Part 13

The streets of Siout are unpaved, narrow, and irregular; the houses are built of unburnt brick, and differ in no respect from the generality of those usually met with on the Nile. During the inundations the whole country is overflowed, and boats of the largest size anchor under the wall of the city, at which time it communicates with the river by an artificial causeway of immense size. The country about is rich and fertile in the extreme, owing to the annual inundations of the Nile. The palace and gardens of Ibrahim Pacha were well worthy of a visit. The tombs and immense chambers which are found in the mountain in the vicinity, are very interesting, but bear no comparison with those of the tombs of the kings at Thebes. On entering some of those gloomy chambers, with our torches, we were beset by bats of enormous size, that literally swarmed there, and afforded much amusement in the chase. On firing a gun in one of the dark recesses, we killed two, and found them to be the most extraordinary animals of the kind I had ever seen, being the size of a full-grown rat, and with much the same appearance, with the exception of the mouth, which was like that of a wolf, and the extended wings. On coming out of the tombs, covered with dust, and fatigued, we proceeded to the city to enjoy the luxury of a Turkish bath. The Orientals enjoy the vapor and hot baths to such an extent, that in almost all their towns and villages they are to be found; but I had no idea of finding such perfection here, and must, for the novelty of the thing, describe it. After passing two chambers, one hotter than the other, we arrived at the third, where the heat and vapor were almost suffocating, and there found half-a-dozen naked Arabs waiting for their three customers; when such a scene of confusion commenced as I cannot describe, to decide who should have the “white skins.” After they had fought it out, and our servants had settled it by agreeing to divide the backsheesh, or gift, they commenced with burning musk and perfume. While the perspiration rolled out from every pore, I was rubbed from head to foot with a camel’s hair glove, and then laid on the hot marble floor, while my arms were crossed upon my back and breast, and almost the weight of the Arab’s body thrown upon me. All my joints were drawn and cracked, while showers of hot water were thrown upon me; and, almost in an exhausted state, myself and my two companions were led into an adjoining room, with white turbans on our heads, wrapped in sheets, where we reposed upon divans for an hour, partaking of coffee, lemonade, and pipes. After this fatiguing, but refreshing, bath, one feels like a new man, particularly when the heat of the day is intense.

On descending the Nile, we stopped at several towns and villages to see the bazaars, and study further the manners and customs of the people, but I cannot attempt a description for want of space. I will, however, mention that we visited the pyramids of Sakkara, and the site of ancient Memphis; but as nothing of interest now exists at the latter, and having described in a former letter the immense pyramids of Ghizeh, I shall not speak of Sakkara, which is smaller, and of less consequence. Near the same site is Abousir, a small, miserable village, situated upon the edge of the desert, where are three pyramids of large size, and many tumuli. Near this place, after an excursion of four or five miles from the verdant banks of the Nile, we found the mountain which contains the famous Catacomb of Birds. With torches, we entered the narrow hole, on our hands and knees, to see places formerly occupied by the mummies. We found passages leading in every direction through the mountain, many fragments of mummies, and many a sarcophagus entire. The entrance to the Catacomb of Birds is by a pit, twenty-two feet deep, at the bottom of which is a horizontal passage, sixty feet long, nearly choked up with sand, dirt, and broken jars, along which one has to creep; but after some distance, the passage is high enough to stand erect, and there are large rooms in which are deposited the jars containing the sacred birds.

We arrived at Cairo on the 28th of February, having had fine winds and a rapid current in descending the Nile, for several days. My great anxiety to visit the Holy Land had been increasing upon me, although it was attended with great fatigue and risk, but my travelling companion, a Prussian nobleman, whom I met in Greece, concluded to accompany me. I took our dragoman, called upon the sheik of the Bedouin tribe, who could furnish us with camels, and with whom I made a contract before the Consul, in Arabic, to cross the desert to Jerusalem in fifteen days, he attending us. No danger was to be apprehended from the tribe, but some alarming events have already taken place, which I will recount in my next letter.

