 “ True, all must die, but God is good !” This was said much 
 in the way one has heard many far less ignorant persons say it. 
 
 We had a little further conversation, and might have 
 prolonged it easily enough, but for the impatience of the boys, 
 who did not enjoy waiting in the hot sun, and could not under- 
 stand why any one should care to speak to ragged Arabs like 
 these people. They bade us farewell in a friendly manner, in 
 spite of the rude speeches of our attendants, and said, “ Come 
 again and see us.” 
 
 Unluckily I had no opportunity of visiting them again that 
 year, for in the middle of the day it was too hot to be safe, now 
 that summer was advancing so rapidly, and in the evenings we 
 could not be so far from home on donkeys lest darkness should 
 overtake us. 
 
 How and then we took a drive on the Suez road, to enjoy the 
 sunset over the desert, but no carriage and horses could have 
 scrambled over the sand-hills to the little Bedouin village. 
 
 It was on one of these evening drives that we had a sight of 
 the pilgrims going to Mecca, which is a sight truly well worth 
 seeing ; troops of pilgrims mounted on camels, and accompanied 
 by a Bedouin guard on foot, passed through the gate of the city, 
 and wound slowly along the road, till their figures were lost in 
 a soft pink haze on the desert horizon. The bright rays of the 
 setting sun seemed to gild the white robes of the pilgrims, and 
 the orange hues of the sky were reflected on the sand at their feet, 
 throwing a glow over every object, almost mysterious in its 
 beauty. The stately camels were laden with tents, carpets, and 
 water-skins, and all kinds of miscellaneous packages, — a green 
 and yellow umbrella generally forming part, and rather injuring 
 the romantic effect. 
 
 The pilgrims from West Africa had wide-brimmed hats of 
 
56 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 grass or straw hanging behind their shoulders, to be used next 
 day when the sun should be hot, and with the flowing white 
 robes assumed on this journey alike by poor and rich, and their 
 scrips at their sides, they really looked the very ideal of pil- 
 grims. Several women were among the company, and added 
 their shrill zaghareet (the tinkling cry used on all festive 
 occasions) to the melodious though wild tune chanted by the 
 men, and called the “ Pilgrim’s Song.” Some of these women 
 wore their own blue dress, but most were in white haiks , or 
 long woollen robes, like the men : the older ones had no face- 
 veil, and their weary, careworn faces made one sad to look at. 
 The pilgrimage follows the fast of Ramazan, and that year 
 (1861) came therefore in the hottest time. It occupies four 
 months at the least, they say, and the fatigues and risks of such 
 a journey, through the burning deserts of Arabia, at such a 
 season, must be terrible for women to endure, even the men 
 must find them very trying ; yet, sustained by self-righteous- 
 ness, and a deluded idea of propitiating the Almighty, they set 
 forth cheerfully on their weary road, and sing as they go. They 
 certainly give a lesson to the spiritual pilgrims bound for the 
 heavenly city. We are too often “discouraged because of the 
 way,” and in the “ waste and howling wilderness ” of affliction 
 or difficulty forget the “ good land ” that lies before us, and 
 from whence there is no return ! Or we would sit down by the 
 palm-trees of the oasis, instead of pressing onwards ; while 
 these blinded pilgrims neither fear nor linger on their way ; so 
 they may but reach Mecca and kiss the so-called holy stone, 
 they are happy, and will bear anything ; for they are taught 
 that this will take away all their sins. Would to God they 
 knew all that we know, and that their energy was turned from 
 a vain pilgrimage to the true one, to seek “ the city which hath 
 foundations, whose maker and builder is God !” 
 
57 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 THE COFFE E-H OUSE. 
 
 The coffee-houses of the East have been so often described that 
 every one fancies them familiar ; and yet, when one first sees a 
 “ real Oriental coffee-house,” there is a something about it, one 
 can hardly say what, which both writer and painter had 
 omitted, to say nothing of the great variety of occupants, from 
 the wealthy Turk in fur-lined pelisse and ample snowy turban, 
 and the respectable Caireen merchant in rich silk caftan, to the 
 ragged Bedouin come up from his desert to “buy corn in 
 Egypt.” Seated in a circle on the raised wooden divan that 
 goes round two-thirds of the interior, or, if it be warm, and yet 
 not too sunny, on kafasses outside the door, they smoke, drink 
 coffee, and converse, at all hours of the day, more or less. 
 
 But the evening is the grand time for coffee-houses. Then 
 the story-teller comes to read or recite long ballads, telling the 
 endless feats of “ Antar ” and “ Abou Zeid,” or to relate the 
 familiar tales of the Thousand and One Nights. A well- 
 frequented coffee-house was just under our windows, and I 
 detected the tale of Abou Hassan’s slippers one evening, before 
 the school was opened, from the frequent repetition of a few 
 well-known words ; and the bursts of laughter at every fresh 
 scrape into which the hero is brought by his old slippers were 
 quite animating. The story-teller receives a trifle, of course, 
 from all who can afford it ; and some of the wealthy persons 
 living in the neighbourhood of the coffee-house, even though not 
 
58 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 profiting by bis talents, will, from time to time, send a ten-para 
 piece (less than a penny), as a good-natnred way of assisting 
 those auditors who cannot give anything. This seemingly 
 trivial fact proved one of great interest, because it was found 
 that the giver of a donation had the right to ask for any story 
 he liked, supposing no one else to have forestalled him. 
 
 We heard these particulars from a Moslim servant who was 
 laying the table and gossiping, as he usually did when in a good 
 humour, in an extraordinary jargon of bad Italian, interlarded 
 with Arabic words. “ The man is selling stories to-night, and 
 plenty of men listen to him down there,” he said, pointing to 
 the windows. 
 
 An Arabic Testament, the Beyrout edition, lay on the table, 
 and it struck me that, perhaps, an entrance might be gained 
 for it through the story-teller. I showed it to the servant, 
 who was of opinion that the man would read it ; at all events, 
 he was willing to try him, and, before long, brought back a 
 message of thanks, and a promise to read the book. 
 
 It was matter of no small interest, and even some anxiety, 
 to know how the audience would take it, whether our windows 
 might not be smashed, or our servant dragged before the 
 “ zebeet,” answering to the kadi, of which one has read so often, or 
 whether the listeners would not merely decline having a novelty 
 thus brought before them, and insist on the narrator going back 
 to “ Abou Zeid.” 
 
 Posted at an open window, and concealed by the darkness, 
 we listened earnestly as the voice began, in the monotonous, 
 half-chanting tones customary in the reading of the Kuran ; 
 but, ere long, we had the pleasure of recognising words which, 
 like landmarks, served to show us where we were ; and when 
 we caught the words in the second chapter of Matthew’s 
 Gospel, of the star that “ stood over the house where the young 
 child was,” it was almost like seeing the very star of Bethlehem 
 shining in that dark street. Five-and- twenty men were the 
 audience, and mostly a very attentive audience. A remark was 
 
THE COFFEE-HOUSE. 
 
 59 
 
 now and then made which it was not easy to hear or under- 
 stand ; but there was no disapproval, for they all remained 
 rather later, if anything, than usual. It was an evening never 
 to be forgotten in the annals of Bab-el-Bahar, for never, surely, 
 in that quarter had God’s Word been read before ! 
 
 With occasional interruptions, this Bible-reading continued 
 for several months, in fact, till the story-teller went to Alexan- 
 dria, in Bamazan, when it was broken off. It was seed cast 
 upon the waters, but yet, after many days, who knows that a 
 grain or two may not be found to have taken root 1 It was a 
 weak effort, certainly : there was no one to explain, no one 
 even to pause on the most emphatic passages, or repeat the 
 most important, and the listeners were, of course, a changing 
 set ; but it was all that could be done under the circumstances, 
 and, when that is the case, one may hope for a blessing even on 
 the feeblest means. 
 
 About four or five days after the commencement of the 
 coffee-house Bible-reading, the following extract from a journal 
 was written : — 
 
 “ The story-teller has just begun ; we are trying to make out 
 whether it is the booh, or only the interminable legend of Abou 
 Zeid. Hark ! I think I can hear a few well-known words, — 
 ‘ three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,’ — surely 
 it is the twelfth of Matthew they are reading ! Then, again, I 
 hear the name of Solomon, ‘greater than Solomon.’ Yes, it is 
 certainly that chapter ! 
 
 “ By leaning out of window I can see all who go in and 
 come out. Some turbaned figures are standing at the doorway ; 
 the light from the hanging lamp throws their dark features 
 into strong relief as they pause for a minute, uncertain whether 
 to pass on, or to enter the coffee-house : then one after another 
 sits down outside and lights his pipe, or else pushes past those 
 who crowd the door, and is lost to our sight within. 
 
 “On one side of the coffee-house is the fruit-shop kept by 
 Said, whose crimson turban looks quite brilliant in the light of 
 
60 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 the lamp ; he is holding out his hand to a richly-dressed Negro, 
 who is paying him for some oranges, while, between the fingers 
 of his other hand, he has stuck a small taper, which casts a 
 bright whitish light immediately around it ; the heaps of 
 oranges piled up round Said, as he sits crouched up on his stall, 
 are touched with gleams of light here and there, and the silver 
 coins glisten as he counts them over and over in his hand. It 
 is a perfect picture, though one is sorry to see the poor fellow 
 so deeply absorbed with his perishable gains that he interrupts 
 the reading next door by his energetic repetition of ‘ Hhamusta- 
 sher fad/ or ‘fifteen paras !’ Now there comes a pause, then 
 angry voices and loud tones ; we begin to fear a barufa (a 
 lingua franca word denoting a disturbance of almost any 
 kind). 
 
 “Anxiously we hasten to the window again, — but all is 
 right ; the reader had only stopped because he wanted a drink 
 of water, and Mahmoud and Khaleel were quarrelling over 
 money, and some boys disputing over a piece of sugar-cane. 
 They become quiet at last ; the very persons whose voices had 
 been vociferating, ‘You donkey ! ’ ‘You dog !’ or ‘ You Jew !’ 
 suddenly pacified, are heard wishing each other a cheerful good 
 night, and the reading is resumed and continues till past nine 
 o’clock.” 
 
 All evenings are not equally fortunate. The other night, 
 when Ali went down to give our donation, he found that a 
 Turkish effendi was beforehand with him, and had asked for 
 Abou Zeid. Another time, a singer came and droned out a 
 long ballad, or several ballads, putting out the old narrator, 
 but, in general, the book held its place pretty steadily till 
 Ramazan. The story-teller was considered a learned man by 
 his listeners, for one day our servant asserted very seriously 
 that he was “a wise man, and knew everything.” 
 
 “ What ! everything ? ” I repeated, incredulously. 
 
 “Yes, all about Nebby (Prophet) Daoud, and Nebby Issa 
 (Jesus), and Nebby Mohammed.” 
 
THE COFFEE-HOUSE. 
 
 61 
 
 Of course, I endeavoured to show him that the most im- 
 portant wisdom consisted in knowing truth from falsehood. 
 His limited Italian, and my limited Arabic, made it difficult to 
 explain matters clearly. At last I pointed to the street, where 
 men were perpetually passing armed with the native lamp, 
 called a “fanous,” so essential to carry in those dark, narrow, 
 and unpaved ways. 
 
 “If a man is in the dark, he needs a lamp, does he 
 not?” 
 
 “Yes, certainly !” 
 
 “ Well, ‘ Nebby Daoud,’ whom you think so much of, said of 
 God’s word that it was a light to his feet and a lamp to his 
 path. He meant that he could not tell what to believe or 
 what to do without God’s word, — it was like a fanous for his 
 soul!” 
 
 “ Arafta — I understand,” he replied, with a bright gleam of 
 comprehension : “ this is a fanous ,” tapping the book which 
 was on the table ; “ tayib ! — good ! ” 
 
 We often wondered what was the effect of the reading so 
 much of the Scriptures on the reader himself, but never had 
 any opportunity of finding out. We end as we began, with 
 ignorance ; but if such a work were to be ever followed up, 
 and instead of one Testament, in one coffee-house, a hundred 
 were nightly read, quietly and perseveringly, in a hundred 
 coffee-houses, might not some permanent results, some great 
 blessings, be expected in time h * 
 
 See Chapter xv., Part II. 
 
62 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 VISITS TO EASTERN WOMEN WHO DO NOT LIVE IN HAREEMS. 
 
 A visit to an Eastern hareem has often been described, — that 
 curious scene, bringing to mind the tales of the “ Arabiar^ 
 Nights” — gaily-clad slaves, with jewelled pipes — fair Circassians, 
 reclining on splendid divans — graceful salaams, and fine com- 
 pliments translated by a female interpreter for the European 
 ladies, — all this has been graphically told by many who have 
 enjoyed the novelty of a peep at the “ caged birds.” 
 
 But the humbler classes in every place constitute the great 
 majority, and it is among them that we can learn something of 
 the ways and interests of the feminine population, which is 
 scarcely possible in the artificial existence of the wealthy 
 minority. The lower class of women in Egypt do not live in 
 hareems, nor go out attended by a troop of black slaves, and, 
 except in the custom of concealing the face, which is only 
 dispensed with in some of the very poorest in the city, though 
 little attended to in the country, they enjoy a good deal of 
 freedom ; and if their life be hard in many cases, it is more 
 interesting, at least, than the gilded imprisonment of a higher 
 class. 
 
 Every one who attends to a school knows how important it 
 is occasionally to visit the mothers of the scholars ; and this is 
 more particularly the case in a country where education is at so 
 low an ebb, that much persuasion is necessary to induce the 
 women to send their children at all. 
 
VISITS TO WOMEN WHO LIVE NOT IN HAKEEMS. 
 
 63 
 
 But the visiting in a school-district in Cairo could not be 
 conducted as such matters are in London or Dublin : the 
 distinction of ranks is very slight ; and though an humble 
 visitor will sit respectfully on the mat, instead of expecting a 
 place on the divan, yet if the lady visits her in turn, she must 
 come almost on terms of equality ; and the graceful courtesy 
 of Egyptian manners in general renders this easy, provided the 
 visitor is not too nice to sit upon dirty cushions or mats, and 
 does not manifest any disgust at the bedaubed face of the little 
 one who is dragged up to kiss her hand ! 
 
 Some of the scholars of Bab-el-Bahar were the daughters of 
 very poor artisans, a few of a still lower grade, while some came 
 from families really well off ; and, though they were not above 
 sending their girls sometimes in as ragged garments as the 
 poorest, the mothers would sport such a quantity of gold coins, 
 and silver and coral bracelets, as would have purchased several 
 suits of clothing. 
 
 Three sisters, who were among our earliest pupils, belonged 
 to a Coptic family of this description. The mother had a good 
 business, apparently, as an embroideress of “ saltahs,” or 
 women’s jackets. We called on her one day, after some trouble 
 in finding the right house, for she lived in one of the narrow, 
 dark, and densely-peopled streets of the Coptic quarter, quite 
 out of our district, though at no great distance. It felt close 
 and suffocating, for sun and air can hardly penetrate this 
 gloomy region ; and one could not wonder at the sickly looks of 
 the women, many of whom never leave their native quarter 
 from week to week. The eldest of our scholars, Hynehna , a 
 lovely girl about thirteen, espied us from the door of a neigh- 
 bour’s house, and ran up to greet us, her face beaming with 
 smiles. She eagerly brought us to her mother’s residence, 
 which was close by, and explained that it was bread-making 
 day, and she had been kept at home to assist. 
 
 We were led through a dark, damp passage, up a narrow 
 and dirty stone staircase, till we emerged on a terrace, lighter 
 
64 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 and cleaner than I should have supposed possible in such a 
 place. On this terrace the good woman’s room opened : she 
 seemed only to have one, but it was larger than any three 
 rooms in an English cottage, and very clean. She apparently 
 aimed at European innovations, as several of the Copts do, 
 having rush-bottomed chairs instead of a divan. 
 
 We sat down after the usual salutations, and the hostess 
 began talking, first to us, and then to the matron, so rapidly, 
 and in so shrill a tone, that very little was intelligible to me. 
 She had the remains of great beauty, the velvety blackness of 
 her eyes, and the whiteness of her teeth, being unimpaired ; 
 but her face was worn and sallow, and the expression any- 
 thing but agreeable : it had a sharp, hard look, very unlike 
 the mild sweetness of her gentle daughter. The youngest of 
 the family, a boy of three years old, who, on account of his 
 youth, was admitted with his sisters to school, was quite pleased 
 to see the familiar teachers’ faces, and rubbed our hands against 
 his rough little head, quite to his own satisfaction, while we 
 submitted with diplomatic coolness. Cups of sugar and water 
 (the humblest form of sherbet) were brought to us by Hynehna ; 
 and just as she came in with them, another visitor appeared, 
 a stout Coptic dame, in flame-coloured trousers and English 
 jack-boots, handsome native bracelets and coarse English gloves, 
 which looked so droll that it was difficult to preserve becoming 
 gravity, while she pointed to us, and said, in a loud voice, 
 “ Who are those 1 ” 
 
 This was no breach of manners in her country, however ; 
 and, after all, it is more honest, perhaps, than the too common 
 European plan of waiting till the stranger’s back is turned, 
 and then pouring out a volley of criticism. 
 
 Though a narrow-minded woman, and a very bigoted one, 
 it was something gained to be on friendly terms with Hynehna’s 
 mother, and the evident regard of the children impressed her 
 favourably. But the Moslim mothers interested me more, on 
 the whole. 
 
VISITS TO WOMEN WHO LIVE NOT IN HAREEMS. 
 
 65 
 
 One whom I frequently visited was a Turkish woman, by 
 birth a Circassian, but reared in Constantinople, married to an 
 Egyptian in the service of the Pasha. She herself embroidered 
 for the royal hareems, and made dresses also ; in fact, she was 
 a highly respectable milliner, though a French or English 
 modiste would be a little amazed at her domestic arrangements. 
 
 The first time I went up the narrow lane where she livee . 
 occupied chiefly by Moslims of the lower classes, I was only 
 accompanied by one of the matron’s younger girls, and a 
 number of ragged children hooted us, and called names, and 
 some even threw dust, but no stones, nor was any grown person 
 rude, and after one or two visits they became accustomed to 
 the sight of a stranger ; the women even took to salaaming 
 civilly, after they had heard that I visited a sick girl in the 
 neighbourhood ; for, bigoted and ignorant as they are, no people 
 sooner see or appreciate love and kindness. 
 
 The only entrance to “ Sitt Haanem’s ” abode was through a 
 dark, ill-kept stable, where her husband’s donkey stood; after 
 stumbling along the dirty, broken stone steps which led out oi 
 this, we came to a really airy, nice terrace, on which three 
 rooms opened, which, with a little care, might have been made' 
 a pleasant set of apartments. 
 
 An old richly-carved meshrabeer , or wooden lattice, com- 
 manded a fine view of minarets and palms, with the beautifu; 
 Mokattam cliffs in the distance ; a divan occupied this corner, 
 covered with white cotton, and with a pretty carpet ; but the walls 
 were rough brick, not even plastered, and full of cracks in 
 which scorpions might hide. A string of beads for prayer, a 
 copy of the Kuran, and a native mirror in a gaudy frame, were 
 the only adornments of the room, and, indeed, its only furniture, 
 except a very old cupboard of some sort, and the huge zeer, cv 
 water vessel, near the door. 
 
 The mistress sat on the floor cross-legged, with some fine 
 muslins for the royal hareem in her hand, and at the same time 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 superintending the work of a slave girl, in coarse blue cotton 
 garments, who assisted her in the simpler part of her employ- 
 ment. She was herself in Turkish style, i.e ., her hair cut almost 
 as short as a boy’s in front, and parted on one side, a silk fillet 
 going round the head, a short jacket and full print trousers 
 completing an attire far less graceful than that worn by native 
 Egyptians of her rank in life. Sitt Haanem was also less 
 graceful in figure and movements than the natives, having all 
 the Turkish abruptness of motion ; but her face, which was 
 rather pretty, had a very honest and pleasant expression. She 
 offered me a paper cigar, and, on my saying it did not agree 
 with me to smoke, laughed, and put it in her own mouth ; she 
 was an inveterate smoker. 
 
 On subsequent visits we had a good deal of conversation, and 
 by degrees her bigotry softened. At first she used to condemn 
 all Christians, without exception, to Geliennem ; but latterly 
 she would say, “ There are good Moslims and good Christians, 
 as well as bad.” She was disappointed that her little daughter’s 
 progress in reading was not more rapid ; but the child’s defec- 
 tive sight made it impossible she should ever learn to read ; it 
 seemed inevitable that she must one day be quite blind. We 
 did all we could by teaching her texts and hymns, but, though 
 an affectionate little creature, she was not clever. The mother 
 was very fond of her, but not partial, as some parents are, to 
 the degree of overrating her looks, and used to remark, coolly 
 enough sometimes, “ Hadaweeyeh is not at all a pretty child ; 
 she is not like me ! ” 
 
 One day we found the father at home, and made the child 
 repeat her hymn for him to hear. He seemed pleased, and the 
 mother echoed the words, and said, “ I know all that now ; she 
 is singing it all day.” 
 
 One day, on another visit, we were speaking on the subject 
 of prayer, and she said she would show us how Moslim women 
 prayed. Many do not pray at all, for it is not obligatory with 
 
VISITS TO WOMEN WHO LIVE NOT IN HAREEMS. 
 
 67 
 
 the inferior sex, and rather thought a work of supererogation ; 
 but if they wish to be “ holy women/’ this is the form pre- 
 scribed, as she assured us. 
 
 First, she tied a mendeel , or muslin kerchief, over her head, 
 concealing all the hair, then spread a shawl on the floor, by way 
 of a praying-carpet, and stood on it, making a variety of genu- 
 flexions and gestures, rather like gymnastic exercises : the 
 oddest of them all consisted in turning the head from side to 
 side, as if about to whisper to some one behind her, but not a 
 word was spoken ! 
 
 This silence is a needful part of the ceremony, she declared. 
 I do not pretend to say Moslim women never repeat forms of 
 prayer. I merely tell what this person, herself a Turkish 
 Moslim, told me ; it may be that this ludicrous pantomime was 
 merely the most approved style of prayer, and not the only one. 
 Sitt Haanem herself laughed at its absurdity, and when I said, 
 “ That is not prayer, it is good for nothing ! ” she repeated, 
 emphatically, “Yes, good for nothing ! ” 
 
 We tried to show her that the vain repetitions of the men 
 were, however, not better in reality than silent antics like this, 
 and to make her see that prayer must consist in asking for 
 something, and wishing for what we ask ; but, with an imper- 
 fect command of language, it is difficult to keep up an 
 argument. 
 
 Two days before our departure she visited us, and finding 
 the scholars at needle-work, came up-stairs to the sitting-room, 
 where she found me resting after a regular levee of humble 
 visitors, mothers and aunts of the children, who wished to pay 
 farewell visits. No one expressed more regret than Sitt 
 Haanem, though, like most Eastern women, she showed her 
 childish disposition by the versatility with which she turned 
 from serious subjects or matters of real feeling to the veriest 
 trifle. With the bluntness customary among these half-civilised 
 people, she said, in presence of the new teacher, “I do not 
 know her. I know you. My child loves you. Why do you 
 
 f 2 
 
68 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 go away 1” Then, casting her eyes on the table, she spied an 
 English Bible. “ What is that book, — is it an angeel 1” * 
 Moslims do not seem, in general, to know that we have any 
 sacred writings, except the Gospels. I explained that we had 
 both the gospel and a great deal more in this book, and told 
 her how, in the first part, we read of Moses and David, and 
 the other prophets, and, in the last part, of Jesns Christ. 
 
 “ After David was long dead, the Christ (el Messiah), whom 
 he had written of, came into the world, and died for our sins.” 
 “ I know he was a prophet, but there is only one God,” said 
 she. 
 
 “ True, and this hand is one hand, yet it has several parts , — 
 several fingers. God is one Spirit, but His Spirit is in three ; 
 I cannot well explain, for it is hard, and, besides, I speak 
 badly, but it is true. We, who believe God’s word, do not 
 worship any but God. We are not servants of idols.” 
 
 “ I believe you love God,” she said, “for you love the 
 children,” pointing to the door, to indicate the scholars below. 
 
 We had a good deal of conversation, considering the imperfect 
 language, and she left with many expressions of goodwill and 
 regret. I found this woman some years later, but, after the 
 exchange of a visit on each side, she went entirely out of my 
 neighbourhood, and I heard it reported that she was going to 
 return to Constantinople. 
 
 * i.e. a Gospel. 
 
* 69 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE BLIND AND THE SICK. 
 
 The great scourge of Egypt is the ophthalmia, concerning the 
 cause of which so many different opinions prevail, but which 
 all residents know to be most severe after the inundations of 
 the Nile, and at all times in the closer and more unhealthy 
 quarters of the city. The people of the country appear to 
 suffer less with it than those in the town ; but, of all places, 
 the most afflicted seems the Jewish quarter in Cairo, where 
 every second person you meet is either suffering under some 
 stage of the complaint, or else is blind, or one-eyed, or squinting ! 
 Some say the unwholesome diet of the Caireen Jews makes 
 them more liable than others to this disease ; but the extreme 
 narrowness of their streets, and the way in which they are 
 crowded together, added to their uncleanly habits, are quite 
 sufficient to account for their having a larger share than even 
 the natives of the land of the “diseases of Egypt.” 
 
 In most cases ophthalmia is very curable, if attended to in 
 time, but the ignorant inhabitants will not take care till it is 
 too late ; nor can they be induced to observe any precautions 
 against relapse, or to use the constant ablutions to the eyes 
 without which no human doctor, however skilled, could have 
 much chance of curing them. Beyond a bandage, put on when 
 suffering severely, they take no care at all, and even purposely 
 
70 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 avoid brushing away the flies from their eyes. They are 
 usually willing to take remedies when offered to them ; and I 
 found even the children either more patient or less sensitive 
 than ours, in permitting drops to be administered to the eyes 
 which made them smart. But the trouble of constant cleanli- 
 ness and care is what they cannot be induced to persevere in. 
 The consequence is, of course, that multitudes of blind persons 
 are found who might, in all probability, have retained their 
 sight, if well attended to in due time. 
 
 An infirmary where the eyes were specially treated, and con- 
 taining a few beds for bad cases which required watching, 
 would be a most important benefit to Cairo, and, if under 
 Christian superintendence, might do a double service to the 
 doubly wretched. A teacher for the blind would also find a 
 most interesting and extensive field of labour in another way ; 
 by Mr. Moon’s system of printing, a person only acquainted 
 with Arabic orally would soon be able to teach reading to the 
 blind, as the difficult Arabic character is not used in the raised 
 type, and only the sounds represented. Such a one would, in 
 fact, be likely to acquire the “ vernacular reading ” even 
 quicker than if his mind were already filled with the recollection 
 of the letters and points of the alphabet. It would be well 
 worth while to select an intelligent blind youth, and have him 
 trained for a teacher to his own people ; and I believe that such 
 a one might do much good by reading the Scriptures to the 
 blind, and talking to them as opportunity permitted. We see 
 these poor creatures wandering about the streets and lanes of 
 the city by twos and threes together, the foremost usually 
 holding a stick to feel his way, and the other keeping a hand 
 on his shoulder, or else seated by the road-side begging, like 
 Bartimeus of old ; but, alas, there is none to tell them that 
 Jesus of Nazareth passe th by ! What a change it would make 
 in the monotonous, dreary life of these men, if some teacher 
 were to come among them, and say, “ Listen to the history of 
 one who was blind like you, and who lived long ago ! ” One 
 
THE BLIND AND THE SICK. 
 
 71 
 
 can fancy how the story of Bartimeus, and the man sent to 
 Siloam, would interest a group of blind men, and how they 
 would exclaim, “ Mashallah, this is wonderful ! ” 
 
 Being less distracted by ordinary occupations and amuse- 
 ments, it is possible that they might hear the word more readily 
 than their countrymen who are in equal mental darkness ; but 
 this only experience could prove, and as yet the trial has not 
 been made : at all events, the blind form an important item in 
 the population of Cairo.* 
 
 Though the climate of Egypt is so trying to the children of 
 Europeans, there seems no reason to suppose it is unhealthy for 
 native children. If they are exposed to ophthalmia, they are, 
 on the other hand, exempt from many of the maladies common 
 to the young in colder regions. The great mortality which pre- 
 vails among the native infants seems, as far as I could learn, 
 and also judging from observation, which, living surrounded by 
 the poor, I was enabled to make, to be caused by bad manage- 
 ment, neglect, dirt, and foolish customs and superstitions. To 
 any one who watches their way of bringing up children, the 
 wonder is not that many die, but that any survive. The girls 
 many so early that they are totally unfit for the responsibility 
 of a family ; and, as they grow old, contradict the proverb that 
 experience makes fools wise, for the old women are as ignorant 
 as the young, and more obstinate. The precocity of Easterns 
 is, perhaps, somewhat overrated ; certainly an Egyptian girl of 
 twelve or fourteen, though forward enough in making bargains, 
 and up to all the gossip of her quarter, no doubt, is more unfit 
 to take care of little children than an ordinary specimen of an 
 English village-girl at eight years old. There are, as we know, 
 ragged homes in England, and yet more in Ireland, where 
 order, and cleanliness, and care are just as much wanting as in 
 an Egyptian one ; but an industrious, respectable artizan’s or 
 
 * Two young blind persons were, in the winter of 1865, placed under 
 tuition at the American Mission, Cairo, at the expense of friends to whom 
 I had suggested this, not being able to undertake that work myself. 
 
72 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 cottager’s wife lias some notion of rearing her children decently, 
 and keeping her house tidy ; whereas, in a country where there 
 is no female education, and no moral standard, the difference is 
 very trilling between the children of a beggar and those of an 
 honest workman, except that the latter are better fed. 
 
 The fear of the evil eye, as is well known, induces even 
 women of the higher classes frequently to keep their children 
 ill-dressed and unwashed, and sometimes they go so far as to 
 daub the forehead of a pretty or highly-valued child with soot, 
 in the idea that this diverts the power of the envious glance 
 which they dread ! The bad management and unsuitable diet 
 appears to be equally great among rich and poor, if I was 
 correctly informed ; but, as my personal observations only 
 extended to the latter, I will merely describe their system, if so 
 it may be called. 
 
 The first thing is to bind the head of a young infant tightly 
 round with a dark-coloured handkerchief : exceedingly un- 
 becoming to the little face is this dismal head-dress ; nor is the 
 dark blue cotton shirt, begrimed with dust, much more so : a 
 little jacket of coloured print is added in winter, by those who 
 can afford it ; but, with the very poor, all garments are not 
 unfrequently dispensed with for young children, except a 
 covering for the head. When it is cold weather a mother 
 
 whose means render it possible, puts a little pointed hood of 
 coarse cloth on her child’s head, which has a very comical 
 effect. When not rolling in the dust, the child is always on its 
 mother’s shoulder, clinging to her head with its tiny hands ; 
 and it is surprising how, at a few months old, they learn to 
 hold on as dexterously as monkeys ; but often the little head is 
 seen bobbing feebly from side to side, while swarms of flies are 
 crawling over its unwashed face and into its eyes, which are 
 usually more or less affected with the ophthalmia during 
 teething. The mother cannot see to drive the flies away, from 
 the child’s position ; nor, indeed, would she take the trouble to 
 brush them away if she could. This way of carrying a child 
 
THE BLIND AND THE SICK. 
 
 73 
 
 is all very well after a certain age, but must be injurious while 
 the back is still weak. Even before the child has cut its teeth, 
 the mother crams its mouth with a portion of anything she is 
 herself eating, whether it be a raw onion, or a ball of fried 
 meat, or salted curd, or any other street delicacy ; and, as it 
 gets older, she gives it anything it cries for, if it be in her 
 power to get it. The shrunk limbs and unnaturally large 
 bodies of the young children show how ill they thrive on this 
 style of treatment ! If, however, the little one survives all 
 this, and does not die in convulsions, as hundreds do, or become 
 blind from neglected ophthalmia, it may, after three years old, 
 become a healthy child ; but I do not suppose any mother rears 
 more than one in three. In our country, with the best care she 
 can take of her children, a poor mother may be compelled to 
 see a delicate child pine away for want of sufficient firing and 
 warm clothes ; but this is not the case in Egypt, yet the infant 
 mortality is greater than with us. 
 
 One advantage we have, however, in dealing with ragged life 
 in Egypt, and it is a great compensation, I must own, for the 
 filthy habits of the people, the ignorance, the superstition, and 
 the degradation ; this compensation is, we have no drunkenness 
 to contend with ; no fear of a drunken husband stumbling in 
 while speaking to a poor mother ; no fear of finding the mother 
 herself gone to the gin-shop ! It is the one blessing amid many 
 and great evils. 
 
 I may give an instance to show the native ideas respecting 
 the treatment of the sick, and the way in which these might by 
 degrees be first modified, and then changed ; it is the case of a 
 scholar of mine, one of the most steady and well-disposed among 
 the older girls. She was the only survivor of many brothers 
 and sisters, and lived in a lane near the school ; her parents, 
 who were poor, though respectable, being the only Copts in that 
 lane. One day this girl complained of headache and burning 
 heat in her forehead, which was alleviated by the application of 
 a clean, cold, wet bandage, which I put on for her in place of 
 
74 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 the head-gear which she wore, and which must have aggravated 
 the pain, though put on expressly because she had a head-ache ; 
 it consisted of a man’s thick red woollen cap, called a tarboush, 
 which must have belonged to her grandfather, judging from its 
 aged appearance, over this two cotton handkerchiefs, and over 
 them a coarse blue cotton veil, each article dirtier than the last, 
 and within all the matted, uncombed hair ! 
 
 The girl was better for the exchange to the wet bandage, but 
 was made to resume them all on her return home, and brought 
 word next day that her mother begged she might on no account 
 put off the wraps, lest she should suffer from cold / Of course, 
 I did not again interfere, as prejudices of old standing must at 
 first be cautiously dealt with. I think yet another handkerchief 
 had been added, her head now seeming of the size of a great 
 pumpkin ! She could not attend to her lessons, and had to be 
 sent home early, and the following day I heard that she was 
 very ill, that the mother was in despair, and expected she 
 would die. However, she would not call in a doctor, as our 
 matron advised, but said, “ If it were God’s will her child 
 should die, she would die ; and if it were His will she should 
 live, she would live.” This fatalism, which the poor woman 
 mistook for faith, is said to be nearly as common among Copts 
 as among their Moslim neighbours, from whom they probably 
 have learnt it. I went to see the invalid, and found her 
 crouched up on the floor, with a great cotton veil of her 
 mother’s rolled over all her former attire, so that she looked a 
 mere heap of dark blue rags, except for the melancholy, sallow 
 visage which peeped out from among them. An old Coptic 
 priest was burning incense, and muttering prayers for her 
 benefit, in one corner of the room, while in another sat the 
 mother and aunt of the girl, looking the pictures of helpless 
 grief, and with tears running down their care-worn faces. 
 Both rose, however, and cordially welcomed me, and the 
 mother put a cushion on the ground for me to sit on. As soon 
 as the priest had finished his business, I asked a few questions 
 
THE BLIND AND THE SICK. 
 
 75 
 
 of the child, and felt pretty sure that she was not in so bad a 
 way as the mother imagined, and with proper care might soon 
 be well again. However, to get rid of the wrappings was out 
 of the question, so was a clean bed, and sundry other comforts 
 which sickness seems to demand : all that could be accom- 
 plished was a promise that her face and hands should be 
 washed, and that she should take some medicine, which her 
 aunt was to call for that evening. This was something gained, 
 and next day I prepared some nice broth, which proved 
 acceptable ; and, when I came again, poor Ghemiana, for that 
 was the patient’s name, was better, and able to answer questions 
 more cheerfully. It was touching to hear her assuring the 
 matron that she had prayed during her illness, and that she 
 “ did indeed say ‘ Our Father ’ very often.” It was the only 
 prayer she knew, and was doubtless but imperfectly under- 
 stood : still she had some comprehension of the meaning, Um 
 TJsuf having often tried to explain the clauses to the children, 
 after making them repeat the words ; and it certainly was an 
 attempt to look up in faith to God, and surely was accepted, 
 weak as the attempt might be ! She was a most patient, good- 
 tempered girl, whether sick or well ; and when she recovered, 
 which she soon did, her plain face, with its heavy features and 
 sallow tint, looked quite bright and pleasant, lit up with grate- 
 ful smiles, as she came to return thanks and bring me an 
 offering of Easter-cakes, made by her mother, as a token of her 
 good feelings. This was just at Easter-time. 
 
 I went to visit the mother, among many others, just before 
 leaving Cairo, and was received with affectionate respect, 
 though shown in rather a singular way, according to European 
 notions. The good woman had been washing, and was reposing 
 a little after her fatigues, it now being between eight and nine 
 in the morning, while her daughter and sister took her place at 
 the tub in a kind of den which seemed common to the neigh- 
 bourhood. She squatted at the entrance, enjoying a pipe and 
 the luxury of a cup of coffee, which I imagine was not a daily 
 
76 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 one with her, but taken on holidays, or at times of extra 
 labour, such as “washing mornings.” On seeing me coming up 
 the lane, accompanied by Menni, she rose and cordially saluted 
 me, at the same moment offering me the little cup of coffee she 
 was in the act of drinking. An Egyptian always shows polite- 
 ness by offering a share of anything he may be eating or chunk- 
 ing to a friend or superior who may happen to come up at the 
 time. I just tasted her coffee, not to affront her, and, after 
 hastily swallowing the remainder, she insisted on accompanying 
 us up-stairs to her room, where we sat for a short time. I 
 exhorted her to let Ghemiana attend school regularly after our 
 departure, which the mother promised, though bemoaning the 
 necessity of the parting very much, and frequently repeating, 
 “ My child loves you ; so do we all ; you must return to us ! ” 
 
 I did not observe much difference between this woman and 
 others of her class in life, and Moslim women of the same rank ; 
 perhaps they were less averse to education than Moslims, as I never 
 heard them say, as the old seedsman and some others did, “We 
 do not want our girls to learn.” But, practically , it was nearly 
 the same ; for they had such supreme indifference about it, that 
 they did not care to send the children if they wished to stay 
 away ! Ghemiana ’s mother was not more sensible, as may be 
 supposed from what I have related, than any of her neighbours ; 
 but, like most, whether Moslim or Copt, she could be reached 
 through her affections, and never seemed to forget the attentions 
 shown to her child in sickness. 
 
 I learned afterwards, with no small regret, that the poor girl 
 had been taken from school to be married, before she could 
 read fluently, and when a short time longer would have enabled 
 her to master her difficult language sufficiently to do so ! She 
 cried, and begged to be left a little longer, but the parents, 
 knowing she was both poor and plain, would not risk the loss 
 of the match, and poor Ghemiana became an unwilling bride ! 
 
77 
 
 r 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE KHAMSEEN. 
 
 The “ fifty days’” wind, as its name signifies, is tlie sirocco of 
 Egypt, and blows more or less for fifty days during April and 
 May ; but, in these months, there are occasional short inter- 
 ludes in which one can breathe freely, and, by way of compen- 
 sation, as if to make up its lost days, the Khamseen does now 
 and then blow at other times. In early spring it is far from 
 being always a hot wind : in the commencement of March, for 
 instance, we had twice a visitation of the Khamseen, in which 
 none who could avoid it stirred out, on account of its violence 
 and of the quantity of fine dust, but there was no oppressive 
 heat, and the inconvenience was altogether moderate. But the 
 effect on the country was strange and ugly ; the whole view 
 was altered, and seemed as if under a spell ; the sun looked as 
 if seen through a thin brown gauze veil, the distant objects dim 
 and dusky, the nearer ones hard in outline, just as in a strong 
 east wind at home. It soon passed, however, and on the third 
 day spring reigned again in all its loveliness. 
 
 April came, with its ripening fruits and yellow corn, and all 
 the signs of summer, but with it came the Khamseen in good 
 earnest. In Italy and the south of France, the sirocco is often 
 the precursor of rain, and some speak of it as a soft, damp 
 wind, at least in spring-time. Here, it never brings rain, and 
 is invariably drying to such a degree, that ink dries in the pen, 
 furniture cracks, and the skin feels as if it had been baked, the 
 
78 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 hair crackles and emits sparks in combing, as in frosty weather 
 at home, and a wet cloth hung at a window dries up almost 
 instantaneously. Our housetop, once so favourite a resort, 
 was now almost useless : except in the very early morning, one 
 might as well have sat in an oven ; the white plaster reflected 
 the heat so intensely that we always intended to try the experi- 
 ment of baking bread on it without any fire ; but the lassitude 
 occasioned by the hot wind is rather against scientific attempts ! 
 One can hardly, indeed, do anything that is not in the way of 
 duty. 
 
 The usual course of Khamseen was somewhat as follows, the 
 description being taken from notes made at the time, “ The 
 sunset had an ominous appearance last night, which made the 
 experienced all declare we should have the Khamseen to-day, and 
 so we have truly ! ‘ Hot, hot, all hot ! ’ as the pie-men say. 1'he 
 sun shone, but with less than its usual brilliancy, and when one 
 leaned out of the window to catch the air, the slight breeze 
 appeared as if it had passed through Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace 
 before reaching our street. The flies, however, enjoyed this 
 morning exceedingly, to judge by their increased activity, and 
 brought vividly to mind the plague of flies, enabling one to 
 realise it most fully. We had an errand of necessity in the 
 town, and therefore hastened out in order to be back before the 
 day should become hotter ; but though we left our friend’s 
 house before ten o’clock, it was already too late to be out with 
 safety. The Ezbekieh, as we quitted the shady, narrow streets, 
 and emerged into the full blaze of sun, really made us feel 
 as if riding into a fire. The air scorched the face as it 
 blew, and seemed almost ready to set one alight ! the trees 
 looked drooping, and the flowers withered, and the ‘vehe- 
 ment east wind’ made the sim beat on our heads, like Jonah : 
 we could understand his sensations better than ever before, 
 after this ride. 
 
 “ The natives did not seem to suffer at all, though they 
 said it was ‘ boiling hot ; ’ but it was more difficult to keep 
 
THE KH AM SEEN. 
 
 79 
 
 up the children’s attention at school, certainly no one who 
 has not taught in a ragged school in Khaniseen can quite 
 conceive what it is ! The girls increased the drowsiness to 
 which the weather would naturally have inclined them, by 
 eating poppy-heads, a most pernicious custom, which was, of 
 course, forbidden when discovered ; but such was the cheapness 
 of the dainty at this season, and so great their love for it, that 
 a poppy-head would often find its way in secretly, and be 
 munched as eagerly as an apple in an English school : they 
 called it by the appropriate name of Abu naam , father of 
 sleep ! 
 
 “ When the scholars were set down to sewing, we went to 
 dinner in the ‘fezzar,’ a kind* of passage or ante-room, very 
 airy and open : in hot weather people frequently dine here to 
 avoid the swarms of flies which are brought into a sitting-room 
 by eatables. Without a dishful of cucumbers no one would 
 care much to eat in this weather, so at least we thought ; but, 
 luckily, these are as plentiful as in days of yore, and the 
 musical cry of the cucumber-seller, extolling his refreshing 
 goods, is heard all day at this time of year, and doubtless all 
 through the summer. The porous water-jar enables one to 
 have cool water even in warm weather, which is a great bless- 
 ing, as ice is not to be had. 
 
 “ About two o’clock in Khamseen weather seemed to me the 
 climax : whether it really became hotter from the length of 
 time the sun had been up, or that one was more exhausted, I 
 cannot tell, but certainly a strange, weary feeling crept over 
 the frame, exertion seemed impossible, one could only lie on a 
 divan, in the lightest possible dishabille, and pretend to read, 
 as to real study, it was out of the question, and the flies made 
 it difficult to draw or write, unless the room was so dark that 
 colours could hardly be distinguished. Our house, with its 
 Turkish lattices, was very imperfectly defended from the sun, 
 and the mats hung at each window scarcely did more than 
 diminish the glare, not being thick enough to exclude it. Even 
 
80 
 
 BAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 dear lovers of the glorious sun cannot help desiring the hour 
 of its setting while these hot winds are reigning. On such 
 days one knows the meaning of many a passage of Scripture 
 which had been but imperfectly taken in hitherto. ‘As the 
 hireling earnestly desireth the shadow,’ says Job, — and truly 
 he may desire it, if working out of doors exposed to the sultry 
 blast. What must be the eager look of the poor weary hireling 
 to the streaks of shadow which tell him that the hour of rest 
 and coolness is near ! 
 
 “ The change is, of course, very rapid in this latitude ; the 
 orange disk of the sun sinks quickly behind the palm-trees ; the 
 muezzin’s voice proclaims the hour of evening prayer from the 
 little musjid (i.e. small mosque) opposite our windows ; chil- 
 dren’s voices gladly echo the cry ; a cheerful bustle is heard 
 in the street ; the flies go to roost on the ceiling ; the blinds 
 are drawn up, and the tea is brought in to the Europeans, who 
 find no cold drinks half so refreshing as their favourite beverage. 
 An hour or two of comparative coolness ensued, but before 
 midnight it was as close and stifling as ever, more so than even 
 in the glare of day, and one tried vainly to sleep, and, one plan 
 after another having failed, at last rose in despair, and sat at 
 the open window looking out on the street, but no beauty was 
 there to be seen ; instead of the usual clear moonlight, a whitish 
 haze dimmed the sky and stars, and a mysterious sort of 
 change seemed to have taken place in every familiar object, 
 while the dogs howled and quarrelled more than is their wont, 
 as if the weather affected their tempers. 
 
 “ Next morning the wind increased to a gale, and every door 
 and window had to be closed, to keep out the fine dust, which, 
 nevertheless, found its way through the chinks, so numerous in 
 a native-built house. Out of doors, it whirled about in clouds 
 like smoke, and the horizon was completely obscured ; the 
 brown gauze veil seemed to be doubled now, and it was as 
 dark for two or three hours as in a foggy winter’s day at home. 
 The Syrian family felt as languid and depressed as we did, and 
 
THE KHAMSEEN. 
 
 81 
 
 wandered listlessly about when school was over. The very cat 
 refused to eat, and lay flat on the ground, with all her four 
 paws stretched out, as if dead ! The street was deserted ; no 
 sound was to be heard but the sherbet-man tinkling his brass 
 cups, and the fruitseller’s wife scolding her husband ; even a 
 Khamseen failed to quiet that active tongue. By sunset, 
 however, the gale suddenly abated, and the next day the 
 influence of the Khamseen began to wane ; before the 
 third day had closed it had taken its departure, and a change 
 set in. 
 
 “All was now delightful. A fresh, soft air blew ; the sun, 
 though hot, no longer scorched ; the plants revived ; every one 
 felt alive again. But the fatigue took a day or two to get 
 over, and, at this season, by the time one had got over the 
 effects of one three- days’ Khamseen, another commenced, the 
 intervals seldom lasting more than two, or, at most, three 
 days. 
 
 “ The east wind spoken of so often in Scripture seems to be 
 this sirocco, as far as one can judge by its effects, which appear 
 to have been always of a parching nature. Our cold easterly 
 winds, indeed, have somewhat of this character, but they are 
 irritating from their keenness, while the Khamseen merely 
 enfeebles the frame from its enervating effect, and does not 
 seem to have any irritating quality, unless an inflamed organ is 
 injured by the dust, which is its usual accompaniment. The 
 east wind which Jonah found so exhausting when his gourd 
 withered was evidently a hot wind ; and the east wind of the 
 wilderness, spoken of in Hosea, xiii. 15, was doubtless the same : 
 ‘ The east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord from the 
 wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain 
 shall be dried up.’ Again, ‘ The east wind dried up her fruit ’ 
 (Ezekiel), and ‘ the east wind hath touched it, and it withered 
 in the furrow where it grew.’ 
 
