The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-10-30
miscellaneous.
AN EGYPTIAN INCIDENT,

AN EGYPTIAN INCIDENT,
''Pm going to put an end to this Egyptian
plague" growled Colonel Macpherson.
eve come here every winter, sail up the
same old river, look at the same old pyra-
mids-no modern additions or improve
ments-see the same abominahle old
images that have worn the same grotesque
aspect for fifty centuries, and broil on the
same uncomfortable decks, and all because
that boy of mine wants to become known
as an Psychologist. To the duce with
beetles and sacred cattle. Pm tired of it
ALL"
Out of breath with the exertion neces-
sary to this long sentence, Colonel lavish
Macpherson leans back in his comfortable
armchair and closes his eyes for a nap.
The cause of his trouble is not very appar-
ent, and as he sits there under the avn
ing, with his half pay running ON at the
horse guards, with the rents of his deer
forests and sheep farms in the Highlands
faithfully collected and accounted for by
the factor, and with his membership fees
paid up to date at the Carlton and United
Servic' clubs, one could imagine that even
Egypt -ould appear something other than
hou of bondage. The colonel's daha-
beeh. 18th her big three cornered sail
trimmed to the breeze that ruffles the wa
tiers of the Nile and bears her onward to
Assouam and the Great Cataract is as
quiet and restful albeit picturesque an OBJ
ject as one would care to see, as on this
December evening of 1870 she creeps up
the river, the lookout man on the bow
watching that the channel is followed, and
the steersman, impressive as a mummy,
leaning upon the long handle of the tiller.
Forward on the deck, face down or curled
up in all sorts of odd positions, lie the
crew, a molly collection of Arabs, Nu-
bians and Osmanlis. There is nothing
stirring. The mark of the desert is on all
around. Even the sun, now nearly on
level with the Nubian mountains away on
the horizon, looks tired and dusty. The
intense quiet bothers the colonel; so he
yawns and growls once more. He is
widower with two children-the older a
lad of eighteen, who has already made
something of a reputation as student of
Egyptian remains, having been enamored
of the land since the evil day when the
colonel first proposed to winter on the
Nile. The second is a gentle lad of ten
years, well liked by everybody. He gives
his vote for Egypt every winter, because
Jack asks it as favor. They are ashore
now after relics, and have promised to re-
port when the dahabeeh ties up for the
night at Assouam before warping her way
through the cataract.
The colonel's eyes follow movement in
the tangled group of figures on the deck
Two men rise, shouting at each other the
while. The colonel and the dragoman,
who has just poked his head out of his
room on the deck, look on lazily. Sud-
denly one of the disputants makes rush
at the other-the CLEAN of steel is seen
and the crew close round the men, A
quick stroke, a shout, anger changed to
agony and Nubian lies ON the deck with
the dagger of Aboo powerful Arab, in
his breast.
All this so quickly that the colonel is
still growing that there is nothing stirring
to be seen in Egypt, when he reaches the
group, and, STOPPING over the wounded
man, draws the dagger out. 1t has left an
ugly wound, but not dangerous, and as the
wounded man is taken in charge by his
comrades the colonel turns to the drago-
man for an explanation.
With many profuse apologies the drago-
man tells how the two men were sleeping
side by side when the Nubian inadvertent-
ly put his foot against the Arabs face.
That was all, and the dragoman smiled
and bowed.
The colonel, an old disciplinarian, looked
black as night. In effective English he or
dered the dragoman, after he had discov-
cred that the matter was not reckoned
important enough for Egyptian law to rec
ognize, to anchor the dahabeeh and send
boat ashore with the culprit and his bag
gage. 10 the dragoman's question as to
how a hoo tn hool to Cair he
colonel Numbered that he might walk.
The dragoman bowed and smiled--it was
habit he had learned from French friend
In Cairo-and translated the coloneys re-
mark to Aboo, adding to them such little
pleasantries as he thought of. He could
walk. His shoes-this with smile and
bow directed to Aboo's bare feet-his shoes
might wear out, but So Aboo, having
obtained his dagger and an old ring-his
only article of haggage-goes ashore NUT
tering revenge, which the dragoman inter-
prets to the colonel with a smile and a
bow. The dahabeeh glides on, and in an
hour is moored at Assouam. The wander
ing relic hunters return and all aboard re-
tire, for is not the cataract to be traversed
at shutdown tomorrow?
Before sunrise Colonel Macpherson was
awakened by the shout of the young gen.
tleman's body servant, who cried excitedly:
wake. masterI We can't find Master
Bob. Here is bit of paper that lay on
his bed"
While the colonel rubbed his eyes and
looked at the scrap of Arabic the man pro-
duced commotion occurred outside, and
the dragoman rushed in with Aboo's dag
ger in his hand. It had been taken from
the breast of the Nubian stabbed to the
heart during the night. The boat that had
been lowed astern of the dahabeeh after
Aboo's trip ashore was gone. There was
no doubt, explained the dragoman with
his customary smile, that the Arab had
lain ashore until the lights went out, swan
aboard, knitted his enemy and left again in
the boat At this the colonel, still holding
the paper in his hand, turns pale and
tremblingly gives it to Jack, who knows
Arabic. Dragoman and crew crowd around
while he slowly reads, "Aboo might have
killed the English dog tonight, but to steal
the pride of his tent was better revenge"
They searched for the fugitives with
hearts after time, but never a
race of the boy, dead or living, did they
ind. Almost mad with grief, but not until
,he hot weather threatened his life Colonel
returned to Cairo and laid the
terrible affair personally before the khe-
live. But it was all in vain. Year after
year he haunted the Nile, promising back
'heesh to an unlimited extent for the resto-
ration of his boy, but the Arabs shook
heir heads. Aboo had disappeared with
ut leaving any trace. To the father who
earched for his lost boy there was no lack
+ interest now in Egypt
Forward by the right; marchp
Clear and loud comes the command and
he ugly, i'll conditioned steeds of the
amel corps moved forward with ungainly
tep. The wells of Aboo Klea are within
light, and Sir Herbert Stewart, who
marched nine days ago with 1900 picked