On leaving Cairo our caravan presented quite a formidable appearance, consisting of three dromedaries for ourselves and dragoman, four camels for our tent, water, luggage, and two servants, with five Arabs to drive the camels. For the greater security I had forwarded the most valuable part of my luggage to Alexandria, and myself and companion had an ample supply of fire-arms, and we were also disguised in the Turkish costume, which does not attract so much attention as a European dress. On the second day after leaving Cairo we encamped at Tanta, on the borders of the Delta and the Desert, where we understood Mehemet Ali had retired to his country-seat, and having made the acquaintance of Artim Bey, the first dragoman to his Highness, we were promised a presentation in the evening, our letters of introduction being satisfactory. On arriving at the gate of the wall which surrounds the country palace we were escorted by a number of the body guards, a corps which comprises a select body of one hundred men, to the portico, where were several sentinels with presented arms. Artim Bey here presented himself and invited us in, when we were delighted in seeing the extraordinary man who has figured so largely in Egypt for the past forty or forty-five years. On entering the saloon we discovered Mehemet Ali seated upon a divan which extended around three sides of the apartment. He was dressed in full Turkish costume, with his feet drawn up under him. He saluted us, and beckoned us to be seated, when our conversation commenced on different topics, and continued for half an hour. The subject of agriculture upon the Nile, the necessity of great exertion and labor to prevent the encroachment of the sands of the desert, the introduction of foreign trees and plants into Egypt, in which he has effected much, seemed particularly to interest him. He has yet the appearance of vivacity, is a man of strong constitution, short in stature, with a venerable long beard as white as snow. His age is now seventy-five. His leaning couch or pillow was of crimson, richly embroidered with gold, with long tassels suspended. In front of us on the floor stood two large chandeliers, elegantly wrought; his nephew sat upon the opposite divan, while the interpreter stood at his side, and some fifteen or twenty beys and officers, forming a separate group in a semicircle, following the laws of etiquette, remained standing during our visit.

In all private houses in Turkey and Egypt the pipe and coffee are almost immediately presented on being seated, but at the palace of the Pasha the pipe is dispensed with, and coffee only is presented in small gold and silver cups.

We are now in the solitude of the desert, and feel somewhat relieved from our apprehensions of robbers, with whom we have had an adventure, the particulars of which I must defer till my next. Our little hut in which I now write is about ten feet in diameter, sufficiently large for my companion and myself to spread our mattresses, arrange our private luggage and table, while outside of the tent the camels lie crouched upon all fours, forming a semicircle around a small charcoal fire, around which lie the Arabs stretched upon the sand. Our servants, having furnished us our evening’s repast, and satisfied their own appetites after a hard day’s ride upon the camels, have stretched their mats upon the sand by the side of the interpreter, and all is quiet except an occasional groan from a camel, or the half conscious song of an Arab. Really this travelling in the desert is of the most novel and extraordinary character, and, although attended with great fatigue, one is somewhat compensated by the peculiarity of the voyage, independent of the strong desire to see Palestine.

XXXIII.

QUARANTINE, GAZA, _March 18, 1842_.

My last was written in the desert, since which time we have been en route, and were quarantined yesterday on entering this place, it being represented that the plague existed in Egypt. On this voyage by the desert we have had adventure after adventure, and I must here relate the incidents alluded to in my last. The fourth day of our departure from Cairo we had travelled most of the time through a desert country, occasionally striking in the palm groves. At four o’clock P.M. we found ourselves near an Arab village, and our camels were discharged and tent struck, while the Count and myself started in pursuit of some wild ducks, but were followed by one of our Arabs, who, by signs and gestures, insisted that we should not pass by the village. We, however, persisted, and on returning I made the remark that I would not trust myself there without arms. In the evening one of our servants, an Armenian, to our surprise told us not to hang any clothes or loose luggage on the side of the tent opposite to where the camels and their drivers were stationed, saying there were many robbers who would steal our things in the night. We rather ridiculed the idea, not believing they dared approach the tent, knowing us to be armed. Our camel drivers pretended to watch through the night, and at one o’clock in the morning we were awaked with the report of a musket and the whizzing of a ball alongside of our tent, and the cries of our men to sally forth with our arms. In an instant with muskets and pistols we were outside the tent, while the bustle and excitement showed the brigands that we were ready for them if they came. It was the most fearful night I ever passed. The idea of being shot like a dog under cover of night, was not only exciting but provoking. In a state of anxiety we watched until four o’clock in the morning, during which time we had two pistol shots, but none taking effect. At this hour the men rose; we heard the cry of the Musselmans for the morning prayer in the village, and considered ourselves exceedingly fortunate in escaping unhurt.

At an early hour we left this place which was so full of danger, and which gave rather fearful apprehensions for the future. Our guns and pistols were kept charged and ready for use, and this evening we encamped some distance in the desert, away from the trees which form a cover for the robbers. In the evening one of our servants entered the tent, and I observed he drew a heavy sigh, and on demanding the cause he said nothing, but pressing him still further for an explanation, he said he had great anxiety for our safety; that in the village they were all Musselmans, and did not like the Christian pilgrims who go to Jerusalem, and would kill us--which was not very agreeable information, but this part of his story we could not credit. That evening after I had extinguished the candle and laid myself upon my mattress for a half hour, I heard the report of a gun not far distant. It was really extremely exciting after the events of the past night. Our men were watching, and we had resolved, if we were compelled to sell our lives, it should be at a dear rate. We passed the night under great apprehension, and in the morning passed through the village and found the walls of many mud-houses destroyed and deserted, and the inhabitants who remained appeared fit subjects for robbery.