 “This wind is constantly used as an emblem of the Al- 
 mighty’s wrath, and seems contrasted strongly with those 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 genial winds to which the blessed influences of the Spirit are 
 compared, as in the Song of Solomon, where the spiritual 
 garden of Christ’s Church appears to be alluded to as refreshed 
 by the cool breeze, so different from the oppressive east wind : 
 ‘ Awake, O north wind ; and come, thou south ; blow upon my 
 garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.’ ” 
 
83 
 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 THE CITY ARABS. 
 
 Among the tribes of ragged, vagrant boys who swarm in the 
 streets of Cairo, none are more conspicuous than the well- 
 known donkey-boys, for they are quite a feature of the city : 
 people are dependant on donkeys in a country where few who 
 can avoid it walk, and where driving is not only very expensive, 
 but impracticable in a great many of the streets. Every 
 traveller, even the Indian-bound, who has but twenty-four 
 hours in which to “ do Cairo,” knows these boys ; and we hear 
 them spoken of as “ Unmitigated rascals ! ” and “The pests of 
 Cairo ! ” or, “Smart, clever lads !” and “ Bright little fellows !” 
 according to the disposition of the Frankish traveller, or the 
 luck he has happened to meet with among the species. 
 
 But few Europeans have time or interest for them beyond a 
 passing remark, and their life seems to shut them out from 
 the chance good influences of the very few who do feel inter- 
 ested in their lot ; for, if a kind word is spoken by a philan- 
 thropic stranger who knows a little Arabic, or that the boy 
 addressed has picked up English enough, as is often the case, to 
 understand what is said to him in that language, the next 
 traveller perhaps teaches him to swear, and as evil finds a 
 readier entrance into the natural heart than good, the con- 
 sequence, of course is, that Egyptian donkey-boys can often 
 say many bad words in English, and rarely any good ones. I 
 
 g 2 
 
84 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 remember a lad of thirteen or fourteen, who was one day 
 guiding a donkey for me, not long after our arrival in Cairo, 
 and who used some very profane English words : I reproved 
 him, and a respectable Syrian servant who was with us spoke to 
 him also, saying that such words displeased God. 
 
 “ That Engeliz ! ” replied the boy, grinning as he said it, 
 and evidently thinking himself quite a promising English 
 scholar. 
 
 How grievous it was to hear this, every Christian can 
 imagine, and how I endeavoured, with the Syrian’s assistance, 
 to explain to him that no Englishman who feared God used 
 such language. The boy seemed surprised, not having any idea, 
 probably, that there were any Englishmen who cared for the 
 name of God ; but the impression was doubtless soon effaced, 
 for to produce any permanent effect on such boys, long-continued 
 efforts would be as necessary as with our vagrant children at 
 home, if not even more so. 
 
 While quite young, and before they have learned all the evil 
 ways of the elder ones, many of these Egyptian boys are nice, 
 bright children, and would, I am certain, be glad to learn if 
 they had the opportunity. There are native schools, indeed, 
 such as they are, where the Kuran is the only book, and where 
 that and the formal Mohammedan prayers are impressed on 
 the boys’ memories by constant applications of a heavy stick ; 
 but the class I allude to seldom go to these schools, their parents 
 being too poor to afford the expense, aud their days being occu- 
 pied, either with following donkeys or carrying parcels from the 
 bazaars for strangers, or else in begging, fighting, and scrambling 
 for a morsel of food, much as vagabond boys do in every great 
 city, whether Eastern or European. 
 
 There was a bright, pleasant-looking little boy named Seid, 
 who often attended us on desert-rides, being rather a favourite 
 in consequence of his docility and good-humour. Some of the 
 older lads are troublesome and impertinent on a long country 
 ride, and will run away and leave their donkeys for' a long 
 
City Arabs. 
 
 P 13S, 
 
THE CITY ARABS. 
 
 85 
 
 time, to save themselves fatigue, making the youngest hoy pre- 
 sent take all the care of the rest, if they can manage it. Seid 
 seemed too young to have learned the bad ways of the others 
 yet, and his lively chat, whether in Arabic, or in his droll 
 broken English, was always harmless and amusing : he used to 
 be both grateful for, and diverted by, our efforts to relieve him 
 from the burdens laid on him by the older boys, according to 
 the invariable custom of trampling on the weak, which is so 
 painful a mark of want of civilisation. Unless we kept a very 
 sharp look out, the great boys were sure to circumvent us, and 
 we would see poor little Seid staggering under the weight of 
 all the bags and baskets, hung on his slender shoulders, or 
 piled on his head, while a strapping fellow of sixteen walked 
 merrily by his side, munching sugar-cane or smoking paper 
 cigars ! 
 
 Another boy, about the same age as Seid, brought two sisters 
 to the ragged school after hearing it spoken of ; but, unluckily, 
 they were frightened by some one, and would not stay, but 
 escaped and fled, just as their young brother had succeeded in 
 coaxing them up to the door ! Probably they were panic-struck 
 by some of the silly fictions spread by our old enemies, the 
 seedsman and his girls, who were ever on the watch to deter 
 scholars from coming, by reports of the beatings they would 
 receive. 
 
 But there was one donkey-boy who was more successful ; 
 this was little Abdul Leyl : he was a fine, interesting boy, of 
 perhaps nine or ten years old. When questioned about his 
 sisters, he said that he had one sister, and she was “ a very nice 
 sister !” Their father was. a servant, and they lodged with an 
 aunt not far from the school-house, their mother being dead. 
 The aunt made no objection to the boy’s bringing his sister to 
 school, and accordingly he came one morning, bringing a little 
 girl in a ragged tob , or loose dress of red cotton, and a white 
 veil, and a most gentle pair of large black eyes, which were her 
 only beauty. The boy introduced her to the matron, saying, 
 
86 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 “ This is Fatmeh ! ” There are hundreds of Moslim girls who 
 bear this favourite name, but to poor Abdul Leyl there was but 
 one Fatmeh in the world, at that time, at least, and very proud 
 he was of having been the one to bring her into the way of 
 receiving education, which he had sense enough to think a 
 valuable thing. Fatmeh proved a sweet, docile child ; less 
 quick than her brother appeared to be, but steady in her attend- 
 ance, and remarkably amiable in disposition. Abdul Leyl often 
 called at the school, slipping up-stairs and just peeping in, and 
 then retreating, saying he came “to see Fatmeh ! ” Fain would 
 he have been admitted to join her in study on days when he 
 chanced not to be wanted with his donkey, in the hot weather 
 much fewer are in use, but it was not possible to mix boys and 
 girls in the school, for many reasons. When some little rewards 
 were to be given to the best girls, Fatmeh, of course, told her 
 brother about it ; and, happening to employ him the previous 
 day to that on which the pieces of cotton were to be given, he 
 took the opportunity of begging me to give something 'pretty to 
 his sister, for was not she good ? “Had not the ‘Sitt’ said 
 herself that Fatmeh was good h ” 
 
 The affection of this boy was so pleasing, and gave so favour- 
 able an idea of his disposition, that we felt much interested for 
 him, and, before leaving, I told him that the boys should not 
 be forgotten ! 
 
 The name of Abdul Leyl (Servant of the Night) is not a 
 common one in Egypt, as far as I know, and probably some 
 family sorrow caused it to be given in this instance. The sin- 
 gularity of the appellation attracted our notice, and often we 
 observed, if Abdul Leyl were to be educated and brought to 
 the knowledge of the true light, his name might be changed to 
 “ Servant of the Day but, as yet, he and his comrades are 
 walking in darkness, and know not the light. 
 
 All who have had any experience among Easterns, know 
 the importance of getting them as young as possible under 
 instruction ; even at home, we all know the advantage which a 
 
THE CITY ARABS. 
 
 87 
 
 child enjoys who has had some moral discipline and mental 
 culture under ten years old. But it is still more important in 
 the East, because of the greater precocity of the children. I 
 did not observe much difference while they were quite young, 
 but between those under ten and over twelve, judging from 
 looks, for none ever knew their age, there appeared a more 
 marked difference than we see in our home-schools. It seemed 
 as if between these ages they became suddenly precocious, and 
 the pretty, graceful, pleasant boy was changed into a disagree- 
 able, rude, vulgar lad, acting as if he thought himself quite a 
 man in every respect. 
 
 The life of a city Arab proper is one of less actual hardship 
 than that of his namesake in London : the food of the lowest 
 classes of Egypt is very much cheaper than food in our country, 
 and, if coarse, is not adulterated. Native bread and onions 
 are to be had at a low rate all the year round ; and sugar-cane 
 and cucumbers, in their season, are no expensive luxury. I 
 have, indeed, seen boys in the street who appeared ill-fed and 
 wretched, but very few compared with those I had been used 
 to see in Ireland. 
 
 Their clothing is certainly apt to be of the scantiest possible 
 kind, but a warm climate makes this a trifling evil during a 
 great part of the year : one sees them shivering and even 
 suffering from bad colds during the brief winter season, the 
 contrast to the extreme heat of the summer making it seem 
 cold to them , though most likely we should consider it very 
 temperate weather. Still there is no question that, spite of 
 rags, dirt, and ophthalmia, and frequent beatings from their 
 masters or older comrades, the city Arab of Cairo has, phy- 
 sically, a less miserable existence than that of the English 
 vagabond boy, exposed to snow and frost, sleet and rain, for 
 half the year, and to whom shelter and strong thick clothing 
 and firing are not luxuries, properly speaking, but necessaries. 
 Morally, however, the Moslim boy is worse off, because his 
 
88 
 
 EAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 chance of falling in with one to “ show him any good ” is so 
 much smaller : as yet we can hardly say it amounts to a chance 
 at all ! No open-air preacher for him ; no city missionary, to 
 collect a listening crowd, and attract their attention and draw 
 them gradually from things of earth to things of heaven ; no 
 kind gentleman to stop him in his career of vice and idleness, 
 by asking where he goes to school, and telling him of the 
 ragged school in such a street, and the shoeblacks’ refuge in such 
 another, or the reformatory in a third ; no pious neighbour to 
 drop a good word and invite him to turn from evil. When 
 not running after his donkey, or scrambling for a living in some 
 other way, he is lounging about with his comrades in the streets, 
 or rolling in the warm dust by the road-side, clad in a ragged 
 blue shirt, or the fragments of an old abya , that “ rough gar- 
 ment ” of hail’, striped brown and white, which is so familiar 
 to an Eastern traveller’s eye, and a dirty cotton cap, or a 
 striped cotton towel by way of turban, as his head covering : 
 there he lies, soul and body are in the dust, if one may say so, 
 and for long years no man cared for his soul ; but we cannot 
 say so now , and we believe that no home ragged school will 
 suffer because the attention of Christian philanthropists has 
 been now turned to the Moslim children also. 
 
 There are a few Copts among the city Arabs of Cairo, but 
 quite a minority. I cannot say I ever saw much difference 
 between them, except in features ; and even that is not very 
 great, the Moslim invaders having mixed with the conquered 
 Egyptians, so that the pure Arabian type is only to be seen 
 among the Bedouins. I could not detect any superiority in 
 manners and outward conduct on the part of the Coptic ragged 
 boys over the Moslims ; if there be such, it is not sufficient to 
 be noticed by any one not intimately acquainted with the lan- 
 guage and habits of the people. But, from observations made 
 not only on boys, but girls, and also on their mothers, I am 
 strongly inclined to believe that the idea of reaching Moslims 
 
THE CITY ARABS. 
 
 89 
 
 through, the Copts is a fallacious one.* These last have hut a 
 
 degraded and corrupt form of Christianity, and must be much 
 
 changed before they can offer the truth to their neighbours. The 
 
 French proverb says that “ among blind men the one-eyed is 
 
 kin°' : ” it seems as if this were carried out in the view of 
 © 
 
 teaching Moslims Christianity by means of those who have only 
 a very little and very imperfect Christianity, scarcely worthy of 
 the name. IS ow surely we should not, in a crowd of blind men, 
 refuse to lead them into the right way because we had two eyes, 
 and desire them to follow patiently while a poor one-eyed fellow 
 endeavoured to guide them, though hardly able to guide 
 himself ! 
 
 Besides, the Copts, though no longer persecuted, are yet the 
 small remnant of a crushed and conquered nation, and, as such, 
 little likely to be listened to with particular favour. Though 
 living peaceably together, as far as I could see, both Copts 
 and Moslims despised one another, and both stood almost, if 
 not quite, in the same state of ignorance and darkness ; and 
 there seems no good reason for neglecting the Moslims, who 
 form so large a majority of the inhabitants of Egypt, until the 
 Copts shall be fitted to turn instructors. 
 
 Perhaps the best motto for all who labour in the vineyard, 
 whether at home or abroad, is, “ Whosoever will, let him come 
 and drink of the water of life freely.” Of whatever creed, of 
 whatever tribe, if he has not drunk of that water, he is perishing, 
 and that is enough for God’s servants.f 
 
 * I do not for a moment intend to undervalue the efforts of God’s 
 servants among native Christians, whether in Egypt or elsewhere, but only 
 to deprecate the idea of leaving Moslims to be converted by Copts, 
 f See Appendix to Part II. 
 
90 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THREE DAYS AT SUEZ. 
 
 To those who have resided for any time at Cairo, Suez has 
 become a very familiar name, being, not merely the chief, but 
 the only southern sea-port, and the key to India ; and thus it is 
 associated with many important things, though in itself a very 
 unimportant-looking place. A collection of flat-roofed, insig- 
 nificant, mud-brick houses, with one or two a little superior, 
 belonging to foreign consuls, and one large white building, 
 which is the English hotel. This is Suez ; and many people 
 assured us it was not worth a visit; but they forgot the Red 
 Sea. Were it not at all beautiful, it would surely be worth a 
 visit for the sake of association. But the beauty is great : the 
 colouring given by that southern atmosphere must be seen in 
 order to be conceived. It is very far superior even to that of 
 Cairo. The intense green and blue of the shining waters, the 
 transparent glow on the cliffs near the city, and the yet more 
 fairy-like brilliancy of the distant Arabian hills on the opposite 
 side, are beyond any pen or brush adequately to represent. True, 
 there is no foliage, and one might weary of living in such a 
 place, therefore, and wish for trees and streams again ; but that 
 any one with eyes in his head should see no beauty in Suez, 
 nothing to make it worth a visit, is astonishing to me. The 
 air is very pure and delightful, and more strengthening than 
 that of Cairo, which, when the hot weather sets in, becomes 
 
THREE DAYS AT SUEZ. 
 
 91 
 
 relaxing ; three days spent at Suez enabled me to work with 
 renewed vigour on returning to the school. Though exceedingly 
 hot, it was not the least oppressive, and a breeze tempered the 
 heat of the sun. 
 
 Within the doors of the hotel everything, except the Hindoo 
 servants, was English ; Egyptian life seemed to have disap- 
 peared altogether ; but as soon as one left it, the illusion was 
 over, and the Arabic tongue again greeted one’s ears. 
 
 I found several studies for the pencil in Arabs from the 
 opposite coast, and in children of the town who came to play 
 about near the hotel. 
 
 It must be an inveterate late riser who is not up early in an 
 April morning at Suez. The delicious coolness of the air at 
 five o’clock, and the effect of the sun’s first rays stealing softly 
 down the cliffs, and gilding the waves of the Red Sea, are a 
 treat worth a little trouble to enjoy. 
 
 At six o’clock I came down with a drawing-book to sit near 
 the door, sheltered by stone pillars. A Hindoo servant brought 
 me a chair, and presently two little girls, natives of the place, 
 came up, and furnished pretty subjects for a drawing. They 
 were dressed in their best, it being a festival day, and were 
 very proud of their gay print trousers and spangled headker- 
 chiefs. I promised a cake to each if they would stand still, 
 which they consented to do ; and then, after admiring their own 
 likenesses, and vainly trying to obtain possession of them by 
 entreaties, they begged to look at the contents of my travelling 
 bag, and presently pulled out an Arabic tract. One of them 
 begged to have it as soon as she saw the characters. 
 
 “ Can you read 1 ” I asked. 
 
 “A little,” she replied ; I was doubtful and proved, by 
 showing her the letters in the tract, that she could not ; she 
 just knew an alef, but no other letter ! probably some brother 
 had tried to show her the letters when fresh from the native 
 school. 
 
 However, the child was so anxious for the little book, that I 
 
92 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 at length gave it to her, hoping that, as Arabs will seldom 
 destroy any printed paper, it might some day fall into hands 
 which could make use of it. A man who was loitering about, 
 listening to my conversation with the girls, now came up, and 
 asked if I had another book ; fortunately I had, and with much 
 pleasure saw him retire to a shady spot, and sit reading it for 
 some time, in fact till I went in to breakfast. 
 
 The talk I had with these children made me wish we could 
 have some day a branch school at Suez. They seemed very 
 lively, intelligent little creatures, about nine and ten } T ears old, 
 darker in complexion than the Cairo children ; but one was 
 very pretty, and had a winning expression in her merry black 
 eyes. They would willingly have stayed longer with me, had 
 not the rest of the party coming out, frightened them away. 
 
 The town was all alive with the native festival, and we were 
 urged to see the sports that were going on by an Arab servant 
 of the hotel, who assured us there were very amusing things to 
 see, especially some man’s performance which he vainly en- 
 deavoured to describe in his broken English, for he was too 
 proud of speaking it to comply with my request, that he would 
 “speak Arabic.” “ It is a man, — he from Jeddo — they make 
 shoe — but not shoe exactly — it very funny, very good, you go 
 see it like this,” touching an umbrella. What could be the 
 connexion between a shoe and an umbrella, seemed mysterious ; 
 but it was explained when we had, under his guidance, threaded 
 our way through several narrow, dusty streets, to an open 
 space, where a couple of tents were pitched in the midst of a 
 gay and noisy crowd. Inside one of these, which was what he 
 meant by “ like an umbrella ,” were a set of men who wore a 
 peculiar kind of sandal, between a sandal and a shoe, fastened 
 by green leather straps round the ankle. Some of these per- 
 formed a rude kind of music, with tambourines, daraboukahs, 
 and native guitars, while a black man danced in the middle, his 
 actions much resembling those of a Donnvbrook jig ! But his 
 jet-black face and rolling eyes, and the bare arms and legs with 
 
THREE DAYS AT SUEZ. 
 
 93 
 
 which he made all sorts of queer gestures and antics, gave a 
 more savage air to the performance. The tent was crowded 
 and suffocatingly hot, so we could not remain many minutes, 
 and soon retreated into the fresh air again. Two or three 
 coffee-houses round the open space on which stood the tents, 
 were filled with customers, though it was but ten o’clock in the 
 morning, and the swings and merry-go-rounds were equally 
 popular ; and it was diverting to see the numbers of great men 
 who were enjoying this amusement with as much relish as the 
 little children. The crowd looked like a tulip-bed with the 
 gay colours which almost every one, even of the poorer classes, 
 sported on this occasion. Among the children bright yellow 
 was the favourite dress, with the men crimson, blue or violet 
 caftans ; while the Negroes and Nubians wore every colour of 
 the rainbow. 
 
 We stayed here till the sun became too hot for Europeans to 
 stand in, but the people did not seem to find the violent 
 exercise they were taking in the swings, &c., at all exhausting. 
 It was a comfort to recollect that coffee and sweetmeats were 
 the only refreshments partaken of by these crowds of people ; 
 so, that if childish, their amusements were more harmless than 
 those of fairs and merry-makings in our more enlightened 
 country, where drunkenness is the common finish to the day’s 
 entertainments. 
 
 While at Suez we made an excursion to the opposite coast, 
 which might well have been prolonged, so full of interest istha/t 
 desert, had circumstances permitted it ; it was, indeed, rather a 
 disappointment not to get as far as the palm-trees of Elim. But 
 travellers are usually dependent on one another, and everybody 
 is not equally fond of sandy deserts and camel-riding, nor, 
 indeed, are all equally fitted to endure the heat and fatigue. So 
 we only went one day’s journey to Ain Moussa, a well with an 
 oasis around it, situated a few miles from the Bed Sea in the 
 Arabian desert. We sailed across to the shore opposite Suez 
 in one of the picturesque boats peculiar to the Red Sea, and 
 
94 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 then mounted the steeds which awaited us there, consisting 
 of some very indifferent and ill-fed camels, and some donkeys 
 to match ! No better could be had, so it was necessary to 
 make the best of them, and to stick on as well as one could 
 without proper saddles of any kind. It was unlucky for those 
 of the party who had never before mounted a camel, and they 
 kept their seats with difficulty for the first hour ; being accustomed 
 to the motion, I was more independent of circumstances, and 
 could fully enjoy the exquisite beauty of the scenery. Though 
 all was bare desert around us, the distant cliffs on the African 
 shore with the strip of golden sand dividing them from the 
 blue and sparkling waters of the sea, changed so constantly with 
 the shifting shadows made by the light fleecy clouds of the 
 morning, that there was no monotony in the view until midday 
 had arrived, when the heat became intense and produced a 
 slight haze dimming the distant objects a little. But the purity 
 and lightness of the air were such, that I did not feel the least 
 oppressed with the heat, though, I am sure, it was consider- 
 able. 
 
 More than once we had the pleasure of seeing a beautiful 
 mirage with the reflection of sandhills reversed , just as they 
 would be in a real pool, in the seemingly clear blue waters ; as 
 we drew near, a faint mist appeared to rise, quivering above 
 the water, and then all vanished into thin air, and the burning 
 yellow sand and pebbles alone remained. 
 
 After the mirage, came the oasis, like the reality of happiness 
 after disappointments and deceptions. First a green spot came 
 in view in the far distance, and we said, “ Perhaps it is only a 
 mirage like the last ; ” but it grew larger and larger ; then the 
 feathery palms became distinct against the noontide sky of pale 
 cloudless blue. Then the groves of pomegranates and acacias, 
 with their scarlet and yellow blossoms, burst on our sight, with 
 beds of fresh green at their feet, and tiny channels of water 
 running in every direction through the garden. A few small 
 stone huts stood near, occupied by the Arabs, only two or three 
 
THREE DAYS AT SUEZ. 
 
 95 
 
 families, I believe, who cultivate this small fertile spot, in the wide 
 waste of “ salt-land not inhabited,” and who defend it from the 
 shifting sands by palings of reeds. The beauty was doubtless 
 increased by contrast, but I thought at the time, nothing had 
 ever seemed lovelier than this little oasis with its date-palms 
 mixing their long clusters of creamy flowers with the roses that 
 grew underneath them, and the trickling sound of the water 
 greeting the ear so refreshingly, as we sat under the shade. 
 
 I sketched two old Bedouins, while the rest of the party 
 were reposing, or wandering about the garden, and found, by 
 questioning them, that there was one man in the settlement who 
 could read, though he was absent just now. I gave them a 
 tract therefore, saying, “ He can read, and you can listen.” 
 They appeared pleased, and put it up carefully. Another of 
 the party, sketching at a short distance from the oasis, had an 
 interesting little talk with a boy belonging to the place ; 
 possibly, he and the man who could read may be father and son, 
 at any rate, they were sure to be intimately acquainted, as in a 
 colony so small all know each other well, and would talk about 
 the strangers’ visit, and perhaps the tract may not be altogether 
 lost even among those wild, ignorant creatures.* 
 
 A poor Bedouin woman brought me a rose from the garden, 
 just before we remounted our camels, it seemed more beautiful 
 in the midst of that sandy waste than if gathered in the gar- 
 dens of the Pasha at Cairo ; and I thought what an opportunity 
 one with full command of the language would have had for 
 discoursing to these poor ragged Arabs of the oasis : he could 
 have shown them how the barren sandy desert becomes fertile, 
 and brings forth flowers and fruit, when the water reaches it, 
 and that Moses’s well and the oasis are just an emblem of the 
 Holy Spirit acting on the barren and sinful heart of man and 
 making it fruitful to the Lord. 
 
 * I found, five years later, that the sole reader had left the oasis, and so 
 had several of the tribe. 
 
96 
 
 BAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 During our homeward ride the Arabs who conducted us 
 became rude and cross-tempered, and wished to make us hurry 
 beyond our powers of endurance, because it was still Ramazan, 
 and they were irritated by hunger and thirst, poor fellows ! and 
 anxious to get home as early as possible. I told one, who tried 
 to insist on my camel’s trotting, though repeatedly begged to 
 desist, that he was not obeying God, as he supposed, by refrain- 
 ing from water, that God gave us water, and has never for- 
 bidden us to drink when we need it. “ It is not God who says 
 ‘ Do not drink,’ ” I said. The man shook his head dismally, 
 and looked at the sky anxiously, to see when sunset would 
 come, and then vented his discomfort in quarrelling with one of 
 his comrades. 
 
 How much easier it is to bear self-imposed trials than to 
 restrain the evil emotions of the heart ! These very men who 
 would not accept a drop of water when parched with thirst, had 
 no scruple in stealing the travelling-bag of one of the party 
 which had excited their cupidity, and which proved to be 
 missing when we arrived at the boats. 
 
 It was pleasant on returning to Cairo on the following day, 
 to be greeted with a storm of affectionate welcomes from our 
 Syrian family, and also from many of the mothers, who came early 
 next morning to kiss our hands and say with beaming faces, 
 “ The Lord be praised, you are come back ! Welcome ! wel- 
 come ! ” 
 
97 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 RECRUITING. 
 
 The school had gone on swimmingly enough for some little 
 time, when suddenly the scholars began to fall off, and the 
 numbers became thinner and thinner each day. To ascertain 
 the exact cause was not easy, as the children who continued to 
 come, assigned various reasons for the absence of their com- 
 panions, many of which were probably mere gossip, or fictions 
 of their own. The same thing had happened before, first from 
 the old seedsman’s exertions, or rather from those of his more 
 active daughters, his ill-will being confined to telling lies, as he 
 reposed among his heaps of beans and lentils ; then the tales 
 spread by Shoh’s mother, about kidnapping children, had for a 
 time thinned our ranks ; and even little Saida, the miller’s 
 pretty and most troublesome daughter, had, when in a spite- 
 ful mood, kept many new-comers from returning, by her 
 persuasions. 
 
 When the school had been thus robbed of its inmates in its 
 earlier days, I had tried all sorts of plans to get back the 
 scholars, and to stop the false reporters who did the mischief. 
 The old people were remonstrated with, the little torment was 
 threatened, and even locked up by her father, at the request of 
 our servant ; but the effect of these and similar efforts was not 
 very encouraging, and, taught by experience, I learned that the 
 only way to fill the school, or to keep it well attended, was to 
 go round and beat up for recruits, from time to time, as well as 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 to visit the parents of the old scholars occasionally. Leaving 
 the matron in charge of the sadly reduced reading class, I 
 therefore set out one broiling hot morning, at a pretty early 
 hour, ( morning visits, in a literal sense, being the only ones 
 practicable at that time of year,) and took Menni with me, into 
 some of the dirty lanes round our dwelling. 
 
 After calling on one or two old acquaintances, we turned up 
 the lane called “ Aboubakr,” in which several of the scholars 
 lived, and which always seemed actually to swarm with ragged 
 children of every age. It is very unlike the open, airy street 
 on the other side of the school, and but for the extreme dryness 
 of the air, it would be as bad as the worst alleys of Dublin or 
 London. As it is, no dampness exists in the atmosphere to 
 retain bad smells, and, therefore, it is not quite so dreadful as 
 the heaps of dirt and rubbish would lead one to expect, though 
 very close, certainly, the beams of some of the houses actually 
 meeting over head, while all are in a state of decay and disorder 
 beyond description ! 
 
 Shoh lived in some part of this rabbit-warren, and, knowing 
 that she could direct us to the abode of others, Menni endea- 
 voured to find her out ; but, while questioning some of the 
 little boys who were rolling about in the rubbish upon this 
 point, a woman’s voice called out to us, and, looking up, I per- 
 ceived a tall, stout person, clad in the ordinary dark-blue 
 drapery, standing at a short distance, and beckoning to us in 
 Eastern fashion, that is, waving the hand exactly as we do 
 when we wish any one to go away. The face I thought I 
 could recognise as that of one who had peeped into school some 
 time ago, and introduced herself as aunt to some one of the 
 scholars, but I could not be sure. She saluted us civilly, and 
 requested that we would come and pay her a visit. Menni, 
 who was a great coward, hung back and begged me not to go, 
 in a whisper, but this would never do ; no evil was apparently 
 intended, and we were within a hundred yards or so of our own 
 residence, and not unprotected therefore. 
 
RECRUITING. 
 
 99 
 
 “They are Moslims !” whispered Menni, as we followed the 
 woman. 
 
 “ Malesh ! (it does not signify ;) come along, and fear 
 nothing.” 
 
 Some other women were looking on, rather curious to see if 
 the invitation would be accepted or not, and smiled on seeing 
 us ascend the broken steps which led to the invite r’s ( room, 
 which opened on a sort of mud terrace which seemed falling to 
 pieces. Her room was large, and only lighted by one window, 
 furnished with a rude wooden lattice instead of glass. Several 
 persons were sitting on the floor, — an old man, smoking a long 
 pipe, in one corner, and three or four women beside him, pro- 
 bably his married daughters or sons’ wives, as they had not their 
 faces concealed ; several other women, with infants in their 
 arms or on their shoulders, presently came in, partially veiling 
 themselves, though only as a sort of form, for they soon threw 
 back the covering, laughing as they did so. 
 
 A young lad of sixteen or seventeen, who was, I think, the 
 elder woman’s son, was the only man, except the old father in 
 the corner ; but at least, thirteen or fourteen persons altogether 
 were assembled by this time, and Menni ’s fears returned at 
 finding herself in such a crowd of Moslims, and when one of 
 the women patted her on the back, and said, “ Little teacher,” 
 she whispered, “ Let us go away ; they will only laugh at us ! ” 
 But she was overruled, and the mistress of the apartment now 
 begged us to be seated on an old bedstead of some kind, which 
 did duty as divan, and was the only visible article of furniture 
 in the place, though it was so dark that some things may have 
 been stowed away in the corners, out of sight. 
 
 After a moment’s silence, in which we all stared at one 
 another, the stout woman squatted down in front of us, and 
 desired Menni to tell her my name, then patting me encourag- 
 ingly, and with a most patronising smile, she told me to “speak.” 
 Even with full command of language, it is damping to the 
 powers to be thus suddenly called on, but the difficulty is ten- 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 fold when the request has to be complied with in a tongue very 
 imperfectly understood. In such cases, one can only recollect 
 that, as a “broken sherd” may be used to carry a little tire or 
 water upon an emergency , so God may see fit to make use of 
 very feeble instruments : and, when no better means are at 
 hand, we can but take what we have. 
 
 Some reports about the school had reached this woman, and 
 she and her friends evidently wished to hear about it, so I 
 endeavoured to describe the objects we had in view, telling 
 them that I came out this morning to ask mothers to send their 
 children, and to show them that it was good to do so ; and that 
 Menni’s mother taught them to read and to sew. 
 
 When we had got thus far, the woman interupted me by 
 asking if the gown I wore were all sewed by myself, what it 
 was made of, and a good many other questions, feeling each 
 article and giving her opinion on it, before she would let us 
 return to the subject of the school. At length the dress was 
 exhausted, and she good-humouredly desired me “to go on 
 speaking.” 
 
 “ Well, in our school we have one book from which we 
 teach,” I said. 
 
 “Listen! listen!” exclaimed the stout woman, turning 
 round to her neighbours and echoing the words : “ she says 
 there is one book.” 
 
 “ Yes, and it is the Book of God.” 
 
 “ Listen, she says it is the Book of God ! ” 
 
 “ All in it is good ” 
 
 “ Certainly, it must be good,” repeated the woman. 
 
 “ It tells us many things ; it speaks of Moses, of J oseph, of 
 the prophet David.” 
 
 “ Listen % ” cried the echo, more eagerly than before ; “ this 
 book tells of the prophets David and Moses, and also of Joseph.” 
 These names are much venerated by even the poorest and 
 most ignorant Moslims, who know scarcely anything of them, 
 
RECRUITING. 
 
 101 
 
 beyond a name ; the woman was, therefore, quite interested, 
 and pulled her son’s arm to make him attend. 
 
 “But, more than this, the Book I speak of contains the 
 Gospel also, which tells of Seidna Issa (the common Moslini 
 name for Jesus), the Messiah, — how He came from heaven and 
 died for us, and how good He was.” I added, that I could tell 
 them but little of all this, because I knew but little of their 
 language ; the woman applauded me, however, and nodded in a 
 very encouraging way, desiring me to proceed, and the others 
 said, “Good, good !” 
 
 I endeavoured, as well as I could, to explain that the Bible 
 taught us to know and love God ; that it was the same book, 
 whether in English or Arabic, and taught all who read it the 
 same things ; and thak^f* their children did not love God, they 
 could never be good, so we desired to teach them to love and 
 obey Him as far as we could. 
 
 “ Do you pray 1 ” 
 
 “Yes, I told her we did, and the girls were taught to pray 
 to God ; the matron prayed with them daily. 
 
 “ But have you no pictures 1 ” meaning pictures to pray to, 
 like the Copts. 
 
 I told her that I allowed nothing of that kind, and thought 
 it wrong to pray to, or bow the head to any picture or image ; 
 the pictures in the school were only to teach the children, and 
 to look pretty.* 
 
 “ Do you not beat the girls % ” 
 
 “ No, no ! certainly not. We have no sticks ; books, needles, 
 thimbles, pictures to teach them, but no sticks.” 
 
 All the party laughed at this, for a school without a stick to 
 beat the pupils was quite a novel idea, but it pleased them very 
 well. Shortly after I took leave, amid many friendly “salaams,” 
 and the women dispersed. 
 
 Several old pupils whom we met standing at their doors or 
 
 * It was subsequently found necessary to put away all pictures, the 
 Moslim prejudice being so strong. 
 
102 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 playing about were accosted, and some promised to come back 
 to school, having only stayed away from idleness. One had been 
 kept by her mother to help make bread, and showed a face and 
 arms all white with flour, but she was grinning with satisfaction 
 at being visited, and promised not to fail to come when the bread 
 was done. This poor child, whose name was Mellaky (princess), 
 was particularly wretched-looking, and did not seem to have 
 always bread enough to eat, judging from her appearance : her * 
 name was a mockery, in contrast to her dirty blue rags. Shoh 
 was out, but we picked up recruits enough without her aid, and 
 when we returned home, pretty well heated and tired, though 
 it was scarcely yet ten o’clock, an incursion of bright-eyed, 
 wild, untamed little creatures soon followed us, and rushed into 
 the school-room, in a body, to prove the success of the effort. 
 
 Some were old scholars returned, but more were new ones, 
 and though they did not all prove steady pupils and come regu- 
 larly, still if a few were thus caught, it was something ; and 
 similar visiting or recruiting excursions from time to time 
 would, with God’s blessing, prove the best way of keeping up 
 the numbers ; at least so it appears to me. We must be pre- 
 pared for a very fluctuating attendance at all times in a school 
 for the poorest class of children, and in a country where the 
 girls are taken away to be married so early ; and from time to 
 time opposition, and perhaps persecution, may arise ; but I see 
 no reason to be discouraged, on the whole : there is much to 
 hope , as well as much to fear, and by degrees some of these 
 wild colts will be tamed down, and brought under Christian 
 influence. More we cannot do : no human power can make 
 converts, and therefore it is in perfect honesty and good faith 
 that we can reply to those who say, “ Do you mean to make 
 Christians of your pupils 1 ” “ We are not able to do so ; we 
 
 shall teach them God’s Word, and tell them the truth, but our 
 business is not to make Christians.” 
 
 The new recruits were dreadfully dirty of course, and it was 
 quite diverting to see one or two of the earlier enlistment 
 
RECRUITING. 
 
 103 
 
 leading them to the water-jar, and assisting them to wash face 
 and hands, saying, “ O girl, thou art dirty ! ” just as if they 
 had not been exactly the same a little while ago. They were 
 all promised a treat, that is to say, a visit to a garden, their 
 highest idea of enjoyment, if they were good and came steadily 
 to school, and the hope was doubtless an assistance to some 
 weak memories. 
 
 It was on this day, and while the children were just going to 
 commence needlework (that is, about the hottest part of the 
 twenty-four hours), that we had a specimen of domestic life of 
 a very painful kind. Screams and loud talking in the lane 
 attracted our attention, and looking out of window, a barufa , 
 or street row , was perceived to be going on. A young woman 
 was struggling in the midst of a crowd, and two older women 
 beating her furiously and tearing her clothes, while she shrieked 
 and scolded in return, and the crowd, who were chiefly women 
 and children, did not seem to try and rescue her. We soon 
 saw that poor Shoh was the victim, one of the women dragged 
 her along the ground by her long hair, her veil having been torn 
 off, and struck her when she attempted to rise. I sent Um 
 Usuf down to try and separate them, but ere she could reach 
 them, Shoh had been still further aggravated ; a boy, instigated 
 by one of the women, rushed on her and bit her arm and 
 shoulder cruelly ; she then rolled on the ground, like a wild 
 animal, refusing to rise even when the matron came up and 
 tried to help her ; presently she started up by a sudden effort, 
 and began raving, and I fear swearing, at her tormentors, who 
 seemed meditating a fresh attack. 
 
 Um Usuf looked up to the window and said, “ What shall I 
 do, she will not come with me 1 ” I ran down myself, hoping 
 she might yield to me ; the crowd, which had been augmented 
 by several men, did not attempt to make way for me, but when 
 I gently pushed one or two of the women, they looked round 
 and then drew back a little, so that I could force a passage 
 through to the sobbing Shoh ; I caught her arm, and said, 
 
104 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 “ Come, my poor child ; come with me ! ” She followed with- 
 out a word, nor did the women oppose her departure ; they 
 were no others than her own mother and aunt, who had been 
 provoked with her for declining to lend the aunt a new jacket 
 she had just made for herself ! 
 
 I led the poor victim upstairs into the matron’s room ; she 
 was a deplorable figure, with her dishevelled hair and torn and 
 dusty dress, and face flushing crimson through its dark skin, 
 and all stained with tears and dirt. She stripped up her sleeve, 
 and I saw the arm actually bleeding and .bearing the marks of 
 the boy’s teeth, her own cousin, he probably was, for the aunt 
 was the one who had set him on to this cowardly and savage 
 action to revenge her supposed wrong ! I bound up the wound 
 with a bandage steeped in arnica and water, which healed it 
 entirely in a couple of days, by being renewed occasionally. 
 But the bitter feelings excited by such a scene were not likely 
 to be so soon cured. She was left to lie down, after a 
 composing draught, on the matron’s bed for an hour’s rest, after 
 which she went quietly home. Does not such a scene show the 
 crying necessity for female education in the East ? 
 
105 
 
 CHAPTEK XVII. 
 
 A SCHOOL-TREAT IN CAIRO. 
 
 I fear our English friends would have said we were a 
 disorderly set, could they have seen the preparations for a little 
 excursion given to the children in the month of May last year. 
 
 To he sure it was a strange contrast to the “ school-treats ” 
 now so familiar to all who take an interest in the rising 
 generation ; but “ with wolves one must howl,” says the 
 German proverb, and without carrying out this very liberal- 
 minded axiom to the uttermost, one must accommodate things 
 to national tastes in a certain degree ; and, moreover, even the 
 order and discipline we hope in time to attain, cannot be 
 expected all at once. 
 
 Instead of a tidy and somewhat stiff-looking mistress, in a 
 spotless bonnet and shawl, and well-ironed collar, ushering an 
 array of little damsels in brown-stuff frocks and white tippets, 
 or, if not in uniform, at least “got up” with new ribbons on 
 their straw bonnets, and as much starch as possible in their 
 clean pinafores, all waiting the word of command in rows of 
 military precision ; instead of this, what a scene of confusion 
 it was, in spite of the matron’s frequent “ Be quiet, O girls ! 
 wait a little ! ” 
 
 By six o’clock in the morning a number of the scholars were 
 rushing up and down stairs, and I believe at a still earlier hour 
 some had been sitting on the door-sill, clamouring to set out for 
 the garden, and assuring us that it was quite time, “ for it was 
 daylight ! ” 
 
106 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 However, could our friends have seen the same set when 
 freshly caught a few months before, they would have thought 
 that, under the circumstances, the progress was very fair. If 
 they were obstreperous, poor little things ! they would come 
 when called, and do what they were told, and were eagerly 
 expecting an excursion with their Christian teachers, though, 
 so timid and unused to stir from home are Eastern girls, that a 
 little while ago they would not have ventured the length of the 
 street with us, nor would the mothers have allowed them to go, 
 so that the very tumult of joy implied a change for the better, 
 as showing the confidence gained. 
 
 While we hastily drank our coffee, the sound of joyous young 
 voices was heard on the stairs, — and, when we descended, some 
 were squatting on the steps at the door, and others dancing in 
 the matron’s room, while she performed her toilet; that 
 excellent woman, not being given to fuss about trifles, bore it 
 all with good-humoured placidity, only now and then remarking 
 that she should lose her head, or something to that effect, to 
 which her scholars replied by coaxing down her dress with 
 their hands, or patting her affectionately on the back ; which, 
 be it remembered, is not a disrespectful action to a superior in 
 Egypt, nor does it imply the familiarity it would among us. A 
 curious assembly the young folks made certainly ; some had 
 only a plain blue cotton robe, scanty and ragged, others had gay 
 print trousers, and one or two sported an old silk jacket with 
 tarnished gold embroidery ; all had their heads bound with 
 kerchiefs of various kinds, and a veil of some sort was 
 indispensable even to the poorest. Altogether they looked as 
 if* their attire had been taken out of an old clothesman’s bag, 
 or as if they had all obtained access to a lady’s chest of drawers, 
 and pulled out old ragged scarfs and worn-out shawls to their 
 hearts’ content. But, in spite of the odd mixture of new and 
 old clothes, rags and finery, there was a certain grace which 
 seemed inherent in them all. Every Egyptian girl knows 
 how to put on a veil : if you lend her an old table-cloth, she 
 
A SCHOOL-TREAT IN CAIRO. 
 
 107 
 
 will with one turn of her hand throw it round her in the most 
 graceful folds possible, and wear it as no European child can 
 manage to do : even little Haanem, who was but five years 
 old, would make a large pocket-handkerchief into a vei.1 if she 
 got the opportunity ! In accordance with the known senti- 
 ments of the teachers, all had clean faces and hands ; and 
 these, with a merry and happy expression of countenance, are 
 certainly the most essential adornments for any kind of festival. 
 There was but one take-off to the general gaiety, and, selfish as 
 children naturally are, I think some of them felt it, and this 
 was the group of little boys who stood round the happy 
 party at the door, wishing they could accompany their sisters, 
 and looking wistfully at the preparations for a treat they could 
 not share. 
 
 It was impossible, with deference to Moslim prejudices and 
 habits, to mix boys and girls in school, and to include them 
 in the “ pic-nic ” equally so, but it was trying to the little 
 fellows, and we felt extremely for them. Several, who had 
 sisters at school, had begged frequently to be admitted ; and 
 not very long before this, a little mob of little boys, “ who 
 lived in the lane,” had assailed our door with shouts of “ 0 
 teacher ! my teacher ! we wish to come to school ! ” so it was 
 not merely the intended festival that made them feel envious 
 of their sisters, though it naturally put the climax on such 
 feelings. At the last moment, the matron having forgotten 
 something, her pipe perhaps, went back for it, and happened to 
 notice a boy of ten years old standing sadly at the door, his 
 great black eyes looking earnestly at the departing group, and 
 she heard him exclaim in a piteous voice, “ I wish I were a 
 girl ! ” “Ho one can fully estimate this speech,” said a friend 
 of ours, who had spent his earliest years in the East, “ who has 
 not been intimately acquainted with the feelings and habits of 
 those countries.” It was, indeed, a triumph to the little school 
 that it caused an Egyptian boy, even for a moment, to wish 
 himself a girl ! but it was a sad triumph just then, for what 
 
108 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 could be done ? All that was possible was to assure the poor 
 boy, which I did on our return, finding him still loitering 
 about, that the boys' case should be made known to our country- 
 men, and that, perhaps, some of them who loved poor boys, and 
 made schools for them in England, would spare something for 
 poor boys in Egypt ! 
 
 Metawaly, for that was his name, was son to the man who 
 kept a fruit and cucumber shop underneath the school, and, 
 being so near a neighbour, he would often steal upstairs to see 
 what the girls were about, and beg to be taken in, that he might 
 learn also ; and it was grievous to have to refuse so willing a 
 pupil. 
 
 But to return to our festival : at seven o’clock the children, 
 with the matron, were sent on in an advance guard, and we 
 followed shortly after, a donkey being laden with carpets, and 
 the servant carrying a basket with the eatables. These con- 
 sisted of cakes flavoured with saffron, and a large parcel of native 
 sweetmeats, halaweh, as all dry sweets are called. The most 
 favourite sort was a cake made of native treacle and beaten 
 egg, with grains of sesame strewn over it. Coffee, in the 
 Eastern style, was to be added to these dainties. It was ex- 
 tremely hot, even at this hour, but the Khamseen was not 
 blowing, the heat was not, therefore, oppressive. 
 
 The owner of a garden to which we had on a previous occa- 
 sion taken the children, would not let us in now, as his crops 
 were in a state to be easily injured ; and he did not know, 
 poor man ! that the girls were now trained sufficiently to be 
 trusted not to do mischief, which really was the case. 
 
 We were, therefore, obliged to choose a quiet retired spot in 
 the Ezbekieh, that great public garden, which might be made 
 so beautiful if properly cultivated ; but even in its rude con- 
 dition it was quite a paradise to these children. At so early 
 an hour, there was little fear of interruption for us, and the 
 spot selected, under an immense sycamore fig-tree, and sur- 
 rounded by hedges of myrtle and pomegranates, was quite 
 
The School Treat. P.180. 
 
A SCHOOL-TREAT IN CAIRO. 
 
 109 
 
 removed from the road. It is a custom, though whether a legal 
 one or not I do not know, for every one to pick what flowers 
 he can find in the Ezbekieh. The boys, however, are before- 
 hand with them in general, and pick every rose-bud for the 
 coffee-houses ; still a few were discovered among the hedges, 
 and plenty of yellow acacia blossoms, and a few scarlet pome- 
 granate flowers. Each little girl had soon the happiness of 
 having a flower stuck into her head. 
 
 The clapping of hands and chattering were considerable as 
 the simple preparations were made. A red Arab blanket had 
 been spread on the ground for them to sit on, and cakes and 
 coffee were served, while the matron sat calmly smoking her 
 narghileh, or water-pipe, on her own carpet close by. 
 
 One or two peasants passed, but took no other notice of us 
 than giving a good-humoured smile. It was too early in the 
 day, as before remarked, to be at all public. A solitary Italian, 
 however, chanced to be taking a morning walk, and was much 
 surprised at coming suddenly upon our party. He seemed to 
 be a respectable tradesman, and was as much interested as 
 astonished at the novel sight. He politely inquired who these 
 children were, and what had brought them here h When he 
 heard that it was a school, and that most of the pupils were 
 Moslims, he expressed much surprise, and said he knew the 
 French nuns had a school, but he believed the pupils were all 
 Copts. 
 
 “We have both,” I replied; “but this school is very different 
 from th&jone you speak of. Those ladies do not teach God’s 
 Word. Here, it is the only book the children read. We do 
 not consider that education is worth anything unless it is 
 founded on the Word of God.” He quite agreed to this, and 
 assured me that he had a little girl of his own, whom he would 
 not send to school, because he did not choose to place her under 
 the care of the nuns. We had a little more conversation, and 
 he accepted an Italian handbill with pleasure, wishing us all 
 
110 
 
 BAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 success : lie then touched his hat respectfully and hade us good 
 morning. 
 
