Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-10-11

But the gem of the whole panorama
is the citadel itself, which stands upon a |
steep rocky bluff overlooking the town.
True, the massive walls are fast crumb- |
ling to decay, and military engineer
would be anything but satisfied
either with the condition of the de-
fenses or with that of the guns mounted
upon them. But the most resolute fault
finder could hardly object to the stately
white front and tapering minarets of
the great mosque, or to the wealth Of
coloring lavished upon the graceful col
umns and fretted cornices and deep,
.shadowy archways of its beautiful inter-
ior-a fit monument of the greatness of
its founder, Mehemct Ali Pasha, the
Napoleon of Egypt, who ruled the coun-
try with a rod of iron in the earlier part
of the present century.
Beyond the mosque, in the outer an
gle of the fortress, and just at the point
where the rocky face of the hill upon
which it stands falls away into II sheer
precipice, lies a spacious quadrangle
lar courtyard, paved with broad fiat
stones and encircled by quiet, shady
colonnade, the back Of which Is formed
by the ramparts themselves. As YOU
enter this quadrangle, a gra"-haired
Arab. who seems to haunt it, tells you
in tone of somber meaning thai it is
the Court of the Mamelukes.
The name recalls at once the half
| forgotten details of one of the grandest
and gloomiest tragedies of modern
times, and, for any one who wishes to
know what Egypt really is, it is worth
| while to look back and see what deeds
were done in this quiet spot on GER
tain fine summer evening within the
memory of men who are still alive.
The evening sun is just beginning to
| redden the bold ridges of the Mokat-
tam hills (Which flank Cairo on the
cast as a troop of horsemen, mounted
| ON superb Arab coursers and arrayed in
all the barbaric splendor of Eastern
warriors, ride gallantly mp the path
leading to the citadel. All are stout
and stalwart men, armed to the teeth
AMI seemingly quite ready to use their
weapons at q moments notice, against
either friend or foe.
These are. the famous Egyptian Nam
elukes, the hereditary aristocracy of tn
land, who once faced the best soldiers
of Bonaparte himself beneath the
shadow of the Pyramids, and from
whose ranks came the renowned Sui
tans that formerly ruled all Egypt from
the sea to the cataracts of the Nile.
Proudly do they file in through the
gloomy old gateway, rejoicing to think
that even Mehemet Ali Pasha himself,
the dreaded Governor of Lower Egypt,
thinks it prudent to stand well with tho
Mamelukes and bid them to feast in
his own citadel at Cairo.
Little do they dream what manner OF
a feast it is to be. Mehemet Ali is not
the man to let any one stand in his way,
and these naughty chiefs, with their
fierce courage and uncomfortable no
tions of independence, have long been
) a burden to him. II he intends (as he
does) to become absolute master of all
Egypt, he or they must go; and he hls
aiseady made up his mind which oil th'
two it shall be.
In all their pride and splendor th'
doomed men march into the fatal court
yard, whence they are never to return
u The gate shuts unperceived behin'
them as they enter, while crowd
obseauious servants press around then
. to aid in dismounting, tie up thei
horses and marshal the noble chiefs
to their appointed places.
'' In the last glow of sunset for thl
d strange banquet hall has no roof bu
II the open sky the Widespread table
IS and colored lamps, the crimson hans
10 ings of the encircling colonnade, th
l, dark, handsome faces and rich dresse
d of the Mamelukes, made goodly SHOW
d But, although most of the guest
'e seemed in high good humor with ever.
d thing. one SCARED veteran, with Ion
d gray beard hanging over his brawI
'g chest. looked ominously grave an
> gloomy.
10 "What aiis thee, Father Hassah
es asked a tall, handsome lad beside hir
or "Tby face is as dark as the peaks OF u
er Mokattam before storm"
OF 81 am but i'll at ease, friend Said
d, answered the old warrior. Last mig
X I dreamed that wild hare ran pa
'e' me, and thou knowest what that fol
ny bodies"
Evidently Said did know, by t
ii, sudden clouding of his bright YOU
'ej face.
q aWell said the wise man that an er
ms my's gifts bring evil pursued Hassa
.Nfehemet Ali Pasha loves us not, a
lly here. in his own stronghold, who kno
ah what he may do9"
yly aHal think'st thou that the Pas
nj means treachery?' cried the you
me chief. with a fierce gleam in his lar
de- black eyes and significant clutch