DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4372#0043
27
a plain coarse linen shirt, which reached to the knees. With this
light apparel it was natural that the first remark they made on us,
the first Europeans they had ever seen, should be on our super-
fluous dress, our gold buttons, our hats, and other parts of our
clothing, so strange to them. In return, however, we were sur-
prised to find the dress of their hair the original of what appears
such a very extraordinary projection on both sides of the head
of the great sphinx near the Pyramids of Gizeh ; this is more or
less common among all the original inhabitants immediately
South of the Cataracts, and is simply the side-hair frizzed out very
thick and stiffened with grease. They an", like all other Arabs,
extremely greedy of money, the end of their activity, ingenuity,
parsimony and cunning—qualities they chiefly excel in. While we
were talking with them, they were in the attitude of darting
from us, as if to run for a wager; and as soon as they had received
a small present, they disappeared in an instant, to advance three
or four days journey into the Desert, and bring the liey news of
the arrival of the Sumner Caravan. The prospect of imposing on
it a heavy contribution for the grant of a free passage, being his
principal consolation for being driven so far to the South, away
from the resources and wealth of Egypt.
As he had not received any further intelligence from below, of
the measures the English were taking to compel the Vezir to a
fulfilment of his promises to the Mamalukes, he did not appear
(piite so contented as at our first visit, and still laid on the English
the whole blame of their unfortunate situation. We avoided how-
ever entering into the subject, and declined giving him any
other assurances, than what he ought to feel and expect from the
known character of the English nation.
He then began on his favourite topic of Magic and Astrology. He
showed us his book of Science, which was written in a beautiful
e 2 Arabic
a plain coarse linen shirt, which reached to the knees. With this
light apparel it was natural that the first remark they made on us,
the first Europeans they had ever seen, should be on our super-
fluous dress, our gold buttons, our hats, and other parts of our
clothing, so strange to them. In return, however, we were sur-
prised to find the dress of their hair the original of what appears
such a very extraordinary projection on both sides of the head
of the great sphinx near the Pyramids of Gizeh ; this is more or
less common among all the original inhabitants immediately
South of the Cataracts, and is simply the side-hair frizzed out very
thick and stiffened with grease. They an", like all other Arabs,
extremely greedy of money, the end of their activity, ingenuity,
parsimony and cunning—qualities they chiefly excel in. While we
were talking with them, they were in the attitude of darting
from us, as if to run for a wager; and as soon as they had received
a small present, they disappeared in an instant, to advance three
or four days journey into the Desert, and bring the liey news of
the arrival of the Sumner Caravan. The prospect of imposing on
it a heavy contribution for the grant of a free passage, being his
principal consolation for being driven so far to the South, away
from the resources and wealth of Egypt.
As he had not received any further intelligence from below, of
the measures the English were taking to compel the Vezir to a
fulfilment of his promises to the Mamalukes, he did not appear
(piite so contented as at our first visit, and still laid on the English
the whole blame of their unfortunate situation. We avoided how-
ever entering into the subject, and declined giving him any
other assurances, than what he ought to feel and expect from the
known character of the English nation.
He then began on his favourite topic of Magic and Astrology. He
showed us his book of Science, which was written in a beautiful
e 2 Arabic