 The older children had appeared frightened during the inter- 
 view ; so little used are they to intercourse with Franks, or, 
 indeed, with any strange men, that they appeared to think this 
 harmless person a sort of ogre. One of them, clasping me 
 round the waist as soon as he was gone, exclaimed, “O teacher! 
 were you not frightened 1 ” just as she might have done had 
 any one come safe out of an encounter with a wild bull. 
 
 “ What should I have been frightened at 1 ” said I, “ the 
 gentleman was very good-natured ; he told me he had a little 
 girl of your age, and wished peace to you all.” 
 
 “ Oh, but he was a Frank ! I was so frightened for you ; 
 very much frightened ! ” 
 
 When the feast was over, the younger ones danced in a 
 circle, waving little boughs in a perfect ecstasy of merriment ; 
 and very picturesque they looked at a distance , with their 
 floating veils of blue, white, or red : the rags did not make any 
 show at a hundred yards off, and the group was so joyous and 
 graceful ! But the older girls seemed to find no pleasure so 
 great as following us about, pointing to the flowers, and fre- 
 quently throwing their arms round us, exclaiming, “I love 
 thee ! I love thee much ! ” with eyes really overflowing with 
 affection. How often had it been said, “You can make nothing 
 of Moslim girls ! ” but the key of love is wonderfully powerful, 
 and equally so in every land, in opening the doors of young 
 hearts. ^ 
 
 When it was too hot for us to walk any more, they all 
 insisted on sitting down in a circle round us, and while we 
 made garlands to amuse them, they sang a sort of extempore 
 song, with clapping of hands, something in the style of the 
 Nile boatmen, the chorus being, “ The teacher has brought us to 
 the garden ! Oh, the garden ! the garden ! ” and so forth. 
 
 This kind of chanting, with words suited to the occasion, 
 
A SCHOOL-TREAT IN CAIRO. 
 
 Ill 
 
 appears to afford great delight to all the natives here, and is 
 common to both Arabs, Nubians, and Egyptians. If the tune 
 is not very melodious, the time is always strictly kept, and the 
 hand-clapping is as regular as a practised drummer’s notes. 
 When they had enjoyed this to their heart’s content, we told 
 them to sing their hymn, “ There is a happy land.” 
 
 One exclaimed, just as they had ceased singing, “How pleasant 
 it is here in the garden, is it not 1 ” 
 
 “ Yes,” I answered, “ but, O Saida ! I know of a better 
 place, where I shall go one day — inshallah ; and there the 
 roses have no thorns,” I added, looking at some who had 
 scratched their hands in the attempt to get a few roses from the 
 thorny bushes. 
 
 “ O my teacher ! will you not take me with you there 1 ” 
 said the child ; and several little voices echoed, “ Take me ! ” 
 
 It made an opening for a little conversation about the land 
 
 “ Where fairer bowers than Eden bloom, 
 
 And never withering flowers.” 
 
 The young hearts were softened by innocent happiness, and 
 they listened willingly, and asked many questions. 
 
 “ 0 my teacher ! you said we should have white robes there,” 
 exclaimed one bright little girl. “Will they not be always 
 clean 1 ” 
 
 I endeavoured to show her that the outward whiteness and 
 purity, so often mentioned in “God’s Book” as belonging to 
 the robes of the redeemed, were emblems of the purity of heart 
 of those who can no more sin. This image is peculiarly pleasant 
 and intelligible, we find, to the youngest and most ignorant. 
 After a little more talk it was thought time to retreat, lest our 
 shady spot should be invaded ; and, though but ten o’clock, it 
 was already becoming very hot, so the veils were assumed and 
 the carpets packed up, and the joyous party returned home. 
 I must observe that anything of this kind would be impossible 
 now ; what was easy to manage at that time would now be 
 
112 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 objectionable on many accounts. The number of French and 
 Greek coffee-houses, and other places of public resort, have so 
 multiplied, and are occupied by such indifferent characters, that 
 the whole garden is a changed place ; and not only could I not 
 think of taking children to sit there (though a great many 
 frequent it from Greek and other schools), but could not even 
 allow them to walk about in it. 
 
113 
 
 CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 THE TAMARISK-GROVE. 
 
 When the weather became too hot to spend afternoons in the 
 desert, or, indeed, to go out at all, except in the early morning, 
 unless from absolute necessity, we used to make occasional 
 excursions before breakfast, on donkeys, or else in a carriage on 
 the road to Mattarieh, the village near which is the site of old 
 Heliopolis, with its famed obelisk, and a certain old tree vene- 
 rated by all the Papists and native Christians as that under 
 which the Virgin reposed in the “ flight into Egypt.” 
 
 Sometimes we took our coffee among the delicious orange- 
 groves of Mattarieh ; not exactly under the “ Virgin’s-tree,” 
 but at a spot nearer the village, and more agreeable, though 
 less famous. Here, at eight o’clock in the morning, a freshness 
 was yet to be found in the air, enhanced by the little rills of 
 water trickling among the orange-groves around us, as the water- 
 works plied from a well close by ; and the snowy blossoms 
 perfumed the soft morning breeze with their fragrance, and 
 were so abundant that we gathered handfuls without the 
 owners expressing the least annoyance. But pleasant as were 
 the luxuriant gardens of Mattarieh, it was not possible to get 
 so far very often on account of school, as it was desirable to be 
 at home before ten o’clock. So we sometimes were content 
 with a more humble place, which, if not so rich in verdure and 
 shade as the favoured “ City of the Sun,” was yet a very agree- 
 able spot for an early breakfast in hot weather. This was a 
 
 i 
 
114 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 grove of tamarisks, not the stunted bushes we see by the coast 
 in our northern climate, but tall, graceful trees, whose feathery 
 foliage made a light shade on the yellow sand ; on one side 
 were barley-fields, irrigated by a sacchia , which was situated on 
 a little eminence in the midst of the grove, and on the other 
 the wide desert, stretching away towards the red mountain, so 
 that it was just on the boundary between cultivation and the 
 wilderness. 
 
 The first time we came here it was about the second week in 
 April, and the harvest was in full operation, and made a very 
 picturesque sight : it was between seven and eight in the 
 morning, and already the reapers had almost finished their 
 work ; the camels were tied to the neighbouring trees in readi- 
 ness to carry off the load, and while we sat drinking our coffee, 
 in a shady spot near the wall of the sacchia , we had the amuse- 
 ment of seeing the whole process, — the patient animals laden 
 with immense piles of corn (no need here to leave it to dry in 
 shocks), the women carrying smaller bundles on their heads, and 
 the gleaners then hastening to gather up the stray ears that 
 remained. 
 
 About a week later, on coming to the same place with a 
 friend, we found the scene quite changed ; the reapers and 
 gleaners had been succeeded by a large flock of sheep and goats, 
 which were browsing on the leaves of the thorny acacia, and 
 picking up a few scattered ears which had even escaped the 
 gleaner’s eye : a little scanty grass ’js'rew here and there among 
 the stubble, and was eagerly sought for by the great shaggy 
 sheep. The older ones really resembled animated door-mats, 
 and were very ugly, but the lambs, with jet-black head and 
 throat, and snow-white fleece, were pretty creatures. The goats 
 were of two descriptions, one with long hair and hanging ears, 
 which is graceful enough ; the other, which is the commonest 
 in the neighbourhood of Cairo, with short, smooth hair, of a 
 fawn colour, spotted with white, and a hooked nose, and no 
 horns. This last is not at all pretty ; but the general effect of 
 
THE TAMARISK-GROVE. 
 
 115 
 
 the mixed flock dispersed over the stubble-fields had a pleasing 
 effect ; but the sulky-looking shepherd who had charge of them 
 was by no means pleased at our admiration. It seems that he 
 feared the evil eye when he saw us gazing with pleasure at his 
 flock ; admiration being supposed to imply coveting , and coveting 
 to give the evil eye. What a base corner of the human heart 
 such a superstition reveals ! So the shepherd actually called 
 his sheep and goats away to a more distant field, where we 
 could see but “the uttermost part of them, and could nob see 
 them all.” 
 
 Presently, a young girl who was strolling about, apparently 
 without anything to do, her morning labours being over, as it 
 was now eight o’clock, or more, came up to our party, and 
 saluted us good-humouredly, looking curious enough to see 
 such unaccustomed visitors in her quiet grove. A fter a little 
 while, she came to sit beside me, and ask what I was doing. I 
 was drawing. A picture of any kind was, of course, a complete 
 novelty to her, but, on being shown the trees, &c., and then told 
 that these marks and colours were to represent them, she under- 
 stood the object very readily, and watched the process with 
 great satisfaction. I then called her attention to the beauty of 
 the trees, and talked about gardens, — every Egyptian delights in 
 a garden beyond anything else, — and then related to her the 
 story of the garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve. When we 
 came to the sentence of death, I asked where she thought she 
 would go after she died. She opened her bright eyes very wide, 
 and then drooping the long black eyelashes over them, and 
 raising her hands with a gesture between uneasiness and indif- 
 ference, replied, “ Marafsheh ! ” (the common Egyptian contrac- 
 tion of the words meaning, “ I do not know,” or “ I know 
 nothing of it”). 
 
 “You have a soul, Zeynab (for so I found she was called) ; it 
 is not only men who have souls, every child, every girl, has a 
 soul.” 
 
 “Yes, lady, I know it.” 
 
 i 2 
 
116 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 ‘‘Have you not heard that every soul must go either to 
 heaven or to hell 1 Have you not heard of heaven and hell ? ” 
 
 “ Yes, I know,” she said again. 
 
 “ Well, when this is all beeome dust,” touching her arm, 
 “ where do you think your soul will go 1” 
 
 “ Marafsheh,” she repeated, very sadly, hanging down her 
 head. 
 
 “You Mahommedans are always afraid of death, is it not 
 so 1” 
 
 “ Oh yes, greatly afraid !” she echoed, shuddering, and con- 
 tracting her features with terror at the very word ; “ and you 
 are not afraid, nor that lady ! ” 
 
 “Those who trust in the Messiah, whom she told you of, 
 need not fear death, because they will be very happy in 
 heaven : it is good up there, much better than here.” 
 
 Zeynab remained silent for some minutes, with a puzzled, 
 half- dreamy look in her eyes. Heaven was such a vague, 
 unmeaning word to her ; how was it good ; what was it, to be 
 so desirable 1 she could not take it in. Presently she noticed a 
 ring I wore, and with childish versatility began expressing her 
 delight and admiration : “ I wish I had a ring like that ! but I 
 have none,” she exclaimed. 
 
 “Well, Zeynab, in the place we were speaking of they will 
 wear golden crowns on their heads.” 
 
 “ What ? ” she cried, eagerly, as if she now caught a notion 
 that she could comprehend, “ what ! gold like that 1 ” 
 
 “ Far more beautiful : and they wear robes of white.” 
 
 “ All white 1 ” she asked, taking hold of her dirty blue cotton 
 veil with rather a contemptuous air. 
 
 “Yes, white, and clean, and bright, and beautiful, because 
 their hearts are clean.” 
 
 Her interest was now again fixed : instead of a vague, unreal, 
 incomprehensible thing, she had a notion of some place which 
 she could in a faint degree conceive ; the outward glory, which 
 was all the childish mind could yet seize hold of, was brought 
 
THE TAMARISK-GROVE. 
 
 117 
 
 before her, and she was willing to converse about the love of 
 God in providing a place of happiness for believers. So at least 
 I hoped. Yery possibly I over-estimated the interest excited, 
 for my Arabic was at that time exceedingly imperfect. 
 
 Zeynab parted from ns with regret, and begged we would 
 come again. Circumstances unfortunately prevented this for a 
 long time ; the hot winds had set in, and were so exhausting 
 that it was impossible to do more than drag through the daily 
 business of each day ; one hindrance after another came, and 
 when we did drive in that direction no Zeynab appeared, 
 though we looked anxiously for her. At length, a very short 
 time before our departure, we again made an expedition to the 
 tamarisk-grove. It was too hot now to stay as late as we had 
 done three weeks or a month before, and I feared that the poor 
 girl was quite lost to us, not a creature being visible near the 
 sacchia but an old woman with a very forbidding countenance, 
 who was washing clothes at one of the trenches. But, while 
 engaged in putting away the drawing materials, in order to 
 return home, I suddenly heard a voice speaking in joyful tones 
 of greeting, and on looking round, Zeynab appeared, her bright 
 eyes sparkling like two precious stones in her sunburnt face, as 
 they peered out from the folds of her ragged veil. After a good 
 deal of hand-kissing, and many expressions of welcome, she 
 explained that she had been wishing much to see us again, and 
 expressed great sorrow that “ that lady ” was not of the party 
 to-day, and to hear that she had been ill. She said, “ Every 
 time I heard a carriage drive on that road,” pointing to the 
 road leading to Mattarieh, “ I ran to see, but no, always no, 
 you were not there ! ” I asked if she remembered the little 
 prayer I had taught her. She said she had repeated it at first, 
 but now had forgotten the words. I told them, and made her 
 repeat them several times, shortening even that short sentence to 
 suit her memory, unused to learn. We had a little talk, and she 
 seemed much interested and pleased. 
 
 In honour to an Egyptian girl, it should be told that neither 
 
118 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 on this nor on onr first interview did Zeynab ask for a 
 “ backsheesh,” or seem- to have any idea of getting money from 
 the strangers, although evidently poor ; and, in general, the 
 village children and girls are all clamorous for backsheesh, as 
 soon as they see a European. I gave her, however, a piece of 
 money at parting, saying I was going away, and wished, as I 
 might never see her again, to give her a present. She drew 
 back at first, and when she accepted it, she said, in a deprecating 
 manner, “ I did not ask.” This looked as if there was a good 
 natural disposition in the poor girl. 
 
 She was recommended to our good matron, who we hoped 
 might find her out and talk to her again ; but illness, the 
 increasing business of the school, and a variety of other circum- 
 stances combined, with the absence of both our friend and 
 ourselves from Cairo, to prevent the tracing of poor Zeynab, 
 and we knew nothing more of her for some time.* 
 
 * See Part II. for further notice of Zeynab. 
 
119 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MOTHERS’ MEETING IN CAIRO. 
 
 To unite a few poor women in a Christian’s house in the great 
 Moslim city is a more important thing than might at first be 
 supposed, and a far more difficult one than anyone can imagine 
 who has not closely studied Eastern customs, or resided among 
 Eastern women. 
 
 A few months before, it had seemed as far off as a castle in 
 the air, but, “ straw upon straw the nest is built,” and little by 
 little, love and patience aided by the grace of God, can soften 
 prejudice, and make a little opening for the light where all was 
 “confusion of darkness.” 
 
 The means of reaching the poor women in this place were, 
 indeed, few and weak, compared to the machinery attainable in 
 our cities at home, where we have a common language in which 
 to converse, and where even the lowest have usually some idea, 
 however imperfect, of what is meant by education and religion, 
 though possessing never so little themselves. Here, among the 
 Moslim women, it is like working on ground so long hardened 
 by the sun as to resemble actual stone, and only after repeated 
 efforts, the pickaxe having produced some little effect, it is 
 shown to be clay after all ! 
 
 The habits and customs, so opposed to improvement, and the 
 utter neglect from generation to generation, have produced a 
 hardened insensibility towards anything like change , and an 
 
120 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 aversion to mental effort of any kind, that makes it hard work 
 at first ; but, in time, repeated efforts, and a judicious use of 
 opportunities, begin to tell, and then, when the outer surface is 
 penetrated, the nature is found to be much the same in all 
 essentials, whether the skin be white or brown. And if there 
 are greater difficulties in dealing with Moslim women than men , 
 on account of their childishness and frivolity, there is one 
 advantage on the other hand, and that no small one, it is that 
 an amount of Arabic which would be of little use among those 
 capable of arguing and reasoning, will really go a good way 
 with those whose ideas are so circumscribed that they must be 
 dealt with as mere children. When we consider that they 
 generally marry at twelve years old, we cannot wonder that 
 they are always children. 
 
 It is impossible to dwell among these poor creatures, to watch 
 their daily monotonous round of toil, their slovenly dress, the 
 filth and discomfort of their homes, their frequent quarrels, and 
 vacant mirth, to see the wretched mismanagement of their little 
 ones, and the degraded position they occupy with regard to the 
 other sex, without wishing to raise them from a condition so 
 little better than that of the beasts of burden. But it is when 
 they are in affliction, when sorrow and bereavement call forth 
 feelings of a deeper nature, then it is that a Christian’s heart is 
 stirred within him ! 
 
 It happened, on the first night of our settling in Bab-el- 
 Bahar, that “ about midnight ” there was a “ great cry,” for in 
 a neighbouring house one was just dead. No one who heard 
 that sudden cry breaking the deep stillness of night can ever 
 forget its thrilling effect. Then came the piteous wailing that 
 seemed to speak of sorrow without hope : the mother of the 
 family was taken, and the children’s shrieks and sobs mingled 
 with the plaintive cry of “ Oh, Aneeseh ! Aneeseh ! ” from the 
 sisters or friends who vainly called on her who could no longer 
 answer them, — who had no longer a name on earth ! “ Where 
 
 is she ? ” was the terrible thought, too terrible to dwell on, yet 
 
MOTHERS’ MEETING IN CAIRO. 
 
 121 
 
 impossible to chase away, that forced itself into the mind of the 
 Christian stranger who lay sadly listening to these sounds of 
 woe, and remembering the deep joy that mingles with the 
 anguish of those who know that their beloved ones are for ever 
 with the Lord. All that could be answered to that awful 
 question was in the words of inspiration, he that knew not his 
 Lord’s will, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten 
 with few stripes ! Next morning the mournful procession was 
 seen leaving the door of a nearly opposite house, for in Egypt, 
 as in all warm countries, funerals take place the day after 
 decease at latest. There was the bier covered with a shawl, 
 and the head-dress of the poor woman fixed upon it, as is usual, 
 the hired mourning women mixed with the friends and family; 
 nor was it possible to distinguish them in this class of life, all 
 being clad in the same dark blue veils, and all wringing their 
 hands with the same shrill, wailing cry ; but of this we were 
 unhappily but too sure, that in all the sad group not one had 
 any real comfort ; not one could call on the Almighty in the 
 name of Him who wept at the grave of Lazarus, and ask for 
 help and consolation for His sake, who is the resurrection and 
 the life ; not one could say of the departed, “ She is gone to 
 J esus ! ” Alas, she never knew Him ! It is not useless pain to 
 think of such a scene as this, if it stimulates us to fresh zeal in 
 the cause of Christ. Through His mercy, who does not disdain 
 to use the feeblest instrumentality, there were (when the day of 
 our leaving Cairo came, nearly seven months after this) a few, 
 at least, who had heard the name of the Redeemer, and who 
 knew that there was a holy Book which told God’s will to man ; 
 a few who had some ideas beyond the dust in which they had 
 grovelled so long ; and many who had learned to love instead 
 of hating Christians, and had eaten their bread and salt, and 
 wept bitterly at their departure. 
 
 It was, indeed, but a faint dawn-streak in that dark neigh- 
 bourhood, and difficulties have multiplied, and hindrances 
 thickened since that day, so that it remains “ the day of small 
 
122 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT 
 
 things” still, but surely in due time we shall see the light 
 brightening and spreading ! 
 
 On a burning “ Khamseen ” day in May did the first 
 mothers’ meeting in Cairo take place \ to be sure, the worst 
 part of the heat was over, as we did not assemble till just 
 before sunset, but an oppressive hot wind was still blowing 
 when the guests began to arrive. The school-room had been 
 swept neatly, and decorated with tamarisk-boughs, and a few 
 flowers, and a cloth was spread in the centre upon the mat, on 
 which stood two large bowls of water and a quantity of native 
 bread. The native Egyptian bread is a sort of flap, pliant and 
 moist, like a cold pancake ; it is always round, and of a dusky 
 colour, and, in fact, resembles the flat stones often found in the 
 bed of rivers, or in the desert. At a distance, a pile of bread 
 might be taken for a pile of such stones, and makes one think 
 of the beautiful expression of Scripture, “If a son shall ask 
 bread of one of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? ” 
 Will he give the mockery of a good thing instead of its reality % 
 How much more will our Heavenly Father give us, truly 
 and literally, all that He has promised to them that ask 
 Him ? 
 
 Our poor little scholars would gladly have come to join this 
 festival, but the room would not admit it, nor would their 
 noisy presence have been at all desirable, but many stood 
 peeping to see their mothers enter. About fourteen mothers, 
 and aunts, and grandmothers, came to the meeting ; it could 
 not be conducted as a “ tea ” for mothers at home is, for the 
 guests would not have touched the feast unless the hostess sat 
 down and ate with them. Several were of the poorest class ; a 
 few were of a higher grade, as their dress showed ; all met on 
 equal and friendly terms, though the contrast was rather 
 strange, certainly. One or two were clad in silk jackets, and 
 covered with silver and coral, others in print trowsers ; but the 
 majority wore the ordinary dark-blue cotton, trailing, yet 
 scanty garments. A Copt, the mother of the pretty Hynehna, 
 
MOTHERS’ MEETING IN CAIRO. 
 
 123 
 
 came in a dazzling jonquil-colowredL yelek , or vest with long, 
 narrow skirts, a headkerchief of the same, and a quantity of 
 gold coins round her thin, brown throat ; her bigoted, narrow 
 mind peeped out in the critical way in which she scanned her 
 poor neighbours in their coarse veils, though she saluted them 
 civilly enough. 
 
 Uasna, the maker of fuel, who lived next door to us, was of 
 the party, though not a “ mother of any scholar.” Shoh and 
 Eat m eh were at once guests and waiters, the company not 
 liking the attendance of our man-servant, of course, as they had 
 
 all laid their face- veils aside. Our frieud, Mrs. E , came to 
 
 join the circle, and when all had taken their places on the mat 
 round the cloth, the dishes were brought from the kitchen. 
 They consisted of native messes, as palatable to the good women 
 there, as tea, cake, and bread and butter are to us; gourds 
 stuffed with rice and a little meat ; stewed tomatoes and egg- 
 plants ; cabbage-leaves filled with rice, and onions, and meat, 
 and rolled up in balls ; and piles of rice boiled with semein , or 
 clarified butter, of a rather strong flavour. This sounds more 
 elaborate than our feasts do, but the expense was really very 
 trifling, and the trouble and time of preparation only gave 
 pleasure, for two of the younger women had volunteered to 
 assist the cook, and had apparently spent a happy day in chop- 
 ping, and peeling, and scooping, in spite of the great heat! 
 Grace was said by our matron, probably a novel idea to the 
 guests, but Eastern good-breeding always prevented any surprise 
 from being shown at what they did not expect. The fingers 
 were soon at work, but truth compels me to say that, on the 
 whole, the manners at table, if such a term may be used when 
 no table is present, were better than one has seen where 
 knives and forks were used. Only one hand was dipped into 
 the dish, and the stuffed gourds, &c., were easily taken without 
 much soiling of the fingers. Each went to the door where the 
 apparatus, called a “ tisht ” and “ ibrik ” used for pouring 
 
124 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT.,/ 
 
 water on the hand, stood, and washed after eating : with people 
 of higher condition, a servant hands this round, and pours 
 water for the guests. 
 
 The feast occupied altogether a much shorter time than 
 feasts of the kind with us. The women then gathered in little 
 knots round their Christian friends, and listened and talked, 
 while coffee was served as a finish to the entertainment, and 
 one which Eastern guests highly enjoy. 
 
 The party was diminished by degrees, as some who had 
 babies with them, or who lived a couple of streets off, which to 
 their notions was “ a distance ” were anxious to return early ; 
 but one of the visitors read a portion of Scripture before they 
 broke up. Some of the school children had slipped in, profiting 
 by the dusk, and now were permitted to remain, when rendered 
 visible by the lighting of candles. One crept round to my side, 
 and, sitting at my feet, put her arms on my knees with an en- 
 treating, loving look, that was quite irresistible. 
 
 The Turkish embroideress, Sitt Haanem, who was possessed 
 of more education than any of the other mothers, as she knew 
 how to read in her own language, though, perhaps, only im- 
 perfectly, engaged in an interesting discussion when the reading 
 was finished, and asking many questions, especially respecting 
 the divinity of Christ. The Coptic dame in the yellow dress 
 did not quite like that Moslims should get any instruction, and 
 would, I fear, have regretted their conversion to Christianity, 
 instead of rejoicing in it. She frequently interrupted the con- 
 versation by turning round and saying, in a loud whisper, “She 
 is a Moslim, the lady need not talk to her ; Moslims know 
 nothing of all that ; they do not believe in Christ/’ 
 
 Sitt Haanem looked annoyed, but did not make any remark, 
 except to beg her friend to continue what she was saying. At 
 last the Copt, showing her arm, on which a cross, olive-wreath, 
 and other symbols were tattooed in blue, said, with an air of 
 intense pride of self-righteousness, “ I am a pilgrim ; I have been 
 
MOTHERS’ MEETING IN CAIRO. 
 
 125 
 
 to Jerusalem, see there ! ” and her look added, unmistakeably, 
 “ That woman is not worthy to be talked to at the same time 
 with a holy creature like me ! ” 
 
 “My dear woman, God looks at the heart, and not at the 
 arm,” I replied in a whisper, which answer, if it did not satisfy 
 her, silenced her for the time. 
 
 Our little meeting concluded with a prayer, in which our 
 good matron fervently asked for the Divine blessing on those 
 who had already left, and those who were present, as well as on 
 the children. They listened reverently, and some murmured 
 assents were heard during the prayer, as if the hearers joined as 
 far as they could . 
 
 The last batch of guests departed as the others had done, 
 with many expressions of affection and regret at our departure, 
 kissing onr hands and cheeks again and again, and several 
 shedding tears as they repeated, “ The Lord preserve thee ! The 
 Lord bless thee ! ” And these were the women who half a 
 year before looked on all Christians with dislike and suspicion, 
 if not with actual aversion ! 
 
 Perhaps some will say, “ Is this all ? ” It is little, indeed ; 
 but we must remember that sowing and reaping do not follow 
 immediately upon one another, except in very rare cases. 
 Patient waiting for the early and latter rain of the Spirit is 
 usually part of every missionary attempt, whether at home or 
 abroad. How many years of waiting have many Christian 
 parents endured before they could see in their own children any 
 fruits of a long and careful training in the truth of God ! And 
 these poor Moslim women are steeped in ignorance and super- 
 stition, from early childhood, and surrounded by bad influences 
 on every side ! 
 
 Surely we must have great patience with them, and thank 
 God for even the smallest step towards better things. Even a 
 wish for something beyond the daily objects of life is a matter 
 of thankfulness, and this we have perceived in more cases than one. 
 In a conversation with Fatmeh, the young mother who had 
 
126 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 lost three little boys, she observed (after listening to what I 
 said about heaven), “ Yes ! it is better there than here, for here 
 there is 'plenty of sorrow ! ” 
 
 Oh, may God grant that, ere long, there may be many poor 
 Moslims who have learned that there is a better land, where 
 sorrow cannot enter. They soon learn, as we all do, that there 
 is plenty of sorrow on earth ; but let us, who have been blessed 
 with the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ, try to show them 
 that it will, indeed, be better there than here. 
 
MORE ABOUT RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 

MORE ABOUT 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Some friends, who have been interested in the sketches of life 
 among the poor in Cairo and its neighbourhood, have asked for 
 a sequel, giving such additional details as a further residence in 
 the country, and a better acquaintance with the language, 
 might enable the writer to give. Those who felt a kind sym- 
 pathy in the opening of the little Ragged School for Egyptian 
 girls, chiefly of the poorest class, will be glad to hear that, by 
 God’s grace, it is prospering, in spite of many difficulties which 
 attended its re-opening, and that there is reason to hope it may 
 gradually become the centre of a little mission to poor women 
 in that quarter of the town. All who take an interest in 
 Mission work will, I cannot but hope, be gratified by hearing 
 a few details of the labours of an Evangelist to the Moslems of 
 Cairo and its vicinity, who was for some time employed by the 
 Moslem Society ; and of another, who, though independent of 
 any European Society, works in the same field. Some may be 
 disappointed, indeed, not to find more striking and evident 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 results from these and similar efforts in Egypt, but those who 
 know by experience the difficulties attending Missionary exer- 
 tions in Mahometan countries, will not be astonished at this, 
 but will praise God that a hearing has so often been obtained 
 for His Word, and that His servants are so well received by 
 the poor of the land, both men and women. Most of our 
 American brethren think the cause of the Moslems, at present, 
 a hopeless one ; that their time is not yet come ; and that we 
 should therefore work only among those who may be said to 
 answer to “the lost sheep of the House of Israel,” i.e ., the 
 Eastern Christians, who have wandered so far from the true 
 Gospel of Him whose name they bear. But Christians cannot 
 always see with the same eyes ; and while we have one and 
 the same object in view, the glorious object of extending our 
 Maker’s kingdom, that object may be equally served by our 
 taking different parts of the whitening harvest in which to 
 labour. 
 
 There are some earnest Christians who feel so deep and 
 peculiar an interest in the souls of benighted followers of the 
 False Prophet, that they cannot resist the call, which seems to 
 them to come from the Spirit of God, to try, either by their 
 prayers, their substance, or their personal efforts, to bring some 
 at least into the fold of the Good Shepherd. Others, without 
 so remarkable a leading, yet happen, in the course of God’s 
 providence, to travel or to reside in the midst of Moslems ; and 
 wishing to be of use to all who come in their way, of whatever 
 creed, they cannot conscientiously leave out those who, however 
 removed from them by habits, or prejudices, or political differ- 
 ences, are daily in their sight. 
 
 But in pursuing this course, they must be content to work 
 on patiently and not look for evidences of immediate success. 
 This often discourages those friends who have no personal 
 acquaintance with the East, but no one who is aware of the 
 real state of things in Egypt expects to hear of a number of 
 professed converts just now, because the dangers attending open 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 131 
 
 professions are very great, so that a change of residence or a 
 concealment of his views, is likely to be the course pursued by 
 any but a convert of unusual heroism. 
 
 Let us, however, remember the encouragement given by 
 the Lord to Elijah, in the old times, and the seven thousand 
 hidden believers who were all known to God’s all-seeing eye, 
 while the sorrowful prophet had thought he stood alone ! 
 
 The day may come when God will reckon up His people in 
 Egypt by thousands, though man cannot count hundreds ; but 
 the time of sowing has been so very short that we could hardly, 
 even under far more favourable circumstances, expect to reap 
 as yet. May the Lord of the harvest give patience to all 
 who sow the good seed, to wait for the early and latter 
 rain, remembering the gracious promise, that in due season 
 they should reap if they faint not. 
 
132 
 
 CHAPTEK II. 
 
 RAGGED SCHOOL RE-OPENED. 
 
 Though but a few months had elapsed during which the little 
 Bagged School in Bab-el-Bahar had been closed, the desolate 
 appearance of the room made it look as if it had been deserted 
 for a much longer period. It had been no one’s business to 
 look after it particularly, and the poor little schoolroom was 
 bare and dirty when I came to take possession again in the 
 month of November, 1862. No texts or pictures, as of old, 
 hung against the walls ; nothing but dust and a few torn books 
 remained. However, it is better to look forward than to look 
 back, and having caught a little well-known child at the door, 
 and despatched her to look for the former scholars, and tell 
 them “ School was open,” I went up-stairs to get some books 
 and pictures which were stored away there, and then began 
 to sweep the dusty room while awaiting the return of the maid, 
 who was gone to fetch work materials ; and the arrival of the 
 new matron, who, like all Egyptians, was behind time. She 
 was merely engaged to help in keeping order, cleaning the 
 school-room, &c., and instructing the scholars in plain sewing, 
 and was by no means to be a school-mistress, being quite un- 
 educated. No native teacher or assistant could be obtained, 
 though I was in treaty for one ; so that I waS quite alone : 
 the prospect did not look very brilliant, but help comes usually 
 in one way or another in time of need. The first helper was a 
 poor washerwoman, who, finding her former employer alone 
 
RAGGED SCHOOL RE-OPENED. 
 
 133 
 
 in the house, expressed much surprise and pleasure at the 
 meeting, and taking the broom almost by force from her hands, 
 exclaimed, — “ Sit down, lady, and I will sweep the room for 
 you.” She had scarcely finished when little voices were heard 
 on the stairs, and there was a rush of scholars, chiefly old ones, 
 but accompanied by a few others (their younger sisters), all 
 tumultuous in their greetings ; twenty pairs of little henna- 
 dyed hands were eagerly held out, with deafening shouts of 
 “ Welcome ! welcome, teacher ! — Our teacher is come back ! 
 God be praised ! ” After some time had been occupied in 
 salutations, and inquiries, and recognitions, the affectionate but 
 somewhat unruly little creatures were at length arranged in a 
 row on the mat, while I said a few words to them, explaining 
 that as yet there was no teacher except myself (for the only 
 matron I could procure did not know her letters), and that I 
 could only read Arabic very slowly and imperfectly, but that I 
 would do my best, and would study every evening, so as to 
 know more ; and on their part they must be good, and 
 obedient, and learn very nicely ; which, of course, was promised 
 readily enough — children are always ready to promise. 
 
 After a short prayer, and a portion of the Gospel read and ex- 
 plained, they were set down to their alphabet and spelling-cards ; 
 for though some had been formerly for several months at school, 
 they had forgotten in the interval, or else had made little pro- 
 gress, so that none could read except two, and they with great 
 difficulty, and only spelling each word as they went. While the 
 children were thus engaged, in burst our old acquaintance, Shoh, 
 with her baby in her arms, and her old mother behind her to 
 witness the introduction. The little creature had been washed 
 and “ got up ” for the occasion, as this was a formal introduc- 
 tion. The day before I had seen her with it, while passing in 
 the street, and had been most affectionately greeted, but regret 
 to say I could not then pass judgment on the infant’s charms, 
 because they were obscured by dirt ; now it really looked a 
 very pretty baby-girl, about five months old, and I could answer 
 
134 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 satisfactorily to the young mother’s questions of “Is she not 
 sweet — sweet ? Is she not very nice ? ” I confess poor Shoh 
 reminded one strongly of a little English girl with a new doll, 
 though she must have been fifteen or sixteen at least by this 
 time ; she kept repeating, exactly as children do over their new 
 waxen treasure which grandmamma or auntie has just brought 
 from the toy-shop, — “ Only see its eyes ! — look ! here are its 
 feet ! — and just touch its hair, — is not that like silk — so soft?” 
 Then the old grandmother, who seemed on pleasanter terms 
 than formerly with her daughter, seized the baby, and hoisted it 
 up on high, as if in triumph, apostrophising it in a very droll 
 manner, and saying, — “ Now, Hosna ” (which was its name, 
 and signifies “handsome,” or “what is approved”), that is thy 
 lady, thy own lady ; thou must love her, Hosna, very much : look, 
 sweet one ! ” and then, turning to me, she called for a confirmation 
 of her assertions that Hosna was “lovely and precious.” I was 
 pleased that so much pride as well as affection should be poured 
 out on a girl, because the contrary is sometimes the case in the 
 East, though perhaps more in theory than practice, as I con- 
 stantly observe the men of the lower class caressing their little 
 girls with the utmost tenderness. Many other poor visitors 
 came in the course of this and the following day, all giving me 
 the most cordial welcome, and some, whose names I could not 
 recollect, appearing to remember me quite well. 
 
 Keeping a ragged school is not a sinecure in any country, 
 as everybody knows who has tried it ; and of course it is more 
 difficult where the language is imperfect, and where there is no 
 aid, such as in a long-established school can always be ob- 
 tained, from a monitress or pupil-teacher of some sort. 
 The first day or two it seemed impossible to keep the little 
 voices quiet for a moment ; there were no habits of order or 
 obedience, and each wished to do what was good in her own 
 eyes. “ Teacher ! Zanuba is beating me.” “ Teacher ! Sittaty 
 is pinching my arm.” “ Oh, teacher, Fatmeh pushed me down; 
 pray beat her.” “ I cannot get an alphabet, they have taken 
 
BAGGED SCHOOL EE-OPENED. 
 
 135 
 
 mine away.” “ Hear my spelling, teacher ; I can say it very 
 nicely.” “ No, don’t hear her, teacher ; hear me first.” “Look 
 at Adeela, teacher ; she is striking my sister : I will not have 
 my sister struck.” “ She tore the book, and ought to be beaten.” 
 “ Oh, teacher, do something to my finger ; it is so bad ! ” Then, 
 when one after another all had been attended to, a fit of joy 
 succeeded the fit of quarrelling, and two or three would fling 
 down the cards and exclaim, “I am so glad you are come 
 again ! I love you much ! ” “ Then show me your love by 
 
 being good and quiet,” was the reply. “I must have order.” 
 “ Yes, yes ; order, order !” echoes a lively officious little lass of ten 
 or eleven, snatching up a ruler and laying about her vigorously, 
 crying, “ Order, order, you children ! stand in order ! ” When 
 the stick is taken from her, and the little ones she has tapped 
 so violently as to make them cry are pacified, another trouble 
 begins ; the idle ones fancy they are hungry, and out of some 
 pocket in their ragged garments come a green onion, a piece of 
 sticky date-paste, a pickled turnip, or a bit of sugar-cane, 
 which have to be confiscated till “ recess,” as are apples and 
 lollipops in our English schools, and with some difficulty the 
 disorderly crew are induced to wait till the muezzin has an- 
 nounced that it is the hour of noon from the neighbouring 
 mosque. 
 
 In the afternoon, after about an hour’s rest, the little flock 
 reassembled ; some who lived close by had gone home to dinner, 
 others brought bread with some little relish, and others claimed 
 the five-para pieces they had given me to keep (about the value 
 of a farthing), with which they bought a morsel of native cheese 
 or a few dates from a shop near the §chool-house, and ate 
 seated in a circle on the mat in the school-room. Some of the 
 poorest had at times only bread, but I think this was excep- 
 tional, as vegetables and other native articles are so very cheap 
 that it is rare for any family not to be able to afford a scrap of 
 pickle or a handful of raw carrots, radishes, &c. to accompany 
 the bread. Meat was, I believe, hardly ever tasted by them, 
 
136 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 except on extraordinary occasions, and they never seemed to 
 get any warm food. Possibly, at sunset a poor family would 
 sometimes have lentil soup, as the boatmen so generally do ; but 
 during the short period of cold the children often came shivering 
 to school in the morning, and were very thankful for a few 
 spoonfuls of hot milk and water, or the remains of their 
 teacher’s coffee diluted, and sweetened with coarse sugar. A 
 degree of cold, which is not in itself intense, is much felt by 
 those accustomed to such heat most of the year, and usually 
 very scantily clothed. 
 
 In the course of about six weeks I was obliged to change the 
 matron for another, who, though equally uneducated, was not 
 so much addicted to forsaking her daily duty in the work-room, 
 and who did not waste so much time over her long cherry-stick 
 pipe. I cannot say she never smoked when she should have 
 been cutting out needlework, &c., or never made a pretext of 
 going to church when a visit to her sister’s, to gossip and eat 
 nuts and almonds, was the second and longest part of the cere- 
 mony ; but still she did much better than her predecessor in 
 many respects. I arranged afterwards with a native embroi- 
 deress to come daily and instruct part of the scholars in this 
 popular, because lucrative, employment. They made a pretty 
 picture, in spite of the rags of so many, when seated in little 
 groups over the embroidery frames ; the Coptic girl who taught 
 them, leaning over each set in turn, her net veil twisted grace- 
 fully across her shoulders, and a heap of bright-coloured skeins 
 of silk heaped beside her, and all the circle looking so cheer- 
 ful and contented : nor was the sight less pleasing from 
 the contrast of what had been the daily life of these poor 
 children before they were gathered within the walls of their 
 school. 
 
137 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 VISITS TO THE LANES AND FIELDS. 
 
 In a kind of court, partly open to the sky and partly roofed 
 over, lived the mothers of two or three of my scholars, and into 
 this court I penetrated one day, guided by one of the girls, in 
 order to inquire for the truants, and at the same time to try 
 and make acquaintance with their families. Several women 
 were assembled near the door of one of the dirty ruined-looking 
 abodes opening into the court, one crouching over a pot of 
 charcoal and sticks burning before her, apparently destined for 
 some sort of cookery, and two others employed in making 
 bread, the dough being in a half-liquid state in a huge pan, 
 while one woman kept adding water every few minutes from a 
 bowl near her ; two more stood at the doorway with their 
 babies, looking on and talking. The first, I found, was the 
 mother of a very poor and ill-fed-locking girl, who attended 
 school, but was very irregular. “Are you Melaky’s mother % ” 
 I asked, after the usual salutations. “Yes.” “I wish, my 
 dear woman,” I continued, “ you would send her every day ; 
 she would learn better : she knows nothing as yet, because she 
 never comes two days together.” “I am sick, lady,” replied 
 the poor creature, sorrowfully ; “I must keep Melaky often to 
 do things for me.” The other woman now began to relate that 
 she had a bad leg, indeed, two bad legs, only one was the worst ; 
 and, as is usual in all such cases, to insist on showing it to me. 
 
138 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 The sufferer appeared gratified by my expressions of pity ; and 
 though the alleviation I suggested, of clean bandages dipped 
 into clean cold water and wrung, seemed to her a very singular 
 one, she actually promised to give it a trial. After she had 
 talked as much as she wished about her leg, I tried to draw the 
 conversation to something cheering, saying, “ You have, indeed, 
 much to suffer here on earth : every one has, one time or 
 another, to suffer ; is it not so ? if not in the leg, it is in the 
 arm or in the head ; or else we have sorrow in the heart.” 
 “ Ah ! ” observed another, who had just joined the group, “ in 
 our thoughts we have trouble,” nodding significantly as she 
 spoke. “ True ; therefore we should wish much to be in the 
 beautiful land above, where no pain or sorrow can come,” I 
 continued. “ That is with the Lord,” said the sick woman, 
 with a half- wistful, half-despairing look, that seemed to say, “If 
 it were not so vague a hope it might be good for something.” 
 I told her how, in God’s book, called the Bible, we learned 
 about that blessed country, and how to reach it by believing in 
 God, and how His commands were all written in this book for 
 us. I added, that to teach the children to read of these things 
 was the chief reason I had for wishing them to come to school, 
 and that, though sewing was also good, it was far better to know 
 God’s commands. These, to us self-evident truths, were to 
 them new ideas. It is necessary to bear in mind, in dealing 
 with those poor ignorant women, that their minds are as unde- 
 veloped as if they were children of five years old : and, indeed, 
 most children younger than five years, who have had any pains 
 taken with them, are in a more advanced state of intellect. 
 They received the seeming truism as something new but good, 
 and all agreed that it was true ; and one said, “ The children 
 love you ; they are glad you are come back.” 
 
 Another asked, “From what country do you come 1 ? Are 
 you from Constantinople, or from Spain ? ” An old acquaintance 
 rather tartly corrected her, saying, “ Do you not know the lady 
 is English 1 ” The little girl now came down a ladder, with a 
 
Poor Women in a Court in Cairo. 
 
 P. 16. 
 
VISITS TO THE LANES AND FIELDS. 
 
 139 
 
 basket of rubbish and straw on her head, and seemed pleased to 
 find her teacher paying her poor sick mother a visit, and she 
 promised to come when she could ; with which partial 
 attendance from the older children we must be content, as they 
 are too useful to be daily spared, unless the parents really desire 
 their improvement. 
 
 I found that, by degrees, I could extend my visits to some of 
 the other lanes besides Aboubakr, which is close to the school- 
 house ; provided I kept to our own quarter, I was now well 
 enough known to be safe even among nothing but Moslems, and 
 with no protector beyond a young scholar. Except from little 
 children, and these only on going into a lane not previously 
 visited, I never was assailed with bad language or angry looks. 
 On the contrary, the artisans would often look up, smiling good- 
 naturedly, and say, “ There goes the teacher ; ” and one day, 
 when I was picking my steps over the stones and rubbish which 
 nearly blocked up a narrow lane, followed by some four or five 
 little ragged merry girls, a carpenter who was at work there 
 called out to his child, saying, “ Saida, go directly with thy 
 teacher ! lazy thing ! ” for she was rolling in the dust not far 
 off. I told him I was trying to collect my stray lambs. “Yes, 
 yes,” said the man, “you are the shepherd, and these are the 
 lambs.” How this observation made one think of the great 
 Shepherd of the sheep, to Whom all Christian teachers are 
 striving to lead their little flocks ! 
 
 One day, going to see a sick woman, I came to a lane a little 
 way to the north of Aboubakr ; the invalid was gone out, having 
 been less ill than had been represented, or having amended 
 rapidly. Some women were sifting flour in the yard, their 
 scanty blue robes tucked round them and their arms bared ; 
 they were vigorously shaking the flour in sieves, which retained 
 the coarsest part of the bran, while an old woman sat behind 
 watching the process, and some others were engaged in sewing 
 and nursing their babies. I saluted them, and said I had called 
 to visit Eatmeh, but heard she was out ; upon which they 
 
140 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 begged me to sit down with them : but these courts are fre- 
 quently wet iD the winter (in hot weather they dry up quickly), 
 and the ground was so muddy, that the only way I could 
 comply with the invitation was by stooping down as they do 
 themselves ; which was no hardship, as I was used to it. But 
 with the politeness which seems inherent in the poorest and 
 lowest amongst Orientals, one of them rose at once and fetched 
 an old box-lid, on which she spread a blue cotton veil and 
 made a seat of it for her visitor ; while Shoh, who had accom- 
 panied me, observed, rather triumphantly, “ She is not proud, 
 and likes the earth !” Shoh was always anxious that her 
 friend should be well received, and seems really glad that 
 others should be spoken to on the subjects which have so fre- 
 quently been brought before herself. Those poor women asked 
 many questions about the school ; and in the course of conver- 
 sation, as we were speaking of prayer, I began to repeat the 
 Lord’s Prayer, and was pleased to find that Shoh knew it. She 
 had never been regularly taught to say it, but had often come 
 into school at prayer time, and, being quick, had learned to 
 repeat it. She sat, or rather squatted, beside me, with her 
 pretty black-eyed baby on her knee, looking quite pleased while 
 I repeated, and endeavoured to explain, a short Scripture story. 
 The others seemed also interested, and twice when I rose to 
 depart I was compelled to remain. 
 
 Now it is a point of good manners in the East always to beg 
 a visitor to stay, and not be in a hurry to go, though she may 
 have stayed till her weary hostess is secretly thankful for her 
 departure ; but among the poor, who do not conceal their feel- 
 ings, at least, as far as their expression of face goes, it is not 
 difficult to see when they are really anxious for a visitor to 
 stay, or merely repeating formal sentences. 
 
 The old dame who sat in the doorway was very anxious to 
 know why any one should live, as it seemed to her, so lonely a 
 life, away from one’s • country and kindred, and put some 
 searching questions which were not easy to answer ; but Shoh 
 
VISITS TO THE LANES AND FIELDS. 
 
 141 
 
 did not leave me time to frame replies, for she assured the old 
 woman that “her lady” loved the poor in Masr (Cairo), and 
 also the children; “and my Hosna is her child,” she added, 
 pulling my dress and appealing to me for a confirmation of her 
 assertion. “If you love the poor you will go to Paradise,” 
 observed one of the others ; “ for your heart is white.” “ I 
 hope indeed to go there, my sister,” I replied, “but not for that 
 reason ; all our hearts are sinful, they are not white, but, on 
 the contrary, black, until God sends His Holy Spirit to make 
 them clean.” I endeavoured to show her the necessity of 
 praying for the Spirit, and showed how the school children 
 were taught to pray, &e. One woman promised to send her 
 little daughter (who has since become a regular attendant, at 
 least she was one when I left Cairo, in the month of May) ; 
 and another said her child was too young, but it should come 
 when it could walk and speak. 
 
