The New York herald., 1878-03-05
NEW YORK HERA1p TUESDAY MARCH 87a-QUADRUPLE

Testament, or whatever Il may be, and walk away.
You ask questions, and worry probable II you
did you would have no answers. The Arab sits
in his cubbyhole smoking bis pipe. his
cubbyho Is about feet square and two fee'
from the ground He sits with his legs crossed, and
sometimes he Is reading the Koran. Here ne SITS LOT
hours and hours, unconscious OF the world perhaps
sustained by that nne Mosem precept which submit
10 irends at home as panacea for bankruptcy, tnat
whatever is is tho will OF God and II It is His holy
Will that no ono comes and buys, blessed be God,
the only Cod aud Mohammed. tho prophet OF Coo.
BEING VICTIM
You come ana turn over bis goods. He studies you
over and over Ho calculates your power oi rcsiss
anco as though you mechanical iorce. II you
are alone you become easy proy. The lady Of our
expedition was always an easy prey. Thcse peopi"
all SO poor, SO ragged, SO naked, ana what 'h'y
asked was, after ALL so small that she was always
disposed to pay more than was asked But
in our bargains here We are thrown oacK
upon Hassan's Arabic. You turn over your feathers
ana hold them to tho light and turn them over anu
over again. Finally you select bunch and pd HAS
san buy them. Hassan picks them up, lays them
down and picks them up asatn as though there might
be feathers, but he had never seen them that
be was selecting feather museum and wanted u few
specimens OF the worst In the world. The dealer
calmly iooks on at this pantomime. Hassan asks In
contemptuous tonc tho price. He murmurs the price
five sIz Napocons. let US say "Five or SIX Napo-
Icons cries Hassan throwing up his hands and eyes,
ton. tho feathers ut the feet OF The crosscgg9d Mos
lem and turning toward with an expression VI rage
aud wonder tho cxorbance Of the price, and call
ing upon all around to witness that he was being
swndied. "WelL but Hassan, says our lady, as she
takes up the rejected feathers New York price lists
running in her mind, ~ don't think Ave or six Ma
poloons such cxorbant price, ior the feathers are
good feathers" You the poor merchant docs look
so poor and sell many feathers IN Assonan,
anu Of he has children and so-and So
spoILIyG TRADE.
But this Is the way trade Is ruined, Hassan EVIL
IDENTIFY thinks, but Is too dutful say. SO he ex-
plans that tney always ask two priccs sometimes
three or four, and that II would oil grow angry and
throw down the feathers and waik away after him tho
merchant would follow Us to tho boat ana ask
us 10 name our price. We'll, appreciate Hgssan's
motives but want TO buy the feathers and not per-
form comedy, tho trade goes Oh. Hassan laborng
under The disadvantage Of our nothaving acted as
proper chorus to his rage havo no doubt that lack
of proper support cost us In the end for our Mosem
evidently saw that It was Gods WILL that
we should buy the feathers The trade proceeds Has
san talks louder louder appeals to the crowd
AS he talks in Arabic we only understand HIM US
we would pantomime Finally the con OF
Islam asks what would tho gracious lady
giveP "Wel'' says Mrs. Grant, ~ want TO givo what
is right" We name price, say four Napoleons.
Then the merchant breaKs into pantomime 40 taxes
tho feathers angrily out OF our hands He, too ad-
dressos tho audsnce-and by this time there
dicnce-upon the feathers. He holds them up and
droops them into waving, dainty plume "Look at
tox oh Mt
white and gray and black Such feathers were never
seen in Assonan they from the tor desert they
would be cheap at hundred Napolcons." We sug-
pest to Hassan alter this address that we might as
we'll 70 elsewhere; that a faith so firmly fixed would
not move sWait q little" Hassan says; "he will
tako the four Napoleons and would tako three II we
had offered them" So the debate goes on In fury,
the anger increasing until Hassan says four Napo-
Icons will buy the feathers We pay the money ana
90 10 tho boat with our plumea When We thank
Hassan for his services he intmates that II we had lot
him alone he would have bought them for TWO Napo-
Icons.
GLIMPsEs OF ETHIOPIA.
But you must not suppose that we came to Assouan
to buy ostrich feathers. l have told this story be-
causo illustrates the IN which all the Egyp
,ian trade is conducted. and have mad many expe
rences like this at Assouan. We note that the aspect
Of the tour changea We see tho Nuban type, the
performance of the negro. The people seem happy
enough. They sparing Of clothes, live on sugar
cano and lie in the sun, happy laughing, idle. dirty
good humored race. BY this time tho want Of clothes
has become familiar, and we understand why cotton
industry not flourish in Egypt The people have
no use for cotton. The morning conner, and VIC tc
60 to PniI@ .'bcautiiul Phil@," as BrugseS calls IT,
and the Arst cataract 4.s az
THE ROAD TO PnILR.
Il was very warm when We gathered under the
trees 10 make ready for journey. Sami Bey hac
hurried u.s. and the General was, be always Is, tht
first ut the post The Governor there, and there
was suspicion, his clothes looked neat aud with
out wrinkles, that ho had sat up all night to keep
them nice. He brought the General despatch iron
Gordon Pacha, the famous English officer who hal
been made Governor General Of the Provinces OF thu
Equator by the Khedve, and who Is now at Khartoum
But we arc Just within HIS Provinces and he ser d.
his message OF welcome, ono great soldier greeting
another. The General returns his thanks and W,
mount. The General Is In luck this morning. Tn,
Governor has provided him with IN Arabian steed-
one OF the animals about which poets write. Thu
horse was worthy Of a poem, and the General cx
presses his admiration at Its lines aud PAGES, sayi
hc had never seen better horse Its trappings arr
regal ana q smile OF satisfaction breaks over The
Generals face he gathers the reins In bis hant
and feels The beasinas Of his anfmals tanks Sam
Bey suggests that perhaps tho General should pace
tho horse up and down, with an attendant to hole
him, TO see II he is periecy safe and comfortable
WHO RIDES.
Now, Sami Bey Is as goal soul ever lived, AM
always trying to make everything pleasant, and
while he Is sure about donkcys, has doubts about
this splendid prancing steed. But our General II
famous as horseman in land famous fol
horsemanship, and smngly says. "If / car
mount horse can ride him, and all the attendant
can do Is to keep away" We set out IN procession
our little trailing army. in its usual order Of march
The General ahead Mrs. Grant at his side him
securely mounted on her donkey, the Marquis anc
Hassan near hor, should evil fall. We come after,
taking the pace our donkey gives u.s. having Learned
how wise IL to have no controversy with that useiu
and wise being especially upon theme he knows 81
we'll, the holes and ditchos and yielding sands o
Egypt "Now you will see," says Brugsoh, "hov
- h,s,, ~