Part 26

For the information of the English reader it is necessary to mention that the word Herâm, with a light aspirate of the initial letter, is the conventional term in Egypt applied to the Pyramid (its plural is Ehrâm), whereas Ĥharâm, with a slight guttural pronunciation of the initial letter, signifies “shame” or “sin.” Although these two sounds are scarcely distinguishable from each other in the mouth of a European, they are perfectly distinct in that of an Arab; and thus the expression “Ebn-Harâm,” according as the initial is pronounced, means “Child of the Pyramid,” or “Child of Shame.”

Footnote 4:

Hassan El-Gizèwi, or Hassan of _Ghizeh_, the district in which, about eight or nine miles from Cairo, stand the Great Pyramid and several of the smaller pyramids.

Footnote 5:

The Mohammedan law acknowledges in full the custom of parental adoption, and a child so adopted has legal right of inheritance; but certain religious forms are prescribed for this adoption, which it seems that Sheik Sâleh had not observed in respect to Hassan, probably from a belief that some day he would be claimed by his real parents.

Footnote 6:

Sakkarah is a district lying twelve or fourteen miles to the south-west of Cairo, and is familiar to all Egyptian travellers and untravelled readers as being the site of several pyramids, near which excavations have been made with highly interesting results.

Footnote 7:

One of the Arabic names of Cairo is “Omm-ed-doonia,” “Mother of the world.”

Footnote 8:

The fellahs, or agricultural population in Egypt, are much despised by the Bedouin Arabs.

Footnote 9:

Alluding to the horsetails which formerly designated the rank of a pasha. When three in number they indicated the rank of a vizier. The practice is now falling or fallen into disuse.

Footnote 10:

The Arabic letter _ain_. The Turks and Persians, in whose respective languages this letter frequently occurs, never attempt to pronounce it otherwise than as a broad Italian _a_. As the same letter is found in the Hebrew alphabet, it may be an interesting speculation for the learned to consider how it was pronounced by the ancient Jews; the modern Jews in Germany and Asia pronounce it like the broad _a_. Its pronunciation seems to have puzzled the learned Seventy in the time of the Ptolemies; at least in the Septuagint version we find it represented by various Greek letters; for instance, in the words “Amalek” and “Eli” the commencing letter in Hebrew is _ain_, as is likewise the last letter in the name of the prophet Hosêa.

Footnote 11:

For those who have not been in the East, it may be necessary to mention that the folding the arms on the breast, which in Europe is considered as a posture of meditation and sometimes of defiance, is among Orientals the usual attitude of humility and respect.

Footnote 12:

It is customary among the Arabs, when using either complimentary phrases or good wishes, to retort them on the speaker briefly, as in the text.

Footnote 13:

Wâled-Ali is synonymous with Oulâd-Ali, the name of a tribe already mentioned; the only difference is that Wâled is singular and Oulâd plural. The former name, though less classical, is in more common use in Alexandria.

Footnote 14:

The Causer of Causes is one of the highest of the attributive names given by the Arabs to the Almighty.

Footnote 15:

It has been the custom of the Egyptians ever since the accession of Mohammed Ali to the viceroyalty to call the reigning Viceroy by the name of “Effendina,” “our Lord,” or “our Prince.”

Footnote 16:

The Kohèil and Saklàwi are two of the highest breeds of horses found in the Nejd or highlands of Arabia.

Footnote 17:

Courbatch is the name of the whip made from the hide of the hippopotamus, in common use all over Egypt and Nubia. The name seems to have an affinity with the French _cravache_, and I have been informed (though perhaps incorrectly) that it is of Hungarian origin.

Footnote 18:

The practice in question is indeed as prevalent among the Arab dealers in Egypt, Syria, and Bagdad as among those of London and Paris.

Footnote 19:

A _ràwi_ is a professional reciter of romances, around whom a circle of listeners may always be seen gathered about sunset in Alexandria or Cairo.

Footnote 20:

A _kawàss_, or janissary, in Egypt is an upper servant in attendance on a pasha, a consul, or a person of rank; he is generally a Turk, wears a sword, and is frequently dignified by the title of Aga.