 When time permitted, I occasionally made visits to the 
 country villages outside the city ; and, had circumstances 
 enabled them to be more frequent, I could have found plenty of 
 employment, as the country women are even more ready than 
 those of the town to receive a visitor, for in their monotonous 
 life it is quite an event. In winter, the short days prevent any 
 distant rides from being feasible by those whose forenoons are 
 occupied ; but when spring had fairly set in, and the days were 
 long enough to give plenty of time, the country became truly 
 delightful. The low lands, which in autumn and even in the 
 early part of the winter had been wet and unwholesome, were 
 then dry and healthy, and the brilliant verdure redeemed the 
 flat meadows in a great degree from the charge of tameness ; 
 the clumps of palm-trees almost supplied the place of elevations 
 in the ground, and the exquisite green of the clover and young 
 corn, the luxuriance of the gardens, whose orange-trees were 
 laden with bloom and scented the air, made a country-ride, at 
 this season, very agreeable. The barley was in full ear, and a 
 shade of yellow was spreading over some of the fields, though 
 
142 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGVPT. 
 
 the wheat was still green, when I rode out with a friend to 
 visit a little hamlet about half a mile from the railway to 
 Alexandria. Like all Egyptian villages it was dirty and com- 
 fortless in the extreme, and would have looked very dreary if 
 seen under the leaden skies so common in our cloudy islands ; 
 but the golden sunshine and transparent atmosphere of Egypt 
 have the effect of making things look their best, like a cheerful 
 happy temper in untoward circumstances. 
 
 Outside the foremost group of mud huts a party of women 
 were sitting and standing, having, as is their custom, got over 
 their daily labour early in the morning, so as to have the heat 
 of the day for rest ; a number of children, as dirty as possible 
 and very ragged, though not looking by any means ill-fed, were 
 rolling in the dust ; the poor little babies covered with flies in 
 swarms, which their mothers did not attempt to drive away. I 
 was civilly invited to sit down and rest, and asked if I came 
 from the city ; on being answered in the affirmative, they said 
 it must be hot there, and that it was good to come out to 
 breathe the air. The common expression in the East for going 
 out, either to walk or drive, is, n I wish to breathe the air.” 
 
 A fter a little chat I produced a small book, which was looked 
 at with curiosity, and some asked if it was really Arabic, for 
 they are very suspicious of evil in European books : as none of the 
 party could read, they had to take my word that it was in their 
 own language ; and, to prove it the better, I offered to read 
 some of it to them. Two pretty bright-looking, but saucy 
 young girls, who were squatted close beside me, interrupted me 
 often by laughing and making irreverent observations, which 
 made it very hard to keep the thread of the narrative. I was 
 reading one of the miracles of Christ. One old woman refused 
 to hear to the end, and saying, “ I don’t understand that kind 
 of thing,” shrugged up her shoulders and walked off ; but the 
 rest stayed, and some appeared really interested. The mocking 
 girls at last became quieter, and when the story was finished 
 allowed me to ask questions and converse a little with the others. 
 
VISITS TO THE LANES AND FIELDS. 
 
 143 
 
 Meantime one went into a neighbouring hut and fetched a very- 
 large shallow earthen pan, which she proceeded to rinse and 
 wash with more care than was common among her class. She 
 then dived into the low entrance and disappeared, but returned 
 presently carrying the pan filled with milk, and setting it down 
 before me, said, “ Drink, lady, it is sweet milk (which is con- 
 sidered more of a luxury than the sour milk in ordinary use) ; 
 drink it all : it is for you.” Of course I thanked her heartily 
 for her kind hospitality ; but how to accept it was a puzzling 
 matter. The quantity seemed nearly enough to drown one, and 
 the vessel was so enormously broad and shallow, in comparison 
 to ibs size, that I could not help thinking of the old fable of 
 the stork and the fox : indeed I was in the condition of the 
 bird, for how to reach the milk I could not conceive. However, 
 the good woman kept urging me to drink ; and as I knew that 
 she had probably no cup (the people in the country often not 
 possessing any crockery except the porous water-jars, thick sour 
 milk being easily taken up with their bread out of the large 
 vessels), I did not wish to hurt her feelings by refusing. With 
 great difficulty, and at the imminent risk of spilling the whole 
 over my dress, I contrived to lift the great pan, and, at least a 
 dozen pairs of eyes watching with amusement to see how I 
 should manage, a mouthful or two were swallowed, and I felt 
 like a successful juggler who has performed a feat satisfactorily: 
 but scarcely was the vessel safely replaced on the ground than 
 my kind entertainer exclaimed, “ Oh, you must take it all ! it 
 is sweet milk, and you must drink all, all ! ” I apologised, 
 and made many excuses, but was compelled to repeat the opera- 
 tion a second time ; and, I fear, was thought scarcely polite for 
 leaving the half-gallon un consumed ! This was simply from 
 hospitable feelings, and a wish to do honour to a guest, not that 
 Egyptians are accustomed to drink very largely themselves ; on 
 the contrary, they are generally very moderate, and the pea- 
 sants especially live with great simplicity. After a little more 
 talk I took leave of my new acquaintance, who begged me to 
 come and see them again. 
 
144 
 
 CHAPTER IY. 
 
 THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 I had been invited to be one of a party who were to spend a 
 short time, about Christmas, at a native farm-house, lent by the 
 owner for the occasion. Each of the occupants was to bring 
 such furniture as he might require, and to get or bring 
 provisions ; so that the loan merely consisted of the bare walls 
 of a dilapidated and dirty house. But in a country where 
 there are no village inns, and where lodgings are scarcely to be 
 had, even this poor accommodation was acceptable, as the 
 situation was healthy and airy, and the opportunity of seeing 
 something of real Egyptian country life was especially welcome 
 to me ; while a Syrian Missionary, who was also of the party, 
 was glad to have an occasion for visiting some of the villages 
 around, and preaching and reading to the farm labourers, or any 
 who might be willing to listen. 
 
 The extreme rudeness of the habitation, one wall of which 
 had been partly broken down by the last inundation and never 
 repaired, the others being full of chinks and holes through which 
 the birds of the air, and of course the air itself, found their way, 
 might, together with many other little discomforts, have daunted 
 one fresh from Old England, where comfort and cleanliness 
 abound ; but those who have travelled much can usually accom- 
 modate themselves to circumstances by improving what can be 
 improved, and making light of the rest. 
 
 During the first few days, between severe colds, which the 
 broken windows did not benefit, and other causes, very little 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 145 
 
 was done in the way of speaking or reading to the people : but 
 during the succeeding week there was a remarkable opening for 
 the Word of God. An elderly lady, who remained at the farm 
 with me after some of the party had returned to the town, 
 used to talk to any of the women employed about the place 
 when she could find a suitable opportunity, and I did what 
 little I could in the same way ; but though always received in a 
 friendly manner, we met with no remarkable degree of success. 
 It was among the men , the poor farm-labourers of the neigh- 
 bourhood, that there appeared the opening I speak of. The 
 Evangelist used every morning to go out into the fields, and 
 never failed to get a little group of listeners around him : some- 
 times I accompanied him, and had the pleasure of hearing the 
 Gospel read to those poor fellows, and seeing their earnest faces 
 as they gladly listened to the Word of Life ; at other times, he 
 went by himself to more distant villages, and only returned as 
 the sun was sinking behind the palm-groves. At night, several 
 of the Fellaheen (or peasants) would come after their daily 
 labour was over, and sit for a couple of hours to hear him read 
 and explain the Scriptures. No one who recollects the habits 
 of these men, employed all day out of doors, and accustomed to 
 sleep as soon as they had given fodder to their camels and 
 buffaloes, and eaten their own suppers, can fail to see that some 
 impression must have been made on their minds, and that the 
 stagnant water was at last stirred. From notes taken at the 
 time, I select a few extracts which may interest the reader : — 
 “Jan. 5th, 1863. — I went to the plantation this morning, as 
 soon as the sun had warmed the air sufficiently to make it 
 pleasant to sit out of doors. It is delightfully sheltered, 
 indeed, in the great field where they are cutting sugar-canes. 
 A certain portion seems cut every day while the harvest lasts ; 
 so, instead of being all cleared off at once, the field is only laid 
 bare by slow degrees. I presume they cut as much as the 
 sugar mill (to which the canes are sent in camel-loads) can daily 
 crush, and that they require to be fresh for this purpose. 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 “ In the open space whence the canes had been removed, a 
 little group of labourers were enjoying their hour’s rest, for 
 having been at work before it was fully light in the morning, as 
 I can testify by hearing the voices below at a very early hour in 
 the farm, they need a little rest about ten or eleven o’clock, and 
 seem to pass an hour or more in eating their bread, and then 
 smoking a long pipe, which is handed round the circle in turn. 
 This is a capital opportunity for speaking to them, and they are 
 usually disposed for conversation at that time. On seeing me 
 approach, one rose immediately, and saying, ‘ Will not you eat 
 sugar-cane h ’ without waiting for an answer, plunged into the 
 canes and cut a fine one, which he handed to me with a good- 
 natured smile. I think this was one who had been to the 
 evening reading on Saturday, but am not certain. 
 
 “Yesterday, I had been sitting in another part of the 
 plantation with an old lady of the party, and a labourer 
 named Hassan brought us canes, and sat, with a companion, on 
 a heap of reeds near us, asking questions and listening for 
 
 some time. As Mrs. had not her glasses at hand, I read 
 
 a little for them out of my Testament, though not as yet able 
 to read fluently. However, they understood the simple parable 
 very well. Afterwards, when I observed that the prophet 
 David had said of God’s word in his day, that it was sweeter 
 than honey to his taste, they appeared much taken with the 
 comparison ; which was perhaps made more comprehensible by 
 the fact, that the sweet juice (commonly called honey, also, in 
 the East, as are most sweep syrups) was trickling over the piece 
 of cane Hassan held in his hand as we spoke. 
 
 “ But to return to this morning. The Missionary presently 
 came up and joined the group of labourers, who cordially wel- 
 comed him ; and after a very short, preliminary chat, he 
 produced the Testament and began reading to them. All these 
 were Moslems, except one, who was a Copt, from a village two 
 miles distant ; though only a farm-servant with very low 
 wages, he was a well-educated man, as far, at least, as reading 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 147 
 
 very well and intelligently went. He begged to purchase my 
 Testament, seeing it in my hand. I had no other copy in the 
 farm, but said he should have it if he would call in a few days, 
 as I could easily procure another in town, to which I should 
 be then returning. Meantime, all the party listened with deep 
 and evident interest to the portion of Scripture which the 
 Missionary read and explained. He began by showing from 
 the Sermon on the Mount what is the true law of God, and 
 then by searching questions bringing them to acknowledge 
 how little they kept it, and so gradually coming up to the 
 point of proving the need of a Saviour and Redeemer for man. 
 
 “One of the listeners observing some tracts which I had 
 brought in case any one who could read might be found, took 
 up one, and asked what was its subject ; on hearing it was a 
 letter addressed to Eastern women, he begged, of course, to 
 hear it, as people always do anything that is designed for their 
 neighbours. But as it was chiefly intended to urge the value 
 and necessity of the Scriptures on the reader, and therefore 
 likely to be useful to either sex, the Missionary gratified him 
 by reading it aloud. When it was ended, I approached the 
 old man who had asked for it, and said that he ought to get 
 some one to read it to his wife and daughters, as he had ac- 
 knowledged it to be good ; but he replied very coolly, ‘ All 
 the women here are donkeys, and understand nothing.’ ‘Surely 
 they have souls, which donkeys have not h ? I mildly suggested ; 
 but my old man only shrugged his shoulders. A younger man, 
 however, begged to have the little book ; and put it his bosom, 
 saying he would ask a person who could read in his village, to 
 read it to his wife. The Copt observed, ‘ Do not give it him, 
 he is a Moslim.’ But I paid no attention to this remonstrance; 
 which is but too common, unfortunately, with Copts, when- 
 ever one gives a book to a Mahometan. This man, however, 
 was really, unlike most Copts, desirous that his neighbours 
 should become Christians, as we subsequently found ; his objec- 
 tion to giving the book must, therefore, have come merely from 
 
 L 2 
 
148 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 his utter hopelessness of any good being done. He changed 
 his opinion later, as we had an opportunity of knowing. 
 
 “ In the afternoon I was walking about in the open space 
 before the house, because it was sheltered there, and the wind 
 was blowing rather fresh and cold, and found a number of 
 women stripping the dourra, or maize, of its husks. I spoke 
 a little to them, but, though good-humoured, they did not seem 
 much inclined to listen to anything serious, and I was not 
 willing to force such subjects, when no opening appeared pre- 
 pared for them. Presently, however, a young woman, passing 
 with a baby on her shoulder, suddenly stopped and screamed, 
 as if in pain ; and on my asking what was the matter, said that 
 a thorn had run into her foot, and, pointing to the child, said, 
 she could not pull it out ; with that incumbrance on her shoulder, 
 indeed, it was not easy to sit down for the purpose. I assisted 
 her, and, with some difficulty, pulled out a thorn more than 
 two inches long, at least half of which had been driven into 
 the flesh. The blood streamed as it was extracted, and the 
 poor creature seemed in considerable pain for some moments. 
 I made her sit down ; and, while wrapping some leaves round 
 her foot, entered into conversation, as follows : — (I put down 
 the words as exactly as I could very shortly afterwards.) 
 
 “ ‘ There are many thorns here, I see, from these sumh- trees.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Ah, yes, many thorns, indeed, many thorns ! ’ 
 
 “ ‘In my country we say “No roses without thorns ; ” and 
 this is true of other things beside flowers ; for if we have not 
 thorns in the feet, we often have a thorn in the heart. Is it 
 not so 1 ’ 
 
 “ ‘ Certainly it is true ; in this world we have much trouble,’ 
 she replied. 
 
 “ ‘ It is well for us that there is a world where there is no 
 sorrow, not even thorns.’ 
 
 “ She looked wonderingly up, and I continued, — ‘ With the 
 Lord in heaven : there are no thorns there, nothing to trouble 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 149 
 
 “ The child now calling for the mother’s attention, I asked 
 some questions about it, and found it was her only one ; her 
 first baby having died a year ago. This gave me an opportunity 
 for speaking about little children, the grief of mothers in losing 
 them, and God’s love for them ; and I related, as well as I 
 could, the story, so precious to Christian mothers, of the 
 infants brought to Jesus. 
 
 “An intelligent-looking lad, and a young girl, sister and 
 brother to the woman, joined us, and listened with more in- 
 terest than she did ; for, though pretty, she did not seem 
 bright. However, she looked up when she heard of the Lord 
 taking the little children in His arms, and of His being now 
 in heaven, and ready still to bless them in spirit. It was a 
 pleasant idea to her, at all events, though not very clearly 
 comprehended, I dare say. 
 
 “ The boy observed, ‘ Children are not sinful, like us,’ by way 
 of answer to my telling them that God loved young children. 
 
 “ ‘ Yes,’ I replied, ‘ that is true ; but yet sin is in their hearts, 
 though they are too little to show it much. Look at this 
 sumh-tree. It is now large. Once it was like this ;’ plucking 
 a tiny twig, and showing it to them. 
 
 “ ‘ Mashallah ! that is true,’ said the boy and girl, at once. 
 
 “ ‘ Well, sin in the heart is like this : if small in a young 
 child, it will grow bigger with time. By- and-by this child 
 will begin to strike its sister or brother, and disobey its 
 mother.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Ah, yes ! ’ they exclaimed, smiling, ‘after a little time.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Then, since we are all sinners from our childhood, we need 
 pardon. God knows we cannot do good of ourselves. We do 
 not even know His commands rightly of ourselves ; but in 
 His book we learn all these things.’ 
 
 “ I endeavoured to explain the nature of prayer as well as 
 my limited language would permit. The woman said she 
 never prayed (in answer to the question) ; but allowed that it 
 was right to do so, when reminded how every good thing came 
 
150 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN' EGYPT. 
 
 from God, &c. The prayers in the mosques, I remarked, were, 
 much of them, a repetition of words ; as, ‘ O Lord ; ’ and so 
 forth, repeated over and over ; but that is not real prayer. 1 If 
 you wished for a backsheesh from a great man,’ .1 asked the boy, 
 ‘ would you know how to beg for it ? ’ ‘ Certainly ! ’ said he, 
 
 showing his white teeth, with a significant smile. ‘ Speak, 
 then, to God in such a way. Say to Him, “ I am poor, Lord ; 
 I am a sinner, forgive me ; help me ; give me thy Holy 
 Spirit to teach me the truth.” How I will tell you the 
 prayer Seidna Issa (our Lord Jesus) taught His disciples when, 
 one day, they asked Him to teach them to pray.’ They 
 listened, with attention, to the Lord’s prayer, slowly repeated ; 
 and all said it was a good prayer. Even the dull one observed, 
 1 our daily bread ’ was a very good prayer ; and so also was 
 1 deliver us from evil : ’ for that we want bread, and also to 
 be kept from evil always. The idea of asking God about such 
 things as concerned her daily life never seemed, to have 
 entered her head. The women, at least of the lower orders, 
 never are taught or encouraged to pray at all. As far as I 
 could learn, the few who do pray, repeat the set prayers of 
 their religion ; consisting, in a great degree, of appellations of 
 God, &c.” 
 
 u Jan. 6. — This morning some persons were sitting in an 
 onion-field, adjoining the cotton plantation, from which it was 
 only divided by a row of gum arabic, or sumh trees. I watched 
 them with much interest from a little distance ; at first there 
 were only four men, but two others joined them later : they 
 sat on the ridges of earth where the onions had been pulled 
 up, and with heaps of the favourite vegetable around them. 
 This does not seem a very savoury spot for open-air preaching, 
 but in reality it was a hundred times sweeter than London 
 alleys or courts, or Cairo lanes ; and a missionary must not be 
 too particular. I was near enough to hear what went on, 
 without exactly sitting among the onions. Before the Mission- 
 ary could get in a word, he found it necessary to let a talkative 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 151 
 
 old soldier, who was among the party, have his say , quite to his 
 heart’s content. This man had formerly been in Ibraheem Pasha’s 
 service, and had actually visited England, and spent ten days there, 
 of which he was excessively proud. He spoke of our Queen 
 as the greatest woman in the world ; and seemed much 
 to marvel that a woman should be so exalted. He told the 
 rest that he had seen her in her fine tattarawhan , as he 
 designated the royal carriage ; which is certainly as unlike the 
 vehicle slung on camels for Eastern brides’ or great ladies’ con- 
 veyance as the old man himself, in his ragged turban and bare 
 legs, was unlike an English Life-guards’ man. However, he 
 had brought away some faint idea of the advantage of civilisation 
 and education. On a later occasion he said, that if only her 
 mother would have consented, he would have given me his little 
 daughter, a very interesting child in appearance, to bring up in 
 Cairo. But the mother would not part with her ; and Moslem 
 household despotism is not always as real as we are apt to fancy. 
 When the old soldier was tired of talking the book was pro- 
 duced, and some interesting conversation followed the reading. 
 They all seemed sorry when obliged to return to their work, 
 and begged the Missionary to come again. He went out in the 
 afternooD, as usual, to visit more distant villages ; and though 
 not given to talk much of his labours, he is evidently cheered 
 and gratified by the reception that he meets among the poor, 
 and says they listen to God’s word more willingly than the 
 townspeople.” 
 
152 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 THE FARM-HOUSE CONTINUED. 
 
 Extract from Journal. 
 
 “Jan. 7. — In this neighbourhood ( i.e ., between the river and 
 the Pyramids of Gezeh) are several villages of Bedouins, 
 settled under Mohammed Ali some years ago, and who are con- 
 dered distinct from the Fellaheen, who are of mixed Egyptian 
 and Arab race : and though assimilating to them now in many 
 ways, yet retain some of the customs of their roving nation. 
 I wished much to visit one or two of these, and took advantage 
 of the Missionaries’ escort, as it is not considered safe for a 
 woman to go alone to such places in a Moslem country. Some 
 of these villages are composed of mud huts ; some of them 
 partly of tents : the inhabitants no longer rove, though of Arab 
 race; and they live by cultivating the ground, as well as by 
 keeping flocks. To-day, as soon as a cold mist had rolled away, 
 and given place to a brilliant and warm sun, we set out for the 
 nearest of these villages, only half a mile off, in the midst of a 
 thick palm-grove. As we approached I was frightened by the 
 troop of dogs, which flew out barking ferociously ; but their 
 owners instantly called them back, and pelted the refractory 
 ones with sticks or stones. Among the stems of the palm-trees 
 appeared a few little round huts, of the rudest description, 
 destitute of windows, and roofed over with reeds : the tents in 
 which some of the people lived were scattered among these 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 153 
 
 huts, and were composed of coarse brown, or striped white and 
 brown cloth, made of goats’ hair or wool, and fixed to the 
 trees, assisted by stakes and pegs driven into the ground. 
 Rude ovens and hen-coops, all made of dried mud, were in 
 front of each dwelling ; and amid heaps of dourra straw, litter, 
 and rubbish indescribable, a number of domestic animals were 
 disporting themselves, kids, lambs, puppies, fowls, young buffa- 
 loes, and donkeys, together with a troop of children, clad in 
 scanty rags of blue, or what had once been white cotton ; all, 
 of course, as dirty as possible ; though in the begrimed little 
 faces, black eyes and white teeth shone out brightly. Two 
 little girls, of nine or ten years old, drew their threadbare veils 
 across their mouths and noses, and stood peeping for a minute 
 at the unwonted sight of a Frank lady ; then they ran away to 
 summon some companions, and all laughed and chattered in 
 concert. In the largest of the tents a very ugly old woman 
 was grinding at a handmill ; a small jar stood near, from 
 which she took a handful of buckwheat grains eveiy few 
 minutes, and strewed them in to grind up with the dourra ; 
 this being supposed to render it more wholesome, as I was 
 informed. Two men were lounging near her, doing nothing. 
 The Missionary made an excuse for entering, by begging for a 
 little fire to light a cigar ; a piece of civility never refused in 
 the East. One of the men, lazy as he looked, rose at once and 
 fetched a cinder from another hut ; meanwhile I asked 
 permission to look at the oven, and examine its rude, yet 
 ingenious construction. Having thus opened acquaintance, 
 they became very friendly ; and observing it was now warm, 
 fetched a ragged goat’s-hair cloak, and begged me to sit and 
 rest a little. I tried to talk to the old woman ; but whether 
 she was too old to take in new ideas very readily, or that the 
 presence of the men awed her, I could not get a word of intelli- 
 gence from her, or from another, who joined her in order to 
 look at the stranger. With the men there was much better 
 success; a Bedouin from the Pyramids, who was already ac- 
 
154 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 quainted "with the Missionary, happened to be passing, and 
 expressing great pleasure at meeting with ‘the Moallem,’ or 
 Master, as they call a teacher, especially a religious, or learned 
 man, he immediately joined the little circle. He was a fine, 
 intelligent-looking man ; vigorous in frame, and with bright 
 keen Arab eyes, gleaming from under his black eyebrows, his 
 flowing white burnoose and the red tarboosh on his head making 
 him a picturesque figure. The others, though of Arab race, 
 were clad in the common brown hairy garment of the Egyptian 
 Fellaheen. ‘You have got the book?' the desert Bedouin 
 asked at once ; and he added, as it was produced, ‘ that is the 
 book of Seidna Issa ’ (our Lord Jesus), the usual Moslem appel- 
 lation for Christ, to whom they are taught to give respect as a 
 prophet, though they do not allow His divinity. These three 
 were afterwards joined by a fourth listener, and Mr. M. read 
 and explained for about an hour. 
 
 “ It was too far for these to come out at night, but nearly 
 every evening some peasants from the neighbourhood have 
 come. It is a delightful sight to see these poor ignorant fellows, 
 instead of going to sleep like their oxen, as before, the moment 
 their daily labour is over come out muffled in their rough 
 mantles and sit round in the half-ruined fezzhar (or corridor) of 
 this farm, listening to the words of life. I took a sketch of the 
 group the other night ; it was a wonderful sight, when one 
 considered all the circumstances ; the imperfect light of the 
 candle flickering in the wind, which blew through the half- 
 ruined wall of the wide fezzhar, cast bright gleams on the faces 
 and forms of the listening group here and there, while the sur- 
 rounding darkness was rendered more apparent and striking by 
 the contrast ; it seemed a fitting emblem of the little light 
 brought into the ‘ Egyptian darkness ’ of this Moslem neigh- 
 bourhood. The Copt before alluded to came by himself one 
 evening to ask for the Testament, according to agreement. He 
 had a most interesting conversation with the Missionary, who 
 explained to him many of the principal errors of his Church, 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 155 
 
 and exhorted him to make the blessed book he had just obtained 
 his rule of faith, and to study it with earnest prayer. The 
 poor fellow had walked two miles after sunset to get it, and 
 pulled out his scantily-supplied purse with real delight to pay 
 for the desired treasure. I would gladly, of course, have given 
 it to him, but was advised to let him pay half the price, as he 
 would value it more, if he had made a little sacrifice to obtain 
 it. He told the Missionary that he had often spoken to his 
 fellow-labourers, and told them that the Christian religion was 
 the true one, and urged it upon them, without any success. 
 ‘ But that day you read in the field,’ said he, ‘ when you went 
 away those men said to me, “We never heard such things 
 before ! That book is good.” I answered them, ‘ Did I not 
 tell you that Christianity was true many times, and you never 
 believed me 1 ?’ They said, ‘Yes, but you did not tell us such 
 things as this gentleman has told us : we never heard all this 
 before.’ ‘ If you, sir,’ added the poor Copt, ‘ could stay some 
 time longer among these men, they would become Christians.’ 
 The Missionary was greatly pleased with the candour of the 
 poor fellow in relating this, and talked for a long time with 
 him, reading many passages from the Bible, to which he listened 
 attentively ; afterwards he joined our little party at evening 
 worship, which was conducted in Arabic, and took leave with 
 his Testament under his arm, looking well satisfied with his 
 visit.” 
 
 u Jan. 8. — On Thursday visited another of the Bedouin 
 villages. This was a larger place than the little group of huts 
 and tents ; it was quite a populous village, composed all of mud, 
 indeed, and as dirty as could be ; but it boasted a small mosque 
 and three or four houses with windows, such as they were : 
 these probably belonged to the Sheikh and a few richer 
 inhabitants. 
 
 “ A palm-grove surrounded the village, in whose shade 
 reposed buffaloes, camels, and flocks of goats ; while another 
 part was cultivated with tobacco and corn. Seeing a small group 
 
156 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 assembled outside some of the crowded dwellings, the Missionary 
 thought it a good opportunity for going among them, and found 
 an old man being shaved by a barber, his bald head exposed to 
 the broiling sun, while some neighbours sat gossiping round the 
 barber who operated on him. Several women were loitering 
 about near, but as no man can be of any use among Moslem 
 women , owing to the customs and feelings of the people, their 
 only chance of good depended on me; so I asked for a little 
 water, by way of an opening, and one of them immediately, and 
 very civilly, brought some in a jar, muddy, as unfiltered Nile 
 water always is. I then asked if this was her house, pointing 
 to a low entrance whence a group of ducklings were issuing. 
 1 Yes, yes ; and you must come in and see it. Come and see 
 my house,’ said the woman, cordially. I took off my hat, and 
 stooped a little to get in at the door, and disappeared from the 
 outer world in the dark den within. But though the sudden 
 darkness was startling after the bright sunshine, I was not 
 afraid, as, of course, the Missionary would take care to remain 
 within call ; and, moreover, there were none but friendly feel- 
 ings shown, though all were Moslems. It is not easy to describe 
 the place into which I was led after leaving the first den ; a 
 doorway without a door, or more properly, a large hole in the 
 mud wall opened into a sort of court, partly open to the sky, 
 partly roofed with reeds, the walls of which were built in and 
 out, in a very rude and yet ingenious manner, affording a num- 
 ber of dark recesses and nooks, where articles of various kinds 
 were stored away, and where came, at intervals, sundry lambs 
 and kids, fowls and ducks ; while on one side stood a donkey 
 near a mud-coop full of chickens and a large heap of fodder. In 
 one corner, which was under shelter, a sort of rude fireplace was 
 arranged, where a pan of water was heating, and a woman 
 squatted near it was engaged in washing : they did not seem 
 very poor, though the abode was so dirty and comfortless ac- 
 cording to our ideas. The hostess spread a piece of cloth, like 
 that used for their tents, for me to sit upon, and though it 
 
THE FAKM-HOUSE. 
 
 157 
 
 certainly was not cleanly-looking, I should have affronted her 
 by declining to use it ; besides, the whole place was so swarming 
 with vermin, that there was no choice. Three or four women 
 followed me, and sat down near the entrance ; the space was 
 very limited, but Egyptian females do not wear crinoline, and I 
 had learnt by practice to squeeze into a corner nearly as well as 
 themselves. The mistress of the house now fetched from one 
 recess in the wall some flaps of dark, coarse bread, and from 
 another a jar of cold boiled beans, and to gratify her I ate a few 
 mouthfuls of each, though assuring her that I was not hungry. 
 But she then brought out of another hole in the wall a cold 
 hard egg, which, without salt, is rather difficult to eat, unless 
 one is keenly hungry. But in vain I pleaded that it was early, 
 and that I had breakfasted ; there was no escaping her hospi- 
 tality, and I was obliged to swallow as much as I could, and 
 hide the rest. Then she brought coffee, and began to roast and 
 pound it ; and while this process went on I entered into con- 
 versation with her and the other women who remained : several 
 had peeped in, but did not stay. I first thanked her for her 
 kindness, and then observed, how dependent we all were on the 
 daily bread which God in His goodness gave us. ‘ Certainly, 
 God is very good,’ said the hostess. ‘ Do you ever thank Him 
 for His mercies, or pray to Him 'i ’ ‘ Never,’ she replied, 
 
 coolly. I endeavoured to explain the necessity for prayer, and 
 said the Lord’s Prayer, which pleased them, as it does most of 
 the poor people here, from its simplicity : they can all under- 
 stand it, and often seem to feel something of its wonderful 
 comprehensiveness. Fearing to weary them, I left room for a 
 little chat about the matters of common interest around them, 
 as their houses, their babies, <fcc. The one who was washing 
 asked, as she picked up the bowl of water which the donkey 
 had kicked down, after giving him a slap, and probably a curse 
 also, ‘Do they wash clothes in your country as we do % ’ ‘ Cer- 
 
 tainly, we also wash clothes with soap. But look, sister, if you 
 washed that ever so much, the colour will remain : is it not 
 
158 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 so ? ’ ‘No doubt,’ she answered, ‘it will be always blue.’ She 
 was washing a dark blue garment, such as they commonly wear. 
 I tried to show how sin is ingrained in our hearts as the dye is 
 in the cloth, and that we are unable of ourselves to cleanse 
 them, and added, ‘ Now listen to a word of God, from His 
 book,; — “ Though your sins be red as crimson, they shall be 
 (white) as wool.” ’ I omitted the first clause of the text, 
 because they had never seen or heard of snow ; but the dye was 
 a comparison well suited to their comprehension, particularly as 
 Eastern dyes are much more durable than ours. 
 
 “We conversed on this for some time ; at last the heat 
 became very oppressive, though I had taken off both cloak and 
 hat ; the wood-smoke also nearly blinded me, so I rose to 
 depart. The good hostess caught my arm and pressed me to 
 stay, saying, her son worked at the farm, and knew all about 
 it ; by which I think she meant that he had been one of the 
 hearers there, but am not certain of this. 
 
 “ She asked my name, and addressing me by it begged me to 
 stay and dine with her ; in vain I said the other lady at the 
 farm would be expecting me back. She said, ‘Never mind 
 that, stay and eat with me to-day. I have plenty to eat in my 
 house.’ I excused myself with many thanks, and got at last 
 into the open air, which was not unwelcome, certainly ; and a 
 most interesting sight was there before the door, not less than 
 three or four-and-twenty men were grouped round the Mission- 
 ary, who was reading in the Gospel, and explaining and 
 exhorting to his audience, nearly all of whom were of the 
 humblest class, and many quite ragged, but all looking full of 
 attention. ‘ To the poor the Gospel is preached,’ seemed to echo 
 in one’s ears at such a scene. On the preacher’s left hand sat a 
 venerable old blind man with a long grey beard, whose earnest 
 expression looked as if a ray of heavenly light had at length 
 began to enter his long-darkened soul. Not wishing to shorten 
 their brief opportunity, I sat down on a stone near the door, to 
 look and listen : but the women perceiving this, almost dragged 
 
THE FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 159 
 
 me into the house again ; and after a breath of cool air I was 
 able to stand the wood-smoke for another quarter of an hour, 
 after which the group outside broke up and returned to their 
 work. 
 
 “What makes it appear that a real work of God was 
 beginning here was, that no one asked for ‘backsheesh,’ as is so 
 often done in Egyptian villages when a European is seen. 
 Except a mere child by the road-side occasionally, no one begged 
 during the whole time I was in that part of the country ; and 
 on the last evening it was difficult to persuade two poor 
 labourers, who had to support large families on less than four- 
 pence a-day, to accept a small present offered them, and only on 
 my urging them for their children’s sake, and as a mark of 
 friendship, did they at last consent to open the fingers they had 
 resolutely closed against the coin. There was so much to be 
 done in the town, and the difficulties attending an excursion to 
 this distant spot were so many, that it had only once been re- 
 visited when I left Cairo, and on that occasion most of the old 
 acquaintances were absent, being at work in a very distant part 
 of the plantation. But one or other sometimes comes to Cairo 
 on farm business, meets the Missionary, and always expresses a 
 hope that he will return and read more to them from ‘the 
 book.’ ” 
 
160 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 A FEW WORDS ABOUT MISSION WORK IN THE EAST. 
 
 Some persons are wont to say, in speaking of residence in 
 Egypt, “ It must be difficult to do anything in such a hot 
 country — you must be languid, and tired ; and, of course, no 
 one can safely go out in the middle of the day, for fear of sun- 
 stroke ; and then, the swarms of flies, and the abundance of 
 other small enemies, and it must be so horrible to be among the 
 poor, dirty as they are ! And then, there are the mosquitos, 
 and the scorpions, and the tarantulas, and the dust, and the hot 
 wind, which is so dreadful for Europeans. It must be a very 
 trying country to live in, and still more to labour in ! ” That 
 is one side. Others again say, “ It must be such pleasant work, 
 keeping a school in Egypt, with that delightfully fine climate, 
 and no frost or snow to dread, and never, of course, the least 
 cold ” (which is not strictly correct). “ And all those interesting 
 poor people ! ” adds some lady of a romantic turn. “Instead 
 of Mary Smith and Peggy Tomkins, dressed in their ugly, 
 formal bonnets and cloaks, or aping fine ladies, and clad in cri- 
 nolines and flowers, you have Fatmehs and Zobeides with 
 flowing veils, and silver bracelets on their arms, carrying 
 pitchers on their heads from the well ; and nice old men in 
 turbans and venerable beards, and all kinds of primitive 
 customs to watch. How different from us at home, going to 
 our Sunday-school on a drizzling day, with an umbrella, and 
 finding a troublesome flock, perhaps, of Johnnies and Tommies, 
 
MISSION WORK IN THE EAST. 
 
 161 
 
 eating apples and dog-earing their hymn-books ! It must be all 
 sunshine with you in that bright land.” There is the other 
 side ; and, as is the case with all things that have two sides, 
 both are in a great measure true, only somewhat partial and 
 exaggerated, especially if taken each by itself. 
 
 I believe, if any one undertakes missionary labours, or any 
 sort of occupation connected directly or indirectly with the good 
 of souls, from any other than the highest motives, one of two 
 things will be the result sooner or later, — either the person will 
 see all the evils and difficulties of his station with a magnifying 
 glass, and each year they will seem to increase around him, 
 until he either gives it all up, or performs his duties in a 
 despondent, unsatisfactory manner at best, always complaining 
 to friends at home, and feeling irritable or saddened by the 
 troubles of each day ; — or else, if his tastes and fancies happen 
 to be gratified by the foreign residence, and his health remains 
 good, he will make his business secondary to other things, and 
 rather use it as a matter to be talked of, and written about, 
 than as the real object of his life, to which pleasure and 
 amusement must be frequently given up, and which should be 
 carried on faithfully, whether in the sight of men or alone. 
 
 The self-deception which made him leave home and friends, 
 thinking that he came only for God’s service when his private 
 tastes and desires were really the moving cause, must injure 
 his powers of usefulness, and often make the undertaking end 
 in disappointment. 
 
 I do not mean, of course, that a disregard of tastes and 
 habits, and, even more, of physical constitution, qualifies a 
 teacher or a missionary for foreign work, far from it ; these 
 ought all to be taken into consideration, the latter especially : 
 for any one whose health “ cannot stand heat,” and is utterly 
 prostrated by even the temperate warmth of an English summer, 
 to settle in a very hot country is seldom advisable ; there 
 ought to be very distinct calls of duty, or else he would be 
 wise to choose another sphere ; and one who suffers much 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 during the winds of March and snows of January at home, 
 would be of no great use if sent to Greenland or Labrador, as 
 he would either soon fall sick, or, at best, have his energies 
 cramped by weakness and depression. This appears so self- 
 evident as to be quite needless to remark upon ; but there are 
 excellent and devoted Christians, who, from a conscientious 
 distrust of their own motives, and a knowledge of the love of 
 change inherent in many, particularly young persons, are in- 
 clined to think that no missionary or teacher can be safely 
 trusted to go to a distant land, unless it is very distasteful to 
 him • — that if he goes to India, when he would so much rather 
 stay at home, that it is all trial and grief, except so far as his 
 wish to serve God is concerned, by preaching to the heathen, 
 then, and then only, he may believe that it is a call from God ; 
 that if a warm climate suits his health and tastes, he can never 
 venture to think that his motives are not selfish ones. This is 
 going much too far the other way : because there are self- 
 deceived teachers, it does not follow that all are so ; and may 
 not self-deception also exist in the ascetic principle, which 
 mixes so frequently in the feelings which sometimes actuate 
 noble-minded persons to do the kind of work most distasteful, or 
 to seek the country most uncongenial, in order thus to please God ? 
 
 The devoted Greenland Missionary, Egede, did not select 
 Greenland because he disliked it ; nay, in spite of many most 
 severe trials and difficulties, his long wife, and the comparatively 
 robust health enjoyed by him and his life, prove beyond a 
 doubt that neither the country nor the circumstances were 
 absolutely contrary to his nature. Why did he select that 
 distant field for his labours? It seemed laid open by God, 
 from the intense desire he had for years to go there ; so that, 
 as he said, he thought of the Greenlanders by day and by night, 
 and longed to go to them. 
 
 Had he forced himself to go to the interior of Africa instead of 
 the ice-bound regions of the North, it is likely he would have 
 done very little, and probably died early. 
 
MISSION WORK IN THE EAST. 
 
 163 
 
 It is no small trial to those whose hearts are really given to 
 their work, to be thus misjudged by those who, hearing of the 
 beauty of the scenery and the charms which do undoubtedly 
 belong, more or less, to warm countries, take it too much for 
 granted that they came for their own pleasure, and have little 
 to contend with, compared to the evils met with at home in the 
 shape of fog and rain, and that everything must be full of 
 romance and lively interest in “ the East.” Whereas the prose 
 of life is to be found more or less everywhere, and those who 
 have to deal with the hearts of their fellow- creatures find 
 similar difficulties, whether at home or abroad ; though modified, 
 of course, by external circumstances. 
 
 On the other hand, those who go to a distance need not 
 forget, that if they remained at home they would find plenty 
 of evils and hindrances in their work ; we need not measure 
 our respective lots one with another, but, as far as possible, 
 follow out what appears to be God’s intention for us, and then 
 trust Him to select and apportion out our crosses as He sees 
 fit, who knows the strength and capacity of all His creatures. 
 And it is certain, that if the motive be really pure and honest, 
 those around us, those who see our daily walk, will be sure 
 to learn what is the principle that guides us by the consistency 
 of conduct which is the fruit of a pure motive ; for we know 
 where it is said, “If thine eye be single, thy whole body 
 shall be full of light.” The evil one tempts God’s children to 
 squint, as it were, by besetting them with temptations on every 
 side ; and surely we should all, in our weakness, turn our eye 
 from its view upward and onward, if there were not a voice 
 from Heaven sounding in our ears, when we listen for it, 
 counteracting the powers of evil by saying “ This is the way, 
 walk ye in it,” when we would “ turn to the right hand or to 
 the left.” Then all things will be weighed carefully, and the 
 opinions of others receive due attention, without our falling 
 into that servile “fear of man which bringeth a snare.” The 
 tastes and powers bestowed on us by God are meant to be used 
 
 m 2 
 
164 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 in His service, indirectly if not directly, and only to be given 
 up or thwarted when duty calls on us to do so. The eye which 
 can mark and appreciate the beauteous colouring of the East, 
 and the hand which can delineate its interesting scenes, do not 
 hinder the possessor from being an humble worker in the Lord’s 
 vineyard. By diverting the mind, often oppressed with much 
 anxious thought, and cheering hours of solitude, as well as by 
 enabling him to bring before friends at home what goes on 
 around him, these talents may be positively useful, so long as 
 they are kept in their proper places, and never allowed to 
 trespass on the real occupation of life. But as soon as drawing, 
 or writing amusing books or letters, or any other favourite relaxa- 
 tion, is permitted to encroach on the duties and take up the time 
 and the attention which belong to them, so soon do they 
 become an evil to the individual, whatever good they may bring 
 to others. 
 
 I have used the masculine pronoun in these observations, as 
 being the “ common gender ” in our language ; but I refer more 
 especially, as may be supposed, to female teachers and agents, 
 whether going out independently or under societies. Such 
 persons are usually beset with two distinct difficulties from 
 their different friends and relations ; one set applaud them, 
 perhaps rashly, for their self-denial in going so far from home, 
 and making such sacrifices, &c. ; so that they are in danger, if 
 not very humble-minded, of getting somewhat puffed up with 
 the idea of their courage ; while another set take the line 
 before alluded to, and imagine that the novelty must be such an 
 inducement that the sincerity of the motive is more than 
 doubtful. Perhaps the young agent cannot always be sure 
 herself what has induced her first to turn her thoughts to 
 foreign labour : of course there are cases where circumstances 
 so clearly point out the place and the work, as to leave no 
 rational doubt ; but where it is not so, she can only pray to 
 be guided, and use all the means she can to find out what God 
 would have her do, especially by consulting more advanced 
 
MISSION WORK IN THE EAST. 
 
 165 
 
 Christians, those in particular who have experience of a mission- 
 ary life abroad ; or who, from having a great deal to do with 
 Missions, and those labouring in them, are likely to be able to 
 judge of her fitness for the task. 
 
 Different qualifications are needed, or are useful, in different 
 stations ; and the person highly fitted for one is quite out of 
 her element in another ; but the “ single eye ” is needed alike 
 in all ; the unselfish, cheerful yielding of private wishes and 
 pleasures for the sake of duty and for the comfort and pleasure 
 of others, the consistent tenor of the daily life, are requisites 
 which no missionary teacher or agent should start without. 
 
 Many well-intentioned persons do deceive themselves about 
 their views : some, from ignorance of the life before them, wish 
 to escape the known evils of their present lot by offering them- 
 selves as Missionaries, making Christianity a cloak for worldly 
 motives : others, who are not thus mistaken throughout, and 
 who honestly wish to be useful in their generation, are yet 
 deficient in the “ single eye,” and wish to unite a great many 
 objects at once in a way that is scarcely ever compatible with 
 missionary work. Their error is not in enjoying God’s gifts (and 
 sunshine abroad is as much His gift as a fireside at home), or in 
 preferring one place to another ; but in going out ostensibly as 
 Missionaries, when that is not the moving principle, but only 
 one among many wishes and objects ; they go, in short, to 
 please themselves, rather than to please God. If they do good, 
 it will, therefore, be very partial, and often not very lasting : if 
 the watch has no mainspring there may be plenty of works, 
 but they are sure to go wrong; if not at first apparent, the 
 deficiency will tell in time : but if the true mainspring, the 
 wish to live for God and serve Him, is in the heart, there is no 
 doubt but that the other works and wheels will work in sub- 
 jection to that ruling power ; for “the love of Christ con- 
 straineth us.” 
 
 One more observation, for the sake of any who are 
 thinking of a missionary life abroad, I am tempted to make : 
 
166 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 the more earnest and self-denying, and the more devoted she is 
 in her work, the more of actual difficulty and trouble the 
 teacher will find. And it is well to be prepared for it before- 
 hand. A show of work costs less trouble than the reality ; a 
 little work, less trouble than a great deal ; and so on. If she 
 is content with bringing one or two persons under Christian 
 teaching, for instance, she has not the anxiety or labour of 
 those who are seeking to sow beside all waters. If a few chil- 
 dren in her school satisfy her, she will be content with drilling 
 them into tolerable order, and making them sing hymns to ^ 
 delight visitors ; instead of wearying herself to get in fresh 
 recruits, who give ten times the trouble, and make the old 
 scholars unruly. But if there is the real missionary spirit in 
 the heart, she cannot rest satisfied with a small interest on the 
 talent she is putting out to usury for the Lord, but hungers 
 and thirsts after souls, and longs more ardently than any words 
 could express to see many come into the fold : her own coldness 
 in doing so little for One who did so much for “ the flock,” is 
 her frequent grief ; but the aim of her life is, while feeling that 
 we are but unprofitable servants, and have done far less than 
 was commanded to us, to work while it is day, remembering 
 that the night cometh when no man can work. She has great 
 difficulties, no doubt, to contend with ; greater than one who is 
 easily satisfied, and who does not feel her soul yearn over the 
 multitudes around her who know not God : greater than those 
 can tell who do not know what it is to labour among Mahom- 
 medan, or heathen females, whose habits and sentiments are so 
 degraded ; and the more keenly alive she is to this, the more 
 she is fitted to work among and raise them ; but amidst the 
 difficulty she has the blessing. A strong abiding love for the 
 souls of others is, after all, the missionary teacher’s best qualifi- 
 cation ; no talents, no powers, however great, will stand in lieu 
 of it : and next to this, nothing is so important to one going 
 out, or desiring to go out, to distant lands, as the training 
 given by working among the poor and ignorant at home. 
 
MISSION WORK IN THE EAST. 
 
 167 
 
 I remember bearing of a person desirous to go on a foreign 
 Mission, who discoursed eloquently on the objects in view, and 
 really seemed to have great qualifications in the way of talents, 
 and a clear knowledge of Gospel truth ; but when he was advised, 
 while waiting till the plans could be arranged, to spend the 
 intervening months in working among some Ragged Schools, as 
 a good preparation for himself, and an opportunity of being 
 useful at once, without any delay, he declined the task. In 
 course of time he went to his wished-for sphere ; but, as might 
 be fairly expected, failed, and gave up in disgust ; for one who 
 will not make use of opportunities, wherever he may be placed 
 by circumstances, can hardly look for a blessing on his work. 
 
 There are, of course, peculiar powers which fit persons for 
 peculiar spheres of action ; but no Missionary of experience 
 will hesitate, if asked what kind of teacher or assistant he would 
 wish to be sent out to help him with heathen women and chil- 
 dren, to reply, “One who has worked among the poor at home.” 
 And if I mistake not, he would add, “ One who has the cha- 
 racter of being consistent and steady in the performance of 
 ordinary domestic duties.” 
 
