The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-13
life SAVED BY A SECOND
~uE ExEOUTIONE IS Ak RAISED
WHEN PAR DON CANE

H A Christian Chooses Death Rather
Than See HIS B strothed Forcibly
Made an INN tie of an Egyptian
Kinc's Harem-A Tragic Story With
some Fun in 1t.
From the Strand Magazine
# was sultry December day at Medinet
psbu Gray haze spread dim over the rocks
in the desert. l was weary with climbing
+bA great dry ridge from the Tombs OF the
vings. sat on the broken arm of q shat
Jared granite Rameses. Ny legs dangled
ovar the side of that colossal fragment. In
font of me vast colonnadeS stood out clear
and distinct against the hot. white sky. Be-
rooi lay bare hills; in the distance, to the
left the muddy Nile, amid green fields,
CLAIMED like G thin silver thread in the sun
light.
snDning himself on a headless sphynx
bard by.
Egyptian friend, which is, being inter
Ureted Are you a MussulmanW
He shook his head firmly, and pointed
with many mods TO the tiny blue cross tat
tooed on his left wrist. "Nusrani," he an
swered, with look of some pride. l smiled
nv acquiescence. He was Nazerene, "a
Christian.
In a few minutes time we had fallen into
close talk Of Egypt, past and present; the
bad old days; the British occupation; the
effect Of strong government on the coudi-
ton Of the fellahin. To the Christian pou~
ulation of the Nile valley, of course, the
advent of the English has been a social rev.
oution. For ages down trodden, oppressed,
despised, these Coptic schismahcs at last
find themselves suddenly in the ends of the
earth, co-religionists with the new ruling
class in the country, and able to boast
themselves in many ways over their old
Moslem masters.
"Ah, yes, excellency," my Copt said
slowly when l asked him at last about the
administration of justice under Isnail's
rule. things were different then, before the
came, as Allah had willed it. 1t was stick,
stick, stick, every month OF the year. No
prayers awaited; we were beaten for every
thing. If fellah didn't pay his taxes
when crops were bad, he was dashed till he
found them; il lie was Christian
and offended the least Moslem official, he
was stripped to the skin and ruth
leSsly bastlnadoed. And then, for any in
subordination, it was death outright
hanging or beheading, slash, so, with q
scimitar." And my companion brought
MS hand round in whirl with swishing
force, as if he were decapitating some I'M
seen criminal on the bare sand before him.
THE innocent U1ust often have been pun
ished with the guilty. l remarked, in nv
best Arabic, looking vaguely across at him
"Ah, yes" he asSented, smiling. $50
Allah ordained. But sometimes even then,
the saints were kind we got of unexpect-
eddy. | could tell you a strange story that
once happened to myself" His eyes twink
led hard. ut was a curious adventure"
ha vaTfo fhn e.fpa. ,or,N ill.,
haps, to hear it. was condemned to death,
and all but executed. 1t shows the wonder
full ways of Allah"
These Coptic Christians, indeed, speak
ing Arabic as they do, and living SO con-
S;autly among a Mussulman population,
have lmbibed many Mahomedan traits of
thought, besides the mere accident of
language. such as speaking Of the Christian
Iod as Allah. FatalIsm las taken as strong
hold of their minds as of Islam itself.
Say on" l answered lightly. drawing a
cigar from my case.
Then this adventure of NINE" he said,
happened near Assiot, in Ismairs days,
and was bold young man then-too bold
for Egypt. My father had piece of ground
by the river side that was afterward taken
from by Ismail for the Deira.
In our village lived a sheikh, very
hard man; MussulmaD, an Arab, a de-
scendaut of the prophet. he was the
greatest sheikh for miles around. When
he went forth to town he rode on a great
while mule And he had harem, TOO;
three wives OF his own, who were beautiful
as the day-so girls who had seen them
SAID, for as for us, wesaw them not-plump
women every one of them, as the khedive's
at Cairo, with eyes like a gezelle's, marked
round with kohl, and their nails stained red
every day with henna. All the world said
the shelkh was happy man, for he had
the finest dates OF the country to eat and
servants and camels in plenty 10 do his did
ding.
Now. there was girl in our village, a
Nusranl like me, a beautiful young girl, aud
her name was LaIla Her eyes were like
those OF that child there-Zanobi-who car
RES the effendi's water gourd on her head,
and her cheeks were round and soft as a
grape after the inundation. meant to we'd
her, and she likec me we'll. In the evening
we sat and talked together under the whis-
periDg palm trees. But when the time drew
near for me to marry her, and 1 had ar
ranged with her parents. there came a mes
sage from the sheikh. He had seen the girl
Dy the river as she went down to draw water
with her face unveiled. and, though she was
Nusrani, she fired his soul and he wished
20 take her away from me to put her into
his harem
when heard that word I tore nv
N-OS IA my IdSci dAlus diA NuiiSIAdu JuHD
l was, and OF no account with the Mos.
lens, went up to the sheikh's house in
very white anger, and l fell on my face
and asked leave TO see him.
"The sheikh sat in his courtyard, inside
bis house. and gave audience to ell men,
after che fashion of Islam. I entered, and
spoke to him. oh, shoIkh,' l said, boldly,
Allah and the khedive have prospered
you with exceeding great prosperity. You
drink Frank wine every day of your life, and
eat the fat of the land, and your harem is
full of beautiful women. Now in the VIII
lage where live is a Nusrani girl, whose
name is Laila. Her eyes ara bright toward
mine, and love her as the thirsty land
loves water. Yet, hear, o sheikh. word is
brought enow that you wish to take this
girl, who Is mine, and come to plead with
you to-day as Nathan the Prophet pleaded
with David, the king of the Benz Israel. If
you take away from me my Laila, my one
eve lamb
'But. at the word, the sheikh rose up and
clenched his fist, and was very angry. who
10 this dog, he asked. that he should dare
TO dictate to mes Take this fellow he cried
In his anger, and tie him hand and foot and
nog him as bid on his naked back, that he
may know, being a Christian, an infidel
cog, not to NEEDLE with the domestic affairs
OF MoSlems It were well he were made ac-
qualnted with his own vileness by the in
strumentality Of hundred lashes. And 60
tomorrow and bring Laila to me, and take
care that this Copt shall never again set
eyes on herr
We'll, effendi, at the words, three strong
ARABS seized me-herce sons OF the desc It