Footnote 21:

Hassan’s experience seems to have taught him that, in addressing Turkish officials, the use of that language in place of Arabic is the likeliest method of obtaining attention and a courteous reply.

Footnote 22:

Two thousand piastres are about £20 sterling.

Footnote 23:

Arabs are divided into two classes, distinguished in their own language by the names of “People of the tent” and “People of the domicile”; the former, who are the Bedouins, and nomadic in their habits, have a sovereign contempt for the latter, who live in villages and cultivate the soil. In Egypt there are found on the borders of the desert and arable land a few small tribes who partake of both characters; that is, though Bedouins by birth, they have partially settled down to an agricultural life, and pay a tax to the Government for the land which they occupy. The prisoner under arrest belonged to this latter class.

Footnote 24:

Fayoom is a fertile region in Upper Egypt, on the left bank of the Nile.

Footnote 25:

The Arabs of the north-western shores of Africa are termed “Moghrebin,” from the word “Moghreb,” “the place of the setting sun.” Most of the _pehlivans_ or wrestlers seen in Egypt are Moghrebin.

Footnote 26:

_Pehlivan_ is the name common in Turkey, Arabia, and Persia for a “wrestler” or “athlete.”

Footnote 27:

_Delì_ signifies “mad” in the Turkish language, but it is frequently applied to those who have distinguished themselves in war by acts of daring courage.

Footnote 28:

The word “uncle” is frequently used in Arabic as a term of respectful affection.

Footnote 29:

Taking a _fal_, or an omen, is a very common practice all over the East among persons who are in doubt as to the advisableness of any scheme or project which they wish to undertake: it is done in various ways, sometimes with beads, sometimes with books; but in matters of a serious nature the Koran is usually resorted to. The person wishing to consult the oracle takes up the sacred book, and after putting it reverently to his forehead, opens it at random, and reads the first passage that meets his eyes; if the text is favourable, or can be construed favourably to his project, he follows it out with confidence of success.

Footnote 30:

_Mirakhor_, a Persian word commonly used throughout Turkey, meaning “master of the horse.”

Footnote 31:

Not the tree commonly called sycamore in England, but the “wild fig-tree.”

Footnote 32:

The reader may perhaps not have heard, or may have forgotten, a reply attributed to Dr Johnson, who being once present at a concert where an Italian singer was executing some bravura ornaments at, if not beyond, the highest notes of her voice, his neighbour observed to him, “How wonderful are those trills.” “Would to Heaven they were impossible!” was the Doctor’s surly answer.

Footnote 33:

It is a very common image in the popular songs of Egypt, and also in more classic Arabic poetry, to liken a graceful youthful figure in either sex to a spray or wand of the _bân_, or Egyptian willow.

Footnote 34:

In those days all Englishmen travelling in Europe, as well as in Egypt, who spent their money more freely than the average of travellers, were termed “lords.”

Footnote 35:

A true story, and one that Mohammed Ali used to tell with great glee.

Footnote 36:

Notwithstanding his long residence in Egypt, Mohammed Ali understood but little Arabic, and could not speak it at all.

Footnote 37:

_Khaznadâr_ or “treasurer.” This officer often discharges the duties of a private secretary.

Footnote 38:

The term _kassis_ is applied in Egypt indiscriminately to Christian clergymen of every sect and denomination.

Footnote 39:

This term, _kiahya_, now common all over Turkey, is a corruption of the Persian word _ket-khoda_, and signifies “master of the house,” “vicegerent,” &c. The _kiahya_ in Egypt is next in rank to the viceroy.

Footnote 40:

Shoobra, a very pretty garden and palace, built and occupied by Mohammed Ali; it is about three miles from Cairo, on the bank of the river.

Footnote 41:

A _canjah_ is a Nile boat, much smaller and lighter than a dahabiah.

Footnote 42:

A piastre is about 2½d.

Footnote 43:

Where in Europe it is customary to say as “white as wool” or “white as snow,” the Orientals say “white as camphor.” The “camphor-neck” of a beauty is an image constantly recurring in Arabic poetry.