 After these essentials come other qualifications, which are 
 valuable each in its own way ; some for one country, some for 
 another : but these are the salt which cannot be dispensed 
 with, for “ if the salt hath lost its savour, wherewith shall it be 
 salted 1 ” It is not every good Sunday-school teacher, nor every 
 good, active girl, who is fitted to be particularly useful as a 
 foreign Missionary ; but we may assert the converse pretty 
 safely, since one who is ignorant of the ways and habits of the 
 poor in her own country will not be likely to prove a useful 
 assistant where the people are still more ignorant and degraded 
 than those of the lanes and alleys of our cities : and it stands 
 to reason, that if her home-life has been very inconsistent and 
 unsatisfactory, it is not probable that she will be a valuable 
 assistant where example is more important than anything else. 
 Those who cannot understand our language, can hear its tones ; 
 
168 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 those who are unacquainted with our motives, can see our 
 actions ; and the uncivilised, or half-civilised, are like children 
 in the sharpness with which they observe what goes on around 
 them, while seemingly indifferent, or occupied with their own 
 concerns. The missionary teacher has need to pray and watch 
 most carefully, lest she may do more harm, unconsciously, in 
 one direction, than good in another, even when anxiously 
 labouring for the benefit of her scholars. But, happily for us 
 in our weakness, prayer and watching are never in vain ; and 
 the humblest pioneers in the campaign against ignorance and 
 sin, need never fear being deserted, or left without due help, in 
 time of need. 
 
169 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED. 
 
 The cold weather had come, and was beginning to depart, for 
 January was well advanced, without bringing me the expected 
 teacher from Syria. Friends at home, little cognisant of the 
 difficulty of getting any kind of suitable assistants, supposed, in 
 every letter, that by this time a teacher had been found ; but, 
 in fact, the snow of Lebanon itself would have been more easily 
 procured ! The difficulty of inducing the few Protestant 
 Syrians to leave their countiy for one less healthy to most of 
 them, and more expensive to all, is naturally very great ; and 
 the American Missionaries, who have laboured so long among 
 them, can scarcely, perhaps, be expected readily to part with 
 the pupils they have taken such pains to train, especially as 
 they have still more demand than supply for their own schools, 
 and, moreover, are not generally at all sanguine about any 
 work among Moslems. I remained, therefore, sole teacher, as 
 well as superintendent, from the opening of the school in the 
 end of November, till the last week in January, except an 
 occasional lift of a couple of hours from an elderly Syrian lady, 
 who, though unused to keeping a school, and only possessed .of a 
 very limited education, yet kindly did her best to teach a little 
 reading and Scripture when I was laid by with a cold, and 
 needed a little rest very much. But casual help, of so irregular 
 a kind, and which could never be reckoned on , made no great 
 difference in the responsibility of the work j and the constant 
 
170 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 attention required prevented the possibility of visiting among 
 the mothers as frequently as I could have wished, or trying to 
 assemble them for a meeting. 
 
 The Arabian proverb, “patience is the key to glory,” often 
 comes into one’s mind in the midst of the incessant little dis- 
 appointments about promising children, and all the small 
 hindrances and troubles which are common to all school 
 teachers, but which, of course, are increased in a foreign 
 country, where the language is not fully understood, and the 
 habits and ways of the people different from our own. Still 
 better, indeed, is the warning of Scripture, “ In patience possess 
 ye your souls.” I select a few notes, made at the time, which 
 may interest Sunday-school teachers and others, who like to 
 watch the traiuing of the young : — 
 
 “Dec. 1862. — My children were very troublesome this 
 morning. Scandara was in one of her fickle moods, and 
 alternately teased and diverted the others. She had got, by 
 way of a veil, a piece of coarse English muslin, not nearly so 
 pretty as her usual one; but she was very vain of it, as a 
 novelty ; and kept simpering, and tittering, and pretending to 
 be an “aroos,” or bride , till the rest of the girls were unable to 
 attend to a word of their lessons. When she was quieted, with 
 much ado, I got them in order while I read the portion of 
 Scripture ; but so limited is the vocabulary of the lowest class 
 in Cairo, that it is necessary for me to translate at least two 
 words in every twenty lines into equivalents, as far as my 
 limited knowledge permits. These children do not seem to 
 know of any word but 1 stone * for rock, though their rich 
 language has a great many, I believe. They appear, in fact, to 
 make a few words do the part of a maid-of-all-work, as the un- 
 educated in all countries are apt to do ; as, for example, the vulgar 
 Italians using one word for a boat, a carriage, and a box. 
 
 “ Another difficulty is the changing attendance : with the 
 exception of a few, and those chiefly younger ones, most of the 
 children come alternate days, or come two, and then stay away 
 
HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED. 
 
 171 
 
 one ; so that to pick up the threads of each, and remember where 
 she is, and what she has been learning, is not always easy. 
 
 “ They all agree in being affectionate, whether good or bad in 
 other respects. Sekeeneh is, perhaps, an exception, being such 
 a covetous, selfish child ; but I do not think there is another. 
 Seeing my head tied up on account of a cold this morning, they 
 were full of sympathy ; and several said, coaxingly, ‘ May not I 
 kiss thee to-day, because thou hast pain h ’ While others 
 greeted me with little pats on the back and shoulders ; repeat- 
 ing, * Dear teacher ! never mind, never mind ! ’ Which ex- 
 pression, as well as the patting, is used to denote sympathy and 
 consolation to any one in pain, either of mind or body.” 
 
 “ Dec. continued . — Werdeh has come again to school, after a 
 few days’ absence ; and I hardly know whether to be glad or sorry. 
 She is a great ‘lump of a girl,’ as we should say in Ireland ; 
 looking about fourteen, but, probably, two years less, as self- 
 willed and proud as any grown woman, and yet as childish as a 
 baby. She cries and whimpers in the most ridiculous way if 
 thwarted ; begged hard one day for a small doll, which I had 
 given to a young child ; saying, ‘ Give me the bride, I want the 
 bride ’ (a doll is generally so called in this country) ; and yet she 
 domineers over the others, if my eye is off for a couple of 
 minutes, and assumes the airs of a superior. The matron hates 
 her, and begged me to forbid her the school, as she will never 
 learn to read, seeing she cannot be kept five minutes quiet with 
 the card in her hand, but must ever be jumping up to beat or 
 pinch some one, or to give me advice as to the management of 
 the school. I do not choose to turn any one away, however, 
 and the poor girl, with all her faults, seems affectionate ; at 
 least, to her teacher. Her habit of using bad language is the 
 worst trouble, because I cannot always detect it, of course, and 
 am sometimes grieved, in the midst of a lesson, to hear one call 
 out, ‘ Teacher, Werdeh is cursing my mother ! and she curses 
 So-and-so’s father ! ’ It is not easy to punish such a big pupil. 
 The little ones I make stand behind the door, with face turned 
 
172 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 to the wall, for trifling misdemeanours, and find it always a very 
 efficacious punishment. 
 
 44 The other day we had a curious request from a poor man, I 
 suppose, a neighbour, who came shouting under the window for 
 the teacher, and when I looked out to see what he wanted, 
 found that his little girl had been naughty ; how, he did not 
 explain to my comprehension exactly ; but his desire was, that 
 I should bring her in and beat her. It was out of school 
 hours. I told him that in school we did not use a stick for the 
 girls, but that they must stand with their face to the wall if 
 they were naughty, which he seemed to think very droll : how- 
 ever, he went away when he found I would not inflict the 
 beating. 
 
 “ Several of the young ones are like kittens for mirth and 
 spirit, and can hardly be kept out of mischief for a minute ; 
 but I would rather have them mischievous and merry than dull 
 and stupid. They are dear little things, and their pretty black 
 eyes dance with glee when they are full of fun, so that I love to 
 see them ; but I sadly want a monitress or pupil-teacher : my 
 former assistant, Menni, though so young, and not very bright, 
 would be a great comfort. As to making one of these un- 
 taught young Moslems, or even one of the few Coptic girls, into 
 a monitress, I find that will not answer as yet. After they have 
 been a few months at school I may try it again, but at present 
 the attempt usually fails, because the monitress will persist in 
 beating the scholars under her ; and they on their part decline 
 obeying an. equal, unless she does beat them. This morning, 
 they all with one consent began repeating their text so pro- 
 fanely, in imitation of two little Copts, who are much worse in 
 this respect than Moslems, that a general laughing ensued, and I 
 was obliged, as soon as I could gain a hearing, to speak very 
 seriously about it. 4 Listen, children : you know I do not beat ; 
 my cane is only a reed to point with, and cannot beat : but, 
 therefore, you must obey my voice ; do you understand 1 * 
 4 Yes, teacher.’ 4 Very well. Now God’s words, the words of 
 
HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED. 
 
 173 
 
 His book, are holy, and must be said slowly and softly, thus 
 . . . . and not screamed, as you did this morning. God hears 
 you, remember. He is great and we are small ; He is holy, 
 and we are sinners : so we must speak softly when we say the 
 words of His book.’ They now all repeated, in soft, gentle 
 tones, ‘There is One God and One Mediator,’ &c. ; and all 
 looked pleased when I praised them. Praise is, indeed, as 
 much valued by these children as by any of our European 
 little ones, if not more.” 
 
 Dec. continued . — “ I had to take the school into the fezzhar 
 (a sort of passage or corridor) to-day, because some one had 
 broken the windows of the school-room, and the glazier had 
 selected that hour to mend them, instead of coming in the 
 afternoon of the previous day, according to my request. It was 
 hard work to teach in so confined a place ; for no child liked to 
 give way, and one nudged and another knocked, and the inces- 
 sant cry was ‘ Arassnee ! ’ (She pinched me !) followed by a 
 howl from the injured one and peals of laughter from the rest. 
 Heneyna played every imaginable monkey-trick, and when sent 
 to the corner pretended to hide her face and cry, while grin- 
 ning through the chinks of her ragged blue veil ; so that 
 it was impossible to keep one’s countenance. When the gla- 
 zier’s work was done, instead of going away, he stood looking 
 at the pictures, and took a card in his hand, and really seemed 
 as if he would gladly have been a scholar himself. I asked 
 if he had any little girls, and he said, sorrowfully, ‘ I had one 
 once, but she is dead.’ 
 
 “ Fatmeh, Shoh’s sister, has not been to see me for a long 
 time, and her last two visits were, I grieve to say, evidently 
 made on mercenary motives. She is an amiable, quiet-tempered 
 creature, but weak and changeable, and very inferior in intelli- 
 gence to Shoh, who, though not good-tempered, is capable, I 
 think, of stronger affection. 
 
 “ The desire for approbation is very amusing sometimes, in 
 my little flock, by the naivete with which they ask for it ; as 
 
174 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 for instance, ‘ Am I not good to-day, teacher ? am I not quite 
 nice ? ’ or, ‘ Teacher, you love me because I am good, don’t 
 you ? Say I am good ! ’ 1 Is my work very pretty h ’ lisps a 
 
 little creature of five years old, with a bit of rag ^pulled over 
 her forefinger, its original hue disguised by dirt, and what work- 
 women call ‘mauling,’ and with stitches half an inch long. 
 The self-praise, as well as the constant demand for approbation, 
 needed frequent checking of course, and one day, when 
 explaining the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, of which 
 I had a picture on the wall, I tried to show them the sin of 
 pride and boasting, saying, that God did not like people who 
 praised themselves, but that the Publican was right because he 
 was humble, &c. Next morning, two or three children began 
 as usual, vaunting themselves for their supposed merits ; when 
 a little Copt girl, in many respects a very good child, but parti- 
 cularly addicted to this habit, called out from the corner where 
 she was sitting with her spelling-card, ‘ Sitti ! I am veiy bad ! ’ 
 (in a tone of triumph and exultation difficult to describe) ; ‘ I 
 am good for nothing ! I am a pig ! ! ’ At which climax, I con- 
 fess the dignity of the teacher gave way, and she fairly burst 
 out laughing ; the ‘ pride that apes humility ’ was certainly ex- 
 hibited to perfection, as she repeated, ‘ I am not a Pharisee ; I 
 am good for nothing, I am a pig ! ! ’ ” 
 
 Extract from Journal continued . — “ January , 1863. Re- 
 opened school this month. After the Christmas holidays, which 
 had lasted a fortnight, I had had a severe cold, and having no 
 one to take my place in school, I was obliged to dismiss school 
 for that period, and go for change of air to the country ; perhaps 
 another year I may manage so as to let the holiday, except a day 
 or two, come in Ramadan, as it is then that a school of Moslems 
 naturally falls off. I found the fatigue of so many hours’ 
 incessant teaching too much to continue, especially as a matron 
 who has never been accustomed to any kind of school can afford 
 but very partial aid, even in keeping order, and not un- 
 frequently leaves the sewing upon my hands in addition to the 
 
HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED. 
 
 175 
 
 rest. The Missionary to the Moslems kindly gave me a little 
 temporary help in reading and catechising in Scripture, two or 
 three times, justly considering that, as they were chiefly Moslem 
 children, an hour thus spent was not lost to his peculiar 
 business. But I wanted more daily and more mechanical 
 assistance ; and at length, at the very end of the month, a 
 young person was recommended to me, who could teach the 
 routine of spelling and reading, and who, though unused to a 
 school, seemed so intelligent and docile, that there was every 
 hope she would improve rapidly ; and her first week has proved 
 very satisfactory, on the whole. Teresa is of mixed Italian and 
 Syrian extraction, though born in Cairo, and a member of one 
 of the Oriental Churches, and not, therefore, to be trusted with 
 any religious instruction ; but she is perfectly aware that she is 
 not to interfere in this, and is so far from being bigoted, that 
 she is ready to read and listen to the Gospel for herself. Her 
 assistance spares my voice greatly, though being only mechanical 
 aid, her own education being so limited, the same constant 
 superintendence is necessary as before, at least as yet, but she is 
 tar beyond the poor old matron in sense, &c. ; and if she were 
 a Protestant, I would by degrees train her into a nice teacher.” 
 The fast of Ramadan, which began the third week in 
 February, had the effect of thinning our numbers for a time, 
 considerably, as all but quite the young ones fast, and therefore 
 are unfit for any exertion in the day-time : the Moslem fast im- 
 plying abstinence from water as well as food, from sunrise to 
 sunset. But when that weary month was over the children 
 soon flocked back to school, and their numbers varied between 
 twenty and thirty, and latterly there was a decided increase. 
 Something of order and manners had, ere that time, been 
 established : some steady scholars could spell, and were 
 beginning to read ; and the greater part, who were not steady 
 in attendance and consequently could not read, yet could repeat 
 several texts of Scripture, and also the first answers in a brief 
 catechism which had been prepared for their use ; and all, 
 
176 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 except new-comers, could tell the meaning of several Scripture 
 pictures. It is true that a stranger might easily overrate the 
 order and tranquillity of the children, for the presence of a 
 foreign visitor naturally awed them into unusual stillness and 
 propriety of demeanour ; and an English gentleman, who 
 honoured the school with a visit one day, remarked that they 
 seemed “ a very quiet, orderly set,” which, had he seen them 
 ten minutes before, he could not have said, certainly. But 
 considering the circumstances, and that these were chiefly 
 Moslem girls of the lowest class, and that more than half had 
 never been to any sort of school till a few months before, we 
 had no reason to be discouraged, but rather much cause for 
 thankfulness. Shoh frequently came in to listen while I taught 
 Scripture in school ; and one day, when the Missionary had 
 called and was assisting me by reading to the elder children the 
 history of the Crucifixion, Shoh, with her baby on her lap, 
 seated herself on the ground to listen ; when we stopped, I 
 asked her if she knew why Jesus Christ suffered this death on 
 the cross ? “It was for our sakes,” replied Shoh, without 
 hesitation, “for our sins, to save us.” Now, I do not 'say this 
 poor child-woman is a Christian ; God only knows how far the 
 knowledge, small as it is, which she has received, has sunk into 
 her heart ; whether the intellect is stirred without the soul 
 having taken the impression, or if there is light in the soul, so 
 faint that His all-seeing eye can alone be sure of its presence ; 
 but she does know that Christ died for sinners ; she may never 
 throw off the outward yoke of Islam, and yet by degrees may 
 come nearer and nearer to Him whom she now sees afar off. 
 We must pray and wait, in her case as in so many others ! 
 
 It is a comfort to see habits of cleanliness beginning to make 
 a little way, though I fear it will be some time yet before they 
 will penetrate into the homes , and that clean hands and faces 
 are only looked on as a “ school-dress ; ” still, even that is a 
 point gained. I observe the older girls seldom now come with 
 dirty faces, and those who have been some time in school are 
 
HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED. 
 
 177 
 
 vigorous assistants in purifying new-comers, some of whom 
 really look as if a hoe would be required before soap and water 
 could produce any effect. It is rather amusing to see the pride 
 shown by old scholars in introducing a new child, who generally 
 comes up the steps with a half-frightened look, as if fearing to 
 be beaten, and yet half-laughing at the encouragements of the 
 others who surround her, patting her on the back, saying, 
 “ Don’t be afraid, the teacher is good.” Then one calls out her 
 name. “ Sitti ! here is a new girl ; she is called Fatmeh, or 
 Hosna, or So-and-so.” Another exhorts her officiously to kiss 
 the teacher’s hand ; and then, while she stands undecided 
 whether to laugh or cry at the door, scarcely able to listen to 
 the kind words which her teacher addresses to her, because so 
 many voices are speaking round her, the state of her face and 
 hands is perceived, and, with some coaxing, she is induced to 
 undergo the ablutions, of which she cannot see the advantage, 
 poor little thing ! To go to the bath once in a very long time 
 is a treat to any Egyptian child (and we may venture to remark, 
 that in this they are better off than some in our great cities, 
 who never do get even a yearly scouring) ; but the idea of daily 
 cleanliness is, of course, a complete novelty, and at first 
 distasteful. The victim is seized by two school-fellows, and 
 made to stoop down while they scrub her cheeks and hands, and 
 sometimes get the soap into her eyes, till she cries for mercy ; 
 but when the operation is over, and her brown skin shines with 
 rubbing, she is again patted on the back and neck, and comforted 
 with the cheering assurance that she is now “ quite pretty, 
 quite nice, very clean ! ” and takes her place tolerably content. 
 
 Hair is a much more difficult matter than hands and faces, 
 as the foolish custom of plaiting it in long and numerous tails, 
 which are only undone at rare intervals, renders cleanliness 
 scarcely possible : the more respectable persons undo the plaits 
 once a- week, and we endeavour to get the children to keep to 
 this plan, which is the best attainable at present ; the poorest, 
 if left to themselves, would think two or three times a-year 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 often enough. The very little girls, however, often cut their 
 hair short, which I always applaud, and advise the mothers to 
 keep it so till they get big. One wonders they should not all 
 cut it off, as scarcely any, except the long ends, or a few stray 
 hairs, are allowed to be seen, the mendeel being always tied 
 over the whole head among the poor children : probably they 
 would get sunstrokes if they did not thus protect the head in a 
 country where the power of the sun is so great during most of 
 the year. 
 
 It seems as if every depth had a lower depth, and the boys 
 are even worse than the girls, as to uncleanliness, at least it is 
 more difficult to make them care ; just as is the case in our 
 country, vanity comes in to assist a girl in thinking of her 
 appearance when once she begins to see that a clean face is 
 better than one smeared with mud and dust ; but the boy only 
 wishes to enjoy his play unfettered. The two or three small 
 boys who were allowed on sufferance with their sisters (all 
 under four years old), came each day as begrimed as before, of 
 course ; but they soon learned to submit patiently to the daily 
 ceremony at school. One, a little Copt boy, named Mansoor, 
 w T as really a lovely little fellow when clean, in spite of the most 
 wretched and unbecoming garment ; (he had but one ;) such 
 sweet black eyes, with a little wistful expression ! I used to 
 think how nice that child would look in a white frock and 
 scarlet sash ; however, he was just as happy making dust-heaps 
 and nibbling sugar-cane ; and he may wear white one day of 
 another kind, poor child, if he learns to know the truth, and to 
 become a conqueror over sin, through the power of the Spirit. 
 The name Mansoor signifies, properly, one who has obtained a 
 victory, or rather, one who has been enabled by God to gain 
 the victory ; a beautiful meaning.* 
 
 It may interest those who are occupied about schools, or who 
 
 * This poor boy afterwards met with an accident which disfigured his 
 pretty face for ever ; he was badly burnt. I have since lost sight of him, 
 as he left my quarter. 
 
HOW THE SCHOOL PROGRESSED. 
 
 179 
 
 love the subject of teaching for its own sake, to glance over a 
 translation of a part of the brief catechism which the children 
 in Bab-el-Bahar are taught ; it must be borne in mind that it 
 was arranged for the use of Moslems especially, and with 
 a view to quite young children ; the corresponding Arabic 
 is as simple in its wording as the English given here, which 
 is as nearly literal as the difference of the language permits. 
 
 Question. Who made you h 
 
 Answer. God. 
 
 Q. Where is the difference between you and the brutes h 
 
 A. I have a soul, and they have not. 
 
 Q. What will happen to your body ? 
 
 A . It will die, and be laid in the ground. 
 
 Q. What will then happen to your soul 1 
 
 A. My soul will either go to heaven or to hell. 
 
 Q. What is heaven 1 
 
 A. A beautiful place, where there is no sin and no sorrow, 
 and where God dwells. 
 
 Q. What is hell f 
 
 A. A dreadful place of misery, far from God. 
 
 Q. How can you go to heaven h 
 
 A. I must love God, and obey Him all my life. 
 
 Q. Are you able to do this % 
 
 A. Hot of myself, because my heart is evil ; I often do 
 wrong. 
 
 Q. Are all people sinners ? 
 
 A. Yes. 
 
 Q. Do they deserve heaven h 
 
 A. No, they deserve hell; but God is willing to forgive 
 their sins. 
 
 Q. For whose sake will God forgive sin ? 
 
 A. For the sake of Jesus Christ His Son, who bore the 
 punishment of sin in His own person. 
 
 Q. Why do you call Jesus Christ the Son of God h 
 
 A . Because He is the Spirit of God in a human body. 
 
 n 2 
 
180 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 Q. What did He suffer for us h 
 
 A. He died upon the cross, a cruel death, that we might 
 receive pardon instead of punishment. 
 
 Q. Hid His body remain in the ground ? 
 
 A. No ; He rose the third day, and His body is now in 
 heaven. 
 
 Q . Will He enable you to obey and love God 1 
 
 A. Yes ; He will enable me to do so by His Holy Spirit, if 
 I trust in Him. 
 
 Q. Where do you learn this 1 
 
 A. In God’s book, called the Bible. 
 
 Q. What will happen to you if you do not obey God, and 
 die without forgiveness 1 
 
 A. I shall go to that dreadful place. 
 
 Q. Why is J esus called the Saviour 
 
 A. Because He came to save people from their sins. 
 
 Q. Is He willing to save you 1 
 
 A. Yes; for He said, “Suffer the little children to come 
 unto me.” 
 
 Q. What must you then do h 
 
 A. I must pray God to change my heart, and give me His 
 Holy Spirit, and to forgive me for Jesus Christ’s sake, and to 
 take me when I die to heaven. 
 
 The foregoing questions and answers are all that had been 
 taught when I left Cairo, but a few further ones have since 
 that been added, to teach the doctrines of the Christian faith 
 more fully, especially the resurrection of the body, and day of 
 judgment, <fcc. ; and it will gradually be enlarged as the scholars’ 
 minds are more developed, and their powers of learning by 
 heart improved. In the beginning of a school like this, the 
 time occupied in teaching half-a-dozen questions and answers, 
 and the difficulty , where the attendance is not regular, are not 
 to be understood save by experience. 
 
181 
 
 CHAPTER Till. 
 
 POPULAR SUPERSTITION. 
 
 One morning I found the matron, instead of superintending the 
 schoolroom and seeing the hands of the children washed, &c., 
 engaged in her own apartment with an old woman, who was 
 squatted beside her with a basket of peas and lupins, such as 
 the common people are fond of eating, on one side, and a little 
 mysterious-looking bag in her hand, from which she was taking 
 a handful of something, while the matron spread a handkerchief 
 on the ground. I begged to know what this meant, and was 
 invited to come in and see. A number of pebbles, shells, and 
 pieces of coloured broken glass were strewn on the handkerchief, 
 and the two women bent over them with the liveliest interest. 
 In answer to my questions, they told me that this was a way of 
 telling fortunes. The matron said, half-laughing, that she did 
 not believe in it, but it was for amusement ; however, I scarcely 
 thought that shaking about bits of glass and shells would have 
 amused an elderly widow woman like her, unless she had at 
 least a half-belief in it, and her eagerness betrayed that such 
 was the case. “This,” said the fortune-teller, “is your son,” 
 showing her a little stone ; “ and this is yourself,” selecting a 
 bit of glass. She then shook the whole handful in her hands, 
 muttering meantime, and tumbled them all out again ; the 
 position of each was then examined, and the old woman pro- 
 claimed that Antony would shortly be invited to a grand feast, 
 at which his affectionate parent seemed highly delighted. She 
 now entreated me to let the woman call a stone after me ; I 
 
182 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN' EGYPT. 
 
 declined, but she persisted, saying, “ I also do not believe, but 
 it is to divert us : look, this shall be you, and this your father,” 
 selecting a white shell and a piece of green glass ; “ let us see if 
 this lady’s father is well.” It was impossible to help laughing 
 at the absurdity of the scene as the old dame rattled the shells, 
 &c., and presently said, “ Her father is in health.” “ Heaven be 
 praised!” cried the matron; “how happy I am!” So much 
 was she engaged with this ridiculous diversion that I was 
 obliged to hasten to the schoolroom and do her business in 
 person, as I could not get her away from the fortune-teller. At 
 last she returned to her duties, and, I am bound to say, brought 
 some lupins, or “ turmis,” as they call them, as a little treat to 
 the children ; the sale of such articles being part of the old 
 woman’s means of earning a livelihood, and certainly the more 
 rational of the two. This explained to me the meaning of what 
 I had often seen in the streets and never understood, namely, 
 some old woman sitting at a corner, or near a door-step, with 
 broken glass in small bits, and white shells, &c., spread out 
 before her on a cloth. 
 
 We know that fortune-telling is a favourite way of 
 getting money from the foolish and credulous in all countries, 
 and whether this is peculiar to Egypt or common elsewhere 
 I cannot say. My poor matron seemed to be full of su- 
 perstitions, as ignorant people whose minds are vacant are 
 naturally disposed to be ; she had greater faith, as had many of 
 our ancestors, after all, in charms for sickness, than in any 
 remedies procured from doctors. A young woman had one day 
 come to tell me she was suffering with a swelled neck, and 
 begged I would give her some medicine ; I was about to recom- 
 mend warm oil as a relief, when the matron interposed with a 
 request that I would let her manage it, saying, “ I am a good 
 doctor ; I know everything.” This was rather a bold assertion 
 certainly, but it awed the patient into a belief of her skill, and 
 she willingly agreed to submit to whatever “the doctor” should 
 propose. She was made to kneel down and lay aside her veil ; 
 
POPULAR SUPERSTITION. 
 
 183 . 
 
 the operator then rubbed the throat for a minute, after which 
 she took her by the ears and partially lifted her off the ground 
 by them ; at which Fatmeh screamed, and I expected to see 
 her delicate little ears torn off : but this did not occur, and 
 after muttering some words in a whisper the doctor released 
 the ears, and desired her to touch the ground with her fore- 
 head. While she did this, coming behind her stealthily, she 
 rolled her head over heels ; and as soon as she recovered breath 
 repeated the process, after which she told her her neck would be 
 well, and sent her away in triumph, declaring she felt better. 
 However, a day or two afterwards, I heard it was just as swelled 
 as ever ; and I believe the warm oil well rubbed in was found 
 to give more relief after all, than performing feats of tumbling, 
 or being pulled by the ears 1 
 
 The old superstitious reverence of the ancient Egyptians for 
 cats is well known ; and the mummied cats in the pit at 
 Sacchara are to be seen in evidence of it. It is related in history, 
 that when the Roman army were in Egypt, a soldier was torn 
 to pieces by the populace for having killed a cat, although 
 human beings had been slain without exciting half so much 
 fury ! There are remains of this old feeling in the dislike now 
 felt to destroy kittens, even when it is necessary to thin their 
 number ! It is exceedingly difficult to get rid, in a humane 
 manner, of a family of young kittens, as I once learned from 
 experience. In vain were the poor things taken away ; they 
 were presently brought back again alive, or found squeaking in 
 the court below : there was no kindness to them intended in 
 sparing their lives, for no one scrupled to throw them into a 
 yard or street where dogs might soon worry them, or where 
 they would die of hunger ; but they feared being haunted by 
 the kittens’ ghosts, if they actually destroyed them ! 
 
 What eventually became of the unfortunate little blind 
 creatures I could not ascertain ; but I conclude there is, in 
 fact, much more cruelty in the saving than the drowning of 
 such supernumeraries. I tried to learn if any one had pro- 
 
•184 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 fessed to have seen the ghost of pussy, but was not successful ; 
 though the fear seemed shared alike by Moslem and Copt. In 
 a country where rats abound, as they do in Egypt, cats are 
 exceedingly useful, and in general are kindly treated, and often 
 made great pets of : their number is certainly amazing, as many 
 as eight or ten being often seen on a single housetop, sleeping 
 in the sun, or holding a moonlight concert. Buu their value is 
 great, not only as protection against the rats, but as determined 
 enemies of scorpions and tarentulas. I once saw quite a young 
 kitten hunt out and spring on a tarentula, and dance round it, 
 striking out valiantly with its little paw, and carefully avoiding 
 the tail, with which it stings, till a lady present killed the reptile 
 with a shoe. Whether any of the ancient reverence for beetles 
 lingers among the Egyptians or not, I am unable to say; but 
 a dried-up crocodile is to be seen frequently suspended over 
 a house-door as a charm against “ ill-luck ; ” and also a branch 
 of the aloe plant, which is either selected as a substitute, if 
 crocodiles are scarce, or for some unknown reason. 
 
 The festival of the onion is considered by some persons to be 
 a remnant of the ancient veneration for the vegetable kingdom, 
 of which the onion was considered as one of the most important, 
 and therefore worshipped like the beetles. A day is still set 
 apart to be kept as a festival, which is called the Feast of the 
 Onion, and is kept by Copts and Mahometans alike ; neither, 
 probably, being sufficiently versed in tradition to know why 
 they observe it, or to attach any meaning to the ceremony with 
 which it is begun. Early in the morning, just as day dawns, 
 every one must take an onion, bruise it in some vinegar, and 
 solemnly smell it. After which he throws it out of the window ; 
 of course this absurdity is not kept up by every one in the 
 town, but a great number observe it still ; the ragged urchins, 
 who know the feast that awaits them, are on the watch to pick 
 up the onions in the streets. But a green onion sticking 
 between the wooden bars of a latticed window, where it has 
 been caught, is not unfrequently seen in the course of the day. 
 
POPULAR SUPERSTITION. 
 
 185 
 
 The ceremony of the onion over, the remainder of the festival 
 is devoted to walking in the gardens near the town, and eating 
 fruits and sweetmeats out of doors. I suppose that there is 
 some superstitious feeling about spending the onion day in the 
 midst of the vegetable kingdom ; for, without assigning any 
 reason for it, the people all seem to think they must be in a 
 garden on that occasion. And last year, the day happening to 
 be a very unfavourable one, with a strong “dust wind,” as the 
 southerly wind is often called, I heard many complaints about 
 it ; though a good number chose rather to be blinded with dust 
 than to spend the day in the house. 
 
 This custom is called “ Shemel neseem” or smelling the 
 zephyr; but I am inclined to think, from the connexion of 
 onion with it, that its origin is that alluded to : and some, who 
 are better acquainted with ancient Egyptian superstitions, agree 
 in this view. 
 
 One of the most picturesque customs, it can hardly be called 
 a superstition, is that of going on certain days to place palm- 
 branches, and also bunches of myrtle and flowers, on the tomb- 
 stones of their relatives. These are frequently visited on other 
 occasions, especially by the women ; but on the day, or rather 
 two days, specially set apart for it, and which, I presume, 
 answer to the old Roman Catholic celebration of “ All Souls’ 
 day,” every one hastens out to the cemetery of Bal-el-Nasr, on 
 the borders of the desert, laden with palms and flowers ; also 
 with eatables for themselves, and sometimes small tents : the 
 intention being to combine as much enjoyment as possible with 
 the marks of respect and sorrow for the remains of their de- 
 parted friends. The groups of turbaned figures, alternately 
 repeating verses of the Koran, with solemn countenances, and 
 cheerfully sipping coffee and chatting with their companions, are 
 most picturesque to look at, particularly as they all come in 
 their best apparel ; and the assemblage of bright colours clus- 
 tered about the white tombstones is beautiful from a distance : 
 and no less so is the effect of the tall palms thrown across the 
 
186 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 tombs, or carried by girls and boys. These visits to the tombs 
 are called the lesser and greater festivals ; one occurring after 
 Ramadan and the other at the end of the Moslem year. At 
 the first of these it is especially necessary to have new clothes, 
 if possible ; and one who cannot, or will not, get a whole new 
 suit, will sport a new turban or scarf, &c., and bestow on his 
 children gay print trousers and mendeels (or handkerchiefs for 
 the head). The smallest child able to speak, if not in a family 
 in absolute poverty, is clamorous for new red shoes on the day 
 of the feast ; and, luckily, these are cheap luxuries in Egypt. 
 These are all rather customs than superstitions ; but such are 
 apt to be closely connected : and we usually find, on careful 
 examination, that most “old customs,” relating to particular 
 days or particular dishes, &c., in every country, had their origin 
 in some religious observance. 
 
187 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 ZEYNAB. 
 
 Some readers of the first part of this little book may recollect 
 the girl in the tamarisk-grove, near the little desert, in whom 
 I took a strong interest. In the course of the winter, after my 
 return to Cairo, I made several ineffectual attempts to find 
 her, and began almost to despair, and to think, what was, 
 indeed, highly probable, that she must have married and re- 
 moved to some other village, if she were not dead. I had made 
 inquiries about her of the poor women or children who were 
 often to be met with at the sacchia near the grove, and in the 
 barley and dourra-fields around it, and two or three wrong 
 Zeynabs had been produced. One came at last, who, hoping, 
 perhaps, for some present if I believed her to be an old 
 acquaintance, persisted, in a confused and hesitating way, that 
 she remembered me, and was the girl I meant : but I was sure 
 I should recognise the face ; and, moreover, this individual 
 was decidedly younger than Zeynab was when I had seen her, 
 and nearly two years could not have had the effect of making 
 her grow backwards : so the false maiden was civilly rejected. 
 This happened one Saturday, when I had come out to spend 
 my weekly holiday in the pure air of the country, and was 
 sitting under the light-falling tamarisk shade, talking to a group 
 of women and girls. One of them was an intelligent woman, 
 who appeared really anxious to listen to a short portion of 
 Scripture which I read to them, and was quite vexed with 
 
188 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 another who interrupted us every minute, by begging to know 
 “ what this dress was made of,” or some such remark. 
 
 After some time had passed, and I thought they had had as 
 much as they could attend to for one day, I broke up the circle 
 and went to stroll among the fields. On my return, all were 
 gone but the woman alluded to : she sat beside my maid, (who 
 was engaged in sewing under one of the trees,) and seemed as 
 if she did not wish to go away. I sat down with a sketch-book, 
 and was beginning to renew the conversation with her, when an 
 elderly peasant- woman, very dark, but not bad-looking, and less 
 ragged and dirty than the others had been, came quickly 
 towards us from the dourra-field ; and, seizing my hand, ex- 
 claimed, “ I am Zeynab’s mother.” She kissed my hand, and 
 then stooped down for a moment, gazing with interest and 
 curiosity ; then springing up, caught me round the neck, and 
 bestowed on me several hearty kisses, saying, “ I know you ; 
 my daughter knows you, she is Zeynab ! ” Though I never had 
 seen the woman before, I did not feel the smallest doubt that 
 she really was what she professed to be, and that the lost sheep 
 was found : it seemed to be an instinct of belief. She pro- 
 ceeded to tell me that Zeynab was making bread in the house, 
 and could not come out directly, that being a business which 
 cannot be interrupted when once commenced, but that she had 
 heard from one of the girls of the village that the lady she knew 
 was at the sacchia, and was asking for her ; and she had said, 
 “ Oh, mother, go quickly to her and tell her I will soon come.” 
 So she had set off at once in search of her daughter’s friend. 
 She asked if I could stay till evening. I said I could stay two 
 hours more, but if she liked, instead of waiting there, I would 
 go to her house and see her daughter. She was delighted, and 
 said I should be “welcome, and very welcome ! ” and pointed 
 the way across the fields. 
 
 The village was only a quarter of a mile off, and consisted, 
 like most Egyptian villages, of a number of mud huts, all built 
 close together, flat-roofed, of course, and many of them with 
 
Zeynab 
 
 P. 94. 
 
ZEYNAB. 
 
 189 
 
 rounded walls, something like a cheese with a hole in one side ; 
 none appeared to have any windows, but most had some sort of 
 door ; the whole concern swarming, as usual, with children and 
 animals, and rubbish of every sort ; the use of a broom being 
 apparently unknown there. 
 
 As we approached the mother gave a signal, and called out, 
 “ There she is, that is Zeynab !” as a girl with a little child on 
 her shoulder (her nephew) came out of one of the huts. She 
 hastily set down her burden on the ground and ran up to us. I 
 knew my old acquaintance instantly — and she, on her part, 
 recollected me equally well : with a cry of joy she caught and 
 pressed my hands in both hers, and then flung her arms round 
 my neck, as her mother had done, her bright eyes sparkling 
 with pleasure. Then they brought us into the house, the 
 servant staying at the roadside with the asses, and looking, to 
 say truth, as if he thought visiting in mud cabins was a very 
 vulgar taste in his employer ! This was not the abode of 
 actual poverty, for in their rank of life the family of Zeynab 
 were evidently tolerably well off, their wants being so few and 
 simple. The hut was large, and not so dirty as many I have 
 seen, though the floor was encumbered with straw and corn-cobs, , 
 and three or four goats were feeding on dourra-leaves at one 
 end : there were two little divisions, I cannot call them rooms, 
 as only a low ridge of dried mud separated them from the main 
 apartments, one of which contained the oven, where Zeynab’s 
 sister and sister-in-law were busy with the bread ; the latter 
 had, apparently, eome in to take her place, and thus left her 
 free to attend to her guest. The thin flaps of bread were 
 clapped against the side of the oven, to which they stick some- 
 how till they are baked : a very short time suffices ; but as a 
 large batch is usually prepared at once, and a great many 
 loaves are needed, being so small, a considerable time is occu- 
 pied by the process. Zeynab’ s mother brought a basket of the 
 fresh dourra bread, and then, from a hole in the wall, took a 
 pickled turnip, which she offered in the palm of her hand, 
 
190 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 plates and dishes not being part of the furniture of her house. 
 A piece of jibn, or salted curd, which, when clean , is a good 
 and wholesome article, followed ; and to refuse these dainties 
 would have affronted her ; so I had to eat a little, as in the 
 Bedouins’ houses, and conceal the rest in a pocket-handkerchief, 
 or in the straw behind me. The good creature was giving the 
 best she had, and it never occurred to her that tilings being dirty 
 was any objection to them. Meantime Zeynab was pounding 
 coffee in a metal mortar with a heavy wooden pestle, of rude 
 manufacture. She then took a handful of the dry corn-cobs 
 and put them in a mangal, or earthen vessel for fire, and set 
 them alight, placing a coffee-pot on the flame ; in a short time 
 her coffee was ready, and presented by the mother in Arab 
 style, i.e. in small cups, without sugar or milk. Zeynab sat by 
 me as soon as her task was over, holding my hand in hers, and 
 expressing her pleasure at our meeting, even more by her face 
 than by her words. I tried to recall to her mind something of 
 the conversation I had formerly had with her the last morning 
 I saw her, and she seemed to recollect it perfectly ; and men- 
 tioned one or two things which I could scarcely have expected 
 to remain in her memory. 
 
 “ And the prayer, Zeynab ? ” I asked : “ do you remember 
 it?” 
 
 “ I remember part, not all,” she replied. 
 
 I said the first clause, “ 0 Lord, give me thy Holy Spirit,” 
 and she immediately finished, adding : — 
 
 “ ‘ And lead me to the truth.’ I often say that part, very 
 often,” she continued ; “ but the first part, about the Spirit, I 
 forgot.” 
 
 “ Thank God you have not forgotten all !” 
 
 “ No, indeed, I have not forgotten ; and I never forget you,” 
 said the girl. 
 
 After talking some little time I took leave, engaging them 
 to come and see me and the school, which they promised to do 
 very soon, as Ramadan was near at hand, and no Moslems wil- 
 
ZEYXAB. 
 
 191 
 
 lingly undertake long walks or pay visits in that month, as they 
 dare not take any refreshment. Early the following week my 
 expected visitors made their appearance, between nine and ten 
 o’clock. Zeynab and her mother walked into the class-room 
 where I was teaching, one bearing a jar of new milk on her 
 head, and the other a cloth in her hand, containing a number 
 of fresh eggs ; they had walked, at least, three miles with these 
 things, as a present for me ! Zeynab’s eyes shone like opals 
 in her brown, sunburnt face, as she affectionately greeted me ; 
 and the old dame was as cordial in her own way. I brought 
 them up-stairs, and they were as delighted and amazed 
 at the sight of the simple apartment as if it had been a 
 room in a palace. The dimity curtain, and clean, white- 
 washed walls, the plain but commodious divan, and a deal 
 table covered with a crimson cotton cloth, appeared wonderful 
 luxuries to eyes only accustomed to dirty and unfurnished mud 
 cabins. The mother was the most curious, and begged permis- 
 sion to look behind the curtain, which formed one end of the 
 long room into a bed-chamber. Here her surprise and admira- 
 tion were increased by the spectacle of a little toilet-stand of the 
 humblest style possible, but above which hung a mirror longer 
 than her hand, and in which she could, for the first time, see 
 her whole face reflected. “ Zeynab, girl, come here ! come and 
 look ! ” she exclaimed. The brushes and pincushion were 
 scarcely less of curiosities ; and many were her exclamations of 
 “ Mashallah !* wonderful!” I asked if she had found any 
 difficulty in discovering the house. “No,” she said. “I did 
 just as you told me : came first to the Bab-el-Hadeed, then 
 walked up the broad road, and then asked for Bab-el-Bahar, and 
 they showed me ; then I came, as you said, to the black-smith’s 
 shop, and he knew you, and said this was the house.” Among 
 the various articles in the room, none more amazed my guests 
 
 * The literal meaning of this common Eastern expletive is, “ What G-od 
 willeth ” — “ cometh to pass ” being implied or understood. 
 
192 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 than the book-shelf, with about two dozen of volumes. “Have 
 you really read all those books ? ” the mother said, and was 
 evidently amazed at the amount of learning it implied ; she 
 even rose again from her seat, and went to the shelf to look closer 
 at the books, and count them over. “ This is your angeel 
 (Gospel), is it not 1 ” said Zeynab, pointing to the Arabic Tes- 
 tament on the table. This seemed a favourable moment for 
 introducing the book, and I took it up, and offered to read a 
 story from it. Zeynab wished to listen, but her mother, although 
 acquiescing, was too full of what she saw to give her attention, 
 and interrupted me incessantly ; she was one who evidently 
 preferred her own voice to anything else. Just as I had found 
 the place, and was commencing to read, she exclaimed, “ I 
 declare, your ears are not bored ! Tell me why. Have you no 
 earrings 1 And I do not see jewels ! Have you not many 
 jewels'?” “Very few,” I told her; “for I cared more about 
 other things.” After a little talk about jewels, I asked Zeynab 
 if she knew the best ornament any woman could have ; and 
 then told her how God liked a meek and quiet spirit in us, 
 better than gold or diamonds. Yet many women thought 
 more of these pretty things to hang on their necks than of 
 pleasing God. “ Certainly,” said the mother, who would not 
 let the girl get in a single word, “ we should above all think of 
 our souls, and praise God and the Prophet, our Lord Mo- 
 hammed ! ” I feared to close the door against myself if I got 
 into an argument with the old lady about her prophet, espe- 
 cially as my limited language might hinder my making myself 
 clearly understood on the subject ; so I turned from it by 
 finishing the history I had begun, with which she expressed 
 herself pleased, though she interrupted so often, that I fear she 
 could not have carried much away with her. Meantime, the 
 cook had, at my desire, been preparing such a meal as my 
 guests were likely to relish, and as it was noon, I took them to 
 the class-room, now empty, where it was spread, on a clean 
 white napkin, on the floor, as they had never sat at a table, it 
 
ZEYNAB. 
 
 193 
 
 would only have made them feel awkward to induce them to 
 attempt it. The clean cloth, however, struck the old woman 
 as a delicate attention, for she thanked me as if for a great 
 compliment ; and possibly the hint may be advantageous, for 
 she might attain to a piece of clean cotton, if not to a damask 
 napkin, in her own cabin. No plates were laid, but plenty of 
 native bread, and a dish of rice cooked with butter, and a fowl 
 stewed with onions and tomatoes, which is a favourite native 
 dish, and by no means a contemptible one. My guests rarely 
 indulged in such dainties, and probably never tasted meat but 
 on occasions of some great festival. They would not, however, 
 have enjoyed the repast unless their hostess had sat down and 
 “dipped in the dish” with them ; it would have been supposed, 
 if she declined, that she felt too proud to share with them. 
 Though knives, forks, and spoons, are certainly a very good in- 
 vention, I am bound to allow that Orientals do not eat as un- 
 pleasantly without their aid, as some awkward or ill-mannered 
 persons contrive to do with them ; even Zeynab and her mother, 
 simple peasants as they were, managed very deftly and nicely ; 
 a bit of the tough native bread was easily folded into a sort of 
 spoon, with which they took up rice, &c. Some native sweets 
 concluded the entertainment ; after which they came into the 
 schoolroom to see the scholars at work, and stayed another 
 hour watching the process, and chatting, till I confess to having 
 got quite tired, and my stock of Arabic seemed exhausted. But 
 it is the custom to pay visits of great length in the East, and 
 the poor things had put on their best clothes for the occasion, 
 and were so well pleased, that I would not, on any account, 
 have hurried them away. The gala costume consisted in a 
 coloured-print jacket and trowsers, with a tob, or loose outer 
 robe, of very thin dark blue cotton, almost like coarse unstarched 
 muslin, and a veil of the same, with necklaces of brass beads ; 
 the mother had solid silver bracelets, but the daughter had 
 nothing but glass beads for her share. They departed at last, 
 well satisfied with their day ; and though I had not been able 
 
 o 
 
194 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 to do them any good on this occasion, owing to the old lady’s 
 excessive fondness for talking, which made it no use attempting 
 to read, yet the keeping up the acquaintance was very 
 important, as giving one hopes of making way by degrees. 
 
 It seemed that this girl’s remaining unmarried later than is 
 customary (for she could not be less than seventeen, even 
 allowing for Egyptians looking older for their age than we do) 
 was a special mercy ; as, had she been removed to any distance, 
 and occupied with the cares of a young family, it is scarcely 
 likely that I could have found her out, or that her interest in 
 the renewal of the acquaintance would have been so strong. 
 Remembering the vain attempts made to discover her for some 
 time, and the trifling circumstance which was the means of her 
 being found (the mother told me while at dinner, that it was 
 from my having described the colour of her eyes, which are not 
 black like most Egyptians’), I feel deeply thankful for the 
 opportunity thus granted, and cannot doubt that it was given in 
 answer to prayer. He whose eye is over all things in heaven 
 and earth, saw that there were many peasant maidens in this 
 little hamlet, but to one was His messenger sent ; perhaps, 
 among all the Zeynabs there, this was the one most ready to 
 receive something of the truth : at all events her heart is open 
 to feel affection for a stranger and foreigner, and by His 
 blessing that affection may prove the door of entrance for better 
 things than earthly friendship. 
 
