The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-15

Luck to Drive Them Away--The Inces-
SAINT Demand for Backshish-A He'd
Among the Flcas.
lam writing this at Cooks Luxor no.
tel, as good house % one could wish.
A large. rambling bnilding In fine gar
den running down TO the river. IL is en-
powered in noble palms and Towering
trees and shrubs, and would be charm
Ing retreat anywhere. but here surround
ed by the hot mud novels which make up
all Egyptian village, with the burning
sands and sterile mountains close by. il Is
simply delightful. We are the only occu
pants: have the whole house, do what we
please. and shall leave il with regret In
vahds in search OF health could spend a
month or two here not only delightfully."-.
but in this wondrously dry atmosphere
most advantageously in many classes Of
complaints. need state only three facts
70 show tho rapidity of evaporation in
Upper Egypt Water too warm to drink
is put into a porous jar and placed in the
wind. though IN the sun; in a half hour II
is as cool rs good spring water at night
exposed 10 n breeze. even when the breeze
Is rather warm. before morning 1t becomes
almost leo cold The night of my arrival
here took pouring bath on balcony
The wind was balmy. but fresh. The
rapid evaporation so chilled me that |
could not stay out long enough for my
bath At tho foot Of the cataract we
took swim in the Nile We wore our
underclothes for bathing sui,s We hung
them up before our staterooms 10 dry la
- I.-.r .,onofl A la.
worn We have all heard Of the univer
sal habit OF all Africans Ia anOint them
selves with oil. and travellers speak of 1t
as IA nasty habit 1t is. however. ncccs
sary in very hot and very dry climates 10
prevent the cracking OF the SKIN An
English officer told me that during the
hot winds Oh the Upper Nile his hands
aud face chappcd worse than they ever
did In cold clmate-chappcd even to
bleeding badly 90,
TUE WIND AND THE rIlEs. dfiF ~
have found fresh whua<t ,nrass.
pleasant on my hand hutterquitoas
boys. boys have s.a .fti &C . as on my toast The
w'hus 20 Inconvenience from the
,he s'Sisly hands are very sensitive to
~ rect of dry dusty atmosphere Al
,souan we were in the sun during NV"
DAYS We did not use our umbrellas, our
pith hats being quite comfortable, ana
vet We were inst on the edge OF the
tropics Ii has been rather too chilly To
lie down on the top Of our little steamer
for any considerable time al night. We
have had no mosquito curtains on our
boat. aud have needed none, the breeze on
the water making them unnecessary II
takes hard blow however. TO keep hles
away The pertinacity Of an Egyptian lily
Is beyond that Of any other living crea
ture The natives never brush them
away They deem II bad luck to do so
Flies ARE never driven from baby's face
and II does not seem annoyed 10y them
Its face is rarely washed, and is so dirty
that it affords admirable forage ground
for hundreds of the little brutes
watched child of about , IL years
enioyinp a crust of bread There was
about il swarm of flies and do not
exaggerate when | say two or three
dozens were on its face at one time IN
patches IA big rs "A half dollar about the
ewes and mouth II would screw up ~
eyes when they threatened 10 go III
thought some must have gone into its
mouth with the bread 1t did not seem
at all annoyed saw a sleeping child on
the street whose face was almost blach
with the insects 1t smiled as if angels
were whispering in its ears | have seen
men talking pleasantly together while
dozen dies would be promenading about
their faces. apparently unnoticed 10y the
owners of the faces asked man no"
he could stand il. "Mashallahl They
don't bother me" was his reply This
has made the tiy bold and he seems ut
terly unable TO understand what for
agner means when he tries to drive him
off He has. too. remarkably prehensile
claws. and keeps them keen and sharp
when taking constitutional walks over
European CONTINGENCIES II was probably
the knowledge of this quality which made
these people pronounce it bad luck to
drive them away They found it best 10
educate the masses To bear the inticti)u
and so get used 10 il.
TIE DEMAND FOR BACKsnlsH
BY the way. travellers are shocked by
the incessant demand for backshish
gifts throughout the mighty east 1h'
thing Is not to be wondered at, Tor all tn,
beggars the world over knew there ar,
none equal TO the gods OF the east. Then
hands are everywhere represented eX
tended for backshish Their favor was
won by oficrings-thoir anger ayertod by
sacrifices Like the proboscis of cele
brated elephant. their hands could picb
up n pin or carry of a cart load Of pota
toes. They could make a lunch from a
few grains of rice. the widows mite. Il
they could devours hecGtomb of bullocks
the gifts OF prince The gods took gifts
and demanded them Thegrcat and pow
erful. profting by their example, took
gifts aud enforced the giving The pool
took gifts and begged for them The
well TO do in the whole region of the early
sun reach out the hand for commission
Tho poor clamor like hungry ours foi
crumbs and bones. and are not ashamed
Of their clamor.
fear what have said about Upper
Egypt looks too much as If ! was seeing
II through rose glasses Thirty six year.
ago. when Bayard Taylor aud | Travelled
in the east together suffered terribly
from heas The only pun ! remember
him 10 have made was anent the lttl'
tomentor lie said Homer vote III,
"niad. Virgil the ".Eneid;" that II evel
wrote an epic ii would 10 the "Flead."
had hoped we were about To escape thi:
Egyptian plague. but yesterday aftcl
lunching In one Of the old tombs If Tho
kings. we lay down for a napon the sands
but my donkey boy. desiring To please the