Footnote 44:

_Musàttah_, a camel-litter for carrying two persons.

Footnote 45:

A _shibriah_, a camel-litter for a single person.

Footnote 46:

A perpetual fountain of the purest water in the Mohammedan Paradise.

Footnote 47:

The Horseman’s Gap is a singular cleft in the high rocks which met at the end of the plain, just leaving a passage wide enough for horsemen to pass in single file.

Footnote 48:

The legend of Rabîah is one of the most ancient now known in the East. It was first communicated to me in the shape of an old Arab MS. by that eminent Arabic scholar, M. Fresnel. I believe he translated and sent it to one of the European Oriental magazines; but I have never seen it myself in print. As it is ten years since I saw the MS., I cannot remember exactly how far the tale in our text deviates from the original. The names which I have introduced are taken at random among names common in the Nejd; but I distinctly remember that of Rabîah, and his heroic death in the gap, as forming the catastrophe of the legend.

Footnote 49:

Whip made of rhinoceros-hide.

Footnote 50:

Shèitan, Arabic form of “Satan.”

Footnote 51:

_Salamlik_ is a reception-room in houses of Turkish construction, generally on the first floor, and in the centre of the building.

Footnote 52:

Nejmet-es-Sabah, “Morning Star.”

Footnote 53:

The game of the jereed is almost too familiar to the reading world to require description. It is a mimic fight, representing a combat with the spear or javelin. The jereed is sometimes made of reeds or canes, but more frequently of palm-sticks cut in the form of a javelin, with a blunted point. It varies much in weight; and a heavy jereed thrown by a vigorous arm is capable of giving a very severe, sometimes a dangerous, bruise; for this reason, aiming at the face or head is strictly prohibited in this game, though it necessarily happens in so wild a sport, carried on with reckless riders and horses at full speed, that the head and face often receive a serious hurt.

Footnote 54:

The rosary here alluded to (called in Arabic _tashbih_) is a string of beads, generally one hundred in number, carried by the greater part of Moslems of the upper and middling classes: they are used as “omens,” “counter-charms,” &c.

Footnote 55:

_Kadaif_, a favourite Turkish dish, made of flour, honey, and other ingredients.

Footnote 56:

The Crimean campaign has now made the name of these Bashi-Bazouks, or irregular cavalry, familiar to all Europe. In Egypt, at the date of our tale, they were mostly Albanians, and a more lawless set of ruffians than they were could not be found on earth. On some occasions their savage violence could not be controlled even by the iron hand of Mohammed Ali. They would neither obey nor leave the country, and he was compelled to bribe them to adopt the latter course, and also to have them escorted by regular troops beyond the frontier.

Footnote 57:

The Mosque El-Azhar is one of the largest, wealthiest, and most celebrated in Cairo. Although devoid of all pretensions to architectural beauty, within its precincts is a college for the instruction of youth; but little is taught beyond reading the Koran and the commentators thereon, writing, and the first rudiments of arithmetic. To the children of the poorer classes the instruction is gratuitous, and even food and lodging are provided from the funds of the endowment. Its revenues were much curtailed by Mohammed Ali.

Footnote 58:

It has before been mentioned that at this game it is forbidden to aim at the head; but, moreover, in order to explain the expressions of Delì Pasha, it must be mentioned that, according to the rules of the game, every “bout” consists of two charges, in which each alternately advances and retreats. It is then considered over, and cannot be continued unless a regular challenge be given for another “bout.”

Footnote 59:

“A cup of coffee” is a very common phrase in Egypt for expressing the word “poison,” for which a cup of coffee is a frequent medium.

Footnote 60:

This peculiarity in Mohammed Ali’s character is historically true. He was hasty and severe, often unjust, in his punishments; but there was a fund of generosity in his heart, a reaction followed, and he frequently elevated to the highest posts those whom he had previously degraded.

Footnote 61:

An Eastern image proverbial among lovers.