195 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 I had long promised to show the way to a little Bedouin village 
 on the desert to the Missionary, who had not been able to find 
 it out from my description, and yet was very desirous of visiting 
 the inhabitants, having often heard me speak of the unsuccessful 
 attempt two years before, when the old colporteur had said it 
 was no use speaking to Bedouins. One fine January day, 
 accordingly, I found the scattered group of mud huts and 
 ragged tents which composed that strange settlement, if so it 
 can be called, when the inhabitants are only settled during part 
 of the year, and rove I know not whither during some months. 
 Having approached it from the side opposite to Wady Asfer, 
 the cluster of huts we first approached was not the same I 
 remembered when I stopped there two years before. Nor did 
 I recognise any of the few men that I had seen on that occa- 
 sion ; but a party of six or seven were sitting on the ground 
 wrapped in dirty and ragged abbas , close to the huts. The 
 donkeys and their attendants had purposely been left behind a 
 sand-hill, about a hundred yards off ; but, in spite of being free 
 from the hindrance of their contemptuous remarks about 
 “ Bedouins,” I did not feel very sanguine as to the reception 
 which awaited a stranger among these ignorant and uncivilised 
 people. To my great surprise, the men, on perceiving us, 
 immediately rose, which is a mark of politeness not often shown 
 even by friendly persons on ordinary occasions, and came 
 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 forward to meet us. The Missionary said, “Peace be with 
 you ; ” and they replied, “ Peace with thee, thou art welcome .” 
 This last expression is used to a friend or guest , and is not com- 
 monly given to a passing stranger ; I never, at least, heard it 
 used in this way before, and from their whole manner took it for 
 granted that one or more had previously met with the Mission- 
 ary in Cairo, but I afterwards learned that he had never seen 
 any of them. “ Come, Sir, and sit with us,” they continued ; 
 then, seeing me a little behind, one added, “ This shall be for 
 the lady to sit on,” and spread a coarse brown mantle on the 
 ground. There was no word of “backsheesh,” though the 
 marks of poverty were very evident ; and no reason could then, 
 or subsequently, be found why total strangers should be welcomed 
 so cordially, when the purport of their visit was unknown. 
 Surely the way was prepared by the Spirit of God. 
 
 After a little conversation on ordinary matters, Mr. Shakoor 
 took out his Testament ; and on his telling the men that “ this 
 was the word of God,” they all wished to hear it. He read several 
 portions, explaining as he went. Presently, one told us that 
 the man sitting somewhat behind the others was blind. On 
 hearing himself spoken of, the poor fellow came forward, and 
 told us, as blind men naturally like to do, how many years it 
 was since he had lost his sight, and how a doctor had vainly 
 tried to cure him. “ How listen, and you shall hear of a blind 
 man who lived in the days when our Lord Jesus was on earth,” 
 said the Missionary, who was turning over the leaves of the 
 Testament to find the history of blind Bartimeus. The blind 
 man looked pleased at this : and when the story was begun, his 
 attention was at once fixed. I kept my eyes on him all the 
 while, it was so delightful to watch the expression in those 
 rugged features ; and when the conclusion came, no one who 
 saw him could ever forget the smile that broke out, like a sun- 
 beam, over his dark face, as he struck his hand on hi$ knee, 
 exclaiming, “ Mashallah ! He was healed ! ” Many were the 
 ejaculations of assent uttered, as the Missionary showed to his 
 
Bedouin Settlement in a Palm-Grove. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 197 
 
 hearers how the hearts of men are blind, and how they need the 
 Spirit to open the eyes of their understanding, &c. If the little 
 children disturbed the circle by their play, the fathers would 
 turn round and say, “ Hush, child ! ” or, “ Go away : ” evidently 
 their whole attention was enchained. I thought it was now 
 time to do something among the women, which is a work no 
 man cau do in this country : so I crept into one of the huts ; 
 it was so low that, when standing, I could lean on its roof. 
 One side was luckily open ; or, I think, it would have been 
 suffocating. An aged, and very poorly-clad woman, was 
 crouched in a corner of this miserable abode ; she was the 
 mother of the blind man, they told me. She held out her 
 withered hand as I spoke, and grasped mine, saying that she, 
 too, was blind, like her son. He was her only living son, she 
 added, in answer to my questions ; and she had no daughter 
 with her, “ only this son, and he is blind ; and so am I ! ” and 
 the poor old creature wiped the tears from her sightless eyes 
 with her ragged blue veil. “ And how do you live 1 ” I asked. 
 “ God sends us bread,” was the reply. “ One gives, and 
 another gives.” A girl standing by said, that all the neigh- 
 bours helped to support them. 1 believe they were all con- 
 nected in some way ; and I afterwards learned that she had 
 some near relations in the huts ; but still it was evident that 
 these afflicted ones were considered the common care of the 
 poor tribe. I asked the old woman if she ever prayed to God, 
 after a little conversation, to lead her to the subject, she said, as 
 they generally do, “Never.” I tried to explain the need of 
 prayer, and also to show that mere repetition, such as they 
 hear the men using, is not in reality prayer. “ If you ask God 
 to teach you the truth,” I said, “and say from your hearts, ‘ O 
 Lord, lead me to the truth ! * that is a prayer, though it is 
 short.” “ Certainly,” said the old woman. I asked one of the 
 young girls to repeat it after me. She said, “ I am ashamed ; ” 
 but her mother, who was by, desired her to say it, and not to 
 be ashamed. Then she repeated it, and they all said it was good. 
 
198 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 Looking round, I now perceived the blind man crouched at the 
 entrance. He stayed a little while, and then went back to the 
 circle of men. I afterwards found that the poor fellow wanted 
 to hear what the lady was saying to his mother, and if it agreed 
 with what the Missionary told the men : when he found it was 
 so, he returned quite satisfied to the reading. None of them 
 seemed to have the slightest thought of gain ; and when I gave 
 a small piece of money to the blind woman, on account of her 
 infirmity, she was quite surprised at the gift. Some of the men 
 told the Missionary they would beg him to stay and dine with 
 them, but that they had nothing to set before him but coarse 
 dourra bread ! Another, who sometimes brought charcoal 
 across the desert to Cairo, wished to learn where he lived, in 
 order to bring him a present of charcoal , which was all he had 
 to offer. Of course he declined it, not wishing to impoverish 
 those already so poor, but the feeling shown was very remark- 
 able ; nor did it prove transitory : he visited them frequently 
 afterwards, and was always received with the same cordiality. 
 
 I could not go so far nearly as often, but in the course of the 
 winter and spring paid several visits to the settlement ; on 
 these occasions the poor blind man would come up as soon as he 
 heard my voice, and grope with his hand in the air, saying, 
 “ Where is the lady % ” and smile with satisfaction when he 
 touched my hand. His old mother was equally quick in 
 recognising a voice, and would always say, as she caught hold 
 of my dress, “ The Lord preserve thee, my sister ; thou art 
 welcome ! ” On one occasion the blind man was not to be seen 
 among the rest, and I asked for him. “ He is yonder,” said 
 the mother, pointing ; but I could not see any one in that 
 direction, except a few half-naked little children. Presently, 
 however, the sand began to heave , and what had seemed to be 
 a small heap of rags on its surface, moved and showed a head 
 within them, and proved to be a turban : then appeared a 
 brown bare arm, followed by a portion of a torn shirt. The 
 sand heaved more violently ; two feet burst out of the ground ; 
 
THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 199 
 
 and finally our friend Suleyman emerged, in his brown goat’s- 
 hair mantle, and shaking himself, joined his neighbours, while 
 the old woman explained, that feeling the cold, and being ill- 
 clad, it was during the cold season, and the desert is a good deal 
 exposed, he had buried himself to keep warm ! She seemed to 
 think the process the most natural thing in the world ; and 
 spoke of it just as we should of a person having gone to the 
 kitchen-fire to warm himself. 
 
 There was one of the poor women, who, though not very 
 young, was still quite handsome ; most of them were plain and 
 harsh-featured ; she had eyes of great beauty, and an intelligent 
 expression of countenance. T asked her if any of the numerous 
 children, who were playing about in the dust around us, were 
 hers : but she replied, with a sorrowful look, that she had no 
 living child ; she had had a little daughter, who was dead. 
 With such a degree of poverty, dirt, neglect, and mismanage- 
 ment, as the appearance of the children denoted, the wonder 
 was not that some died, but that any lived through the period 
 of infancy : but the pure air of the desert seems to make up for 
 many evils and disadvantages, and several of these little ones, if 
 washed, would have been very fine children ; but their infant 
 charms were all obscured by a thick coating of dirt, and by 
 swarms of flies when in repose ! This woman and two or three 
 others listened attentively while I read to them the parable of 
 the House on the Rock, on one occasion when I was sitting in 
 a tent adjoining the huts. We had then a long conversation on 
 the subject of prayer, and I told them how, in my country, all 
 good mothers taught even very young children to pray to God, 
 and thank Him for His daily blessings ; and pointing to a little 
 half-naked creature, who stood at his mother’s knee, I tried to 
 show how such little ones pray at their mother’s side, and what 
 they are generally told to say, which appeared to delight them 
 very much : the idea of a young child simply offering its thanks 
 to the Almighty for His care during the night, &c. was quite 
 new to them. 
 
200 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 I told them that I could say more about prayer, if I could 
 speak their language more fluently. “ But we understand you 
 well, and it is sweet to us,” said one, patting me on the shoulder : 
 
 “ you are our sister, come again to us and talk more ! ” 
 
 The old blind woman happened to be absent that day, having 
 gone all the way into Cairo on foot, on some errand. The 
 others told me that this miserable ragged tent was the only habita- 
 tion of herself and Suleyman, her blind son. In winter, the 
 rest of them usually slept in the little round mud huts, which, 
 close and suffocating as they must be, are, of course, warmer 
 than the tents ; but she, never having been used to sleep under 
 any kind of roof, cannot now change her habits, though she 
 often suffers from the cold. I presume she belonged to a 
 real wandering tribe, and only partially settled here late in 
 life. 
 
 “She has no clothes but those you saw on her,” said one 
 woman ; (these were composed only of thin old blue cotton, and 
 were ragged and very scanty) ; “ she sleeps thus,” added the 
 speaker, crumpling herself up into a sort of ball. The winter 
 was now nearly at an end, and warm weather comes quickly 
 and surely here ; but I promised if she and I were spared 
 another winter, to supply her with a blanket. 
 
 On another occasion, when an English lady and gentleman, 
 who were curious to see something of these poor people’s habita- 
 tions, had accompanied me, I found a sick man, who was 
 unable to leave his hut, and lay stretched on his mat, with his 
 affectionate-looking wife sitting at his feet, and their bright- 
 eyed, though dirty little ones, playing at the entrance. He 
 called to me, and asked me to sit near his hut ; and on my 
 offering to read appeared pleased, and listened with much atten- 
 tion. He was ill with a feverish attack, but was not suffering 
 so as to be unable to use his mind : on the contrary, he evidently 
 was glad of any little change in the tedium of his enforced 
 quiet life. The history of the Centurion’s servant delighted 
 him and his wife. Several women also begged to hear the 
 
THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 201 
 
 book, and summoned their companions, till quite a circle was 
 formed, which surprised the stranger lady a good deal. 
 
 The men were on this day absent, except about four or five ; 
 but the Missionary had sometimes as many as fourteen for an 
 audience, and they always asked him for the book. He visited 
 the sick man several times, and had reason to hope, that before 
 he recovered and returned to his occupations, his mind was 
 really opening to the truth. But when the summer set in 
 (Egyptian summer may be reckoned from the middle of April, 
 by which time the corn is generally ripe), the whole settlement 
 was abandoned by the tribe, and we lost sight of them for a 
 time.* 
 
 There is another little village among the Caliphs’ tombs, 
 which I once visited, and hope to see again ; it contains a sort 
 of small khan, where Bedouins, on their way from Arabia to 
 Cairo, often stop with their merchandise. Two sheikhs from 
 Mount Sinai, who had stopped here, and to whom the Mis- 
 sionary had read and spoken one day, met him afterwards in 
 Cairo, near the Ezbekieh (or Ezbekeeyeh, as it is written by 
 Lane), the large public gardens surrounded by a road, which is 
 one of the busiest thoroughfares in Cairo. They actually 
 requested him to come and find a seat and read to them out of 
 the book, then and there, thus showing that they felt no time 
 so good as the present moment. 
 
 After listening to the Gospel for some time, they warmly 
 invited him to visit Mount Sinai, Gibel el Tor, as they 
 call it. 
 
 Whether the inhabitants of this little village among the 
 tombs were of real Bedouin race, or only Moslim-Egyptians, 
 who were connected with the wandering tribes in the way of 
 business, I could not in a single visit ascertain ; but they did 
 
 * They returned in the end of June, however, and the Missionary was 
 joyfully received by them. We have kept up the acquaintance through 
 the last two years, with occasional interruptions, though they now live at 
 a greater distance, having broken up their former settlement. 
 
202 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 not seem nearly as poor as our desert friends. I went into 
 one of the houses to see the women, accompanied by my maid, 
 whose little work-bag and its contents attracted so much atten- 
 tion from the younger females, that it was some time before the 
 book had any chance ; for, of course, the sight of a thimble and 
 needle-case, and yard-measure, &c., were as curious and in- 
 teresting to them as the contents of a shop-window in Regent 
 Street to one of their age and sex fresh from a country village 
 in England. The older women were busy making bread ; 
 one preparing loaves, small and flat, like cakes, another 
 putting them into the oven, a third taking them out when 
 baked and putting them in baskets. Though the place was 
 extremely dirty, yet, strange to say, the bread really looked 
 clean and nice. The oldest women gave me one of her hot thin 
 loaves, and another to the maid ; and it was better than the 
 native bread we had eaten in Cairo. A bowlful of warm 
 treacle, with a little semn, or clarified butter, melted into it, was 
 set before us, with a request that we should dip in the bread 
 and eat. To gratify them we ate a little of it ; and, while 
 partaking of their hospitality, I told them that the sight of all 
 these baskets full of bread, which stood round us, reminded me 
 of a story, which I asked their permission to relate. They listened 
 to the miracle of the loaves with interest, at least the older 
 women did, the girls were still absorbed in the work-bag : but 
 while talking about it afterwards, I was indiscreet enough to 
 use the term “Son of God ” in speaking of Jesus Christ. In a 
 first conversation with Moslims, it is not prudent to use this 
 expression, as it often so excites their indignation that they will 
 not listen to anything more one has to say to them, and thus 
 the door may be shut against the truth. Eorgetting this, I was 
 very near getting into trouble with the old lady, who was 
 putting bread in the oven ; she turned round, with her iron 
 ladle in her hand, and fixing her keen black eyes sternly upon 
 me, exclaimed : — ? 
 
 “No, lady ! not the Son of God : He was a prophet ! ” 
 
THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 203 
 
 I endeavoured to explain ; but she repeated, angrily, “ Not 
 the Son of God, no, no, no ! ” It was perhaps fortunate that 
 she did not drive out me and my maid with her hot iron ladle. By 
 a few friendly words, however, she was appeased ; and though 
 it was no use to think of resuming any religious conversation 
 on this occasion, no ill-will seemed to remain ; on the contrary, 
 the younger women, especially, were quite good-humoured, and 
 begged me to come again. The hot weather, however, set in 
 before I had another opportunity of getting so far. 
 
 There is a little Bedouin settlement in a very distant spot, 
 which was the scene of my last meeting with any of their race 
 during this spring. This spot is the oasis commonly called 
 “Ain Moussa,” or “Moses’ Well,” about three or four hours 
 distant from Suez, on the Arabian side. I could not make out 
 how many families lived there, nor whether all the ragged and 
 miserable-looking Bedouins about the spot were residents ; or 
 whether, as seemed most likely, some of them were only settled 
 for part of the year. There are several huts ; but one, of a 
 superior description, seems inhabited by the chief gardener, or 
 guardian , I do not know which to call him, of the place, and 
 his family, who are probably very well off : certainly, the little 
 girl, who stood staring intently at the English party descend- 
 ing from their donkeys, was well fed and gaily clad in a gaudy 
 print frock, and hung over with beads. But the poor Arabs 
 a few yards off presented a great contrast, and looked really as 
 if burnt up with sun and wind, and their clothing was both 
 ragged and scanty. In fact, their huts formed almost a painful 
 contrast to the luxuriant beauty of this fertile spot, which looks, 
 by comparison, like a bit of Eden dropped down in the midst 
 of a barren waste of sand. Not, however, that the trees were 
 in such fulness of beauty as when I was there two years ago, 
 because it was now rather too early for the flowers ; the pome- 
 granates had only here and there a bright blossom peeping 
 through their dark green leaves, and the date-flowers had not 
 
204 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 yet burst their long green cases and displayed their beautiful 
 bunches ; still, there were roses and a few other flowers, and 
 verdure in plenty. 
 
 While the rest of the party were sauntering about and 
 admiring the varied products of the gardens, for the oasis con- 
 sists of two distinct gardens, separated by a few yards of bane 
 sand, and protected all round by rude palisades, I sought out 
 the Bedouin huts, and found they were more numerous than I 
 had supposed on my previous visit to the place. Three or four 
 huts appeared behind the second and smaller garden, and I 
 thought I saw another near a group of palms just outside it, 
 and half hidden by the sandhill : but our time was short, as 
 some of us were obliged to return by a certain hour ; so, instead 
 of reconnoitring further, I sat down beside a poor miserable- 
 looking woman and two men, who were busied in some occupa- 
 tion before one of the huts nearest at hand. What they were 
 doing I could not make out ; it seemed to be grubbing among 
 some ashes, perhaps seeking fire ; but they quitted it at once, 
 and willingly entered into conversation with me, .on being 
 addressed in a friendly manner. I read a very short portion 
 to them from the Gospel, and talked as well as I could, asking 
 them questions, to try and elicit some thoughts of their own, 
 if possible. They listened attentively, while I endeavoured 
 rather to prepare the way for others, better qualified to teach 
 them, and also less restricted as to time, who might come after 
 me, than to give much of distinct Christian instruction. 
 
 It is impossible to bring the Gospel before such ignorant 
 minds, such utterly fallow soil, as it were, in an intelligible 
 manner, in a limited time, or, indeed, on a single occasion, even 
 if one has time and language fully at command : we cannot 
 condense God’s message to man ; and, with such a class of 
 hearers, to excite an interest and break up a little of the soil 
 for the next labourer, is all one can expect in one conversation. 
 I told these poor people that, from their circumstances, they 
 
THE BEDOUIN SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 205 
 
 were ignorant of much that every one ought to know con- 
 cerning God, having never read His holy book. They quite 
 agreed to this, saying, “We know nothing here.” 
 
 “Well,” I continued, “if some one comes to you and offers 
 to read God’s book and tell you His commands, will you listen 
 to what he says 1 ” 
 
 “Yes,” replied one of them, “ we will listen.” 
 
 “ I hope God will soon send a man to you, who will bring His 
 word and read it to you.” 
 
 “ That is good ; God be praised ! ” said they. 
 
 Meantime, I told them that they could pray to God that He 
 would enlighten them by His Spirit, 
 
 “ Look now, lady,” said one, in an earnest, pleading tone, 
 which was quite touching, and holding out his lean sun-burnt 
 arm as he spoke, “ I am black with the sun ; T am often in the 
 desert, where there is no water : but then I take sand for 
 water, God knows I do ! ” 
 
 He meant, that he wished to pray acceptably to God, and 
 when unable to fulfil the Moslem law about ablutions with 
 water, he took sand as a substitute, as Moslems sometimes do 
 in that case ; and that he hoped God would consider he was 
 doing his best. I replied : — 
 
 “ But, my brother, God does not care whether we are black 
 with the sun or not, nor yet whether we put water or sand on 
 our hands for praying : it is the heart God looks upon.” 
 
 “True,” said the woman; and the other man added, “We 
 must have the heart pure.” 
 
 “And for that we need God’s Holy Spirit, my brothers, for 
 our hearts are all evil. Do not you know, that from the days 
 of our father Adam we are all sinners ? ” 
 
 “ Yes, it is so,” they all three answered. 
 
 “ God sent us a Saviour ; one who saves us from sin. In 
 His book we read of this.” And I continued to advise them 
 earnestly to listen whenever a teacher should visit them ; 
 promising that I would speak of them, and also pray God that 
 
206 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 His word should, one day, be brought to their dwelling in 
 the desert. That little oasis shows what water can effect on 
 the dry ground. The well of Moses causes the earth to bring 
 forth abundantly, and give thirty fold and sixtyfold for every 
 seed and slip planted in it. It gives “ bread to the eater and 
 seed to the sower ; ” so, says the Lord, shall His word be : for, 
 “ it shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that 
 which I please, and shall prosper in the thing whereto I send 
 it.” These Bedouins I have not been able to trace in a 
 subsequent visit. 
 
207 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ZEYNAB AGAIN. 
 
 The next occasion on which I visited my young friend on the 
 borders of the desert was about the middle of Ramadan. The 
 air in that neighbourhood is delightfully pure and healthful ; 
 so that the distance did not deter me from going there more 
 frequently than to nearer spots. The green clover and young 
 corn seemed actually to run up into the bare sand of the desert, 
 so close are vegetation and barrenness in this region. Doubtless, 
 if irrigation were carried further, the wilderness would be 
 changed into a fruitful field. The water, running in its 
 small clear rills, and the luxuriant vegetation following it 
 wherever it went, was a sight I never wearied of, and which 
 naturally suggested the comparison of the fruits of Christian 
 life following wherever the water of life flows. In such a moral 
 wilderness as Egypt, how often one longs to see more labourers 
 at work, making channels, as it were, for the water, which 
 Christ alone can bestow, to fertilize the barren ground ! 
 
 The first afternoon I could spare I set out to pay a visit to 
 Zeynab ; though this month of fasting is not very favourable for 
 talking to people, yet I did not wish to let so long a period pass 
 by : I found her keeping house, alone with her little nephew. 
 The school-matron was with me, having begged so much to 
 come, that I did not like to refuse her, although far more of a 
 hindrance than a help on visits to the poor, as she was very 
 fond of religious discussions, and talked so 'fast, using many 
 
208 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 words I did not understand, that I was in constant fear of her 
 teaching something wrong. 
 
 There is no dislike to the reading of the Scriptures among 
 those of her church, as far as I could judge : they seem, on the 
 contrary, willing to receive it, if able to read. But this poor 
 woman was quite at the mercy of her priest, being so ignorant, 
 and believed, as of equal authority with Scripture, a store of 
 the most absurd monkish legends ; I very rarely, therefore, 
 took her with me into the poor people’s houses. When I could 
 get in a word, by a pause in the old lady’s chattering, I asked 
 Zeynab about prayer, and found that she and her mother 
 actually went through the five prescribed forms of prayer, like 
 the men, a practice not observed by Moslem women in general. 
 I remarked this ; and she replied that very few did so, that 
 most women never prayed. “ But we do,” she added, with a 
 little air of pride, which was not strange, for it is looked on 
 quite as an act of merit in women. I tried to show her the 
 nature of real prayer ; and she seemed much interested in 
 religious subjects, and quite ready to speak and listen, only 
 that the poor matron’s not very judicious remarks sometimes 
 interrupted us. The nephew, little Saleem, a fine boy about 
 two years old, was, meantime, kept from disturbing by my maid, 
 who good-naturedly amused him. His young aunt seemed very 
 proud of his broken phrases and infantine ways, just as aunts 
 are wont to be in our country ; and it was entertaining to note 
 the resemblances and differences of his little remarks to those 
 of children at home. “ Where is father, Saleem ? ” says the 
 aunt. “With the camels,” lisps the boy, pointing with his 
 little hand towards the door. “Ah! where are the camels'? 
 Can Saleem see camels 1 ” At this Saleem jumps up, and begins 
 making the clicking sound used by the camel-drivers, brandish- 
 ing a twig, and trying to lisp out something about “go to 
 father and camels.” 
 
 I asked Zeynab to come out and sit under the trees at the 
 sacchia, as it was close in the cabin, and she willingly brought 
 
ZEYNAB. 
 
 209 
 
 her young charge thither : a young friend of hers joined us, 
 and both girls listened attentively while I read to them a 
 story from the Gospel. I was sorry not to be able to offer 
 them even an orange, by way of refreshment, but did not like 
 to tempt them to break the fast, as it would expose them to 
 persecution, and is, after all, a matter of indifference in itself, 
 unless so far as regarded in the light of an act meritorious in 
 God’s sight. I always told the poor woman that God did not 
 command people to go without food all day for a month, and 
 that He was really angry when wicked words came from our 
 mouths, not when we put bread into them ; but I never urged 
 them to break Ramadan. 
 
 On one of my visits to Zeynab’s village I took an English 
 lady with me, who, though she could not understand the lan- 
 guage, was anxious to see the interior of a native dwelling. It 
 was warm weather, and we had ridden out to breakfast ; for the 
 earlier people can get out the better, when the winter is over, 
 and the sun is beginning to assert his power. We took our 
 coffee under the tamarisks, and then went to the neighbouring 
 cluster of mud huts, where I was now scarcely looked on as a 
 stranger. Zeynab and her mother were both at home, and 
 cordially welcomed me and my friend. After some chat, and a 
 profusion of compliments from the good mother, who is great in 
 that line, I at length produced my book, and offered to read. 
 Zeynab was willing, as indeed she always seemed to be, having 
 an evident interest in the subject of religion ; her younger 
 sister, and a girl, who was, she told me, a very dear friend, 
 joined us, and they all listened very attentively. 
 
 About a month before I left Cairo, Zeynab came to pay me 
 a visit by herself ; she wanted a bandage I had promised her 
 for a swelled knee of some kind, and obtained her mother’s 
 leave to come to my house alone. The mother came to town 
 with her, but was obliged to go and sell something or other 
 elsewhere, and actually trusted the girl to stay all the morning 
 at the house of a Christian and a foreigner, and to return by 
 
 p 
 
210 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 herself when I liked to send her home. A greater proof of 
 confidence could hardly be. A Moslem woman to trust her 
 girl in a strange house, without her watchful eye, at such a 
 distance from her residence, was no light thing : for to leave 
 their own village, if in the country, or their own “ quarter,” if 
 inhabitants of the town, unless accompanied by the mother, is 
 what an Egyptian girl is seldom allowed to do ; indeed, many 
 in the town, old as well as young, never quit their own quarter, 
 as I believe. In the country there is more freedom, probably, 
 but still, a Christian's house three miles off would have been an 
 awful idea to Zeynab’s mother a year ago, I dare say ; now , it 
 did not seem at all extraordinary that her girl should visit 
 
 “ Sitti M .” As usual, she brought a present of new milk, 
 
 and delivered many kindly messages and salutations from her 
 mother ; and then, finding me engaged in domestic occupations, 
 she adjusted her dark veil so as to display her pretty print 
 jacket within, and seated herself to converse with me, while at 
 the same time watching my employment with no small interest. 
 I believe these poor Egyptians would learn more from seeing 
 what we do in household matters, about the importance of 
 cleanliness and neatness, &c., than by any precepts we could 
 possibly give them on the subject. “ What is that for 1 Why 
 do you do that 1 ” they will ask, as they look on with good- 
 humoured surprise. Nothing seems more to strike the women, 
 as a happy and novel idea, than the putting on an apron 
 when engaged in any occupation likely to soil the dress ; they 
 perform everything, whether cookery, or sweeping a room, or 
 washing vessels, &c., all without any protection, and, therefore, 
 generally look slatternly enough after them. 
 
 When we returned to the sitting-room, I took advantage of 
 having her without her garrulous parent to endeavour to give 
 her a little instruction in higher matters ; saying, “ Look, 
 Zeynab, my child ; I shall be obliged to leave you before long, 
 and I wish to read you something before I go away. I fear 
 you are forgetting all I have told you : try to recollect it when 
 
ZEYNAB. 
 
 211 
 
 I am far from you.” Zeynab promised, and assured me she 
 would not forget, again and again. I then proposed to read 
 from the angeel (Gospel), saying that I had before read to her 
 some of the wonders and miracles of Jesus Christ ; and that I 
 wished her now to hear some of His conversation, His teaching ; 
 and that I would read to her how He taught a man who came 
 to Him by night to ask questions. She appeared pleased, and 
 seated herself at my feet, looking up with a face full of intelli- 
 gent interest ; and listened attentively while I read the third 
 chapter of St. John’s Gospel down to the end of our Lord’s con- 
 versation with Nicodemus : explaining, as well as I was able, 
 as we went ; and endeavouring to show her the need of a 
 change of heart, and to give her some notion as to the work of 
 the Holy Spirit here spoken of. She paid earnest heed, as any 
 one must have seen, who had looked at her expressive, won- 
 dering face : and though I could not understand all the many 
 questions and remarks she made, it was evident, from her 
 asking so many, that her mind had in some degree taken hold 
 of the subject. She understood all I said to her, I believe, as 
 far as the words went ; for several months of study and prac- 
 tice had, of course, given me much more fluency, than when 
 our acquaintance had begun. Still, it was but a few grains 
 that could be sown in this uncultivated soil, with such limited 
 opportunities ; anything like constant, or regular instruction, 
 being impossible, from the distance at which she lived ; and 
 when the mother was present she talked so fast, that reading 
 had not a very good chance. On this occasion I had Zeynab 
 all to myself, and she stayed three hours at the house, and would 
 even have stayed longer, but that I was then obliged to go out ; 
 and after being refreshed with a simple repast of bread and 
 dried fruit in the schoolroom, she took leave, intreating me to 
 come and see her at the village before going away ; which I 
 promised to do, but illness prevented me. 
 
 I was so fearful of inducing any one to acquiesce from a wish 
 to please, or from a partial conviction, a sort of half-belief, 
 
 p 2 
 
212 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 when the truth has not really been received into the mind, 
 that I have never pressed Zeynab to tell me how far she 
 believed what I told her ; only trying to make sure that she 
 understood what I said. Yery often she voluntarily said, 
 “ That is good ; ” or if I said, “ Is that true V* would reply, “ It 
 is true ; it certainly is true ! ” 
 
 But whether the intellect alone is yet touched, or whether 
 the seed has taken root in the heart, I cannot venture to pro- 
 nounce ; God knows. I can only say with certainty that she is 
 not exactly where she was a year ago ; and most earnestly 
 would I recommend her to the prayers of any Christian reader 
 who may feel an interest in her, after hearing how the lost one 
 was found at length. I was anxious to find her, to do her good 
 if possible ; and after “many days” the search was successful. 
 Surely we may hope that the Good Shepherd is also looking for 
 her, and that He will find and bring home this lost sheep of the 
 wilderness ; for how cold and feeble is our love for souls, com- 
 pared to His, who gave His life for the sheep ! 
 
 Zeynab is now married, and seems not improved by her mar- 
 riage, the husband being stupid and bigoted. However, we 
 must hope on and persevere. 
 
213 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO THE NILE VILLAGES. 
 
 Perhaps there is no season in Egypt in which the country 
 looks so beautiful as in March and April, unless when the 
 Khamseen wind happens to blow, which is not often till towards 
 the end of April. Though hot, the weather is not then oppres- 
 sive, and the verdure is beautiful ; whereas, in autumn a great 
 deal of land is under water, and a great deal more is brown 
 and ugly, as it is in England in very early spring, before any 
 green crops appear. For a short excursion, when strangers, 
 who are limited to time, wish to get a glimpse of the Kile and 
 the Pyramids, &c., there can hardly be a more favourable 
 season than the end of March. 
 
 A few friends had been planning an excursion to Sacchara, 
 meaning to go and return in the day ; but it was represented 
 to them by residents that this was a very fatiguing arrange- 
 ment, and a boat was at last suggested, and an enlargement of 
 the plan into three or four days instead of one. After some 
 discussion and contrivance, it was settled that they should hire 
 a dahabeeyeh, or Nile boat, for a few days, and make excursions 
 thence to Sacchara and Gezeh, and elsew r here, as time and incli- 
 nation should enable them. A boat of this description is, in 
 fact, a kind of floating hotel, and is an invaluable comfort in a 
 region where stationary ones do not exist ; and a more delight- 
 ful mode of conveyance cannot be found, provided no one is in 
 a hurry : for, of course, being dependent chiefly on the wind, 
 
214 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 rapid progress cannot often be reckoned on, as the wind changes 
 frequently ; and though the boatmen row occasionally, yet the 
 weight of a cabined and furnished dahabeeyeh is such, that 
 no one could expect them to continue such an exertion very 
 long. 
 
 I was asked to join this party, and, being the only “ house- 
 holder” among them, to bring my servant to cook for us, and 
 with his assistance to provide stores for the trip. The Monday 
 morning was busy enough, therefore, it being the close of 
 Ramadan, which is kept as a festival, the school had holiday 
 for this week. At length the baskets of oranges, eggs, and 
 vegetables, and all the endless parcels, were packed into an 
 ox-cart, and sent off to the river, while I joined my companions 
 for the voyage at their hotel. Our party consisted of the Rev. 
 Mr. Cohen (who was travelling for his health), his wife and son, 
 and the Rev. Mr. Littlecot, besides myself and maid. Mr. 
 Mansoor Shakoor, then Missionary of the Moslem Society, had 
 also been asked to accompany us, that he might enjoy an oppor- 
 tunity of preaching at the villages on the Nile, and, perhaps, 
 among Bedouins of the desert, and that the gentlemen, who 
 took a lively interest in the spread of the Gospel, might have 
 the pleasure of seeing, at least, even if they could not under- 
 stand the words, how the poorer class of Moslem-Egyptians 
 would receive it. After enjoying the sunset on the river, no 
 small one, even to eyes familiar with its beauty, and a novelty 
 as well as a pleasure to most of us, we had a different gratifica- 
 tion, something more like sunrise than sunset. The boatmen, 
 chiefly Nubians, as they usually are on the Nile, sat round the 
 Missionary for upwards of an hour, while he read to them by 
 the light of a fanous (or native lamp) placed on the deck, and 
 explained to them the Scriptures, hitherto an unknown book ; 
 for one may venture to assert, with scarcely a doubt, that none 
 had before heard the Gospel. Of the many who go up the 
 Nile for health or for pleasure, very few care for the souls of 
 the poor men on whom they depend for their comfort, and even 
 
THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO THE NILE VILLAGES. 
 
 215 
 
 their lives : and of those few who do care, only here and there 
 one is able to be of the least use to them, for want of language. 
 
 Mr. C. was so much interested in them, that he wished to say 
 a few words himself, to show them that their welfare was not 
 forgotten by their temporary employers, and requested the 
 Missionary, who understood English pretty well, to translate a 
 brief and affectionate address, sentence by sentence. He told 
 them how he and his companions in travel wished they could 
 share the knowledge of God’s word and of the salvation of souls 
 with them, and all seemed gratified by the mark of interest so 
 little expected by them from a “ Frank ” stranger. 
 
 The next day was devoted to a visit to Saechara, but we 
 could not start as early as intended, because our asses did not 
 arrive till two hours after the appointed time. Ho one 
 accustomed to the East is surprised at this; “old stagers” 
 either make up their minds to pay the extra expense of having 
 their steeds brought across the water over-night, or expect to 
 wait for them next morning, and thus spare the donkey-boy 
 the trouble of coining several lies for the occasion by innocently 
 asking, “why he is late,” and supposing “something must have 
 happened.” 
 
 While waiting for our tardy boys and steeds we explored a 
 few huts near the shore. When the Missionary began talking 
 to a man outside them, I was invited to enter one of the huts 
 by two or three women, who were crouched up within. It was 
 easier said than done, as the entrance was both low and narrow; 
 but I crept in, and found a corner in the den, where I sat for a 
 little while, and read to the women, the younger of whom 
 listened with interest, the older one was stupid ; a man, the 
 father of the girls, listened also, and seemed anxious about the 
 book ; while a negro lad squeezed himself in presently, to know 
 what was going on. There was a wind blowing, which made 
 the loose sand fly, so that it was difficult to read in any comfort 
 outside the hut ; and I quitted it, therefore, before long, that 
 Mr. Shakoor might bring his audience in, for two or three 
 
216 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 peasants had joined him. One of these, the owner of the chief 
 hovel, was called “ guardian of the coast,” and seemed to be a 
 travelled man, at least, he had been to Alexandria and other 
 towns, and had had some little intercourse with foreigners. He 
 thought I was a Syrian, he said, from my accent in speaking 
 Arabic. 
 
 At last the asses made their appearance, and we started for 
 Sacchara. The road, though monotonous, has great beauty in 
 its own way, especially at this season, when the groves of palm- 
 trees seem to rise out of waves of green corn, or fields of grass 
 and clover, in which flocks of goats and sheep, and scattered 
 buffaloes, tended by ragged children, are feeding or reposing in 
 the shade, while the sunlight comes down in streaks of gold 
 through the feathery branches. This cultivated land joins the 
 desert without any gradual decrease of fertility ; one steps at 
 once from a rich clover-field into the dry sand, which stretches 
 away in its shadeless extent for miles and miles. 
 
 The Pyramids of Sacchara, as is well known, are so 
 numerous, that the place appears from a distance as if actually 
 dotted over with pyramids, some in their infancy as to size, and 
 others far advanced towards completion, but dilapidated by the 
 ruthless hand of the wandering Arabs more than by time : 
 none, however, approach the magnitude of those at Gezeh. 
 
 The pale yellow sand is strewn with bones from the sacred 
 bulls whose tombs lie beneath, and also with human skulls, &e., 
 in many places : whether these last are ancient, or comparatively 
 modern, is, I believe, a disputed point. 
 
 Those who have never seen the desert are apt to picture it 
 to themselves as a dead flat, smooth as a bowling-green ; but 
 though tracts of such desert exist, it is by no means its usual 
 feature; masses of rock cropping out here and there, and hills of 
 sand formed by the wind, diversify the surface ; and these latter 
 are sometimes of a considerable height, and very difficult to 
 ascend, from the loose sand giving way under one’s feet. The 
 general view is so unlike anything we see in Europe, that it 
 
THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO THE NILE VILLAGES. 217 
 
 must interest every one who sees it for the first time, even 
 without taking into consideration the wondrous history of the 
 pash — half known and half guessed at — with which the scene 
 is connected. 
 
 The view, and the air, and the transparent colouring of a 
 most lovely day, we could enjoy to perfection, but were dis- 
 appointed of the antiquities we had hoped to visit, as, owing to 
 a Moslem festival among the Bedouin tribe of that neighbour- 
 hood, of which we had not been aware, not a single guide 
 could be found. We vainly sought for the wonderful “Apis 
 pits,” and the beautiful temple, which I had formerly seen here. 
 The entrances to these places are so small that, except to the 
 Arabs, who know every inch of ground, it is almost impossible 
 to discover them : the similarity, and vast number of the heaps 
 of sand and rubbish, made it a case very much like that of the 
 man in the Arabian Nights’ tale, who found all the doors in a 
 certain town marked with red streaks ! 
 
 We gave up the search, after an amount of walking which, 
 in a less invigorating air, might have been found very fatiguing, 
 and remounted our donkeys. 
 
 On the way back we had a most interesting halt ; which, in 
 a great measure, repaid us for past disappointments. None of 
 the English strangers had ever seen an Eastern potter and his 
 wheel : and we stopped, therefore, at a village called Butras- 
 heem, to look at one who was busy making goulehs (i. e. native 
 water-jars), in a small open shed of the rudest kind. The 
 handiness and rapidity with which he shaped the lumps of clay 
 into goulehs of elegant form, delighted us to watch no less than 
 the simplicity of his apparatus ; doubtless, similar to that in 
 use in Palestine in the days of Jeremiah. Mr. Shakoor had 
 not his Bible (unluckily, the Arabic Bible is cumbrous to carry), 
 but he took out his Testament, and read the 9th of Bomans ; 
 which, by the very allusion to the employment of the man 
 before him, attracted an audience of between thirty and forty 
 people, besides children. None of those present will easily 
 
218 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 forget tliat scene ; the potter, rapidly shaping the lumps of 
 clay, and setting aside vessel after vessel on a rude shelf near 
 him ; and, occasionally, one being “ marred in the hand of the 
 potter,” and then one better than the rest put down, with a 
 look of pride, more carefully than the others, and the listening 
 group surrounding the preacher, as he sat on a low wall a 
 little above the shed, hearing for the first time the word of 
 God. What temple at Sacchara would give so much pleasure 
 to the servants of the Lord as a sight like this 1 
 
 On our return to our floating hotel, a slight favourable wind 
 allowed us to proceed a little higher up the river. We cast 
 anchor after dark : so it was not till next morning that we 
 could reconnoitre. We found ourselves on a coast fringed with 
 palms, near a tolerably large, though dirty and wretched- 
 looking village, called Turlayeh. Here a number of people 
 soon gathered round us, curious to look at the foreigners, and 
 Mr. S. got a large audience without any difficulty : the people 
 seemed as ready to listen as he was to read. He sat down 
 under a low mud wall, among some cucumber-gardens, outside 
 the village ; and a few men, who were lounging about the spot, 
 sat down with him at once, while he produced his Testament. 
 Others soon flocked round, to the number of about fifty, as 
 nearly as we could reckon. There was the old man with grey 
 beard, “ leaning on his staff for very age ; ” with the sturdy 
 labourer, and the boy who had paused in his play to hear this 
 strange book : and on the other side, a troop of blue-veiled 
 women, most of whom had not their faces hidden, being less 
 particular on this point in the country than the town ; and 
 some bright and pretty faces appeared among the party. They 
 would not, however, remain within ear-shot, unless I stood 
 among them, as a sort of protection, I suppose ; for when I 
 withdrew a few yards, because such close quarters had some 
 disadvantages, they began to disperse, and I had to rejoin them 
 immediately to induce them to remain. The interest must have 
 been strong that would induce Moslem women to stay at all 
 

 1 / ** ^ 
 
 iii| 
 
 > 3 It MIIIIIIJ 
 
 i — *\\-p 
 
 
 Potter at Work. 
 
 W' ■' 
 

THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO THE NILE VILLAGES. 
 
 219 
 
 in the presence of strange men ; but, though some few chattered 
 and whispered, most of them were apparently as much in- 
 terested as the men ; and one observed, as the preacher was 
 explaining, after giving the Gospel to a young man who read a 
 chapter out of St. Matthew, that his “ words were sweeter than 
 honey.” The lad who read was, I think, a Copt ; but by far 
 the greater part of the audience were Moslems. 
 
 We visited another village a little later in the day, whose 
 name I could not catch : it resembled the first, a good deal ; 
 but here, not a man was to be seen : this being the busiest part 
 of the day, they were out with their cattle, or in the fields. 
 There was a large feminine population, however, and we entered 
 into conversation with one of them, by asking her to sell us a 
 goose from a fine flock, which appeared to belong to her. 
 
 She replied, gravely pointing to the bird : “ His mother 
 cannot spare him ! ” meaning, by this sentimental phrase, that 
 he was too young to be roasted. 
 
 Having made an opening, I asked if I should come and visit 
 some of their houses. One or two looked frightened and 
 walked off ; and another sullen, as if she did not want Christian 
 visitors. But the greater number were very friendly in 
 manner, and one urged me to come to her house ; which I did, 
 begging the gentlemen to remain within call ; they would not be 
 admitted into the houses in the absence of the men. My guide 
 led me up a narrow passage, between two mud walls, into a 
 kind of court, where several women were seated, and a number 
 of others soon began to crowd in, till I counted up to three or 
 four and twenty, and some others squeezed in afterwards ; 
 besides two boys, the sons, I believe, of the hostess, who stood 
 behind me on the raised ledge of stones on which I was invited 
 to be seated. All saluted me, and one or two, who were eating 
 raw beans, begged me to partake of this refreshment, a very 
 favourite one with them, when the beans are young. I begged 
 to have a little water instead, on the ground that raw beans 
 did not agree with Franks. A young woman brought water in 
 
220 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 a heavy, earthen pitcher, which she held while I drank from it. 
 I then said, according to the pretty Eastern fashion, on receiving 
 any such little mark of attention, “ Blessed be thy hands, my 
 sister ! ” All then sat down in a circle ; and, after a little 
 chat, I offered to read them something from the book of the 
 Lord Jesus. All were very willing, and listened attentively to 
 one of the miracles of our Saviour. An elderly woman present 
 took a particular interest in the subject, and asked several 
 intelligent questions. She was evidently a bigoted Moslem, and 
 not very easy to deal with. As I had no immediate prospect 
 of being able to return and resume the conversation, I rather 
 ignored Mohammed ; and when she began to speak warmly 
 about his greatness, I said, “ Let us now hear what God tells us 
 in His holy word,” and tried to point out the need of prayer 
 for enlightenment, as, without the Holy Spirit, we cannot know 
 the truth or please God ; adding, that our own hearts as well 
 as what we see in the world showed us our sinfulness, and that 
 only in God’s book could we learn how to obtain pardon. All 
 were attentive and interested. This was the largest number of 
 Moslem women that I ever assembled together. At first I felt 
 a little nervous, as one or two of those outside had looked sus- 
 picious, and a Christian book might, possibly, make them angry ; 
 and when excited, they can be furious. But there was nothing 
 of the kind ; when they saw friendly feeling they responded to 
 it heartily : and when I rose to depart, all begged me to return 
 and visit them again, saying, that the book was good. 
 
 As we were returning to the boat, the Missionary’s quick 
 eye detected a group of seven men resting under a wall, and he 
 left us to join them. 
 
 We returned to the boat to rest ; but heard that he found 
 interested listeners as before. Surely, it was not for nought 
 that we were sent hither ! 
 
 Some Christian friends, indeed, have been led by such 
 accounts as this to expect too much, not being aware that to 
 gain a hearing the first time is not so difficult sometimes as to 
 
THE GOSPEL BROUGHT TO THE NILE VILLAGES. 
 
 221 
 
 gain a second and a third, curiosity sharpening the interest at 
 first, and the people often being not fully acquainted with the 
 fact that the book was “ Christian.” Still, we can never say 
 that God’s Word has been read in vain ; and if one among 
 fifty listeners has been really moved, the reader may well bless 
 God that he was led to open the book of life ! 
 
222 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE TENTS AND THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 On the next day, having turned our boat’s course towards 
 Cairo, we stopped early in the morning off the coast of Gezeh, 
 and went on foot to make excursions to the neighbouring 
 villages : first, we called at the old farm-house, where I had 
 been in the winter, and were soon greeted by one of our old 
 acquaintance : he was very friendly and civil ; but he was the 
 only one that could be found, as the other labourers were dis- 
 persed over the plantation. So we were a little disappointed, 
 and were moreover punished for accepting poor Hassan’s well- 
 meant offer of resting in the house, instead of sitting in the sun 
 outside ; for we found it swarming with fleas, as ill-kept and 
 neglected habitations always are in this country. We hastened 
 away, therefore, and soon came to the Bedouin village (Muz- 
 zhuna) where the audience had been assembled in the winter. 
 Several seemed to recognise Mr. Shakoor, with pleasure ; and 
 we went to sit under the palm-grove with a circle of them ; 
 Mr. C. and Mr. L. looking on, much interested in watching the 
 countenances and manners of the group. Meantime, I begged 
 Mrs. C. at least to peep into the dwelling of my former ac- 
 quaintance in this village, whose daughter invited me in, the 
 mother herself being absent. A very short look was sufficient 
 to satisfy curiosity, certainly ; for the place was not tempting 
 in its aspect : when my friend saw the niches in the mud walls 
 where food is kept, she did not, I think, feel inclined to envy 
 
THE TENTS AND THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 223 
 
 me tlie repast I had partaken of here in the winter. I sat 
 some time with the women when she had withdrawn ; and 
 while reading to them, one brought her son, a lad of sixteen, 
 telling me, very proudly, that he could read. I handed him 
 my book (a copy of the “ Miracles of Christ ”) ; and he read 
 very tolerably, though not fluently, a couple of pages, to the 
 delight of his mother and her friends. I told him to keep the 
 book ; but when I rejoined my friends, and he came with me, 
 and showed it to some of his neighbours, who were listening 
 and talking with the Missionary, one of them, a Turk, who 
 seemed to have some kind of authority, took it away from him, 
 and said he ought not to have it. I begged hard that it might 
 be restored ; and assured him it was very good. At last he 
 yielded, and handed it back to the lad, who went off well 
 pleased ; but whether the Turk may not have taken it away 
 again when we were out of sight we cannot, of course, tell. 
 There was a very intelligent Copt here sitting among the 
 Moslem group ; he had a copy of the Gospels all written out by 
 his own hand, and beautifully done, as far as I could venture 
 to judge : it must have taken him a long time ; but I believe 
 he did it because the Scriptures were not easily to be had, or 
 that he did not know where to buy a copy. He warmly ap- 
 plauded the Missionary for visiting the people, and said to the 
 others, “ Did I not tell you that Christians wish to do good h ” 
 He had a long argument with the Moslem Turk who took 
 away the book from the boy ; the Missionary replying to them 
 both in turn. At last we quitted Muzzhuna, and went round 
 by the little Bedouin settlement, we can hardly call it a village, 
 which was also one of the winter stations. The travellers were 
 as surprised as I could have wished, on being introduced to this 
 colony, where the tents and mud huts are clustered together 
 amid the palm-trees, and inhabited by a set of beings who 
 might, from their appearance, have been supposed to be in 
 abject poverty ; but dirt and ignorance aggravate matters 
 sadly. W ithin* one of the tents were a party of five or six 
 
224 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 men sitting, some of whom were not ill-clad at all in their style. 
 The tent was large, and quite open in front, divided by a ragged 
 curtain into two compartments ; one of which was exclusively 
 devoted to the women, though the partition was so low and full 
 of holes that the separation seemed more form than reality. 
 Several women were moving about the entrance, wearing short 
 face- veils of white or lilac-coloured crape, just reaching below 
 the chin, and plenty of brass and bead ornaments ; only one or 
 two sported massive silver bracelets, such as are constantly seen 
 in Cairo and its neighbourhood. Some of the youngest children 
 had no clothes of any sort ; and the others were as ragged a 
 crew as ever were seen ; and excessively dirty, of course. 
 
