Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-03-11

10 lake MS pIace, lWuo hdu, desuA GU
him that his own adventures had been
as wonderful as those related by Sill
bad.
"For my own part" continued
II can offer no opinion as
to his abilities E; but If you choose to
hear him, Pm sure you will give him
a fair trial" -
The guests promised they would
do SO, and, lighting their pipes, the
seniors seated themselves on the clay
divan, those of most note on the
cushions, and the younger on the
ground, and all being in readiness,
1he stranger was requested to COM
memo his narrative OF the children
with eyes in the tips Of their fingers:
"If I betray any little tiiffidence,"
the speak er commenced; 5"yon must
excuse me. rs L have never yet had
the honor of relating my, adventures
before 80 illustrious and talented an
audience as those [ see around me.
AS nv stay in Bagdad, however, will
extend over twelvelnights, l hope any
nervousness or, hesitation will be ex-
cused on this my first appearance, as
feel certain. under your Kind ap-ll
probation, all defects of the kind
will have; vanished before my last
performances. r..z. s.;v.rr tra H. |
Here murmur of assent greeted
the ears, of the stranger, who, after
saluting the audience, continued,-
81 agreed with Mustapha that
would dwell but short time on my
own personal history, SO as to COM
mencc at once with the wonders l
have to relate. And do this the
more willingly as feel persuaded,
kind as, your feelings towards Inc
may be, that you will find them i'm
measurably more interesting. The
personal history Of so humble an in
dividual az 1 am must fall into insig-
miticance when compared with the
tales | have to ynarrate respecting
children whose eyes were in the tips
Of their fingers, and other wonders
still more surprising. They all in
some manner resemble those of the
Arabian Nights, and of that veraci-
Gus history of Sinbad the Sailor,
which. as men of education aud pro-
found historical Knowledge, you are
all SO well acquainted with. Our
host remlnded me of the history of
the Genie who kept lady III glass
case at the bottom of the sea, a feat
which you,s with great reason, ina
gine almost too w onde erful for belief,
were it not inscribed in the indis-
putable pages Of Arabian. history.
But iii the country l have visited, l
have seen, as 4 told hMustapha, men
frequently descend in glass case to
the bottom of the, ocean, and there
pick up treasure, and when sufficient
! ly laden, return again to the air. The
veracious Sinbad tells you of his be-
ing seized by the talons of an enor-
nous bird called the Roc, and carried
away high i'll the air, a feat which
you imagine to be unparalleled; but
[ can assure you have myself rlGden
with others miles in the air, and in-
stead of being carried like Sinbad in
the talons of an ugly bird fixed in
the waistband. Of my trousers i'll a
most ungraceful manner, the enchan-
ter's car I rode in was furnished with
cushions as soft as those in the palace
of the Shah, to whom be alf honor.
Aud now as to the method OF travel
ing i'll that country, which formerly
was no better than our own"
i Here the narrator was interrupted
by one of the guests Ga very old many
OH the divan OF honor, asking if there
were not horses in that country
drawing chariots. He had heard this
stated, he said, by his grandfather,
who, when a boy, had visited Eng-
land; but he had told of none of tue
wonders now being spoken OF. Iu fact
his grandfather had reported that the
horses Of the country were in no way
better than their own, and that the
unfortunate wretches had no camels
"Thiugs have greatly changed there
since the time OF your grandfather
was the story-telIer's reply. ''In his
time these enchanters did not live
they have all arisen since. Horses
they have there 1t is true, with speed
like yours, nearly as swift as the wind
but these are only used when people
have leisure. Those who are in {
hurry travel in carriages withou,
horses, whose speed is swifter than
the wind" ..a- .-... .
"My friend," said Mustaphs, "le
me give you little advice. Be eau
tious what you are saying. We cal
, allow for a great deal of exaggeratior
: in a travellers narrative OF hls, owl
adventures, and still more in th,
ideas of poet who admits that all h,
l relates is iction. But let me advis,
, you not to state as simple and un
vanished facts things that have lie
stamped OH the face OF them"
81 call the prophet Mahomet tt
Witness" said The performer, sstha
every word l state is true, and tn,
vengeance of the Cadi be on me if
state one circumstance that is not.
, "Continue then," said Mustapha
with look of doubt on his counte
nance. ''But take my advice as
friend, be careful; or at any rate
should any of your narratives be i'm
aginary, state them to be SO at tn
l time. and we excuse you"
ITO begin. tlten," said the nara
tor, with short description of M,
family. My name is Hassau, and IN,
father, follower of the Prophet, re
| sided in Upper Egypt. During tn
years of my boyhood I assisted IN,
= father, who bought and sold slave
E brought down from Nubia, and this
/ did to the best of my ability, especi
t ally keeping his books of account
t and correspondence. When [ wa
! about tweuty, my father died, and
e continued the business alone. A
years passed Oh the traffic i'll slave
became less remunerative feWe
il. were t. be purchased, and those of
t bad quality. Even these at last tel
oil, t.il il law was passed prohibiting
: the traffic altogether, aud l was
/ ruined man. | now descended tn
: Nile tt Cairo, where | engaged my
S self as u scribe, writing letters for tn
ignorant peasamtry, for which, re
e ceivcd Il remuneration fully sufficien
not only t. supply me with the he
f cessaries of lite, but to place by
y tr,fle as well. OF my domestic est4b
: lishment | will not trouble you wit
: IL description. | dare say 1t would to-
: much resemble those of the least for
t tunate among you to be of any in
= terc>t. The immediate cause of m
e going to England was this =
4 "There were in Cairo at the tim
many English, and their habits an,
2 manners, barbarians as they appeared
had something interesting in them.
succeeded in forming the acquaiil
4 tsucc Of some of the dragomen VIII,
e acted as Interpreters to the hotels
FROM whom learnt tnat their matters
, were liberal. that England was
4 wonderful country, and that more
e over, its rulers had been the cause
+ to great extent, Of the abolition O
slavery, net only i'll Egypt, but al
/, over the world. This news by u,
g | means diSDoSed me In their favor for