The Democratic advocate., 1876-02-05
Ghines abroad.
SCENES IN EGYPTIAN LIFE.

The highway from the Delta to Cair,
is fashionable drive and favorite loung
ing place. Every phase of Egyptian lif'
could be seen here. The king went BY
and the beggar, the merchant of the city
and the Bedaween Of the desert, strangers
from the east and west aud south and
north, women Of all kinds and colors, from
the Circassian, bought for FIVE thousand
guineas, and guarded by costly array Of
eunuchs, to the rugged squaw, with wild
furrowed face, who had no covering but O
scanty chemise, and gained her livelihood
by scraping the road with her hands.
Long before the sun had risen over the
eastern desert, the stream began to flow
towards the city, with continuous noise
like the pattering Of rain on dry leaves.
By degrees, indistinct forms loomed large
in the gloom, and as the light increased
the phantom procession resolved itself into
multitude of camels and donkeys bearing
the daily supply for the markets of Cairo,
their loads varying with the seasons. Sn-
gar-canes swung with the stride of the
camel, or, bound on either side Of the
donkeys, trailed along the ground. Another
troop of the animals laden with the 'lush
green" burseen looked like moving mass
of verdure. On they came with proven
der for man and beast; oranges and banan-
as, large nets full of chopped straw, crates
full Of the leanest, and smallest chickens
in the world, geese peering from their
baskets with looks of foolish wonder, ducks,
all manner Of vegetables, cabbages and
egg plants and lentilcs, "the cucumbers
and the melons and the leeks and the
onions and the garlick."
With the procession went the most an
cient agricultural laborer in the world, the
Egyptian fellah. His share of what his
labor has produced is just 50 much as will
keep him alive, for "he and his land are
servants unto Pharaoh" But in spite of
his many wrongs, and though his break
fast consisted Of flap of bitter bread and
a carrot, he walked sturdily along. He
wore brown felt cap, blue gaberdine,
and white cotton drawers; or if he were
pretty well of, he added to this dress
white or red turban, and woolen outer
garment with long sleeves, or a cloak Of
camels hair with grotesque hood. He
was generally from five feet four to five
feet ten in height, of color varying from
black to light brown, broad shouldercd,
well knit; moved swiftly with long strides;
talked and laughed loudly, aud urged on
his donkey with blows and the shout of
"Aha r.
Except that he Frequently had but one
eye, there was nothing in his appearance
to excite pity. The same could not be
said of the female figures which sometimes
followed him. These were his wives, his
mother, or his mother-in-law, and they
generally carried something heavy. Here
and there amongst them younger woman
might be seen who was decently, even
gauaily, dressed in yellow or pink trousers,
and long blue upper garment and veil,
her black yaskmak carefully adjusted, and
her wrists adorned with silver bracelets.
Bnt such figure was rare, and the fel-
lah's womankind were seldom pleasant to
the eye, as they shufiled along behind him,
with bare legs, and no covering but veil
and an indigo chemise. In the winter
mornings, when the air is very very cold,
he was warmly clad, while they could only
wrap their light garments more tightly
round their shivering limbs. These female
falaheen are almost universally ignorant,
silly, and depraved, and incapable of any
higher duty than such as beast of burden
might perform. In sight of his unhappy
class, brutalized by long ill.usagc, it is hard
to believe that in this same country all
women we're once treated with marked
distinction and respect. Islamism has
heavy charge to answer if it is responsible
for this deplorable change.
Amongst the crowd sometimes wander
ed dirty takeer with long matted hair
a holy tatterdemalion whose rags we're
scarcely sufficient for decency; it was
pleasanter to remark turbaned citizen.
in flowing eastern robes, on his way from
the country, praising God aloud as he ap-
preached the city, and shouting the glo-
ries of ''his Lord Mohammed.
If the feast of Bairam were near, fiocks
of brown sheep from Chaldea went past,
each followed by Kurdish shepherd, a
sullen and suspicious churl, conspicuous
by his boots, his conical cap, and the knife
or pistol in his belt
SO the stream flowed past through the
earlier hours Of the morning. As the sun
rose higher, the crowd grew less, and by
midday had wholly disappeared, and
through the length Of the avenue scarcely
one moving thing could be seen, except
perhaps the pony-carriage Of good Miss
Whately, whose active bencvolence cared
not for heat or cold.
The rest of Egypt was for the most part
asleep At four o'clock in the afternoon
a very different crowd poured by. TWAS
now the rank and fashion Of Cairo that
came forth to show itself, mingled with
specimens Of the European tourists. The
east has adopted the western notion, that
to drive stolidly to and fro in particular
spot for certain time once day is the
proper duty and amusement Of the upper
portion Of mankind.
A