The Portland daily press., 1891-11-27
AN ADVENTURE in CAIRO.
Egyptian Ladies' Viewing the
Museum Put to Flight by
an American.
THarperS.1


One day when was passing the hot
hours in the shaded rooms OF the mu-
scum, surrounded by seated granite fig
ures with their hands on their knees (the
coolest companions l know, l heard
chattering and laughter. Presently there
came into view ten or twelve Cairo la
dies, followed by eunuchs and preceded
by guide. The eunuchs were hideous,
though they represented all ages, from
tall, lank boy of seventeen to withered
old creature beyond sixty.
The ladies were taking their ease; the
muffling black silk outer coats, which all
Egyptian women of the upper class
wear when they leave the house, had
been thrown aside; the white face wells
had been loosened SO that they dropped
below the chin. Their carriages were
waiting below. The most modest of
men-a missionary, for instance, or
an acknowledgements, Isuppose, have
put them to fight; but as the tour
ist season was over, and as it was
luncheon time for Europeans, no one
appeared but myself, and the ladies
strayed hither and thither as they chose,
occasionally stopping to hear few
words of the explanations which the
guide "a woman also) was vainly trying
to give before each important statue.
With one exception, these Cairo danes
were, to say the least, extremely plump;
their bare hands were deeply dimpled,
their cheeks round. They all had the
same very white complexion without
rose tints; their features were fairly
good, though rather thick; the eyes in
each case were beautiful-large, dark,
lustrous, with sweeping lashes. Their
figures, under their loose garments,
looked like feather pillows. They were
awkward in bearing and gait, but this
might have been owing to the fact that
their small plump feet Gn white open
work cotton stockings) We're squeezed
into very tight French slippers with abb
normally high heels, upon which it must
have been difficult to balance so many
dimples.
The one exception to the rule of bill
lowy beauty was slender, even mea-
gerly formed girl, who in America would
pass perhaps for seventeen; probably she
was three years younger. Her thin,
dark, restless face, with its beautiful
inquiring eyes, was several times, close
beside mine as we both inspected the
golden bracelets and earrings, the neck
laces and fan of Queen Ahhotpu, our
sister of vanity of $500 years ago. !
looked more at her than did at the
jewels. and she returned my gaze; we
might have had a conversation. What
would not have given to be able to talk
with her in her own tongue? After
awhile they all assembled in what is
called the winter garden, an up stairs
apartment, where grass grows over the
floor in formal little plots. Chairs were
brought, and they seated themselves
amid this aerial verdure to partake of
sherbet, which the youngest eunuch
handed about with a businesslike air.
While they were still here, much re-
Taxed as regards attire and attitude, nv
attention was attracted by the rush
through the outer room (where myself
was seated) of the four older eunuchs.
They had been idling about; they had
even gone down the stairs, leaving to
the youngest Of their number the task
OF serving the sherbet; but now they all
appeared again, and the swiftness with
which they crossed the outer room and
dashed into the winter garden created
breeze. They called to their charges as
they came, and there was a general
smoothing down of draperies. The eu-
nuchs, however, stood upon no cere-
mony; they themselves attired the la
dies in the muffiing cloaks, and refas-
tened their wells securely, as a nurse
dresses children, and with quite as much
authority. | noticed that the hand.
somer faces showed no especial haste to
disappear from view, but there was no
real resistance; there was only a good
deal of laughter.
i dare say that there was more laugh
ter still (under the veils) when the cause
of all this haste appeared, coming slowly
up the stairs. 1t was a small man of
sixty-fve or seventy, one of my own
countrymen, attired in a linen buster
and travel worn high hat His silver
head was bent over his guide book, and
he wore blue spectacles. | don't think
he saw anything but blue antiquities,
safely made of stone