DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5074#0078
64
AGHEEL AGHA.
they were lifted up; the horse was a fine creature, and
he probably feared if we saw his good points, that we
might cast the " evil eye " of envy upon him. Think-
ing to please him, we asked to go to the hareem, but he
did not seem much gratified: however, we were taken
to a tent close to his own, in which we found his two
wives, who kissed our hands. The first wife was hand-
some enough to have been really beautiful, if she had
not been tatooed all over her chin, cheeks, and lips; her
features were well cut, and her eyes large and soft; she
was showily dressed all in silk, but very dirty, and
had a very fine Bedoueen necklace of coral, and gold
coins, among which were many Napoleons and Austrian
eagles, eight or ten bracelets, very fine onyx rings
on every finger, and gold ends to the long plaits of her
hair: but she looked very sad, and seemed filled with
sorrowful envy of the younger second wife, who, though
dressed in cotton and with few ornaments, was very
happy and merry nursing a ten-days-old son, tightly
swaddled up, but with its little eyelids carefully painted
with kho'hl. We left them very soon, and returned to
take leave of the Agha, to whom we paid the usual com-
pliments, which he only received with a stolid smile, and
we parted with little regret on either side, the Nubians
only appearing interested in our departure on account
of the baksheesh; the fact is, that encamped, as he
always is, in one or other of these valleys, just in the
route of travellers, he is continually being visited by
Europeans, who are moreover sent to him frequently
by the Consuls; those, however, who see Agheel Agha,
and the Hawara tribe only, have little idea of the fine
manners and high breeding of a real Bedoueen.
We were guided over the hills by a guard of honour
of several Arabs with their long lances, and came in
AGHEEL AGHA.
they were lifted up; the horse was a fine creature, and
he probably feared if we saw his good points, that we
might cast the " evil eye " of envy upon him. Think-
ing to please him, we asked to go to the hareem, but he
did not seem much gratified: however, we were taken
to a tent close to his own, in which we found his two
wives, who kissed our hands. The first wife was hand-
some enough to have been really beautiful, if she had
not been tatooed all over her chin, cheeks, and lips; her
features were well cut, and her eyes large and soft; she
was showily dressed all in silk, but very dirty, and
had a very fine Bedoueen necklace of coral, and gold
coins, among which were many Napoleons and Austrian
eagles, eight or ten bracelets, very fine onyx rings
on every finger, and gold ends to the long plaits of her
hair: but she looked very sad, and seemed filled with
sorrowful envy of the younger second wife, who, though
dressed in cotton and with few ornaments, was very
happy and merry nursing a ten-days-old son, tightly
swaddled up, but with its little eyelids carefully painted
with kho'hl. We left them very soon, and returned to
take leave of the Agha, to whom we paid the usual com-
pliments, which he only received with a stolid smile, and
we parted with little regret on either side, the Nubians
only appearing interested in our departure on account
of the baksheesh; the fact is, that encamped, as he
always is, in one or other of these valleys, just in the
route of travellers, he is continually being visited by
Europeans, who are moreover sent to him frequently
by the Consuls; those, however, who see Agheel Agha,
and the Hawara tribe only, have little idea of the fine
manners and high breeding of a real Bedoueen.
We were guided over the hills by a guard of honour
of several Arabs with their long lances, and came in