What We Saw in Egypt Part 2

People were there dressed in every variety of colour. Egyptian ladies, enveloped from head to foot in blue silk mantles and white veils, which left nothing but their eyes to be seen, were riding on high donkeys, preceded by their attendants. Then there were Mamelukes, in their dresses of richly braided cloth; Copts, in dark turbans; Mecca Arabs, with flas.h.i.+ng eyes, and heads wreathed with folds of snowy muslin; majestic Mograbbyns, in their white burnouses; Caireen merchants, in silken robes.

And the noise! Such shouting, screaming, pus.h.i.+ng! Donkey-boys and others, each trying to make the best path for his own animal through the crowd of horses, a.s.ses, camels, dromedaries, which filled the narrow streets.

We threaded our way to the southern gate of the city, called Bab Zuweyleh.

"What are those people doing?" Hugh asked.

He pointed to some people who were resting their heads against the hinges of a large iron-bound door, fastened back to the wall. Mohammed told us that these people had had headaches, and were waiting for them to be charmed away by the good spirits who dwelt behind the door. He showed us that the door was covered with metal plates, and that every crevice of them was full of nails, driven in by persons who had had headache, that they might be cured. Besides the nails, a great number of teeth had been crammed in by persons who had suffered from toothache.

Their faith is a lesson to us, whose hearts are less ready to trust in the G.o.d who reigneth in the heavens, than the hearts of these poor heathen are to trust the G.o.ds of their imagination.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CURE FOR THE TOOTHACHE.]

From the gate Bab Zuweyleh we went to the citadel. Here we were to see the palace of Saladin.

"What! the great Saladin who fought with Richard Coeur de Lion?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, that very Saladin."

"Delightful! the next best thing to seeing Saladin himself," cried Hugh.

Hugh and Lucy were impatient to see a real palace like those in old eastern tales; we all felt a thrill of excitement, expecting something of Oriental grandeur. Great was our disappointment! There was nothing left of the renowned Saladin's palace except a few grand fragments of its granite pillars, and some blocks of granite covered with hieroglyphics. We found another memorial of him in "Joseph's well,"

which is also in the citadel, and is now generally considered to have been called after the great Saracen, whose name was Yussuf Salah-ed-Deen, and not after the patriarch Joseph.

From the gloomy remains of Saladin's palace we went to the palace of the Viceroy, the windows of which look into a beautiful garden. From the terrace we had a magnificent view. Cairo, with its domes and minarets; then, the tombs of the Caliphs; beyond them, the broad, silent Nile; beyond it again, the eye rested on the sands of the desert and on the long line of pyramids which loomed in the distance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MOSQUE.]

We next saw the new mosque, built by Mohammed Ali, of beautifully veined alabaster. And, last of all, the court where the Mamelukes were ma.s.sacred by Mohammed Ali in 1811. Here Mohammed pointed out to us the spot at which Emir Bey took his famous leap.

Hugh and Lucy begged to hear the whole story; but it was too long to tell at that moment and was put off till evening.

We then returned to the hotel for lunch, and in the afternoon went to s...o...b..a to see the pacha's country palace.

Our road lay through a beautiful avenue of sycamores and acacias, which interlaced their boughs over our heads, so that we seemed to be in a bower of green. The palace is small, and the gardens are the sight really worth seeing. There is a great variety in them; terraces, covered walls, labyrinths, and bowers. But the great sight is the kiosk with its large reservoir of water.

"See!" Lucy exclaimed, "see! the water comes through those animals'

mouths."

"They are crocodiles, Lucy," Hugh said; "marble crocodiles; and look at the arcade. Do let us walk all round."

We did so. It was a charming arcade: on one side the water, on the other the gardens, from which the most fragrant perfumes filled the air around us.

"It is like fairy-land," said Lucy, as she danced along the arcade.

"The young lady is delighted with it now," said Mohammed; "but she would think it much more beautiful if she could see it when the lamps are lighted and the fountains are playing."

"When can we see that?" Lucy asked.

But Mohammed told us that this can only be seen on fine nights when the pacha and his household are a.s.sembled here; and that no Christian is admitted.

"Not even a small one like me?" Lucy suggested.

No, not even the smallest one, Mohammed a.s.sured her; not if she were as small as a gra.s.shopper.