Footnote 62:

It may not be amiss to mention that “Amina” is not only a genuine Arabic woman’s name, signifying “trusty,” “faithful,” &c., &c., but is also in high estimation, having been the name of the mother of Mohammed. The root of the word _amin_ (true) is one of the original primitives of the Arabic and Hebrew languages: it was the “verily, verily” so often employed by our Saviour in His threats and warnings, and is still familiar to all in the “amen” (“so be it,” or “may it be true”) which terminates the greater portion of the prayers offered up in Christendom.

Footnote 63:

Kaf, a lofty and inaccessible mountain, celebrated in Eastern romance and mythology.

Footnote 64:

The last two lines are from a well-known Arabic love-song.

Footnote 65:

_I.e._, “treasurer of a very small treasure.”

Footnote 66:

These and other verses occasionally scattered through this tale are translations from Arabic scraps of poetry and love-songs popular in Egypt. The reader must not suppose that the interview related between the father and daughter is intended to represent the ordinary relations of domestic life in Egypt; on the contrary, it is an exceptional picture, exhibiting the fondness of an eccentric and warm-hearted father for an only child. It is scarcely necessary to say that, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, marriages in the East are arranged by the parents and relatives without the slightest reference to the inclinations of the bride.

Footnote 67:

Treasurer.

Footnote 68:

Few of my countrymen who have not resided in the East are probably aware that it is contrary to custom, and indeed to good breeding, to return thanks for a present. The system of present-giving is widespread over the whole East. If a great man makes a present to an equal, the bearer is rewarded and a present of equal value is returned. If a present is sent by a great man to an inferior, the latter gives as much as he can afford to the bearer; but in no case is it considered good manners on the part of either giver or receiver to allude to a present in after-conversation.

Footnote 69:

It must be remembered that thirty years before our tale the path or paths leading from Ghizeh to the Pyramids were not beaten and trodden as they now are; and even now, so long as the waters of the Nile are high, the direct road is intercepted by a number of deep sluices or creeks which oblige the traveller to make a considerable circuit under the guidance of natives acquainted with the country.

Footnote 70:

Although the Thorpes are imaginary personages, and therefore did not witness this scene, it actually occurred some years later exactly as narrated in the text. It may afford food for reflection for those benevolent philanthropists who would encourage the introduction of sudden reforms and the abolition of corporal punishment among a population habituated to the stick and to slavery for a period of five or six thousand years!

Footnote 71:

Before mentioned as an Arabic name for Cairo.

Footnote 72:

Nebleh, in Arabic, means “arrow.”

Footnote 73:

A _dabboos_ is a kind of war-club or mace much in use among the Mamelukes, in whose military equipment it hung at the saddle-bow. It resembles a pin in shape, being a smooth round handle, surmounted by a head or ball of iron; from the latter sometimes there protruded a sharp spike. I have seen some of these weapons beautifully inlaid with gold and silver, and the handles covered with velvet. They are not now in use, and are only sold as relics or curiosities.

Footnote 74:

Mussulmans, when speaking of those who have died in their own faith, always use the expression in the text, and never speak of them as “the dead,” which latter expression is used when speaking of Christians, heathens, or animals.

Footnote 75:

Up to the age of ten or twelve boys are freely admitted into the oriental harems. After that age no males are admitted, saving fathers, husbands, and brothers of the inmates. The privilege is sometimes extended to some other near relation, who is then termed “Mahrem,” meaning “one who is admitted to the harem.” Neither is it to be supposed that brothers, or even husbands, can intrude upon a lady’s privacy at pleasure. If she be of high rank, her husband cannot enter her boudoir without sending to ask permission. I speak now of Turkish harems especially.

Footnote 76:

This is one of the many instances which our language affords of the changes which words undergo in passing from the Arabic into European tongues, especially when the words contain that impracticable _ayn_, to which the reader’s notice has already been called. This word is written in the original _ayn_, _t_, and _r_, and should therefore be rendered _âtr_ or _ôtr_. Some English dictionaries correctly write it “attar.”

Footnote 77:

The original word rendered “good” in the translation of this fine proverb signifies more usually “free,” “noble,” “honourable”; in fact, includes those qualities which ought to be comprised in the character which we designate as a “gentleman.” After studying with some care the proverbs of many European nations, I am bound to say that, in variety of illustration, in terseness and felicity of diction, those found in the Arabic language surpass every other.