The next night, after a hot and fatiguing journey, we found ourselves upon the borders of the vast desert which we were about to enter for several days. Not having slept for two nights, and there still being danger, we presented ourselves before the sheik of this village, which was of some importance, and with the firman of Mehemet Ali demanded a guard of eight armed men for the night, who surrounded our tent while we enjoyed the repose which we so much needed.

Here we were obliged to fill our vessels with water, and buy fresh supplies for six or seven days in crossing the desert. After quitting this village and getting into the desert we felt ourselves more safe, and encamped with much less anxiety. Occasionally we would see some Bedouin Arabs with their swarthy features and long black beards, with a carbine swung over their shoulders and a brace of pistols in their belt, having every appearance of the bandit, but of them we had no fear, as our camel drivers belonged to the same tribe, and our contract was made with the sheik.

In many parts of the desert we found the sand exceedingly light and the travelling difficult, the sand forming itself into mountains with the drifting of the wind, and resembling in the distance fields and mountains covered with snow. In other parts, particularly as we approached the sea towards Gaza, we found immense salt marshes, which were filled with the wild boar, and on the sand hills adjoining we would see large numbers of gazelles scampering away from us. Some of those salt water lakes which we passed are very beautiful indeed, and, with the crystallization of the salt, have the appearance of new-made ice all along the edges, and in some instances half skimmed over, while the banks are covered with stunted bushes of a grey color, and one imagines for an instant that it is the season of winter. Near one of these salt marshes we discovered a small pool of brackish water, from which the Arabs who had joined our caravan replenished their sacks, which they carry on their backs, and which are made of hog-skin. I could not help remarking the facility with which those travelling Arabs prepared their supplies. One of them, after filling his sack with water, took a sheepskin which covered his shoulders, and, placing it on the sand, poured on the inside some flour from another small sack, and with the water made his bread; then gathering some brush together, he instantly had a fire, and in a very short time all his wants were satisfied. The Arab of the desert is contented with bread and water; he looks upon what we consider necessaries as luxuries, and if he had them perhaps would not use them.

The gait of the camel is awkward and very fatiguing to the rider. He kneels and rises at pleasure, is very patient, subsists upon what he can gather from plants and shrubs, like the goat, goes many days without water, and seems in every way adapted for the desert. At night, in striking our tent, a scene of life and bustle presented itself in discharging our beasts; the mats are laid, the mattresses brought and spread, the luggage looked after and stowed away for the night; the camel-drivers are searching for wood and sticks, the camels stroll and graze; the cook makes a fire on the sand and prepares the dinner, after which comes the refreshing sleep, until the bustle of loading in the morning, which must be repeated every day.

After having passed the desert we arrived at El Arish, a miserable village on the frontier of Palestine, where we were told that at Gaza we would have to perform a quarantine of five or eight days, as we were supposed in coming from Egypt to bring the plague with us.

On approaching Scheik Inde, which is distant twenty miles, the soil is light, and grass and sand dispute possession with each other. Here we were stopped and tribute-money demanded. We wished to know the reason, to which one of the four persons who stopped us replied that they had been placed there by the Sultan to demand tribute of all strangers. This we doubted, and wanted to see their authority. Two of them were armed, and refused to let us pass without compliance, and threatened to hold our luggage. Really it was an act of daring impudence to be attacked thus on the high-road, and in the name of the Sultan too. We finally dared them to stop us, threatening not only with weapons but the vengeance of the Sultan, whose firman we had at command, when they concluded to let us pass. We have since understood that several persons through fear had paid the scoundrels heavy tribute.

The next day we came to the village of Khan Yunes, the environs of which were beautiful; the gardens filled with fruit trees and flowers, the hedges of cactus indicus or prickly pear, and the fields clothed with verdure, presented a lovely sight after having been in the desert country so long time. On approaching the gate of the village we were stopped and notified that we were to perform quarantine, which we believed they had no right to demand, and therefore we had no disposition to be thus delayed. We demanded an audience of the governor, but found he was absent. We insisted on passing, but they stopped our camels. We said we would perform quarantine at Gaza, but they would not allow us to pass through the village, and ordered us to pitch our tent on the commons, there to serve out our quarantine. High words ensued, the Count took up his gun and threatened to shoot the officer if he stopped his dromedary. We passed around the village on the road to Gaza, when I discovered some half-dozen armed men coming up, who were determined we should stop. Our next move was to show them that we had the firman of the Sultan and could not be arrested. Fortunately for us they could not read Turkish, and on our promise to be quarantined at Gaza, they permitted us to pass. We saw many others less fortunate, who were quarantined in the open field without a covering to their heads.

