National Republican., 1883-04-21
An Egyptinn Horror.

Inc squire.
Once had occasion to make a complaint
against the moodir of the province of Menouf
on account Of the alarming weakness of cer-
tain dikes of one of the largest canal. The
Nile was rising rapidly and the news from tho
Soudan indicated still higher rising. was
aware that the contractor for the repair of
the dikes-a Turk-had arranged with the
lnspector-another Turk-to exercise a pru-
dent economy in the matter of stones and
piles with view to transferring the balance
into their own pockets. 1t happened that the
celebrated Ibrahim Pasha, sou of Mahemit
Allie rdinqucHr Negit--owned the land on the
opposite side of the canal, the cotton planta-
tion of which was director being on this
bank.
The moodir-also Turk, but compara-
lively an honest fellow-knew that did not
laugh on business matters; however. he said
to me: "Mon cher don't allow, beg of you,
your complaint to go further. Those two
fellows who have eaten the contract money
have many friends at court, and myself am
somewhat mixed up in some transactions
with them, undertaken, of course, out OF
friendship and without pecuniary consider
tion whatever. If were to show my teeth l
should only get into a mess without doing
you much good" "Well," said l, 81 do not
want to do you bad turn, but If must have
the work done ON my side of the canal, and
quickly, otherwise am bound to so at once
in person to Cairo" The moOdir, fearing tho
consequences, had the work begun during
the night, and for three days and nights
about fifty persons7men. women, and
children-were at II. Meanwhile tho
Nile rose higher and higher, and suddenly
the dixie burst ut distance Of some 1,500
yards from my own boundary and all lsbahim
Paschas crops were ruined. / went ut once
to the spot on horseback; all was confusion,
and there was nothing to bo done, except for
the bashi bazouks and the officers of the
moodiriah to gallop about all over the place
and hit the innocent fellaheen, who had
nothing on earth to do with it, over the head
with sticks. The day following, while out
riding, saw man-an Egyptian fellah of
high position-whO was under inspector of the
dikes and canals he was in chains and en-
route to the moodiriah, or court house. He
implored me to help him. "Go," said /, "and
! will follow and see what comes of all this"
Well, went. He was accused Of having
neglected his work. aud thereby caused the
disaster, all manner of false witnesses beiIg
produced against him by the real oulprits.
spoke to the moodir, imploring him
not to punish the innocent for the
guilty, and threatening that If he did
| would expose the whole case. then left
the court, but was recalled after few min
utes and received by the moodir, with whom
/ found the Turkish inspector, ono of the real
rascals. "You are quite right" said tho
former, "the man Is innocent and we are
going to release him. In fact my orders to
that effect have been given" thanked him
heartily and went home. But eight dayI
afterward-on a certain Sunday eyening-I
was coming back from fair, riding in COM
pany with some Bedouins. We We're close to
the spot where the dixie had given way, but
which had now been repaired. In front Of
us was small crowd of people gathered
round some object. What was it2 Alas It
was no other than my poor friend, the under
inspector, buried up to his neck in mud and
EARTH speechless, maddened, and dying. He
had been there-exposed to the burning sun
long day. Justice-the Justice Of the Turk
toward the Egyptian-had been done. Ibra-