Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-06-19
Letter from Egypt.
OK THE NILE, April, 1874.

On THE NILE, April, 1874.
DEAR JoURNAn:-The last letter L
wrote (from Berber) brought the mar
rative of our expedition to Camp Ho-
dein. This was very pleasant camp
and we remained there two weeks
waiting for the return OF a detachment
sent to Esneh on the Nile for two
months rations for our soldiers, and
for money toipay the camel drivers.
This detachment returned a few days
before the great feast of Kourban
Bairam which lasted several days, and
we waited until its end before resum-
ing our march. This feast is one OF
the most important OF the Mussulman
calendar and is in commentator OF
Abraham's sacrifice of a ram snbsti-
tuted for Isaac. 1t is period OF ter
rible slaughter among the rams and
he-poats of all Mussulnlan countries.
for every adult man who has the means
must kill one, and the rich kill several
and send meat to their poor neighbors
who cannot afford it. / do not lnow
that there is any special form OF sacri-
flee, beyond the formula that is always
repeated bv every cook and butcher
when killing fawn or animal OF
any kind: "God make thy suffering
brief and easy.' or words to that
effect. The Mussulmans, like the
Jews. will not eat of any animal which
has net been completely bled by cut
ting its throat, and they observe very
nearly the distinctions of the Mosaic
law with regard to clean and unclcan
animals.
The minimum duration of the kouT-
ban -Bairam is three days, which are
devoted to feasting, visiting, aud vari-
ous amusements. AS the MahOmcdGn
law forbids the use OF intoxicating
drinks, the Arabs are always peaceable
and orderly in their most exhllaratlnG
enjoyments The Sheiks paid the usual
ceremonial visit at headquarters and
partook of coffee and pipes. After
wards there was target firing for the
soldiers, and prizes were given to tie
best shots. Finally, III the afternoon,
there was a dromadary race ridden by
some of the Abadebhs. 1t WAS anus
ing if not exciting, and a purse made
ND by the officers was distributed III
three prizes to those who came III
ahead of the rest. There was also the
usual sword-dance III which the Shelks
take the lead; and it is really ludicrOus
to see these portly and dignified indl-
viduals liz their long probes, vaultingan
capering, brandishing their unwejldly
swords in time to the beat OF the
darabookahs. These are drums made
of earthen pots, over the mouth OF
which a piece Of hide is tightly strech-
ed. The musician has two or three OF
different sizes and giving different
notes, and he beats with two short
sticks. This makes very mOnOtOnons
but the natives enjoy it we'll.
On the LIST of February the festiyi-
ties being over, we left Wady Hodain
On our way to Berber, and marched
continuously for several days, passing
over a number of wadies, sometimes
fanked by granite mountains, some
times by the sandstone of the Irlasslc.
which in this country lies Immediately
over the GRANTEES and kindred rocks.
Occasionally, but very seldom, We met
with few natives and came to tempo
rary villages of ii dozen huts. Tlese
huts are made Of mats woven Of grass,
and sometimes of course 'camels hair
blankets. They are YER low, not over
four feet, and serve only tUr sleeping
place. It was on these rare occasions
that saw a few women mot or five
or six in the whole march) and some
children. The women always Il. pt
close in the tents, but could not resist
the desire of peeping out at the
strangers, keeping their faces yelled,
however, and showing nothing but
their eyes. In the villages along the
Nile they are less particular, and wear
the veil below the nose, which gave
me q chance to observe q fanciful way
of ornamenting themselves. It Is by
wearing a silver ring inserted at the
side of the nose through the nostril.
Only one is worn. Earrings are worn
very often by both sexes through the
upper rim of the ear Or through the
upper ridge that forms the inner shell
of the ear. At one of the tent villages,
while we were talking to some Of the
elders under tree, and the women
were peeplng out at rs, two little boys
about three years old and perfectly
naked came around to look at us. |
tied silver plaster with a hole in it
around the neck of each of them, and
they went back to their mothers re-
jOicing; but / have no doubt that if
either of them had the collie or other
mishap afterwards, it was attributed
to the "evil eye" of the Frank. The
Mussulmans are strong believers in
the "evil eye land the specific to ward
it off is the outline of an outspread
hand. You will frequently find it on
their houses, and sometimes burnt
with an iron on their camels.
There was a great deal in these
marines which was interesting to see,
but would not probably be SO to re-
late. In former days, before the gov
eminent had reduced the tribes to
perfect obedience and established the
order which now prevails, the desert
was lawless place and frequent strife
arose from the feuds existing between
tribes and families. But while life
and property are nov infinitely safer
there than in many quarters Of New
York, the old habits of mistrllst still
remain. Whenever party meets
another, as soon as they come in sight
both halt and send out a couple Of
men to reconnoitre and ascertain who
the strangers are. We did not, of
course, but all those we met did.
Another custom of the Bisharee1.e is
this: When they stop to converse they
stand on one leg like cranes, resting
the sole of one foot on the inside OF
the knee of the other leg, and they
maintain this unstable equilibrium
for quite a long time. The forms OF
politeness are various, and among
these people (near Berber) they take |
this development: A Bisharee1 meet |
ing another says, "dubana;' the sec |
ond replied, drbana; the first repeats
dubana, the second ditto, sometimes for |
half ON hour consecutively The word |
means, how are you, or / hope You are
well, and it would be considered i'll |
bred to beg in talking business or any
thing else, until dubana has been re.
peated about one hundred times by |
each individual. The language Ct the
Bishareens is entirely different from
the Arabic
Some of the wadies We passed
through were remarkably rich in veg
citation at this season. Though the
Bedwins own no land individually, vet
there wadies belong to certain tribes
and families who there pasture their
stock i'll common and the invasion OF
a wadv by the stock Of tribe to which
1T do : not belong, would be a cause
OF fel.d. w found some wadies full
of Wy 1"ung camel colts grazing
with thell mothers and luxuriating in
the propitious season. Sometimes in