Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-07-24
miscellaneous.
An Egyptian Prison.

We were in sort OF ils-paved. ill-look-
ing, ill-smelling square, on each SIDE of
which was large door. now thrown open.
displaying an inner door of cross-barred.
wooden grating and behind row upon row
Or miserable, hopeless faces. Already
the old folk and children who had fol-
lowed US had begun to pilfer from the
bread panniers. and ~ soon a the pris-
oners caught sight of the food the horrid
clankfng Of chains grated on my carr,
loud cries and bowls came from the graf
in2s, and the faces at the sperthres multi
piled thrcefold could see the poor
wretches struggling with one another for
place in front. the weakest. OF course.
going to the wall. the greeedicst and
strongest crushing forward.
And such faces, Most Of them were
revolving enough in themselves. and could
well have spared the lOaili-ome ENVIRON
rnent thai made them worse. On some,
indeed. the sc0urge Of the East. leprosy,
had left It's mark some were merely i'll
and hungry looking; the beiter-favored
seemed to stay with their chains behind,
for shame, perhaps. Al the foremost
cried out for the bread they saw. and
scrambled and fought like wild beasts for
such OF the round cakes rs escaped through
the bars without being torn piecemfal ~
their passage. One or two of the officials
volunteered to help Us to distribute our
doles and. of course. invioiible Eastern
custom demanded that a little Of the sorry
stuff should disappear by the way into
their own capacious pockets. | tried 20
get one Of the iellows-.Jusef. az ! had
heard some Of the prisoners call him
to deal out the bread ia some
thing like order. but order seemed i'm
possible; official authority stopped short
outside the bars Of the prison house. while
inside could see some sturdy ruiiians
dealing blows To their fellows with iude
whips and sticks, and even with their
chains, driving them from the raised step
that led to the door. cur-ing loudly. And
while this din was in our ears. and we
were feeding the wretches inside the bars
the unfortunafes outside, WHO had fol-
lowed us closely to this very holy of ho-
lies. were piliering rs fast as hands, big
or little, could help them. Yes, big or
little. One tiny child about five years
old. stole three cakes before my eyes, was
cuffed, hustled away, and returned in q
minute to steal a fourth from my left hand
while her mother was snatching from my
right The cigarettes produced almost
equal excitement, and were Rugged by the
happy possessors almost as eagerly AS the
bread.
And now that my stock Of provisions
was exhausted | thought | had s.en
enough for once, and proceeded to make
my way out of the vile den. As | was
moving Off one of the officials blandly
asked me for back in reply TO which
used all the few Arabic indignant ex
pletives. | knew. and. failing that. French,
and when that. also, came too slowly for
my Indignation. found relief in native
English.
I.heard subsequently, that 1.-THE khedive"
i. e. suppose the commandments
daily supplies to the prisons to the extent
Of three of those small round cakes for
each person in confinement. but they only
get one, and some who have tasted the
sweets of this same prison-house assured
me tibet they often get none. Where do
the rest 60? What man who knows
Egypt knows not this, too Nacmiiiaa'S
Magazine.