Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-07-18
SCENES IN CAIRO.
Novel sights in the Thoroughfare OF
the Ancient City.
Cor. New Orleans Times Democrat


Yesterday morning | hailed one of
the Cairo donkey boys, and mounted
his miniature steed, the ears of which
produced so high as almost to lie prone
over my shoulders
The start was made from the Place
Esbekiajeh, the public square of Cairo.
These grounds are octagonal in shape,
and embrace some twenty and half
acres of land, beautifully laid out, and
lighted by gas posts which are sur
mounted with the gilt crescent. l
moved leisurely along in front of the
immense European cafes, noticing
that the street signs were principally
in Greek, French, Italian, and Arabic,
English, is alas! a subordinate Ian
guage IN Cairo.
Here he saw huge bulletin-b board
completely covered with gaudy
chromos, which, with characteristic
enterprise Of his race, young Italian
was trying 10 palm off upon the Won
dering Egyptians. One represented
Christ being taken down from the
cross, with distorted features and that
general sanguinary realism that salts
ties prurient curiosity, but hardly
meets the requirements of idealized
art. In the distance was view OF
the pyramids. Another daub, a rep
resentation of the last supper, hardly
reflected credit upon that suNny land
where the old masters lived and paint
ed. 1t showed Judas at one end of
the table clutching at a handful of
coins with misery gesture and villain
Gus countenance that would have pro-
claimed him a brigand to all the
world.
AT one place a funeral procession
was encountered. In the toumult of
the moment | could not find any En-
glish-speaking person to question re
garding it, but from the crosses and
other insignia l knew that it was a
Greek cortege.
At the head of the procession was a
man who carried the broad, fiat, but
remarkably light lid Of the casket.
Behind him came six more Greeks,
carrying stretched out in their midst
the black silk pail, ornamented with
white embroidery. The chanting,
black-robed priests followed, and after
them the coffin itself, with the corpse
entirely exposed to the burning sun,
save that it was covered by lace
drapery and a profusion of floral
offerings. A maa walked at one side
with a white feather fan, and kept the
flies from settling down upon the
precious contents Of the casket. Last
of all came the mourners.
Speaking of these Egyptian flies,
they are auaacious and pestiferous in
the extreme When l was galloping
at full speed they would light upon
my face and stick there like SO many
Ieeches. 1 believe they would fly fol
miles across the plains here if they
saw a man on horseback, IN order tC
overtake him.
Passing the Theater Francois, the
opera house, and some British bar
racks, filed principally with Scottish
troops, | left the Ismailiya quarters Of
the city, occupied mainly by Euro
peans, and plunged into the native
city, the devious crooked streets Of
which beggar description. Overhead
the balconies of the harems projected
so that often you could only see rib
bon of sky between them. Think o.
having the second story of your
neighbours house approach within SIX
inches of your own! But the lattice:
through which the inmates peep are
SO closed together that a person OF
donkGyback can see nothing that /!
within. Soon | was in old Cairo, sur
rounded by gigantic ruin of grea
antiquity. The most conspicuous re
mains were those of the grand aque
duct running off the citadel, two ant
quarter miles distant, where coulC
discern the two graceful minals anc
the huge dome of the famous alabas
ter mosque.
Over there, " said my guide, 81:
where they keep the English die"
At first L was puzzled to know wha
was meant: but looking over to thu
left where he pointed, saw a Chris
tian cemetery, and the light broke ii
upon me.