The gardeners brought us beautiful bouquets and quant.i.ties of oranges; and we walked about or rested on the divans in the arcade till it was time to go home.

In the evening we read the following story of the ma.s.sacre of the Mamelukes to Hugh and Lucy:--

The Mamelukes had long given a great deal of trouble to the pachas of Egypt. It once happened that Mohammed Ali was on the point of sending an expedition against the tribe of the Wahabees, when he discovered that the Mamelukes were only waiting till his army should have gone, to try and overturn his government. He was very angry, and determined to meet their treachery with treachery. So he sent a message to them, through their chief, inviting them to come to Cairo and to be present at the ceremony of investing his son with the command of the army.

The Mamelukes fell into the snare. Between four and five hundred of them went to the citadel on the day fixed. Mohammed Ali received them very courteously, and ordered coffee and pipes for them, according to Eastern custom. When the ceremony was ended they mounted their horses to leave the citadel. At this moment a volley was fired upon them by the pacha's troops, and the gates of the citadel were all shut, so that there was no possibility of escape. Shots flew in thicker and faster among the unfortunate Mamelukes. In vain they galloped hither and thither in hope of finding some shelter or escape. Men and horses fell under the shower of b.a.l.l.s, and the open s.p.a.ce before the palace was strewn with the slain.

Emir Bey, one of the Mameluke chiefs, determined to make a desperate effort for his life. He rode his spirited horse to the parapet of the citadel wall, and urged him to take the leap. Together they go over the wall; they are safe from the whizzing shots. Together they go down, down. They near the ground, they touch it, they roll over together. Emir Bey rises unhurt, but the faithful horse lies motionless. He will never rise again. He has bought his master's life with his own.

Emir had no time to linger by the side of his faithful friend. Every moment was precious. Happily for him, an Albanian camp was at hand. He rushed into the nearest tent and threw himself on the kindness and generosity of the officer to whom it belonged.

The officer contrived to hide him for some days. But Emir Bey's wonderful leap became talked of, and the story came to the pacha's ears.

Orders were given that the person who had sheltered Emir should deliver him up to the pacha; but the officer resolved that he would not give him up. He provided Emir with a horse and helped him to escape into Asia, where he would be safe.

Some years afterwards Mohammed Ali heard where Emir Bey was living, and invited him to come back to Cairo, settled a pension on him, and made him many friendly offers. But Emir Bey would never trust the pacha again. He lived at Acre for the rest of his life, and died there.

Hugh and Lucy listened breathlessly to this story. When it was finished Lucy said, "I am so glad Emir Bey would not go back. I was afraid he might."

"Was it safe for the officer to hide him?" asked Hugh.

"No, he did it at the risk of his life."

"What a n.o.ble man! Did he know Emir Bey before?"

"Probably not. He saw a stranger in distress, and risked his life to help him."

"How generous!" Hugh cried. "Emir Bey must have felt as though he could never do enough to show his grat.i.tude. I wonder whether they ever met again."

This no one could tell. But the n.o.ble act of the Albanian officer led us to talk of the gracious Saviour, who came from heaven, not only to risk his life, but to give it for us. He gave it, not for those who had done him neither good nor harm, but for us who were rebels against him; and he came, not to win for us earthly life, which must soon pa.s.s away, but a heavenly life, which will last for ever and ever. Shall not we show our grat.i.tude to him by helping our neighbours whenever we can, even at the cost of some self-denial? The heathen officer has set us a n.o.ble example of love to each other.

CHAPTER V.

THE PYRAMIDS.

Hugh was so very anxious to see the pyramids, that every one agreed to visit them from Cairo, instead of from the boat on the voyage up the Nile, which was to be as far as the second cataract; but neither the children nor their mother were to go. The latter was not strong, and she thought it best to keep the children with her. Lucy would very much have liked to see the pyramids as well as Hugh, but the ride from Cairo was too long for her.

Our donkeys were ordered early, and we set off in high spirits. As we drew nearer and nearer to the pyramids we realised more and more their immense size. Their grandeur impressed us very much, and we shall none of us forget the thrill of awe we felt when we first saw their base and their gigantic size.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DONKEY-BOYS AT CAIRO.]