Part 27

It has before been noted that the Egyptians, when speaking of the Viceroy, always use the word Effendina or Effendiniz—the former being the Arabic form, the latter the Turkish, for “Our lord.” The English word Viceroy has been generally used in this tale as being shorter and better known.

Footnote 92:

It would be unwarrantable to introduce, even in a work of fiction, such a charge against the memory of a man who, with all his faults, was certainly a great and sagacious Prince, had it not some foundation in truth. But it was stated to the author by Abbas Pasha himself that he fully believed that his father had been poisoned by Mohammed Ali’s order. The author asked him whether there was any circumstantial evidence to corroborate this suspicion. “Yes,” he replied. “The news of his death was conveyed from Lower Egypt to Mohammed Ali’s confidential household officer by a swift courier. The officer, ignorant of his master’s views, and afraid of the effect which might be produced on him by the sudden announcement of his son’s death, proceeded to break the intelligence to him with caution, saying, ‘My lord, news is arrived of Toussoun Pasha.’ ‘When—how did he die?’ was the answer. How,” continued Abbas Pasha, “could he have known or guessed that a man in the prime of life had suddenly died unless he had himself decreed it?” There was certainly force in the argument; but as all substantial evidence is wanting, we must be satisfied with the universal Arabic conclusion on such matters—“Allah knows.” Another reflection naturally arises from this tragedy—namely, that when we remember the energy and severity of Mohammed Ali’s character, it seems incredible that if a favourite son, and one of the bravest commanders in his army, had been suddenly carried off by poison in the prime of life without any order or connivance of his own, no open and diligent examination of the officers of the Prince’s household should have been made, and no medical inquiry as to the causes of death have been instituted. Such domestic tragedies are so common in the East that they create but little sensation on the spot. The fate of the son resembled that of the father. There is little doubt but that Abbas Pasha, the late Viceroy, was strangled in his bed by two Mamelukes who had lately entered his service, highly recommended by certain persons in Constantinople. They had stolen money from his harem, and he had threatened them with punishment. They were the only two on duty close to his bedroom on the night of his sudden death. They disappeared immediately after it, yet no real search was made for them; no public or satisfactory medical examination of the body was allowed; it was buried in unseemly haste, and with nothing of viceregal pomp. Crowds of sycophants flocked to the divan of the successor, and a very short time afterwards the author was informed that one of the supposed murderers had become an officer in the Egyptian army!

Footnote 93:

One of the ninety-nine names of God among the Arabs.

Footnote 94:

On account of the strong currents and numerous shoals and mudbanks that occur in the Nile, it is usual to fasten the boats to the banks at sunset and pursue the navigation at daybreak. During the night a certain number of guards or watchmen are hired from the nearest village, and while they watch (or sleep, as it may be) on the banks near the dahabiah, its owners and their property are usually secure from robbery.

Footnote 95:

This phrase is rather Persian than Turkish, and arises not only from the fine sense of hearing supposed to be conferred by the long ears of the hare, but also from a popular belief that even when asleep pussy has one eye open.

Footnote 96:

In the Nile, as in most alluvial rivers, the strongest currents are always under the high and precipitous bank; and it often happens that for several miles successively the strongest swimmer could not land on that side.

Footnote 97:

Hassan’s object being to frighten away any crocodiles which might be near.

Footnote 98:

In Hassan’s mouth the word Arab signified Bedouins; for he would not apply that honourable name to fellahs or the dwellers in villages.

Footnote 99:

The wit-wat is the Arabic name for a kind of curlew very common in Egypt.

Footnote 100:

One of the Eastern names for the nightingale.

Footnote 101:

The word literally translated in the text “wild ox” is the _bakr-el-wachsh_, a very large and powerful species of antelope found in the deserts bordering on Egypt.

Footnote 102:

It is probably known to most readers that nine out of ten Arabic proper names have reference to the Deity or the religion of Islam. The name Abd-hoo, literally “His servant,” means “the servant of God.” The pronoun “He,” when standing apart from any person referred to in a sentence, always has reference to Allah.

