The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-10-17
THE MAMELUKES LEAP.
A Story OF Modern Egypt.

There are few more striking city land
scapes in the whole of Africa, though
there may be many handsomer, than the
panorama of Cairo, where ancient and
modern Mohammedanism stand repre-
sented side hy side. AS mere picture,
the traveller may perhaps give his pref
erence to the towering red cliffs and ter.
raced streets of Orsn, the magnificent
crescent cf Write houses surmounting
the green sloping bills and sparkling
waters of Algiers Bay, or the strange
little eagles nest OF Constantine perched
on the summit of perpendicular crag,
and encircled on alI.sides but one by a
iihidous chasm FIVE hundred feet IN depth.
But in its picturesque mingling Of the
past and present, of quaint Eastern bar
barism and jaunty Western civilization,
Cairo stands alone.
IT must be owned, however, that che
late Khedive's efforts to make his capi.
tai cheap edition of Paris have had
anything but satisfactory result. Mos
lem cities are as conservative as their in.
hahltants, and do not take kindly to the
bustling, new tangled notions Of the
west. The Shubs Gardens, in Iced
which from the Park Of Cairo), are 8
charming foil to the hot, dusty plain ol
all around; and SO, too, is the long ave-
nue. Of date palms extending from the
Nile almost to the point where the mighty
crests Of the Pyramids are seen looming
against the rich tropical sky on the bor.
der Of the everlasting desert. But there
Is garish offensive smartness about
every street of the new "Ismaiiyeh
Quarter" with its tall white hotels and
bride-cake like villas, and ;nclosed grass.
plots sorely in need of watering and j,
is qnite relief TO turn from this "made
to order" town into the dark, narrow
Oriental streets around the base of the
citadel hill, where one may still see what
the great city was in the days when she
first received her Arabic title Of ga
Kahira."
Here, indeed, you may take your gil
of Eastern associations. You seem Ia
he looking from the bottom OF we'll q,
the bright summer sky, which is only
visible as little ribbon of burning light
far overhead, between the fiat heavy bat.
tlemented roofs of the strange old houses
with their blank, massive walls and deer
tunnel-like doorwaYs All around you
the quaint, old world life OF the cara
ban Nights" is in full swing. The gray
bearded barber is chatting to his Arat
customer as he shaYes his crown. The
laden camel striding up the narrow. rub
bish-heaped street, almost tramp'es up
On turbaned Ioaier who is too law to
get out of the way The "kabobki'
(sellet of cooked meat sets out upon
the narrow hoard before him his little
squares of smoking mutton, each i'm
paled upon its own tiny spit. The de.
formed beggar extends the shapless
mass of sores which serves him as 8
hand, with shrill petition for charity
The bare -limbed water-carrier waddles
past, under his dripping bag OF skin
eyed enviously by the tattered, dusty
pilgrim from Mecca, who is looking
ronnd in search of bath-house. The
yelled woman glides noiselessly past in
her sbroud-like robe. like risen corpse
while the gaunt, half-clad, wild-eved
dervish religious devotee) stalks
through the crowd yelling like mad.
man. aad tossing his bare arms fran
tically in the air.
Amid such scene, one would hardly
be surprised to come upon Khojah Has
son, or Sinhad, the sailor snugly seated
in shady corner, and recounting to q
circle OF almiring listeners one of those
intermiabIe stories which delighted the
Caliph Harouu Al-Raschid. Before you
reach the foot of the winding path lead
ing upward to the citadel you will be
quite ready to assent to the old saying
that "He who hath not seen Cairo hath
not seen the world.
But the gem of the whole panorama
is the citadel itself, which stands upon
steep rocky bluff overlooking the
town. True, the massive walls ere fas
crumbling to decay, and military en-.
gineer would be anything but satisfied
either with the condition Of the defenses
or with that OF the guns mounted upor
them But the most resolute fault finder
could hardly object to the stately whit,
front and taperlng minarets OF the grant
mosque, or to the wealth Of colorins
lavished upon the graceful columns ant
fretted cornice and deep, shadowy arch
ways OF its beautiful interiors; fit nor
ument of the greatness Of its founder
Mehemet Ali Hasha, the Napoleon o
Egypt, who ruled the country with roc
Of iron in the earlier part Of the presen
century.
Beyond the mosq1e, in the outer angl'
of the fortress, and just at the poin
where the rocky face of the hill dpor
which it stands falls away into shee
precipice, lies spacious quadrangula
court yard, paved with broad, fiat stones
and encircled by quiet, shady colonade
the back OF which is formed by the ram
parts themselves As you enter thi'
quadrangle, gray haired Arab, who
seems to haunt it, tells you in tone o
sombre meaning that it is the Court o
the Mamelukes.
The name recalls at once the half-for
gotten details of one of the granies
and gloomiest tragedies of nc odern times
and for any one who wishes to know
what Egypt really is, it is worth whil
to look pack and see what deeds wer
done in this quiet spot on a certain I'm
summer evening within the memory o
men who are still alive.
The evening sun. is Just beginning t,
redden the bold ridges Of the Mokattau
Hills (which flank Cairo on the east) a
q troop of hersemen, mounted on gu
perb Arab coursers and arrayed in a
: the barbaric splenGor OF Eastern wal
riors, ride gallantiy up the winding pa,
leading to the gate of the citadel A
are stout and stalwart men, armed t
/, The teeth, and seemingly quite ready t
use their weapons at a moments motto
against either friend or foe.
These are the famous Egyptian Man
}, elukes, the hereditary aristocracy OF tt
: land, who once faced the best soldier
d of Bonaparte himself beneath the shat
k ow of the Pyramids, and from who's
y ranks came the renowned Sultans th
! formerly ruled all Egypt from the 81
e to the cataracts of the Nile. Proud
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