Footnote 78:

Shubrah, a very pretty garden on the right bank of the Nile, about three miles below Cairo, which was planted and laid out with some taste by a Greek gardener under the instructions of Mohammed Ali. He built a small country house at one extremity, and a very handsome kiosk in the centre of it, containing a large basin of water. At the four corners of the kiosk were richly furnished apartments, in one of which was a billiard-table, at which the old warrior used sometimes to recreate himself during his latter days with his officers or guests. After his death the garden was neglected and almost destroyed.

Footnote 79:

Squinting is considered in the East an ill omen, and those affected by it are generally avoided. “May you be blind,” or “May you squint,” is not an unfrequent Arab curse. It is curious that the word for “squinting” is identical in the French and Persian languages, _louche_.

Footnote 80:

Every _beled_ or village in Egypt has its sheik or headman, who is responsible for the payment of the taxes, rents, and dues, as well as for the military recruits leviable on its population. Generally speaking, these sheiks are the greatest rascals and tyrants in the country, though they themselves are frequently oppressed and beaten by their Turkish masters.

Footnote 81:

The Defterdar at the period of our tale was a relative of Mohammed Ali, and was an officer possessed of vast power and influence. It may be added that his cruelty was commensurate with his power. The re-mensuration of the cultivable lands had been intrusted entirely to him, and he was responsible for the revenues of the enormous extent of land which the mistaken policy of Mohammed Ali had led him to take into his own hands. Despite the energetic vigour of the Viceroy and the severity of the Defterdar, these lands never produced one-half of the amount which they would have returned had they been farmed to a number of tenants, or to the villagers themselves.

Footnote 82:

One hundred _ardebs_ are equivalent to sixty-three imperial quarters.

Footnote 83:

The reader is doubtless aware that in oriental houses there exist neither tables, chairs, cupboards, nor shelves. The last are replaced by niches and recesses of various forms and sizes made in the walls of the room, and in well-furnished houses these niches exhibit goodly rows of china, glass, scent-bottles, &c.

Footnote 84:

Most of the finely-tempered oriental blades, especially those of ancient manufacture, have stamped upon them, near the hilt, “There is no God but Allah,” or some short sentence from the Koran.

Footnote 85:

Among the Orientals, Youssuf—_i.e._, Joseph—was and still remains the proverbial type of manly beauty in the prime of youth. In the Eastern legends the frail helpmate of Potiphar has been changed into a lovely and high-born maiden, called Zuleika. The loves of this couple are referred to in one of the most eloquent chapters of the Koran, and have since been celebrated by Arab and Persian poets innumerable.

Footnote 86:

A dark powder used in the East.

Footnote 87:

I suppose it is well known that on entering a carpeted apartment in the East it is customary to leave the slippers near the door, or at all events on the stone or marble floor at the outer edge of the carpet.

Footnote 88:

The sketch given of this Egyptian Messalina is not imaginary, neither will it be difficult of recognition to any of the older residents in Cairo. The author, while passing in a boat before that window which has been made the scene of Hassan’s leap, has often been told by the Nile boatmen, “That is the window from which the bodies of her hapless lovers were thrown when she was tired of them.” The tale may be exaggerated, or perhaps invented; but at all events it shows the reputation enjoyed by the lady in question. Her crimes were not unknown to Mohammed Ali, for the author was once informed by a near relative of the old Viceroy that, on the occasion of some flagrant outrage similar to that described in the text, he was himself ordered by the indignant Prince to put her to death; and it was only by dint of urgent entreaties that he succeeded in procuring a commutation of the bloody sentence to a stern threat of summary punishment in case the offence should be repeated.

Footnote 89:

It must not be inferred from this that Mohammed Ali could not read: though not a good scholar, he could decipher a plainly written letter; but he rarely did so, and disuse made it daily a more troublesome and difficult task.

Footnote 90:

The walks in the Shoobra garden were then fancifully paved with parti-coloured pebbles. These walks have all been destroyed, and carriage-roads made through the garden.

Footnote 91: