Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-10-10

Anytody not preViouly aware Of the easy hab
ts OF despotic sovereign, would naturally CON
clude that the Governor oi Nuba was, at this
time, in Cairo, and at no great distance from the
royal abode. But it was no: SO. The Governor
OF Nubla was simply-at home-smoking his
pipe in Nubia. This brief and uuadorncd order
therefore involved post haste messenger on a
dromedary across the Desert, with boat up the
Nile, and then more dromedaries, and then anoth
er boat, and again dromedary, till the Pasha's
mandate was delivered. We next beheld the
Governor # Nubia, in full official rim,proceeding
posle-ha with his suite across the Desert, and
down the Nile travelling day and night, until
finally he Is sarnounced to the Pasha, and admit
ted to his most serene end fumiga,ous presence
The Governor makes his grand salam.
"Governor," says the Pdsha-and we have
this unique diaI,sse on the best authority
/" Governor =, ShippopotamiiD your cou"-
try~ W ~ a.
'sWehave, your TIigness."
Abbas Pasha reflected a moment; then said
-" Send to me the commmander Of the Nubi-
an army. Now, go!"
! This was his whole dialogue. The Governor
made his salam, and retired. With the same
haste and ceremony, so far as the two things
can be combined, he returned to Nubia by boat
and dromedary, and horse and covered litter
and the same hour found the commander of the
army of Nubia gallopmg across the Desert with
his attendants, in obedience 70 the royal man.
date.
The Pasha, knowing that all means of speed
will be used, and what those means will be, to-
gether with the nature Of the route, ls able Ia
calculate to day when the commander ought
to arrive-and therefore must arrive-at his per.
it, otherwise. The British Consul is invited to
dine with his Highness on this day.
Duly, as expected, the Commander of The Nu-
bian army arrives, and is announced just as the
repast is concluded He is forthwith usllered
into the presence of the sublime beard and tur-
ban. Coffee and pipes are being served
The commander makes his grand salam, shut.
ting his eyes before the royal pipe.
Commander" said The Pasha, without taking
his pipe from his mouth, " hear that you have
hippopotami in your country"
1t is true, your highness but"
"Bring me live hippppotomus-a young
one. Now, go"
This was actually the dialogue which took
place on the occason--and the whole of it.
The Commander of the Nuban forces makes
his grand salam-retires returned as he came
-" big" with the Importance of his GRAND but
also not without considerable anxiety for lis re-
suit.
Arriving at Dongola, the Commander sum
moned his chief officers and captains of the M.
bian hosts 10 u council of war on the subject o.
| the bippepotunus hunt, on the result of which
he intimatsd---several heads were al stake, be.
sides his own. A similar communication was
speedily forwarded to the chief officers Of the
right wing of the army, quorercd in their tenu
at SEMINAR. The picked men Of all their forces
having been selected, the two parties met il
boats at an appointed village on the banks of tht
Nile, and there concerted their measures for thu
expedition.
The Commander divided the chosen body in
to several parties, and away they sped up tn
Nile. They followed the course of the river
beyond the point where it branches off into tn,
Blue Nile, and the White Nile Good fortune
at length beie one of the parties but this cos
much time, and many unsuccessful effors-nov
pursuing huge savage river horse, with rife
balls and flying dars now pursued by him il
turn with foamng jaws and gnaslng tusks-al
of which may readily be conieclured, from th
fact that they did not fall in with their prize til
they had reached distance. up the White Nile
of one thousand five hundred miles above Cairo
In the doubllngs and re.douolings of attack an
retreat, of pursuit and flight, and renewed as
sault, they must o. course have traversed, in al
at least two thousand miles.
Something pathetic attaches to the death q
the mother of "our hero, something whic
touches our common nature, but which sue
hunters as Mr.. Gordon Cummins would not b
able to understand. A large female hippopota
mus being wounded, was in iull flight up tn
river; but presently ball or two reached
mortal part, and then the maternal instinct mad
the animal pause She fled no more, but turn
ed aside and unude towards heap Of brushwoo
and water bushes thst grew on the banks OF tn
river in order las The event showel,) to die be
side her young one. She was unable TO pre-
ceed 50 far and sank dying beneath the wate
The action, however, had been 70 evidentl
caused by some strong impulse Ond attraction
that direction, that the party instantly proceede
to the clump of water bushes. Nobody moved
not green flag stirred, not a sprig trembe,
but directly they entered-out burst a buIl
young hippopctamus calf, and plunged heo
foremost down the river banks He had all bl
escaped, when, amidst the excitement and col
fusion of the picked men, one of them who ha
"mOre character" than the rest, made blow
the slippery prize with his boat-hook, and litera
ly brought him up by burying the hook in b
fat flank. Two other hunters next to him
presence of mind and energy-,hrew their arm
round the great barrel-bellied infant, and hois
ed him into the boat, which nearly cupsized wit
the weight and struggle.
In this one circumstance OF hlppopotamr
being ordered by his Hghness Abbas Push
has been pleasantly shown the ease and brevlt
with which matters are managed by despot
government We complain at home, and wit
how much reason, everybody knows too we'll
of the injurious and provoking slowness of a
good legislative ucts but here we have bell