Footnote 103:

Wrestling-matches (called _musàara_ in Arabic and _kushty_ in Persian) are a very favourite exercise among the populations of both countries, and at them, as at the games of cricket in England and curling in Scotland, the higher and lower classes contend on a footing of equality. A highly respected and talented British Minister at the Court of Tehran used frequently to “try a fall” with some of his own servants at a gymnasium near the mission residence. We insert this note in order to prevent our readers from supposing that our hero had degraded himself by accepting the unexpected challenge of the Darfouri.

Footnote 104:

_Latif_ signifies courteous, polite, amiable, &c.

Footnote 105:

Lest the reader should suppose that this scene has been exaggerated or represents a state of superstition no longer existing at Cairo, it may be as well to mention that it was witnessed by the author exactly as here described in the summer of 1852.

Footnote 106:

This incident actually occurred at Cairo in 1849-50.

Footnote 107:

This incident also actually took place, though somewhat later than the period of our tale.

Footnote 108:

Loose trousers, generally made of cotton.

Footnote 109:

_Moharrabin_ are deserters from the Egyptian army, who sometimes infest the provinces in considerable numbers; and as many have with them their arms and accoutrements, and are always joined by thieves and runaways from justice, they are marauders very formidable to travellers and caravans.

Footnote 110:

_Sant_, the Arabic name for the _Acacia nilotica_. It is a thorn-bearing variety, its wood very hard, and its yellow flower extremely fragrant.

Footnote 111:

Thebes, in Upper Egypt, is vulgarly called “Luxor,” a corruption of its proper Arabic name “El-Uksor.” The name Thebes is completely unknown to the natives.

Footnote 112:

Dervish Bey had never heard of the “gallant Ormond”; but the feelings and instincts of parental love are in all ages and climes alike.

Footnote 113:

The Fat’hah is the opening chapter of the Koran. It is recited at least once on all solemn occasions among the Moslems, and, being very short, is known by heart by many among them, who, like Mohammed Ali, know little more of the contents of their sacred book.

Footnote 114:

A slang term for arrack.

Footnote 115:

Alluding to a popular tale, in which four or five women, wives of a _bakkal_ or grocer, came before the _câdi_ to make a complaint against their husband. They stormed and scolded all at once, and made such a din in the court that not a word could be heard or understood. When at length they stopped for want of breath, the _câdi_ dismissed the case, saying, “There is no crime of which the man can have been guilty that is not sufficiently punished by his having those women for wives.”

Footnote 116:

_Yuzbashi_, literally centurion, or captain over one hundred—a rank in the Egyptian army corresponding to that of lieutenant.

Footnote 117:

The “Ezn-el-âshah” is the muezzin’s call to prayer about two hours after sunset.

Footnote 118:

A very common phrase in Turkish for a “mad-cap.” It means literally “mad-blood.”

Footnote 119:

The episode of the conspiracy described above is founded on fact but it took place some years before the date assigned to our tale. One day when I was sitting _tête-à-tête_ with Mohammed Ali, he spoke very disparagingly of Ibrahim Pasha. I observed, “Yet on the occasion of that dangerous conspiracy against your Highness’s life Ibrahim behaved well, and gave no encouragement to it.” “He dared not,” replied the Old Lion; “but it was only fear that withheld him.” I shall never forget the fire that flashed from his eyes as he uttered these words.

Transcriber’s Note

Italicized phrases are presented by surrounding the text with _underscores_. Spaced out phrases are presented by surrounding the text with =equal signs=.

Minor changes in presentation have been made from the layout of the original paper publication.

Footnotes have been renumbered and relocated at the end of the book.

Punctuation has been normalized. Variations in hyphenation have been retained as they were in the original publication. The following assumed printer's errors were corrected:

In Footnote #3, the word Ĥharâm as represented by an H capped by a circumflex was represented in this edition by an H capped by a tilde or possibly a pokrytie in the original edition, the fonts for which are not as commonly available.

every —> Every {Page 8}

mothor —> mother {Page 12}

arrear —> arrears {Page 46}

choloric —> choleric {Page 120}

untamable —> untameable {Page 132}

Skeik-el-Beled —> Sheik-el-Beled {Page 230}

know —> Know {Page 241}

Acacia hilotica —> Acacia nilotica {Page 364}

Deli —> Delì {Footnote 27}

and are alway —> and are always {Footnote 109}