Yesterday we arrived at Gaza, the approach to which is beautiful indeed, the road winding through a series of gardens fenced with the cactus indicus, reminding me of Mount Etna at the base and of other parts of Sicily. The groves of olives with the sycamore tree form an agreeable shelter from the rays of the sun, and the country is exceedingly fertile. Before reaching the city we discovered a tent by the road side, from which approached an armed guard, and keeping at a respectful distance informed us we were to be quarantined from five to fifteen days at the direction of the Nazro, or chief officer of the quarantine. We found resistance would be fruitless, and were marched off to the ground, a mile from the city, where we pitched our tent upon the grass, and where I now write you. It is ludicrous, but at the same time disagreeable, to observe the guards keeping us off at the length of a stick to prevent our coming in contact with them, the plague being a contagious disease, and much to be dreaded. We desired an audience of the governor on arriving, that we might endeavor to lessen our quarantine, which of course could not be granted, as all persons coming from Egypt at this season of the year are suspected of having the plague with them. We then desired a visit from the Nazro, who this morning came to see us. Turkish rugs were sent outside the tent and spread upon the grass; coffee, pipes, and lemonade ordered for his reception. The first he had no occasion for, being squatted upon his own carpet, and indeed he dared not touch ours, as it was supposed to be pestiferous. The coffee and lemonade being in non-conductors were first placed upon the ground by our servant, at the distance of six or seven feet, when his attendant presented them to him. After having explained through our dragoman the time we had been in the desert, that the plague did not exist in Cairo when we left, and expressed great anxiety to arrive at Jerusalem, we then exhibited a firman from the Sultan, which was held at the distance of three feet with a sort of tongs and read; but he also discovered a small bit of paper which enveloped something _curious_, and on calling for perfume and fire to fumigate it, much to his surprise found some pieces of gold, which a Turk or Arab can scarcely refuse; but in this case he could not think of receiving it, being surrounded by too many witnesses. But he being satisfied that there is no possible risk in lessening our quarantine, and that our intentions were good, has this evening sent his secretary to say that, in consideration of our having passed so much time in the desert and several days in Syria, and out of respect for the firman of the Sultan, with a certain _indispensable backsheesh_, it would be unkind in him to detain us more than another day; we shall therefore be on the move again after to-morrow, and rejoiced to escape from being imprisoned a week or ten days without cause.

XXXIV.

JERUSALEM, _March 25, 1842_.

Some time since, when I crossed the mountains of Judea, and my eyes beheld the holy city in the distance for the first time, I could not help exclaiming, “Is it possible that at last, after a voyage of six or seven thousand miles from my native land, I am soon to visit the many interesting localities connected with the life and sufferings of our Saviour, from his nativity at Bethlehem to his crucifixion upon Mount Calvary?” most of which is now realized.

My last was from the quarantine at Gaza, after escaping which we entered the city, visited the governor, and in the name of the Sultan demanded an escort, which he readily granted, by sending two mounted gensd’armes who accompanied us to the town of Ramlah, the ancient Arimathea, where resided Joseph who took from the cross the body of our Lord and laid it in his own sepulchre.

There are no antiquities at Gaza, and the traveller looks in vain for the ancient gates connected with the history of Samson. The streets are narrow, and the houses, many of which are situated in gardens, are unglazed, but the location is beautiful, and surrounded with groves of olive and palm trees. Our first day’s travel from Gaza, through the land of the Philistines, brought us to a mud village at night, where we proposed striking our tent; but much to our surprise we found the bare-footed sheik and half-clad Arabs of the village would not permit it, asserting that the country was infested with robbers, that the villages were against each other, and that they would not be responsible for our safety. They showed us a mud khan, without any other opening than a sort of door to crawl in, which all Turkish villages furnish the traveller, and some of which are habitable for one night. Being finally obliged to submit and abandon our tent, which was a palace in comparison with this hovel, we struck our lights, and among rats, fleas, and apprehensions of robbers, from either the village or country, we passed a disagreeable night, escaping at break of day scarified with the bites of insects, and looking as if we had the small-pox. The next day we arrived at Ramlah, and were about pitching our tent in an olive grove, when our chevalier, who was mounted on a swift Arab, and who had gone in advance to procure horses to go to Jerusalem, came down upon us, saying there was an American Vice-Consul at that place, who invited us to his house. The invitation was readily accepted, as it commenced raining for the first time since we left Cairo. We were welcomed by this hospitable Greek with a hearty shake of the hand, and soon found ourselves at ease, seated upon a low divan, with the usual cup of coffee and pipe. It was a luxury to be once more under a roof, after sixteen days’ hard riding upon the back of a dromedary in crossing the desert.