 As soon as the Missionary was recognised he was cordially 
 invited into the tent, and sat for some time reading and ex- 
 pounding the Gospel to the men. While this was going on, a 
 woman came to the mud-built oven in front of her part of the 
 tent with a plate of eggs in her hand ; they somehow dis- 
 appeared into the hole of the said oven, and came out in about 
 five minutes without their shells, and swimming on the top of a 
 quantity of melted butter. I never saw more expeditious 
 cooking in my life : this, with a trayful of coarse dourra bread, 
 was taken to the tent ; and as she did so, the woman turned 
 round to me and said, “ This is for the teacher.” 
 
 This was very gratifying to see. Nor was their kind hospi- 
 tality confined to the teacher ; they afterwards begged the rest 
 of the party to partake of their dainties ; which, however, were 
 so far from cleanly, that every one declined : though, as I was 
 aware of their sensitiveness on this point, I hastened to cover 
 over our refusal by a profusion of excuses and thanks \ assuring 
 them in the name of those who did not kno\y the language, 
 that their eggs were certainly excellent ; only that really we 
 were not hungry, and could not possibly eat so early in the 
 day, &c. Mr. Shakoor, however, was obliged to swallow a 
 portion of the greasy mess in the tent ; and was assisted by his 
 friends there, who, doubtless, thought it delicious. Observing 
 
THE TENTS AND THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 225 
 
 a large skin tied to one of the tent-pegs, I asked one of the 
 women if it was for making butter ; she told me it was, and 
 offered, very goodnaturedly, to show the process, which was 
 new to all of us. The skin was half full of milk, which was 
 waiting to be sour' before churning. But that we might see 
 how this was done, she untied the skin, and blew into it with 
 her breath for about a minute, till it was strained tight with 
 the confined air ; then tied it up again, and taking hold of a 
 second string fastened to the other end, she jerked it up and 
 down, and said, this was continued till the butter was made ; 
 then she untied it, and left it to sour at leisure : perhaps, if 
 one did not see the process, the butter might not taste badly. 
 
 We took a friendly leave of our Bedouins and got back to 
 the dahabeeyeh early in the afternoon, and having had as 
 much walking as we were inclined to, spent the remainder of 
 the day in repose upon a small island, a sort of sand-bank, 
 covered with grass and weeds, whence a lovely reach of the 
 river was to be seen. 
 
 The next day was our last, to the regret of all the little 
 party ; and it was settled to make the most of it by going as 
 early as possible to visit the Gezeh Pyramids. 
 
 It was a splendid morning, and the road open all the way ; 
 that is to say, we had not to make long detours , or be carried 
 across deep, muddy pools on men’s shoulders, as is the case if 
 one goes to the Pyramids during the autumn and winter 
 months : it is not till the spring is well advanced indeed that 
 the road is all dry, and even then it winds considerably to 
 avoid the deep ditches. This is because a strip of low land 
 extends from a little distance beyond the river up to the edge 
 of the desert, which rises into a steep sandy bank before you 
 approach the Pyramids, which are thus nearly cut off during at 
 least half the year on the Cairo side : the spring is therefore 
 the best season for visiting those, when a choice can be had. 
 
 No festival to-day, and plenty of Bedouin guides ; more, 
 indeed, than were needed, as is usually the case here. Spoiled 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 by the life they lead, and exposed to the chances of learning 
 evil from many of the swarms of Franks who come here, while 
 no good influence of any kind is exercised over them, no wonder 
 that they are generally a pestering set of rogues. Their gains 
 irregular, and in no way proportioned either to their deserts or 
 labours, but depending on the degree of wealth, or caprice, or 
 ignorance, of the travellers, or on their own clamorous demands, 
 and varying with even a variation of weather, as bringing few 
 or more tourists, &c., they have every temptation to be grasp- 
 ing, turbulent, or flattering, according as the occasion prompts 
 them. It is bad enough for uncivilised men, like the wild 
 Bedouins of the desert, never to see or hear anything that can 
 lead them to wish for improvement, to be cut off from every- 
 thing connected with civilisation ; but, surely, it is worse by 
 far to come in contact with civilised life, in such a manner as 
 to see nothing of it but what is immaterial, and to gain nothing 
 but what is bad ! Such seems the case of these much-abused 
 Arabs of the Pyramids, at least, their usual case : they see 
 plenty of European hats and bonnets and pink parasols ; and 
 porter-bottles are so common among them that I have seen one 
 full of preserved scorpions in the possession of a Bedouin lad : 
 these are the immaterial part of civilisation, certainly. Then 
 the bad words they pick up in English, French, and Italian, 
 from visitors of low moral character, and the drinking, which I 
 fear they sometimes see there, are of course direct evils, which 
 hitherto there has been nothing to counteract. I have heard of 
 their asking Europeans for brandy, and a Moslem who does 
 that is fallen very low. But they are not impervious to good 
 impressions, any more than other men ; and some of them 
 appear exceedingly intelligent. One man came up to the side 
 of my donkey and said, “You speak Arabic ; I remember you. 
 
 I saw you that day the gentleman read to us from the book 
 under the tree ■ you were with some others.” He was alluding 
 to a visit I paid to the neighbourhood of the Pyramids (for we 
 did not reach them, having started late), while staying at the 
 
THE TENTS AND THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 227 
 
 farm in the winter. He recognised the Missionary, and re- 
 minded him how he had read and spoken to several Bedouins 
 on that occasion, as also on one or two others. I asked this 
 man if he had a family 1 He said, “ Yes, he had a wife and 
 one boy,” and begged me to come and see his hareem, as he 
 called it ; for the village where he lived was close to the Pyra- 
 mids, and we were just approaching it. I agreed, and asked 
 Mr. Cohen to accompany me, as it would not be quite prudent 
 to go without protection ; and also he would, I felt sure, like to 
 see an Arab dwelling. We told the rest of the party we would 
 rejoin them at the Sphinx’s head before long, and turned off 
 into the little collection of huts, built very picturesquely among 
 a group of scattered palm-trees, some of which seemed to grow 
 right up out of the walls ; two of them occupied the small 
 court of my friend’s house, and threw a light shade over it. 
 It was but a mud hut in itself ; but the court was evidently a 
 summer parlour, and by no means a despicable one in such a 
 climate. 
 
 The wife, a very homely -featured, but most good-humoured- 
 looking woman, came out, unveiled, and immediately fetched a 
 mat for us, while her husband told us to “sit and rest ourselves 
 under the tree and said that, if we would wait a little, his 
 wife should make coffee, and also should bake fateereh , cakes of 
 unleavened bread, baked on the hearth, reminding us forcibly 
 of Abraham and Sarah. We feared too long a delay might 
 make our friends uneasy ; and even this rapid style of hospi- 
 tality occupies some time, where fire has to be lighted, as is 
 here always necessary ; but we “ comforted our hearts,” at the 
 kind entreaty of our host, by a draught of water, and some sort 
 of cake, which he thought a great dainty, and hospitably 
 pressed on our acceptance ; and of which I therefore devoured 
 a morsel with a smiling countenance, although I must own it 
 was far from being nicely flavoured ! I conversed a little with 
 the man, and two or three friends who joined him, Mr. C. 
 being unable, for want of language, to take more than a dumb- 
 
 Q2 
 
228 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 man’s share, unfortunately for them as well as himself. I told 
 them that “ the teacher ” was with us to-day, and invited them 
 to come and hear the book, and said a little about it to the 
 poor wife, who was sure not to be allowed to come out and 
 listen : but I promised, if permitted by God, to come and pay 
 them a longer visit, after some months, “ And then,” said the 
 man, “ you shall drink coffee ! ” He was evidently disap- 
 pointed that we had not drunk his coffee, poor man ! After 
 taking leave we joined our party as agreed, and visited the 
 antiquities of the place, which, often as they have been de- 
 scribed, always strike every intelligent traveller almost as much 
 as if he were the first to see them : and then, when tired and 
 hot, we sat down in the cool shade cast by that huge, artificial 
 mountain, while a group of Bedouins gathered round us. 
 
 It so happened that there was not another party, as yet, in 
 sight ; so an unusually large bevy sat waiting to see if we 
 should require their guidance again, after resting ; and the 
 circle augmented gradually, till we had five-and-twenty men 
 around us. This was a fine opportunity for Mr. Shakoor, who 
 had no sooner produced his Testament than he was requested 
 to read. He began with part of the Sermon on the Mount ; 
 and after explaining it, and eliciting several questions and re- 
 marks from his audience, read other portions, and a more 
 attentive set could seldom be seen. I sketched a few just as a 
 study , and a most interesting one, surely ! The unstudied 
 postures, and graceful, though rude drapery, and the dark, 
 swarthy faces, and keen black eyes, turned earnestly towards the 
 preacher, was a sight none could easily forget. Poor fellows ! 
 for the first time, with the exception of the few who had met 
 with the Missionary in his two or three former visits, they were 
 listening to the wonders of God’s word, to that word of in- 
 spiration, which has the same power that it had in the days of 
 old, when spoken by those who had miracles to attest their 
 authority. The power cannot, indeed, act so rapidly upon 
 large numbers : but the word of God is still, as it was then, a 
 
THE TENTS AND THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 229 
 
 two-edged sword, piercing deep into the soul of man, and finding 
 an echo in the conscience of all who give it a fair hearing. 
 The work may be slower, but not less sure , than when the 
 lepers were cleansed and the blind received their sight. 
 
 Our poor Bedouins were evidently moved and interested. 
 One or two, who could read, begged earnestly for books, and 
 received a portion of Scripture each : others, who had friends or 
 relatives who could read, entreated us to give books for them. 
 Unluckily, I had not brought many, not expecting to find any 
 Bedouins who could read ; but they said, “ Will you not send, 
 or bring, us more books some day ? ” And one old man stepped 
 forward and said, “ Sitti, I have a son so tall,” holding his hand 
 up to show the lad’s height, “he is now learning to read. 
 Send me a book for him ! ” It is difficult to give an idea of the 
 eagerness with which they sought to get books. Of course, I 
 promised either to send books in the summer, or else to bring 
 some in winter, if spared till next year. Surely, there is an 
 opening among these people, when they show such readiness to 
 hear and read the Scriptures ! 
 
 Some young reader may, perhaps, be disappointed to hear 
 that, not very long after the preaching, two of our friends were 
 fighting fiercely, because they could not agree as to which of 
 them should act as guide up the pyramid to one of the gentle- 
 men ! 
 
 But all who know human nature by sad experience, will not 
 wonder that old habits should not be easily or quickly eradi- 
 cated, even on men who had been seriously impressed, and 
 whether these two had listened with any real interest we could 
 not judge ; they will, rather, rejoice to hear that some of their 
 companions expostulated and looked grave, though others 
 laughed. The fight did not last long, nor was any blood shed, 
 and the combatants were properly punished by the gentlemen 
 all declaring that none of them would ascend the pyramid, and 
 so neither got the honour and reward they had fought for. It 
 is not one or two readings that would change these fierce 
 
230 
 
 EAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 natures ; but it is a wonderful and blessed opening, when we 
 find them willing to hear. 
 
 God’s word will do its own work in time, if the means are 
 used, preaching, and reading, and spreading the Scriptures to 
 all who can read, and earnest supplication for a blessing upon 
 the seed sown from praying Christians at home ; but we must 
 patiently wait for the early and latter rain, and not expect to 
 sow and reap in the same hour. 
 
231 
 
 CHAPTER XI Vj 
 
 THE BOYS’ SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 
 
 What can be done for the boys ? was a question frequently 
 before my thoughts ; for in my immediate neighbourhood they 
 appeared a most neglected set of beings. Nor did schools of a 
 superior class meet the difficulty. Nothing can supply the 
 place of a ragged-school in large cities ; by which we under- 
 derstand a school where the lowest and poorest children, whose 
 parents will not or cannot pay for their teaching, and in a 
 majority of cases do not care whether they have it or not, may 
 be collected, and taught the bare essentials of education, such 
 as Scripture and reading, with the rudiments of some other 
 things, as far as circumstances permit. Where a day-school of 
 this kind is not practicable, an evening class is often attained, 
 and at all events a Sunday-school of some sort or other may be 
 managed in most places, because Christian persons occupied all 
 the week are often ready to give an hour or two of their 
 Sunday for the gratuitous instruction of the ignorant. The 
 week-days were occupied with the girls’ school, and I had no 
 funds at my disposal to start a similar one for boys ; but to 
 collect a few of these after service on Sunday, and thus make a 
 beginning, which might hereafter be increased into a daily 
 school, seemed by no means an impossible thing to attempt, and 
 the rest of Saturday made one fresher for such work on 
 Sunday. The poor boy who had wished to be a girl, in order to 
 be admitted to the school festival, was, unluckily for him, no 
 
232 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 longer within reach ; perhaps his father thought change of air 
 might benefit his mother’s tongue, she had been the scold par 
 excellence of the quarter ; certain it is they were all gone, and 
 I never saw the boy in the lanes near Bab-el-Bahar. But 
 there were plenty of others whose names and faces were 
 familiar to me, most of them brothers to my girls, beside a more 
 changing ragged crew, the friends and acquaintance of my 
 neighbours, who came from time to time to fight with them for 
 sugar-canes, to assist in the composition of dust heaps, which, 
 from the dryness of the climate, are more in fashion than 
 “mud pies,” though these are manufactured also quite as 
 successfully as in St. Giles’s ; and last, but not least, to 
 join in tormenting a certain huge brown ram, which looked 
 exactly like a door-mat with a head and legs to it, and 
 which was driven up and down the lane by a troop of 
 little boys, till I expected to see it knock them down and kill 
 them : but the poor brute was very gentle, and bore a great 
 deal, and they did sometimes feed it with part of their sugar- 
 canes, the tops which they could not eat, especially, so perhaps 
 it had not so miserable a life as one might have supposed. Some 
 of these boys I found went to the Mahometan school, which 
 they dislike cordially, being often severely beaten, and not 
 furnished with pictures or amusing books, or anything that 
 could lighten the labour of spelling and reading. The greater 
 number, however, did not go anywhere, and did not know their 
 letters. 
 
 I spoke to some, whom I met playing at the door one day, 
 and asked if they would like to come to my house and see 
 some pictures, and hear histories of Moses and David, and learn 
 something out of God’s book. Two or three said they would ; 
 others laughed ; and the smallest stared wonderingly, without 
 saying a word. There was one little fellow, whose roguish face 
 was quite familiar ; I often saw him making mimic shops with 
 bits of broken crockery upon the door-step, in company with 
 one or two little girls, and as he moved his toys to let the 
 
THE BOYS’ SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 
 
 233 
 
 owner of the house go in or come out, he always used to laugh 
 merrily, and beg leave to kiss my hand, and ask if he might not 
 come to school. I occasionally dropped nuts or dates out of 
 the window to him and some young companions in the evening, 
 which made them exceedingly happy, and perhaps was one 
 reason for the friendly feeling evinced by this boy, whose de- 
 monstrations were quite diverting. He had a slight squint of 
 one eye, but it seemed only to enhance the humorous expres- 
 sion of his face, as he would stand by the donkey, when I was 
 preparing to mount it for a ride, saying, “Now, teacher, when 
 may I come to school 1 ” 
 
 I told him one day that I was going to have Sunday-school 
 for the boys ; all the week was for the girls, but they should 
 have school on one day if they would come. I also told the 
 girls who had brothers to let them know. While trying to get 
 pupils on one hand, it was necessary to get teachers on the 
 other, as a man would be necessary, if any big boys came, to 
 keep order, &c . ; and besides, the year was already far advanced ; 
 April had begun, and I had not quite two months more to 
 stay, and must leave successors. Some few friends, however, 
 promised to try and aid the work. 
 
 When Sunday arrived, finding no boys made their appear- 
 ance, I went down into the lane to look for them ; but though 
 it usually swarmed, on this morning, as if on purpose to try 
 our faith and patience, not a boy was in sight, only a girl 
 was visible ; she was playing in a little heap of rubbish, all by 
 herself. 
 
 “ Saida ! ” I cried. She came immediately at my call, being 
 one of the scholars. I asked her if she would find her own 
 brother, if she had one ; and if not, call some of her school- 
 fellows, and send them to find theirs. She looked rather be- 
 wildered, not having apparently heard of the scheme, though it 
 had been mentioned more than once in school. However, she 
 trotted off at last ; and, meantime, I turned into the main 
 street, which was very quiet at this the hottest time of day. I 
 
234 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 would gladly have fixed a later hour, for I feared many boys 
 would be sleeping about this time in the hot months ; but did 
 not like to choose an hour which would interfere with either 
 the English or American service, on the teachers’ account. 
 
 In the street were a group of boys assembled at a doorway, 
 quarrelling : they were mostly quite little boys, from three or 
 four up to ten years of age, by their appearance. Two women 
 sat by, without interfering in the least. I went up and gently 
 remonstrated with them for disputing ; and asked them, instead 
 of beating one another, to come with me and learn something 
 good at the school yonder. They were astonished, and stopped 
 quarrelling to listen. 
 
 One of the mothers said, “You are the teacher, are you 
 not 1 ” 
 
 “ Yes, for the girls ; but I wish to let the boys have a little 
 teaching also, for I love them as well as girls.” 
 
 I explained to them that, for an hour or two on this day, 
 first day, the Arabs call it, as Quakers in our country do, was 
 to be for the boys ; and that some kind gentlemen had promised 
 to teach them out of God’s book, if they would come to my 
 house. The women said it was very good, though without ex- 
 pressing any lively desire that their sons should learn ; which 
 I could not expect, that they did not oppose it was all I could 
 hope, for, after all, it did require some confidence to send their 
 children with a stranger, of a different nation and religion, 
 on her bare word. But they told the boys to go if they wished ; 
 and one patted her little son on the shoulder, and encouraged 
 him to go, saying, “ She will not beat you.” Two went away, 
 looking rather sulky, but the rest came with me ; and I brought 
 them in triumphantly. 
 
 At the door we met a girl dragging a young brother in great 
 pride, and she was followed by two or three more with their 
 brothers ; coaxing and pulling them along, and trying to re- 
 assure them by patting them, and telling of the pleasures 
 and advantages of school, while the poor boys hung back, and 
 
Toys brought by their Sisters to School. 
 
 P. 170. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE BOYS SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 
 
 235 
 
 tried to free their arms, half-laughing, as if a little ashamed of 
 their fears. It was a curious sight thus to see the despised part 
 of the population using the powers which a little smattering of 
 superior knowledge had given them, trying to bring their 
 brothers to get a share, and in the most affectionate manner 
 persuading them not to be afraid. 
 
 Accustomed to the harsh treatment in vogue at Moslem 
 schools, the boys were much more timid than the girls had been 
 at first. Two or three who had been coaxed inside the door 
 suddenly lost heart, and crying out, “ They will beat us ! ” 
 turned and fled precipitately. The others came up and stayed ; 
 but one little fellow, having only one eye, and a thick shag of 
 hair hanging from under an ancient tarboosh, which gave him a 
 strange appearance here, where the boys’ hair is usually shaved, 
 only consented to stay on the condition of being allowed to keep 
 the door wide open by sitting on the ground with his back 
 against it ; so that, at any sign of foul play, he might get off, 
 as I suppose. He gave no motive for his singular choice of a 
 seat, but said, if we did not let him sit there, he would not 
 remain. 
 
 They were a ragged and dirty crew, as may be imagined. 
 I can scarcely say how many we had that first day, as two or 
 three went and others came ; but I think nine stayed. These 
 were clad in blue or white shirts, or rather garments which 
 had formerly been so, but were now nearly undistinguishable ; 
 and cotton caps on their little cropped heads. Certainly, 
 dress had not done much for them ; but they had bright, 
 intelligent eyes, which lit up, as they glanced curiously at the 
 pictures on the wall. The younger ones all clamoured to stay 
 with the lady, and I divided them from the older boys, giving 
 these over to the young Copt, who was my assistant that day: 
 The little fellows sat in a row before me : all were Moslems 
 but one, named George (Jerjas ; or in Cairo, Gergas). He 
 was a friend of the others, however, and placed little Mo- 
 hammed, a fat, round-faced little Moslem, of four years old, on 
 
236 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 his lap, that he might better see the picture I was showing 
 them, of the finding of Moses. I talked to them, and asked 
 questions, and amused rather than taught this first day ; the 
 great point being to induce them to get the habit of coming 
 here on Sundays. We only kept them an hour, fearing to tire 
 them. 
 
 The second Sunday we had thirteen scholars. Before my 
 assistant arrived, seven boys had come ; and 1 was so afraid of 
 their running away, if left to wait outside, that I hurried down 
 and admitted them, though it was before the right time. People 
 who have no clocks cannot be very exact. Before long, the 
 girls brought another batch of scholars ; and at the same time 
 a Syrian friend, belonging to an English mercantile house, came 
 to my aid ; and, being accustomed to Sunday-school work in 
 Alexandria, proved a good teacher. He took the older boys 
 and taught them a text of Scripture, besides reading and ex- 
 plaining a short portion, and showing them pictures. I did the 
 same, only omitting the reading to the little fellows ; and 
 instead of it, teaching them a few letters of the alphabet. 
 
 By degrees, a more regular system may be introduced, but 
 till a set of children are got into the habit of attending every 
 week, we cannot make it more than a class ; a real school 
 may follow this little beginning. 
 
 From this time we had a few lads every Sunday ; sometimes 
 ten or twelve, sometimes only three or four, but no Sunday 
 passed without at least a few coming. 
 
 As Sunday is, of course, in no way different from other days 
 to Moslem boys, they often forgot it at first, and some came on 
 Monday, instead ; others got an idle fit, and went off to play in 
 some neighbouring lane, and let the hour pass by. Still, a 
 beginning was made ; the small end of the wedge was inserted 
 into the log. 
 
 One day, three quite big boys, of sixteen or seventeen years 
 of age, came in, curious to know what was going on ; and con- 
 sented to stay and listen to a chapter of the Gospel read and 
 
THE BOYS’ SUNDAY- SCHOOL. 
 
 237 
 
 explained by the Missionary. Another time we had several 
 little creatures of four or five : but Shoh’s younger brother, 
 Abdul Nebby (the servant of the prophet), was generally an 
 attendant on the class ; and also another called Achmet, both 
 lively, handsome boys, about ten or eleven, full of spirit and 
 fun, and not averse to instruction ; being the children of near 
 neighbours, and the brothers of my own girls, they had some 
 personal acquaintance with me, and were always ready with a 
 friendly salutation, if I passed them in the street. My little 
 squint-eyed friend, whose name I forget, used often to call out, 
 “ I remember Sunday,” with a significant smile, if I was looking 
 out of window ; or pull at my hand or skirt, if we met at the 
 door. And though I was obliged gently to withdraw the dress 
 sometimes, observing, “ You must wash your hands, my boy, 
 before you touch my clothes : see how dirty they are ! ” he did 
 not seem painfully daunted by the rebuke ; but laughed and 
 skipped round me in great glee, saying, “You are my mother !” 
 
 On my going to England for a few months, in 1863, the class 
 was taken up by the Missionary resident in Bab-el-Bahar (he 
 was obliged to change the day to Friday) ; but it was kept on 
 with only brief occasional interruptions during that year. On 
 my return I found it going on very fairly, but the varying 
 attendance of the scholars, and their parents’ unwillingness to 
 let them come only for religious teaching (and that by Chris- 
 tians), were great hindrances, and there was little decided and 
 regular progress. Still it was better than nothing, and was the 
 nucleus of the present boys’ school which has taken its place 
 this year, i.e., 1865. 
 
 It may be that we shall not see very distinct results for a 
 long time from this and similar attempts, but how few among 
 Sunday scholars in our own more favoured country give their 
 teachers evidence of their being really Christians in heart as 
 well as name % We know how often the seed sown is found 
 after many years, and so it may be here, where the difficulty 
 attending the sowing is so much greater. We would not be 
 
238 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 satisfied with a little, but we .must thankfully feel that even a 
 little is better than none, that if our boys have but a dim and 
 shadowy idea of Jesus Christ the Saviour, it is better than 
 nothing ; and that God may one day send help to develop 
 further the little knowledge they have gained, in some way we 
 cannot possibly foresee. One has often observed a tiny green 
 shoot coming out of a crack in a rock or great stone, and won- 
 dered how the feeble germ of life could be supported in so hard 
 a soil ; but gradually the chinks enlarge as the roots spread, 
 and they make a way for themselves, little by little drinking 
 in the dew from heaven, till at last a vigorous shrub is seen 
 growing out of the barren rock. Thus, when working in a 
 hard and dry soil, we must take advantage of every opening, 
 however small, and, as it were, drop a seed into every crevice 
 in the rock. 
 
239 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 The little attempt to do something in the way of introducing 
 the Scriptures into a coffee-house was mentioned in our first 
 part : and although the individual Bible has not been traced, 
 and the old relater of stories, who used to read it under the 
 school-house windows, has also vanished from the scene, it will 
 gratify those who were interested in that account to know that 
 there has been much more extensive, though a very quiet and 
 unobtrusive work, carried on in that and a good many other 
 coffee-houses in Cairo. 
 
 These coffee-houses afford a fine opening for missionary work 
 in the city, when not forbidden by the bigotry of the owner, as 
 they are the rendezvous for all the men, of whatever class — 
 rich and poor, the tradesman, the artisan, and the soldier, 
 all are to be found there, partaking of the harmless cordial so 
 universally liked in the East, and to smoke their pipes and 
 enjoy a gossip with their neighbours, or with any stranger who 
 may drop in. Unlike the wretched gin-shops and beer-houses 
 of the North, the refreshment they afford has no tendency to 
 excite men, or to unfit them for serious conversation; and 
 while they sit on the palm-wood benches outside the doors, or 
 in the dark and shady interior, according to the weather and 
 time of day, they are probably in a better state for listening to 
 
240 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 anything requiring thought and attention than at any other 
 time. 
 
 Here it is, then, that two Protestant Syrians, both mission- 
 aries to the Moslems, have been working lately;* day after 
 day they visit the various coffee-houses in different parts of the 
 town, sometimes separately, but oftener together, and joining 
 good-humouredly in the conversation of the circle they find 
 assembled, they by degrees bring it round to something con- 
 nected with religion, and then ask leave to read from the 
 Scriptures, or else begin by showing the book, according as 
 circumstances may suggest at the time. One of these is the 
 same already alluded to as working for the “ Moslem Society,” 
 the other is his brother, Mr. J oseph Shakoor, who has been for 
 some months assisting him, being employed to do so by friends 
 who saw the urgent need of labourers in the whitening fields of 
 Egypt, and therefore sent him the call of the Macedonians of 
 old, “ Come over and help us.” Without delaying to correspond 
 with any religious societies, he replied to the call at once, and 
 not waiting even to answer the letter in which his brother con- 
 veyed the summons, he immediately gave up an excellent 
 situation (as superintendent over a school, with a better salary 
 than that offered him as Evangelist), and set out by the first 
 vessel sailing lor Alexandria, trusting that the Lord had called 
 him by means of His servants, and thus, by actions rather than 
 words, answering, “Here am I.” 
 
 May his labours be richly blessed by His divine Master, and 
 many souls be led to rejoice that he quitted Syria for Egypt, 
 that land of thick mental darkness, where are still fewer to 
 preach the Gospel of light ! I subjoin a few extracts from the 
 notes taken during the months of May and J une, by Mr. J. 
 Shakoor, with which I have been furnished ; warning my 
 readers that they were not written with any view of publica- 
 tion, and are in the English of a foreigner. I have only cor- 
 
 This was in 1863. 
 
THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 241 
 
 rected such errors as seemed to make the sense less apparent, 
 preferring to keep the original simplicity of the journal as 
 untouched as possible. 
 
 Extract from the Report of Joseph Shakoor, for May^ 1863. 
 
 “ I was sitting in a coffee-house, in a place called Bab-el- 
 Bahar. There were some Mahommedans sitting and talking in 
 unuseful conversation ; but I wished to turn them to religion, 
 saying to them, that Cairo is a beautiful place in everything, but 
 bad in two things — heat and dust. One of them said, ‘ There 
 is another thing that you did not mention.’ I said, ‘ What is 
 it?’ He said, ‘The iniquity.’ So I opened the Gospel, and 
 read to them about the mercy of God, and His love to us. They 
 were very pleased, and asked me to tell them what kind that 
 book was with me, and wished me to read more. 
 
 “ I was passing in the street to-day, and saw many Mahom- 
 medans sitting together and smoking. I sat with them, and 
 opened the subject about the flies, saying, ‘ What time it will 
 be here much flies 1 ’ (i.e. the most, which was that very time.) 
 They answered ‘ In the spring.’ Then I remembered the ten 
 plagues, and read to them from the Bible about every plaguy 
 and explained. They were very pleased to hear more, and asked 
 me to come again to read. I went to a large coffee-house, and 
 there were so many Mahommedans together, speaking about 
 the alms, and sat with them, and joined in their conversation. 
 They asked me to tell them which was the best, the secret alms, 
 or to be seen before men 1 Then I opened the Gospel and said, 
 ‘Let us hear what our Lord Jesus says about it;’ and read 
 with them the 6th chapter of St. Matthew, and explained to 
 them, they were attentive to listen to my reading and speaking, 
 and last I finished with them my talking by reading some pas- 
 sages from the Apostles, about the love of God, thanking God 
 that He let me speak before so many Mahommedans without 
 fear. 
 
 “ Another day I went to the market, where I found an old 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 man sitting, with others, Mahommedans. I took a seat and sat 
 with them, speaking about the gift of God to man, and opened 
 the Gospel and read two chapters from St. Matthew. Soon 
 many Mahommedans came to hear what was the matter. That 
 poor old man ! he was attentive more than all, and wished me 
 to read more, saying, ‘ I never heard like this before ; ’ but the 
 rest wished me to dispute with them. I turned my conversa- 
 tion to tell them about Jesus Christ, and spoke with them a 
 long time about Him. 
 
 “ I have been in the school to-day. Two Mahommedans came 
 with their girls, to put them in the school. I took them to 
 another room, and spoke to them first about the purpose of the 
 school, and then I brought the Gospel, and read with them two 
 hours ; after that I went to another place, and found many 
 people sitting, and spoke with them a long time about Jesus 
 Christ, that He was our Saviour. 
 
 “ To-day it was Mahommedans' feast. I know they will be 
 assembled in the coffee-houses. I went to one of these coffee- 
 houses, where I found many persons together, sitting and talk- 
 ing, and sat with them, and asked one of them to tell why so 
 •lany people were to-day in the coffee-house ? He said, ‘ To- 
 day is a festival ' ’ and he began to praise Mahommed before 
 me, saying, ‘ This day is for him, we must keep it well.’ I said, 
 ‘We must thank our God that He made this day and every 
 day ; ’ and asked them if they wished to hear the word of God, 
 our Lord Jesus. I read with them the history of the widow 
 woman that Jesus Christ raised her son from the dead : they 
 were surprised, and praised Jesus. To-day I have been with 
 some Mahommedans. My conversation with them about the 
 Resurrection, and how our God will treat the good and the 
 wicked, read with them the 1st, 8th, and 9th chapters from the 
 Revelations, and explained as I proceeded. Seems to me from 
 their faces, they were feeling, and had fears on the subject. 
 
 “ I went as usual to the coffee-house, and sat near two 
 Mahommedans, and opened with them a long conversation 
 
THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 243 
 
 about many different things, and asked them to read to them 
 some chapters from the New Testament. I read the 2nd and 
 4th chapters from the Acts of the Apostles, and explained to 
 them : these two men seemed to be feeling , but the rest only 
 listen. 
 
 “To-day T read the 24th chapter from St. Matthew before 
 many Mahommedans, who were sitting in a coffee-house, at a 
 place called Bab-el-Bahar, and they were afraid of the last day, 
 saying, ‘ Our Lord J esus speaks more than our Prophet Mahom- 
 med about this day. We must ask God to deliver us from it. 
 What shall we do 1 ? ’ Then I took a good opportunity to speak 
 with them about Jesus Christ, and spent with them half-a-day, 
 speaking and reading some passages about this subject, and 
 they listen well. 
 
 “ I went to a place called Bab-el-Hadeed, and I sat with 
 some Mahommedans ; some of them were from Cairo, some 
 from the country. Our conversation was about the salvation of 
 man, and I read the 22nd chapter from Revelations, and ex- 
 plained to them about the New City. They were rejoiced, and 
 asked me many questions about it. After that I went to 
 another place, called Gam-el- Ah mar ; there was a sick man — 
 with him, some Mahommedans : they came to visit him. Then 
 I spoke with them about the short life of man, and spent there 
 two hours, speaking. I went to the railway stations, and there 
 were many persons together ; my conversation was with them 
 about the Christian religion. Then I removed to another place, 
 and sat near some Mahommedans, and opened the Gospel to 
 read to myself. Some of them came to see what book I have, 
 and asked me to read before them. I asked them if any one 
 can read 1 I found one of them could. He took the book 
 from me, and read the 1st of Romans. I ask him if he can 
 understand ? He said, ‘ Little.’ Then I began to explain 
 before them. So we read the 2nd chapter, and another came 
 and took the book from that man, and read the 1st of Matthew. 
 Then I took the book from him, and read about the birth of 
 
 r 2 
 
244 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 Jesus Christ, and spoke a long time about this. I went to a 
 place called Bawabt-el-Shirawee, and there read in the Gospel 
 before many Mahommedans, and spoke to them without fear. 
 I had no objection from them, but they asked to hear more of 
 our Lord Jesus. To-day I have been at Bab-el-Bahar, in a 
 coffee-house, and read with many Mahommedans the 25th of 
 Matthew ; soon we were a large company to hear what I was 
 reading, and asked me ‘ What book is this ? ’ I said, ‘ Our 
 Lord Jesus’ Book.’ Then I opened the 13th chapter of the 1st 
 Epistle to the Corinthians, and read for them. They were very 
 happy, and wished me to read more about this, saying, ‘We 
 never heard like this before ! ’ ” 
 
 “ June , 1863. — I went to Bab-el- Shirawee, and found some 
 Mahommedans sitting together at a coffee-house ; I sat down 
 and asked for a cup of coffee. After a little while I opened the 
 subject of religion, and they asked me many questions about 
 Christian religion. One was, ‘ Is it lawful to put away 
 wives, or not 'l ’ I read the 10th of St. Mark to them, 
 saying, ‘ We must work as this book says. What do you 
 think of this book ? ’ They answered, ‘It is a good book, 
 but it has been changed by Christians. ’ ” (The Moslems 
 are taught to believe that a part of the Gospel treating of 
 Mahommed, and prophesying his coming, &c., has been 
 abstracted by Christians ; though, of course, this absurd fiction 
 is unsubstantiated by even a forged copy of the supposed 
 portion !) “I said, ‘ Where is the true book your Koran 
 speaks of 1 ’ They said, ‘We do not know, and we do not need 
 it : our Koran is enough for us.’ I spoke with them a long 
 time, to persuade them that it is not changed, and brought 
 some passages from their Koran. They asked many questions 
 about Jesus Christ, to tell them about Him. I showed 
 passages from their Koran, to prove that He is the Word and 
 the Spirit of God. 
 
 “ In another place I sat down by a Mahommedan, and spoke 
 about the duty of man towards God, and of prayer ; read the 
 
THE COFFEE- SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 245 
 
 18th chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel, saying, that we must pray as 
 this Publican did. Afterwards, in another place, I read with 
 several Mahommedans from the Epistle of St. James ; they 
 wished to hear more, and said, ‘"We never heard such a word 
 before ! ’ ” 
 
 June , continued . — “ I went to the Musky, to the house of a 
 friend of mine. Some Mahommedans were sitting near my 
 friend’s shop, two were disputing and quarrelling together ; 
 after they finished I went to them, and found an opportunity of 
 speaking to them, telling them how every wrong in the world 
 makes God angry, and brought many passages from the Gospel 
 about sin. They became ashamed of themselves to be quarrel- 
 ling, and there were many persons present who wished me to 
 speak more on the subject. 
 
 “ I went to a coffee-house with my brother ; we found many 
 people sitting as usual, and we sat down with them, and asked 
 them to hear something from us. My brother asked me to 
 open the Gospel and read ; when they saw the book in my 
 hand, they wished to hear what kind it was. I read two 
 chapters of St. Matthew’s Gospel, and my brother explained. 
 They were attentive, and asked us many questions about J esus 
 Christ and our religion. They said: ‘We never heard a 
 Christian speak as you do ; ’ and they praised Jesus Christ for 
 His book, and invited us to come again to see them. 
 
 “We went to Boulac, this is the chief river-port of Cairo, 
 from which it is about two miles distant, and is a populous 
 place and the scene of much traffic, trusting that the Spirit of 
 God would prepare to us some persons to hear His word. We 
 entered a large coffee-house, where a number of people were 
 assembled. As we were coming in, a man sitting at the door 
 was glad to see us (having probably met them before), and 
 invited us to sit beside him. Near him were some others 
 talking. By accident,' there was passing in the street a crowd, 
 following the bier of a dead man ; then it was a good subject 
 for us to speak about, and read with them. We opened our 
 
246 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 book and read about death, and about Adam and Eve, and how 
 death is conquered by J esus Christ. They were at first afraid 
 for death, and glad at last, through Jesus Christ ; so we spoke 
 with them a long time about this subject. 
 
 “Went with my brother to the railway-station, and found 
 some Mahommedans with their Sheikhs sitting together ; ” (a 
 Sheikh is not only the head of a tribe, but the name is also 
 applied to the head of what we call a guild of artisans ; and, 
 indeed, every employment has a Sheikh over the people 
 belonging to it : even the donkey -boys have a Sheikh ; and, I 
 believe, the dustmen also : but he is usually a person of superior 
 education to the rest.) “ We sat down with them, and opened 
 the subject of religion after a little while. 
 
 “At first our conversation was about God ; then we opened 
 the Gospel, and read some passages to them : they were 
 pleased, and the Sheikh took the book and read before them 
 from St. Matthew. They were attentive to him, and asked us 
 many questions about Christ, and if we say He is the Son of 
 God. After we proved this to them, from the Gospel, and from 
 their own Koran, and by argument, they said, ‘We never 
 heard this from the Copts here ; can their religion be yours ? ’ 
 and they were pleased with the Gospel, saying, ‘ We wish to 
 hear more next time.’ 
 
 “ I went with my brother to a village called Monia, an 
 hour’s walk from Cairo ; with us was a Syrian friend, Mr. 
 Faris el Hakeem. We found there many persons sitting under 
 a tree near the village. They asked us to stay with them and 
 take a rest, which we did ; and they brought water and coffee, 
 and gave us a good salutation. There were among them some 
 from other villages. I opened the Gospel, and read to them 
 three chapters and some passages, which pleased them : we 
 spoke to them, and they were very attentive, and wished to 
 hear more. When our companion saw us tired with speaking 
 much, he also spoke and read to them. So we were there a long 
 time. I cannot explain to you how much we were pleased here. 
 
THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 247 
 
 “ It seems to me my God shows me the places of my work 
 among this poor people : but I must ask Him to help more by 
 His Spirit, and let the people hear His word, and to turn them 
 from darkness to light ! ” 
 
 These brief extracts need no comment : they show that there 
 is an opening, even among Moslims, and that the fields are 
 white to the harvest in the land of Pharaoh. 
 
 There was a very picturesque-looking old coffee-house in 
 Suez, which I stopped at one day, when walking through the 
 bazaar, while spending a day in that town with two of the 
 English friends previously mentioned. The effect of the sun- 
 light streaming down into a sort of court through the matting, 
 which partially roofed it over, and throwing bright rays here 
 and there upon the vivid colours in the dresses of the various 
 costumes, made it the most perfect picture-scene imaginable. 
 A tall, athletic negro, from one of the regions far away in the 
 interior, I was told, was smoking his narjileh , or water-pipe, 
 near the door ; his white and blue drapery, and the yellow 
 handkerchief twisted loosely on his head, contrasting well with 
 a skin like ebony, and features far above the ordinary negro 
 cast in shape and expression. Further in sat a motley group 
 of Egyptians and Arabians : some poor, and wearing only the 
 blue shirt and rough mantle of their class ; some clad in rich 
 silk caftans of gay colours. These were listening to a very 
 respectable-looking elderly man, who was reading aloud from a 
 small volume in his hand. His countenance was so friendly, 
 that I begged my friends to pause for a minute while I spoke 
 to him, and asked if he would tell me what he was reading. 
 “A part of the Koran,” he replied, showing me the book, 
 which appeared to be in manuscript, and beautifully written. 
 I asked if he would look at a little book of mine in return ; 
 and found him quite willing not only to look at, but to read 
 it. This was a portion of Genesis (published at Beyrout) ; 
 he read some of it aloud immediately, and we left him thus 
 occupied. 
 
248 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 After walking to the end of the bazaar and bargaining for a 
 few trifles, we returned by the same way, and saw the man 
 still reading • it was more than a quarter of an hour since we 
 had left him. I wished to sketch this coffee-house particularly ; 
 and my friends agreed, as the people all seemed very quiet, 
 and there was not the publicity about the place which there is 
 in the Cairo coffee-houses, to sit down on one of the benches, 
 and order coffee. 
 
 Meantime I sketched, and though the party of listeners was 
 now broken up, and the reader had stopped and was smoking 
 his pipe, there was no lack of figures, for several others came 
 in, and asked, a little curiously, about “ the drawing,” not of 
 us, but they inquired in whispers of the old man. I explained 
 to him that friends in our country wished to know what a 
 coffee-house in Suez looked like, and this was why I sketched 
 it. This seemed to satisfy the customers that there were was no 
 evil eye in the case ; which is the suspicion sometimes enter- 
 tained by Moslems, when seeing Europeans drawing. I then 
 produced a small copy of the “ Miracles of Christ,” and showed 
 it to the man who had been reading, asking if he would read 
 it as well as the other, for that it was also part of God’s word ; — 
 that the book of God consisted of two parts, and this was a 
 portion of the latter, called the angeel (or Gospel). “ Can you 
 read Arabic 'l ” he asked. I replied, that I was learning, but 
 could not yet read very well. “Read to me,” he said, not 
 uncivilly, but a little imperatively, and as if he rather doubted 
 my word. I read, therefore, the history of the Centurion’s 
 servant, though it was enough to make a foreigner nervous to 
 read before several native listeners, all ready to detect a blunder, 
 of course. Whenever I made a false accent, the old gentleman 
 corrected me carefully, but expressed himself pleased, on the 
 whole ; and, in fact, showed so much surprise, that I have no 
 doubt he considered a woman, who could read even imperfectly, 
 as quite a curiosity, somewhat as we might look on a learned 
 pig, perhaps. He said the history was very good, and was quite 
 
THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 249 
 
 pleased when I begged Him to keep it. He then recommended 
 me to “ study well,” and saluted us all as we left the coffee- 
 house. There seemed to be some desire for books, and for 
 instruction altogether, in Suez, as we observed several persons 
 reading in their shops as we passed. I gave away several 
 portions of Scripture and tracts, which were thankfully taken ; 
 and Mr. C. gave an English copy of St. John’s Gospel to a 
 very intelligent-looking youth, about seventeen, who was dili- 
 gently studying from a book of phrases in English and French, 
 with an Arabic translation on the opposite page. He seemed 
 delighted to get the book ; and though this was, of course, with 
 a view to the language he was anxious to acquire, he may find 
 in it more than he sought for, if he learns to read it. He read 
 a few sentences as well as he could to the gentleman who had 
 given it to him ; and then, with my assistance, translated the 
 words back into Arabic. The desire of knowing English is 
 great at Suez, as the traffic with English steamers makes it so 
 useful : the lad gave this as the reason of his learning it. 
 
 But a few scattered books, among an illiterate population, 
 cannot be expected to work a speedy change, because so few, 
 comparatively, can profit by them. It is the preaching and the 
 reading of the Word that we must mainly look to ; the latter, 
 perhaps, most of all, and, therefore, Christian schools must be 
 our stronghold. 
 
 We must also consider the eminently social nature of the 
 Egyptian and the Arab ; whether this is characteristic of other 
 Oriental races I cannot tell, but it is a part of their disposition ; 
 reading and speaking in coffee-houses must be a popular way 
 of reaching those who delight in conversation, and in hearing 
 reading, especially anything in the form of a narrative. And 
 as the distinction of ranks is not marked as in Europe, the 
 Missionary who frequents the coffee-houses is working among 
 all classes, more or less ; officials of high government employ- 
 ments, &c., perhaps, excepted. 
 
 There is much difficulty in working for Christ in Egypt, and 
 
250 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 since this account was written, in 1863, we have experienced 
 some of the trials which such labour brings. The following year 
 the coffee-house keepers began to remonstrate at the Christian 
 book ; the sheikhs of the people had found out what went on, 
 and threatened them if they listened. 
 
 The owners of the shops desired that the Gospel might not be 
 brought in, as they thought it would frighten away some of 
 their customers, and the Missionaries thought it better to seek 
 another opening for the present, than to excite wrath which would 
 not do any good, as the master of a shop has an undoubted right 
 to turn out whom he will. So with a heavy heart they left it. 
 
 But, remembering the words of the Apostle, “cast down but 
 not destroyed,” they immediately proposed another attempt. 
 “We must have a Mission bookshop, and one of us stay there 
 a great part of every day to receive and converse with persons 
 who may come to buy or examine the books,” they said ; and 
 after due thought and prayer this plan was matured, and in 
 1864 the Mission-shop was opened, and Bibles, Testaments, and 
 tracts, in Arabic, as well as a number of educational works 
 both in Arabic and English, with a few in other languages, 
 were displayed to the wondering neighbours, who came in 
 numbers to see what this new place was. From that time a 
 most hopeful work has been carried on in Bab-el-Bahar. 
 
