Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-04-19
THE. EGYPTIAN SOLDIER.
t>HT MAN METHOD OF REt Rt'ITaNc
Iron COLLARS AND CHAINS,
He II n Coward. for HIS Government NInkcs
him >o-Aiwnys Ready to Kun Away.

The Egyptian soldier is brought mp
on the keartash (stick). The stick is al
ways i'll near proximity 10 his bare back
or the soles of his feet. Whatever the
government wants of him, whether taxes
or military service-and it never mani
tests itself to him in any other light
the first indication Of its needs is dis
closed TO his apprehension by the knr
bash.
Tie method Of recruiting for the army
Is simple. The village sheikh gives the
names Of certain number Of men to
the local police, who SO to the novels of
the luckless fellaheen and drive them
into the street, put iron collars or yokos
around their necks, fastcn the several
collars together 10y chain, and drive
them, as cattle are driven in other coun
tries, to the prison. to lie examined by
the medical officers. A stranger, saws
Mr.. Wallace, ''when stopping in quiet
village may be suddenly awakened at
night by violent alteration outside,
which begins by gruff, bass male voices,
and eliminates in shrill, hysterical fall
setto tones, resembling the unmusical,
plaintive howlings of the professional
walters at native funeral The first
time he is SO disturbed he probably as
sumes that it is case of burglary or
manslaughter, and rnshes out withythe
laudable purpose of supporting vigor-
ously the party of law and order; bnt he
finds, to his disappointment, that it is
nothing more serious than the capturing
| of a recruit for the army In
vain the police, with the aid of their
| ;ticks and switches, endeayor to keep
order and impose silence; the more OBJ
stinate persistentiy break from the ranks
and have to be kept in their places by
| force Those who have no glaring cor
| poral defect, and who have not succeed
| ed in concillating the medical officer or
! the military authorities, are marched
! off" etc.
| Once in the army the recruit is given
! up for dead by all his friends. His term
of service is fixed by the Government,
/ and if he survives the hard treatment of
his officers and the casualties of war
| until old age, he is turned out almost
+, pensionless, to be n burden upon relatives
! who have forgotten him and who have
! scarcely enough for their own support.
1t is no wonder, with such prospects be-
fore them, that those liable to conscrip-
ton mutilate themselves by cutting of
the right forefinger and putting out the
right eye. This practice was so COM
mon in the time of Mehemet Ali that
! that enlightened priuce formed battalions
! Of one-eyed men and sent them into bat
tie with Turkish bashi- bazouks and artil
lery behind them with orders to shoot
down every man who attempted to rul.
away. This plan for infusing courage
| into the soldiery has been tried SO often
alat it has ceased to have any effect.
The fellah would a. lief be shotby the
enemy iii his rear as by the one in front
Ey nature the most submissive Of all
| ulale creatures, the feiiah never shows
! signs Of dlsobedience until brought into
the neighborhood Of the enemy. He
then braves danger from his supcriofs III
order to get on; Of bvl.lc: range. Who'll
| regiments have been known 10 mn.inv,
n.Dr(ier their officers. ard disf,a,.d wtc.,
within q days march Of the opposing ng
force