 Both Mohammedans and Copts have frequented the Mission 
 bookshop constantly, and carry on religious discussions, while 
 a number of copies of the Scripture have been sold. Here 
 is a short extract from the Missionary’s journal : — 
 
 “ One day a young Copt came and stood before my bookshop. 
 I turned to him, and asked him to come in and sit down by 
 me, and let us have a little chat together. He came and sat 
 down by me, but it appeared to me he was afraid of me, be- 
 cause of my being a Protestant. I did not speak with him 
 then about religion, but only about worldly things. After a 
 little while he wished to go. I said to him, ‘ If you like to 
 come here every day, I wish you would do so.’ The next day 
 
THE COFFEE-SHOPS AND THE BOOK-SHOP. 
 
 251 
 
 he came. I spoke with him a little about worldly things ; but 
 our conversation was soon changed to spiritual things, and we 
 talked a good deal. The next day he came again and said, 
 ‘ What do you think of our religion ? ’ I said, ‘ Do not ask 
 me, but ask the Bible.’ He said, ‘ What says the Bible h ’ 
 I brought a Bible and opened at the 44th of Isaiah, and then 
 at the 9th of Revelations, beginning at verse 20. Besides 
 these, I brought to him from the Bible things about images 
 and pictures, and spoke also with him about fasting. After 
 our conversation was finished he said, ‘ Pray give me a Bible 
 to read at home.’ I sold him one, and told him to come and 
 ask me about anything he did not understand. 
 
 “ Every day he came and asked me about many passages 
 which he did not understand, and thus continued about a 
 month. After a while he came and said, ‘ Take me to your 
 church to hear your prayer.’ I told him to come on Sunday 
 morning, and we would go together. He came, and I went 
 with him to the American Church, where there is an Arabic 
 Protestant Service every Sunday. He was much pleased, and 
 said, ‘ Indeed, this is a true prayer ; I wish to come here every 
 Sunday ! ’ Afterwards he said to me, ‘Let me have a New 
 Testament to take with me when I go to my business, because 
 the Bible is heavy — I cannot carry it. I wish for one in my house, 
 and another to take about with me.’ I sold him a Testament, 
 and he came every Sunday to go to Protestant service, for he 
 now knew his religion to be worth nothing, and that his soul 
 cannot be saved but by the blood of our Lord J esus Christ ; 
 and that besides trusting in Him, and keeping His law in the 
 heart, there is nothing needful.” 
 
252 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 May had set in, spring had long vanished, and burning sum- 
 mer reigned in the land ; for May in Egypt is not like that 
 capricious month in our country, sometimes fair, smiling, and 
 flowery, sometimes cold and rainy, as if winter were more than 
 half-inclined to return and send back the swallows in disgrace, 
 kill the apple-blossoms, and shut up the invalids again in their 
 chambers. In Cairo we do at least know pretty certainly what 
 to expect, and can be prepared for it without any fear that thin 
 dresses will be useless ; the dust and heat are regular enough in 
 their arrival, and May has even much more of the hot wind 
 than June, which is said by the experienced to be less trying on 
 that account. When I left it was the end of May, and the 
 blasts of Khamseen were still raging, with shorter intervals 
 than usual. The thermometer was 96° in the shade of one of 
 the coolest houses in the town, but the hot wind made it 
 virtually much hotter from its parching effect. Except for a 
 short distance, or in shaded streets, it was hardly safe to go out 
 in the middle of the day, at least for any not natives of the 
 country, and every one said so long a duration of Khamseen 
 was very uncommon and very trying ; we had nine or ten days 
 without any respite, three or four being the usual time, followed 
 by at least two cool, pleasant days. However, so it was ; and 
 from this cause, as well as an attack of illness, it became neces- 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 253 
 
 sary for me to give up several little plans which were to have 
 been carried out this month; one of these had been to get a sort 
 of meeting of the poor women, chiefly the scholars’ mothers, but 
 on this account it was out of my power to assemble them as I 
 had hoped to do. Anything like a regular 'periodical meeting, 
 I found, was not likely to succeed just yet, being so contrary to 
 all their habits and ways ; so that visiting them at home, and 
 getting half-a-dozen at a time together, as opportunity might 
 allow, seemed all that could be managed during the winter and 
 spring. But a meeting before any one’s departure, or to wel- 
 come a friend back after an absence, is quite intelligible, and 
 excites no suspicions, and several had promised to come, when 
 illness hindered this plan as well as others. But in spite of 
 these and some other hindrances, there was great cause for 
 thankfulness in the retrospection which one naturally indulges 
 in when winding up any sort of business at the end of a “ sea- 
 son,” and preparing to quit the scene of labour for a time. 
 
 That the little school held on its way was no small cause of 
 gratitude ; for, how easily might such an attempt have been 
 nipped in the bud ! Nor had our winter been uneventful ; 
 public affairs had seen great changes, which might have 
 seriously affected resident Christians, and did cause them con- 
 siderable anxiety at one time. The Viceroy’s death, and the 
 succession of a new Pasha to the dignity, made every European, 
 and even every Copt, feel uneasy, until they could see that their 
 rights were not likely to be injured. Then came the Sultan’s 
 visit, not very long after the first opening of the Sunday-school. 
 It made a great bustle, and called forth, not loyalty , which 
 people seldom feel for a foreign and non-resident monarch, but 
 a good deal of parade and show ; and it excited some fear and 
 some curiosity. Why the brief visit was paid was not known, 
 and the conjectures about it were numerous. However, we 
 Christians were left in peace, and our schools undisturbed ; 
 therefore, we were most thankful for our part : and as to the 
 natives, their interest and curiosity quickly died away, and the 
 
254 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 royal progress was apparently forgotten as soon as tlie lamps for 
 tlie illumination had been taken away. 
 
 The splendid pageantry came and went like a scene in a 
 play : the officers riding through the streets, their swords glit- 
 tering with the jewels on the hilts ; the rich housings of purple 
 and crimson, heavy with gold and silver fringe hanging from 
 the horses’ sides, the gaily dressed slaves, the silks hung from 
 the windows ; the torches carried before the carriages by night ; 
 all passed in a few short days, and left no trace, reminding one 
 of the words of Scripture. 
 
 It is interesting to those who are either directly or indirectly 
 occupied with sowing the seed of heavenly truth, to think of the 
 contrast of now and then , the present and the future, while 
 looking at the pageantry of some such scene as that of the 
 Sultan’s visit, and comparing it with the mean and wretched 
 appearance of the group of poor men assembling round a Scrip- 
 ture reader, for instance ; or with the class of ragged children 
 clustering about their teacher, knowing as they do, that if the 
 good seed take root in the heart of the least and lowest among 
 those little ones, he will stand in the midst of the unchangeable 
 brightness and glory, when the tinsel-splendour that dazzled his 
 childish eyes in bygone days has passed away for ever ! 
 
 But the reaping time is not yet ; and the sowing time is 
 often one of tears, always one of anxious labour, and demands 
 much patient waiting and much faith in Him Who alone can 
 give the increase. 
 
 VJ 
 
 It was a blessing in looking back to the small beginning of 
 the school here, and of the many difficulties attending its re- 
 opening in November last, to think that it was not now obliged 
 to suspend operations, even during the illness of the Super- 
 intendent, or temporary absence for a longer period, as must 
 shortly be the case. The Evangelist, Mr. Joseph Shakoor, 
 came every morning during this last fortnight to give a Bible 
 lesson in my place; and Teresa carried on the spelling and 
 reading afterwards. Both she and the embroideress, Gheiana, 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 255 
 
 were punctual in attendance, quiet and steady, and constantly 
 came to ask directions, or report progress to me ; and the young 
 voices sounded cheerfully through the house from an early hour 
 till four o’clock in the afternoon. The scholars were better 
 arranged than formerly, the two small class-rooms having been 
 made almost into one large room, by the opening of a wide 
 doorway in the partition- wall ; and thick reed-mats were hung 
 at all the windows where the afternoon sun came in. 
 
 Though they seem thirsty during the prevalence of hot winds, 
 and are always running to the water-jars, the native children 
 do not suffer in health ; and are, I think, more lively in the 
 month of May than during the short period of cold in winter. 
 But, as summer advances, they feel the many hours of intense 
 heat ; and I agreed to let them be assembled as early as 
 possible, and dismissed an hour sooner, after this month ; the 
 afternoons, especially from two o’clock to five, being the very 
 hottest time of the day. After that hour the beams begin to 
 slant and the shadows to grow longer ; and it is beautiful when 
 the sun draws in his fiery shafts to watch the stilling of the air, 
 and the life and activity of the beings on earth, as the orange 
 glow spreads over the sky, and the bright disk disappears 
 behind the palms opposite the windows. Presently, while the 
 muezzin proclaims the sunset-hour, the glory is dimmed for a 
 minute or two, and then returns brighter and purer in hues 
 than before, like the sun’s parting message to the land. It is 
 not a long one ; soon the apricot colour fades into soft greenish 
 white, and then the blue haze of evening rapidly darkens every 
 object. Meantime the old men sit and sip their coffee opposite 
 the coffee-house ; the women crowd the street with heavy 
 water-pitchers on their heads ; friendly greetings are exchanged 
 between the workmen on their way home ; the flocks of goats 
 are heard bleating, as they come from their daily excursion into 
 the country ; while, above all other sounds, the voices of “ girls 
 and boys playing in the streets,” can be heard, full of glee at 
 the welcome coolness of the evening hour. The mosquitos, to 
 
256 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 be sure, come out in armies when the sun is low ; but we have 
 a good to counterbalance this evil : the flies, which cause really 
 more annoyance, I think, as being so much more numerous, 
 and so impudent and pertinacious in their attacks, these all 
 retire to sleep upon the ceiling as regularly as chickens go to 
 roost ; and it becomes possible to write in peace, and to read, 
 without incessantly waving a fly-flap. 
 
 And what of the neighbours formerly alluded to 1 Little change 
 had taken place in the quarter, compared to what might be found 
 in most streets of a European city, in the course of two years. 
 
 The old man who sold beans sat spuming opposite, as of 
 yore, and had not, to all appearance, even bought a new turban 
 since I had first made his acquaintance : the crimson cotton of 
 his picturesque head-gear was the worse for wear, certainly ; 
 but he himself wore well, and hardly looked older. His 
 daughters, Cadeega and Amena, were grown taller, however, 
 and quieter ; at least I could not detect their interfering to 
 keep away scholars, as in former days ; though they would 
 never enter the door themselves. The father, indeed, vouch- 
 safed a grim smile now and then ; and once volunteered some 
 little piece of information relative to some one who had called 
 at the house, in a civil way, that really looked as if he were 
 becoming reconciled ; probably being no longer a novelty, the 
 school had ceased to excite his hatred. 
 
 The Boab’s mud lean-to against the school-house had not 
 existed on my return, and he had received a polite request that 
 it might not be rebuilt : indeed, he and his numerous troop of 
 children had obtained a somewhat better dwelling in the lane. 
 The fruitseller, Seid, had gone ; and his scolding wife’s voice 
 was no more heard in Bab-el-Bahar ; but enlivened some other 
 quarter. The Boab’s eldest son, Ibraheem, kept a sweetmeat- 
 shop in the fruit-stall’s place : he appeared a steady, respectable 
 young man ; and his father made me a very fine speech when 
 taking leave of me, a day or two before starting, for having 
 patronised him, by purchasing a quantity of sweets from him 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 257 
 
 for my school -feast a little while ago, as well as some which I 
 brought away as curiosities to young relatives in Europe. 
 These juveniles will doubtless recollect Ibraheem’s dainties, 
 which they approved highly ; and the pride of the old Boab 
 will be great, if he one day hears that his son’s handiwork has 
 actually been all the way over the sea, and been eaten and 
 praised by English children ! 
 
 My old acquaintance, Sitt Haanem, the dressmaker, had once 
 visited me in the course of the winter, and begged me to come 
 and see her. No one had visited her, she said ( i.e ., no Christian 
 lady), since her change of residence : previously to that, an 
 English lady, who was then taking charge of Bab-el-Bahar 
 school, had once called on her : but her husband’s death, and 
 her subsequent removal to the other end of the town, had 
 taken her out of all Christian influence. I had, with a great 
 deal of trouble, discovered her house at last, but found her 
 absent, and it was too far to come again on a mere chance. 
 Now, however, just a fortnight before my departure, she came 
 in great joy to say that she was to be a neighbour again, having 
 returned to her old quarters. She came frequently to see me, 
 when she found me confined to a sofa ; the Eastern custom of 
 visiting the sick being carried out more fully than is always 
 beneficial to the patient, though they are most kindly in feeling 
 and intention : their sympathy for sickness, and the attentions 
 shown to those suffering in health, are a very amiable trait. I 
 could not find that Sitt Haanem had made any advances in 
 respect of religion : but she was very willing to discuss matters, 
 had I been well enough for long conversations ; and her friendly 
 feelings were evident enough. She was grown very fat, and 
 increased the heat which the weather caused, by wearing a thick 
 cloth jacket : it was her best ; and though melting under its 
 weight, she carried out the French proverb, “II faut souffrir 
 powr etre belle.” She begged me to return to Cairo as soon as 
 possible, and never to go away any more ; and then we could 
 talk and read a great deal. 
 
258 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 And what of Shoh and Fatmeh, our old friends Of the 
 latter I have little to say ; her gentle, but passive nature, leads 
 one at first acquaintance to think' her more deeply impressed 
 than she really is ; she feels all that is said at the time, but one 
 impression soon effaces another ; and though affectionate when- 
 ever I met her, she rarely now came to the house, as her sister 
 did, with no motive except a desire for instruction or sympathy. 
 
 Shoh’s voice caught my ear one day during the last week at 
 Cairo, sounding very angry and complaining in the street below, 
 first with other women’s voices, and then alone, as if she had 
 driven the rest from the field. I raised the window-blind, and 
 covering my head, for the sun was intense, looked out into the 
 street, and saw her standing with her brother at the sweetmeat- 
 shop, talking, and evidently very indignant about something, 
 and seemingly unmindful of poor little Hosna, whose wee head 
 hung over her shoulder, quite uncovered, and exposed to a 
 broiling sun. I called to her ; and, angry as she was, she im- 
 mediately obeyed the summons, and hastened up-stairs, though 
 with rather a sullen expression of countenance. Before speaking 
 a word I put my hand on the baby’s head, and it felt exactly 
 like a hot loaf out of a baker’s oven. “ Shoh, my dear, the child 
 will be sick and die, if you do not take more care of her ! ’ 
 Shoh was all attention to the child directly, and quite sorry. 
 “Indeed,” she said, “it was not well.” I told her that was no 
 wonder, as Hosna was just cutting her teeth, and required 
 great care, and remonstrated with her about the exposure to 
 the sun. “ Oh, her mendeel was lost in that high wind the 
 other day, it flew away !” said Shoh. “You could have covered 
 her head with your veil. But tell me, now, what was all that 
 noise about in the street 1 ” Shoh seated herself on the ground be- 
 fore replying, as if a long story had to be told ; and then “ began 
 at the beginning,” as children say. She had been telling her 
 brother, Ibraheem, of her husband’s misdeeds; how he went 
 to Suez to work on the railway, and left her none of his wages 
 to buy food, and how she had been obliged to go and eat at her 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 259 
 
 mother’s, or she would have had no food ! and it was not good, 
 it was very bad to act so ; and how she showed him the child, 
 and said (holding it up, to enact the scene as she spoke,) “ See ! 
 this is your child ! ” and yet he gave her no money to get it 
 clothes. Adding, energetically, as she turned to me, “Who 
 gave Hosna this frock h You did. And that little jacket f l 
 You ! But for you it would have no clothes ; and yet its 
 father gets money, but he gives me none ! ” I pitied her very 
 much, for it did seem a hard case ; and the more I inquired, 
 the worse it seemed. The husband had been employed for some 
 time on the railway; and some persons (more likely to be 
 Europeans than Arabs, I fear) had taught him to drink “araky,” 
 and thus his money went, instead of buying bread for his wife 
 and clothes for the baby. 
 
 How much easier is vice learned than anything good ! and 
 how few are the Lord’s servants in this country ! a “ feeble 
 folk,” indeed, compared with the multitudes of Satan’s army : 
 and though, like the conies, they may say that they “have 
 their dwelling in a rock,” it is yet discouraging at the moment 
 to see how often the poor and ignorant are led into deeper sins 
 than they had before by those whose superior civilisation endows 
 them with outward superiority. All poor Shoh’s natural vio- 
 lence of temper was excited by the bad conduct of her husband; 
 which was, so far as I could learn, a recent thing. Formerly, 
 he used to beat her when angry, but that was too ordinary a 
 matter for her to complain much about it : being left without 
 food, and reduced, even for a time, to be dependent on her 
 parents, was a disgrace which she felt far more keenly than 
 blows. 
 
 After giving the poor thing plenty of sympathy, and man 
 pats on the shoulder, till she was a little calmer, I exhorted 
 her to try and win her husband to better conduct by gentleness, 
 and not again to shout out all his faults, so as to let all the 
 street hear, but to pray often to God to change his heart. She 
 looked rather incredulous at the idea of any change in that 
 
 s 2 
 
260 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 quarter ; but said, “ I will pray.” I reminded her, that she 
 now knew a great deal more than many others did ; that she 
 had heard of God’s love to the world, and of how Christ died 
 for our sins, and of the Holy Spirit, which our Father in heaven 
 will give to those who pray to Him, and that she should try to 
 be gentle and good, and to show others by her life that she 
 knew something about the love of God. 
 
 After a little conversation she became composed and cheered, 
 and went off tolerably happy, with a piece of clean muslin tied 
 on the poor baby’s head and a bit of sugar in its hand. I saw 
 her for the last time the morning I started ; she was standing, 
 weeping, at the door of my house as the donkeys conveyed the 
 luggage to the railway station. Of the affectionateness of her 
 heart, there is no doubt, poor thing ; but her position is one of 
 great difficulty, and her temper very impetuous ; and I could 
 not leave her without feeling very anxious. 
 
 I have not lost sight of Shoh during the two years following 
 the absence here alluded to. Her health was veiy bad for 
 some time, and seemed a great hindrance in the way of any 
 mental improvement ; but latterly she became stronger, and 
 was with me pretty frequently ; and if her progress is not all I 
 could wish, it is something that she has not lost anything. She 
 has assisted me a good deal (though with genuine Egyptian 
 irregularity) in getting up a little class of women to purchase 
 print at a reduced rate, and make the garments at my house, 
 thus affording an opportunity for reading and talking with 
 them. The difficulty of winning Moslem women to come to a 
 Christian house is greater than any one can imagine who has 
 not tried such a work ; and though Shoh was rather jealous of 
 any but her own relatives coming, I could scarcely have begun 
 the class without her aid, and by God’s grace hope to make her 
 a more efficient coadjutor by degrees, and to collect a more 
 regular class every week. 
 
 These details of her, and of others with whom I came into 
 contact, are, indeed, but “ the short and simple annals of the 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 261 
 
 poor,” and contain much that is in itself both homely and 
 trivial. It is, however, with the view of bringing the habits 
 and situation, not of these individuals only, but of the class 
 of which they are specimens, before the minds of those Eng- 
 lish readers, who take a lively interest in the condition of 
 the poor in every land, that these additional sketches are 
 published. They are unfinished stories, one and all, and we 
 may never find their conclusion in this world : but all the 
 persons here alluded to were real living beings when the writer 
 met with them ; they are not fictitious or dressed-up characters, 
 but actual Egyptian peasant women, feeling and acting much as 
 do hundreds and thousands of others. If it were fiction, and 
 not truth , it would be easy to make more entertaining stories, 
 to speak of greater success, of more positive results, instead of 
 stopping short at “We hope,” but in details which profess to be 
 the bare and simple truth, we may not say a word more than 
 the facts warrant, as they come under personal observation. 
 
 To say, as has sometimes been rashly declared, that the 
 Moslems are ready to receive Christianity, and that the faith of 
 the false Prophet is crumbling away, is what I would not 
 venture for a moment to assert ; and, I presume, judging from 
 those whose wide experience gives them authority, that it is 
 very far from being the case. But I can state as a fact, that in 
 the neighbourhood of Cairo the present population, both men 
 and women, are willing, and many of them eager, to listen to 
 the word of God, when it is brought to them judiciously and 
 discreetly, as well as with kindness and zeal. The Missionary 
 can only sow the seed ; the increase must come from above : 
 but when he gains a fair hearing he is sowing ; and truly the 
 harvest is plenteous here, and the labourers few ! While we 
 earnestly pray for more labourers in these whitening fields, we 
 must anxiously desire that they may be wise and cautious, as 
 well as zealous workers : for one rash and inexperienced 
 labourer, acting with a want of prudence in a Moslim coun- 
 try, would easily shut doors which his predecessors had 
 
262 
 
 RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT. 
 
 opened, and thus do more harm than good. But for the 
 scribe instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, the house- 
 holder who can bring out of his treasury things new and 
 old, as occasion may point, and who prays to be given the 
 wisdom of the serpent with the harmlessness of a dove, a 
 better field for exertion in the Lord’s cause can scarcely 
 be found than Egypt. If India has, in one way, more 
 claims, as being part of our own empire, still Egypt has great 
 demands upon us also, as being part of the Bible lands; those 
 regions which are every man’s country who has studied the 
 Scripture ; the land where God so often spoke to His servants, 
 the land where Joseph died and Moses was born, and where the 
 Saviour’s infant feet trod, must have a sacred interest for every 
 Christian ; and its people, “ mixed multitude ” though they be, 
 a peculiar claim. 
 
 It is a subject of great thankfulness to the writer of these 
 little sketches, to hear that the first part of “ Bagged Life in 
 Egypt” has been read with interest and pleasure at several 
 “ mothers’ meetings ” in London and Dublin, and perhaps else- 
 where also ; and that some of our poor countrywomen have 
 been led to feel an interest in those who have fewer privileges 
 and advantages than themselves. Nor is the good thus obtained 
 merely the opening of their minds to think of others ; the poor 
 women of Egypt may be benefited, through God’s grace, by the 
 prayers of the poor in a distant land ; how, we may never 
 exactly know in this world ; but that prayer is a means of 
 grace to the Missionary, we have the highest authority : “Ye 
 also helping together by prayer for us,” (2 Cor. i. 11), and 
 many other passages of Scripture show that thus the weakest 
 believers may help in the good work of spreading the Gospel. 
 The hard-worked washerwoman, who has carried home the 
 recollection of what she heard of the followers of the false 
 Prophet, and thinks over it at her daily labour, and offers up 
 humble and sincere prayers for the Missionaries and Bible- 
 women of Cairo, as the setting sun brings to hex' mind the 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 263 
 
 muezzin she reads of, calling from the mosque tower, “ Moham- 
 med is the prophet of God,” such a one is a helper in the good 
 cause. The electric telegraph, with all its wonders, is less 
 wonderful than the chain of Christian love and sympathy, 
 defying not only distance but language, and forming a mys- 
 terious link between those who are never to meet in life. But 
 a day will come, when some of them will meet in the great 
 multitude of all kindreds and nations ; surely there will be an 
 Egyptian band among the rest ! May God in His mercy grant, 
 that some whose names are mentioned in these pages may be 
 found at that day with their names written in the Book of 
 Life, and their home among the many mansions prepared by 
 the Lord for all who have trusted in Him. 
 
264 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Th':se letters are given by permission of the writers, and by 
 the Hon. Secretary to the Moslem Society, to whom they were 
 addressed. The account they contain has been more minutely 
 given already ; but as an independent testimony, their value 
 was felt to be great. 
 
 On the Nile , near Bokhara, March 24, 1863. 
 
 Sir, — In company with a few friends, I arrived in Cairo about 
 ten days since, on my way through Egypt to Palestine, and was 
 introduced to your agent here to the Moslems, Mr. Mansoor Sha- 
 koor. I was much interested in him, and the conversation I had 
 with him upon the work he is engaged in ; and at the request of a 
 mutual friend, who is also much interested in Missionary work, I 
 accompanied him to a Bedouin village, near Abooseeh. Here I 
 found he was recognised and cordially welcomed, and at once asked 
 if he had brought the Book; and soon a group gathered around, and 
 with deep attention listened to the Words of Life. After reading 
 and expounding an hour, we all left, and went some distance to our 
 picnic friends, but soon again were disturbed. One of the people 
 from the village we had left soon came to us, joined by some 
 strangers he had gathered, recalling the old scene at Sychar’s well. 
 The words of truth were again spoken. On parting, Arabic tracts 
 were asked for, and given. I found from several other parties 
 coming up to Mr. Shakoor that he was much liked, and received 
 with favour, and that God was opening a great door, and I trust an 
 effectual one, in this important place. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 265 
 
 We (i.e., my friends and self) were so much pleased with the 
 account we received of Mr. Shakoor’s visit to some villages at 
 Christmas, and so anxious to see more of the Lord’s work in this 
 land that we have asked Mr. Shakoor to join us on a short excur- 
 sion to some of the villages on the Nile, in order personally to see 
 what God’s hand is so manifestly effecting, and to hear our testi- 
 mony to the importance of the work. Accordingly, upon Mr. 
 Shakoor’s consent, we engaged a boat, and at once found the 
 owner, a Moslem, to be one who so valued your agent as to have 
 put his son under him for instruction. The crew, too, welcomed 
 him as a friend ; and shortly after embarking at eventide, he 
 gathered them all round the lamp, and on the deck read and 
 spoke to them. 
 
 We stopped at a village called Butrasheem on our way from 
 Memphis, and seeing a potter at work we stopped to look, remem- 
 bering Jeremiah xviii. ; and a large concourse gathered round, 
 Mr. Shakoor read Romans ix. to them, in connection with the 
 potter’s work, and explained it to them. Deep attention was 
 given, and many questions put, and strong entreaties to come 
 again. 
 
 Yesterday' we visited another village, named Turlayah, and 
 soon about fifty people gathered round. Mr. S. read the parable 
 of the Prodigal Son, and explained it. Afterwards, finding 
 one of the lads who could read Arabic, Mr. S. asked him 
 also to read, which he did from St. Matthew, and Mr. S. 
 explained ; after which, one poor woman, whose countenance was 
 riveted on him, said, in true Scripture language, “His words 
 are sweeter than honey.” We never saw earnestness so depicted, 
 and the craving for instruction so manifest. The poor Fellahs 
 are hungering and thirsting for the Water of Life, and I am 
 rejoiced to find your Society is occupying this noble field. The 
 field is literally white to the harvest ; but where are the labourers ? 
 Mr. Shakoor is doing much, but he needs help to occupy the 
 vast openings on every hand. When will our numerous English 
 travellers remember, amid their enjoyment of this lovely clime, the 
 millions around, sunk in Egyptian darkness, and repay somewhat 
 in return for blessings received ? I trust your little Society may 
 gather strength as its labours grow ; and grow they must. Egypt 
 is waking from a long, long slumber. The people are seeking for 
 something more than Mohammedanism can give them ; and unless 
 
266 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 God’s people rise to their privilege, the opponents of truth assuredly 
 will. I hear on every hand of awakenings : in one village, of twenty 
 Copt families becoming Protestants through some Bibles given away 
 some two years ago by Lord Aberdeen ; and the cry all around is 
 the old re-echo of Macedonia, “ Come over and help us.” Is it not 
 sad to hear the reproach *from some we meet, “ Why were we not 
 told this before ? ” God grant this stone of offence may soon be 
 rolled away from our dear land ! 
 
 To-day we visited another Bedouin village, Muyghuna, and Mr. 
 Shakoor gathered a very interesting group together ; read 1 Cor.xv., 
 and had a long conversation with them. One of the villagers, a 
 Copt, was very glad, and brought his Arabic Testament, copied by 
 himself, not printed, and in conversation expressed to the Moslems 
 his joy at our coming, saying, “ I always told you Christians were 
 good, and desired to help others.” We gave away a copy of the 
 “ Miracles ” in Arabic to a lad who could read. 
 
 We then passed on to another Bedouin village in tents, true tents of 
 Kedar. Here Mr. Shakoor read and expounded. The men gathered 
 round, and were most attentive, while the women prepared a feast 
 for us most hospitably. 
 
 One of Mr. Shakoor ’s Bedouin friends came up, having heard he 
 was in the neighbourhood, and had a long conversation. He has 
 an Arabic Testament he purchased from Shakoor when he saw 
 him last, and he is now studying it attentively. I feel a great 
 work is going on in his soul. 
 
 To-morrow we return to Cairo, to proceed to Jerusalem, so that 
 we must unwillingly part. I would gladly, were I able, remain 
 much longer here, and go about among these interesting people. 
 My friend, the Rev. J. Cohen, Rector of Whitechapel, who 
 is with me, also desires to add his testimony to the necessity of 
 your important work ; and on our return to England early in 
 June, if we can in any way strengthen your hands, we shall be 
 glad to do so. May the Lord abundantly bless the work. 
 
 I remain yours very truly, 
 
 E. G. Littlecot, 
 
 Late Secretary to the Malta Protestant College. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 267 
 
 Dear Sir, — I add a few lines to the above, instead of a separate 
 letter, which I should have sent you, but that my health prevents 
 my writing much. I have paid particular attention to your agent’s 
 course of proceeding among the Arabs. I have been struck with 
 the way in which he not only gains their attention, but wins their 
 confidence at once. He sits among them, and they converse with 
 him as an old friend. He has great readiness in meeting their ques- 
 tions, and tact in choosing the subjects suitable to his audience. 
 There was no difficulty in gathering the people ; they were quite 
 forward to assemble. It was particularly satisfactory to find old 
 acquaintances coming up to greet your agent again ; and on some 
 occasions, young men able to take the Bible, and read it aloud to 
 their neighbours. I state my conviction, that the people are re- 
 markably ready to attend to the Word of Life ; and, from what I 
 have seen, I am sure your agent is admirably qualified to labour in 
 the Gospel among them. 
 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 James Cohen. 
 
 APPENDIX TO THIRD EDITION. 
 
 Since the above sketches were offered to the public, the little 
 Mission girls’ school in Cairo has been removed to a larger house, 
 and a boys’ school has been added to the work. At first, great 
 hindrances attended this attempt ; the parents made more difficulty 
 about the boys than the girls ; and twice the school was opened and 
 broken up. Once the Mohammedan assistant-teacher himself broke 
 it up by declaring that he had had a dream in which the prophet 
 revealed to him that he must either teach the Koran to the scholars 
 or leave. It is needless to say that this was a story got up to try 
 and induce the missionaries to agree to his bringing the Koran into 
 the school. When he found this was not to be, he left, and took 
 away all the boys, fifteen in number, and the room was again 
 empty ! But, after much prayer and many efforts, it was opened a 
 third time on the 18th of January, 1865, and in a very short time 
 upwards of thirty Mohammedan scholars were assembled in it. 
 These were chiefly of the poorest class, though a few were the sons 
 
268 APPENDIX.! 
 
 of men in good circumstances, and two or three Copts afterwards 
 joined them. 
 
 The unremitting exertions of the missionary were repaid by 
 seeing the improvement of the children and their pleasure in coming 
 to school. They received daily instruction in the Scriptures, and 
 afterwards, under the native Moslem assistant, studied spelling, 
 writing, &c. In the beginning of May (only three months and a 
 half after the opening of the school), several scholars could answer 
 questions in Genesis and some parts of the Gospel quite readily, and 
 were making progress in accounts and spelling ; while some were 
 beginning English. As there are several Moslem schools in Cairo, 
 and even latterly some free schools, which have been opened for 
 the poor, our only chance of winning and retaining pupils who can 
 receive the advantages of instruction in the Bible, is by giving a 
 better general education than these can afford. 
 
 A mere “ ragged school,’ ’ where only reading and writing were 
 taught, would not answer ; therefore, we must let the teaching 
 be elementary at first, but it must be gradually improved and 
 extended. 
 
 The boys are at present of all ages, and various degrees of igno- 
 rance, of course ; from the little fellows just brought in from making 
 mud-pies in the street, to the lad who can write a tolerable hand 
 already. 
 
 Many are affected by the scourge of the country, ophthalmia, and 
 gladly come to me after school to get their eyes attended to, when 
 they find that “the lady” keeps a store of remedies. The attention 
 to their health seems to help greatly in winning their affection and 
 confidence. 
 
 Occasionally the fathers call to inquire about their children’s 
 progress. The “ sheikh of the quarter,” a man of some authority, 
 who placed his two sons at the school soon after it was opened, 
 frequently comes to see how they get on : thus opportunities of 
 reaching the adults are indirectly afforded. It is a pleasing fact 
 that a young woman came one day, bringing a little boy of only 
 three years old, who announced herself as a former scholar of the 
 girls’ school. She had been taken away to be married very soon 
 after its opening, and had scarcely learned anything, but so favour- 
 able an impression had been left on her mind, that she brought her 
 young son when she heard of the boys’ school, and desired he might 
 be received as a scholar. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 269 
 
 My old acquaintance, Fatmeh, who has lost many children, told 
 me that, if her last infant survived, she would surely send it to 
 “ learn out of the Good Book, and then he will be good !” . 
 
 These, and other things, make us feel the work to be a hopeful 
 one, in spite of many difficulties. May God deign to bless this effort 
 in His holy cause, and to strengthen the hands of all concerned 
 in it ! 
 
 N.B. — Subscriptions and Donations for the Boys’ School will 
 be received by the Rev. J. Cohen, Rectory, Whitechapel, 
 London, who kindly permits his name to be given here. 
 
 APPENDIX TO FOURTH EDITION. 
 
 In bringing the two parts of this little work before the public for 
 the first time in one volume, it may be well to make some mention 
 of the progress which the “English Mission in Cairo” has made 
 since the Appendix to the Third Edition was published. 
 
 These two volumes form a record of the progress of this Mission, 
 from its small beginning in 1861 to its present state in 1869. 
 
 A letter, written by the sister of the writer, during a visit she 
 paid to Cairo in the winter of 1868-1869, will, perhaps, give the 
 clearest idea of the actual position of the work. 
 
 Dear Friends, — Being now on a visit with my dear Sister 
 whose work in Egypt is not unknown to you, you may perhaps like 
 to have a little description of the schools as they appear to me, a 
 stranger. 
 
 Come with me down a narrow street which turns off from the 
 broad new road, bordered with trees, leading to the railway station. 
 We made our way through many obstructions, here a string of 
 gigantic camels laden with every variety of burden, there a troop 
 of donkeys loaded with stores of green cloves or barseen, (the staple 
 food for cattle this season) past white or red turbaned men in long 
 caftans, women in ragged dark blue mantles and coral or gold coin 
 necklaces, with a large jar, or a tray of bread, or a heavy basket of 
 
270 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 oranges, poised on the head, and carried with wonderful steadiness 
 and grace. We tread our way through this motley crowd till we 
 come to an old archway, ornamented with a kind of rude arabesque 
 covering, and over it, in English and Arabic characters, 
 
 ENGLISH MISSION SCHOOL. 
 
 We cross a small court and find ourselves in a large fezzah or 
 entrance hall, round which, on plain benches, sit circles of boys 
 in every variety of costume, and of every variety of nationality — 
 Egyptians, Greeks, Syrians — some of them with olive cheeks and 
 black eyes ; others quite blondes ; coffee-coloured Nubians from the 
 upper country, and one or two jet-black negroes, and among all 
 these two rosy light-haired English or Scotch lads, looking, indeed, 
 dropped from a different hemisphere. 
 
 The costumes varying from the smart silk waistcoat and full 
 trousers of the well-to-do class, to the scanty blue shirt and bare 
 legs of the very poor ; the red cap or white turban nearly uuiversal 
 throughout. 
 
 The religions as diverse as the dress or complexion ; about half 
 the number are Moslems ; the others Copts, Greeks, &c. 
 
 But all these boys are daily and carefully instructed in the 
 Scriptures by the excellent Christian Syrian Missionaries who 
 superintend the work. Come into the inner or class-room, and you 
 will hear the more advanced classes answering Bible questions in 
 good English, reading English books by no means of the easiest 
 kind, and translating passages fluently into Arabic if desired. 
 
 Ask them any questions on Old or New Testament history, or 
 the leading points of Christian doctrine : the fall of Man ; original 
 sin ; the redemption ; the death and resurrection of our Saviour, 
 His incarnation; the gift of the Holy Spirit, &c., to all and any 
 such questions intelligent answers will be given by Moslems as 
 well as Copts or Syrians. One of the best answerers is a Mohamme- 
 dan boy, and it is touching to hear him promptly replying to the 
 question— -what was meant by the seed of the woman bruising the 
 serpent’s head ? — translating the text from the Arabic into his own 
 English words, and explaining how Christ was to destroy the power 
 of Satan by suffering death for our sins. No boy, certainly, can 
 leave that school a real Mohammedan in heart, nor yet a bigoted 
 Copt or Greek-Catholic, depending on mere outward ceremony for 
 salvation. Only the Holy Spirit’s power, it is true, can make them 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 271 
 
 earnest real Christians ; in Egypt, as in our own islands, “the 
 natural man honoureth not the things of God,” but we may say of 
 these Egyptian lads as we can, thank God, of thousands in our 
 own Sunday and day-schools, that they know the truth as far as 
 diligent teaching can give it them. Their answering is quite equal 
 to that of the best of our Sunday scholars at home, and superior 
 to very many below the best 
 
 Besides the Scriptures, they learn history, geography, arithmetic, 
 writing, and the complicated and difficult grammar of their own 
 Arabic tongue. About a hundred are learning English, and there 
 are classes for French and Turkish. Distinctions of rank are 
 happily little attended to in this country, so the blessings of this 
 Mission-school are extended to all classes, rich and poor. 
 
 But we must pass on to the girls’ school, held in the same 
 building. Down a dark passage, up a steep and narrow stone 
 staircase. These rooms have none of our luxury of school ap- 
 pliances, nothing but what is strictly necessary can be afforded, for 
 funds are low and every kind of school requisite difficult to procure : 
 it was long before even benches could be had. We come into 
 another large entrance hall or passage room, with rooms opening 
 into it ; forming three separate class-rooms. We will first enter 
 that for the beginners : — these are chiefly Moslems, and some very 
 young. They are mostly of rather the poorer class, though even 
 those with ragged veils and bare feet are not without ear-rings and 
 necklaces. 
 
 The presiding teacher, a pale, slight, sickly-looking Moslem girl, 
 is, nevertheless, able to keep her class well in hand. Some are 
 reading in the Arabic gospels, and all answer correctly from a short 
 and simple catechism of questions and answers on the leading 
 points of Christian doctrine. 
 
 This poor Moslem teacher knows the truth intellectually ; how 
 far it has touched the heart we cannot say, but when in great distress 
 from acute ophthalmia, threatening blindness, she was heard to 
 pray earnestly and continually to God to help her and preserve 
 her from the evil she so dreaded. Through His mercy, blessing 
 the remedies applied by my sister, she did recover, contrary to all 
 expectation. And though in a Christian country prayer for de- 
 liverance from temporal evil would be naturally resorted to, even 
 by those who were otherwise careless— such a trait does go for some- 
 thing in Moslem women, as in general they leave all prayer to the 
 
272 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 men — and, indeed, prayer with Mohammedans never means making 
 known their wants or desires to God, it is a mere repetition of 
 numerous epithets applied to God, and repeated as mechanically 
 as a child might gabble over a lesson he did not understand. 
 
 Therefore it is encouraging to find that any who have been 
 brought under Christian teaching have learned from it something 
 of the meaning of prayer, however feebly and ignorantly. 
 
 The next class, superintended by a young Copt, is of girls more 
 advanced, mostly consisting of those who came to the school as 
 quite little children, and have remained ever since. These, alas ! 
 will some of them soon be taken away to be betrothed — but it is a 
 matter of thankfulness to have kept them so long. The girls in 
 this class are, some of them, the children of respectable and even 
 rich parents, as the flowered jacket and trousers, gay-coloured 
 gauze veils, and numerous necklaces testify. About half of these 
 are Moslems — the others are Copts, Greeks, Syrians, &c. 
 
 Here we have a fair-haired, slender, little creature, rejoicing in 
 the stately name of Cleopatra. She is of Greek origin, and is a 
 quick and lively, but not always attentive, child. Next her is a 
 plain-looking Copt girl, Marta by name, a diligent learner, and one 
 who seems to take some interest in religious subjects. 
 
 Here we have a bright, black-eyed Syrian — Zenobia — the little 
 namesake of the illustrious Eastern Queen, quick and intelligent. 
 Her elder sister is betrothed, and the mother said her bridegroom 
 did not wish his intended wife to learn anything ; he thought 
 women should be stupid ! 
 
 The girls in this class will answer Scripture and general ques- 
 tions readily, and repeat texts correctly— their answers in geography 
 would put some pupils nearer home to shame. 
 
 At twelve o’clock there is an hour’s recess for rest and dinner. 
 They close the morning school by standing in order round the outer 
 hall, and repeating the Ten Commandments together. Both schools 
 are opened with prayer. The afternoon, with the girls, is chiefly 
 devoted to work ; they are taught useful plain work, and also 
 learn the beautiful embroidery of the country from a mistress who 
 is constantly employed in the school. 
 
 The girls are about 70 in number, the boys nearly 170 ; about 
 half of each school are Moslems. 
 
 But those who hear these accounts are generally anxious to know 
 what fruits we can tell them of. Do any appear truly converted ? 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 273 
 
 Have any openly professed Christianity among the Moslems? 
 These are the questions which are often put to us by inquiring 
 friends. In reply I would ask any diligent Sunday-school teacher 
 at home, after, perhaps, more years of labour than my sister has 
 passed in Egypt, how many of her scholars she could point out as 
 really whole-hearted, earnest Christians ? 
 
 I fear many would be constrained to answer with sorrowful 
 doubt. And if, even in our land of Christian privileges, so many 
 faithful teachers must wait long before they see the answer to their 
 prayers, how much more in a country where everything is against 
 the young learners outside the school ; where the influences on all 
 sides are those of corrupt Christianity, or yet more corrupt Islamism, 
 and the practical morality of the lowest kind ! 
 
 Again, among those Sunday scholars whom the teacher can look 
 on as truly converted, if a time should come when the public pro- 
 fession of Christianity should involve actual danger of martyrdom, 
 on how many could we venture to count as likely courageously to 
 make that profession ? 
 
 Then let us remember that an open profession of Christianity in 
 a Moslem, at this time, would be death, and not expect more of 
 these poor half-taught young creatures, than we might expect even 
 from enlightened and experienced Christians. The time is not come 
 when we can urge them openly to come out from their surroundings ; 
 we need to remember the Patriarch’s caution, not to “overdrive the 
 flock.” What can now be done, and is done by the earnest and 
 faithful teachers, is to put the Gospel plan of salvation simply, 
 opportunately, and patiently before them, and leave the result with 
 God. In His own time the harvest will come — the glorious reaping 
 time. A time will come when Christ’s name shall be openly con- 
 fessed. Either brighter days will dawn on this country, and freedom 
 be given for all to worship God as their conscience dictates — or the 
 Lord will make His people willing in the day of His power, to confess 
 Him to the death, as the Madagascar Christians have done, to the 
 glory of His name. To such days we may look in trustful hope, 
 but now is the sowing time, the preparing the way, and waiting in 
 patience the result. 
 
 But does this mean that there are no grounds for encouragement 
 now ? Far from it. It is much that upwards of 200 children are 
 thoroughly instructed in Christian truth, and influenced as they 
 
 T 
 
274 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 cannot fail to be, by the teaching they receive. We cannot of 
 course venture to speak with certainty of a work of grace in the 
 young hearts, but we can speak of real and intelligent interest, and 
 of evidences of a growing moral sensitiveness and a consciousness of 
 God’s abhorrence of sin. 
 
 For example, a boy had been buying fruit of a woman in the 
 street. He had no change by him, and she allowed him to take the 
 fruit. On returning with the money, he was hurried on by the 
 crowd, and forgot that he had not paid, till on taking out his little 
 store to make his midday meal he found the money in his pocket. 
 The teacher found him in tears. He said he had looked everywhere 
 for the woman in vain — “ Oh, do you think Jesus Christ will forgive 
 me ? ” 
 
 On another occasion, the verses on “ binding and loosing ” were 
 read, the boys questioned as to their meaning. The boy (a Copt) 
 said, it meant to go to the priest. “ No,” interposed a little fellow 
 of five or six years old ; “ if one repents really of his own sins, he 
 is loosed, but if he refuses to repent he is still bound.” The girls 
 manifest an interest in what they learn. A little Moslem girl was 
 once heard teaching the ten commandments to her companions in 
 the street. 
 
 A little Moslerh boy about six or seven years old, was asked who 
 was the Good Shepherd ? “Jesus Christ,” he replied. 
 
 “ Why is He called the Good Shepherd ? ” resumed the teacher. 
 
 “ Because He takes care of the people as the Shepherd of his 
 sheep.” 
 
 “ And how did He show His care of them ? ” 
 
 ^He gave His life for the sheep,” was the reply — all this quite 
 impromptu. 
 
 Several girls are known to repeat the Scripture histories they 
 have read to their mothers at home ; and one of them, her mother 
 told my sister, regularly reads the Bible to her, putting in very 
 modestly a few words of simple explanation as she goes. In this 
 way much of the school teaching is extended to the families of the 
 pupils. I have not spoken of other branches of the work, as space 
 and time fail me ; but I may add, that every evening a meeting is 
 held in the school-house for Copt men and youths, who come to read 
 the Scriptures and converse and receive instruction. 
 
 A depository for books in Arabic, and English, modern Greek, 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 275 
 
 and Turkish, has also been found very useful as a centre for Mission- 
 work ; many Copts and Moslems come to purchase Testaments and 
 Gospels, and remain to converse. But above all we have the 
 assurance of God’s own promise — “ My word shall not return void.” 
 While teaching the Gospel, and building on the solid foundation of 
 Scriptural truth, we know we are working on the ground on which 
 the Holy Spirit is pleased to act for good ; and the faithful teacher, 
 whether in England or in Egypt, may rest securely on that promise, 
 and work on in the firm faith that the seed now sown in tears shall 
 in God’s time be reaped in a harvest of joy which shall not pass 
 away. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 E. J. Whately. 
 
 During the yearly fortnight’s trip on the Nile, many opportunities 
 have been found of distributing the Scriptures in portions and 
 Testaments at the villages on the shores of the river. 
 
 The principal Coptic villages on the Nile are higher up the river ; 
 but those within thirty miles of the city of Cairo are almost all 
 Moslem, and few of them had been visited by anyone previously. 
 
 Sometimes one of the principal inhabitants would invite the 
 Missionaries to his house ; or a carpet was spread under a tree, and 
 a group assembled to listen ; or some peasants would come to the 
 boat or sit on the shore with their teachers. 
 
 Meanwhile I visited the women, and frequently found interested 
 listeners. 
 
 In one village, which had been visited by my party the previous 
 winter, I was cordially welcomed, and urged to come to the house 
 of my former acquaintance, where between thirty and forty women 
 assembled, and would not let me leave off reading until fatigue 
 actually obliged me to stop. Some said u it was very good,” and 
 then rose and went away, showing plainly that they cared nothing 
 about it in reality, but some appeared interested and touched ; one 
 young woman in particular exclaimed, “Your words, lady, take 
 hold of me, they seize me by the throat,” suiting the action to the 
 words. (The passages read had been concerning our sinfulness by 
 nature.) “These words are not mine, but God’s,” was the reply, 
 
276 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 u and they touch your conscience ; the Lord says His word is 
 sharper than a two edged sword.” “ That’s it, that’s it,” repeated 
 the woman ; “ I feel just that.” An older woman on the contrary, 
 maintained, that as she was faultless , it was useless to tell her about 
 sin ; and she enumerated her own virtues with an intense self- 
 complacency which struck her companions, and after hearing the 
 story of the Pharisee and Publican, they all exclaimed, “True, 
 true ; that was the prayer : God be merciful to me a sinner ! ” 
 
 C. A. Macintosh, Printer, Great New-street, London.