The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-05
An Egyptian Incident.

An Egyptian Incident
81 am going to put an end to this
Egyptian plague" growled Colonel Mac
Pherson. "We come here every winter,
sail up the same old river, look at the
same old pyramids-no modern additions
or improvements-seet the same abomin-
able 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 deuce with beetles and sacred cattle.
I'm tired of it ALL"
Out of breath with exertion necessary
to this long sentence, Colonel lavish Mac.
Pherson leans back in his comfortable
armchair and closes his eyes for nap.
The cause of his trouble is not very ap-
parent, and as he sits there under the
awning, with his half pay running on at
the Horse Guards, with the rents of his
deer forests and sheep farms in the High.
lands faithfully collected and accounted d
for by the factor, and with his member
ship fees paid up to date at the Carlton
and United Service clubs, one could
imagine that even Egypt would appear
something other than house OF bond
age. The Colonels dahabeah, with her
bic three-cornered sail trimmed to the
breeze that ruf1es the waters of the Nile
and bears her onward to Assouan and
the Great Cataract, is as quiet and rest
full albeit picturesque an object as one
would care to see, as on this December
evening, 1870, she creeps up the river,
the lookout man on the bow watching
that the channel is followed, and the
steersman, impassive as mummy, lean
ing upon the long handle of the tiller.
Forward on the deck face downward
or curled up in all sorts of odd positions
lie the crew, a motley collection of Arabs,
Nubians and Osmanlis. There is nothing
stirring. The mark of the desert is on
all around. Even the sun, now nearly on
q level with the Nubian mountains away
on the horizon, looks tired and dusty.
The intense quiet bothers the Colonel;
80 he yawns and growls once more. He
is q widower with two children-the
elder a lad of eighteen, who has already
made something of reputation as a
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, we'll 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 report when the
dahabeah ties up for the night at
,Assouan 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 had just poked his head
out of his room on the deck, look on
.lazily. Suddenly one of the disputants
makes rush at the other-the CLEAN OF
steel is seen and the crew close around
the men. A quick stroke, ashout, anger
changed to agony, and Nubian lies on
the deck with the dagger of Aboo, a
powerful Arab, in his breast.
All this so quietly that the Colonel is
still growing that there is nothing stir.
ring to be seen in Egypt, when he reaches
the group, and stopping over the wound
ed nan, draws the dagger out. 1t has
left an ugly wound, but not dangerous
and as the wounded man is taken in charge
by lis comrades, the Colonel turns to
the dragoman for an explanation.
With many profuse apologies the
dragoman tells how the two men were
sleeping side by side when the Nubiar
inadvertently put his foot against thu
Arabs face. That was all, and th'
dragoman smiled and bowed.
The Colonel, an old disciplinarian
looked black as night. In effective
English he ordered the dragoman, after
he had discovered that the matter was
not reckoned important enough fol
Egyptian law to recognize, to anchor th'
dahabeeh and send boat ashore with
the culprit and his baggage. To the
dragoman's question as to how Aboo wa:
to get back to Cairo the Colonel thun
dered that he might walk. The drago
man bowed and smiled-it was habi
be had learned from a French friend il
Cairo-and translated the Coloners re
marks to Abco, adding to them sucl
little pleasantriCs az he thought Of. H'
could walk. His shoes--this with
smile and bow, directed to Aboo's bar
feet-his shoes might wear out, but
So Abco having obtained his dagger ant
an old riug-his only articles of baggage
goes ashore muttering revenge. which
the dragoman interprets to the Colone
with smile and bow. The dahabeei
glides on and in an hour is moored a
Asscuan. The wandering relic hunter
return and all aboard retire, for is no
the cataract to be traversed at sundoWl
Tomorrow
Before sunrise Colonel Macpherson
was awakened by the shout OF the young
gentleman's body servant, who crlet
excitedly: wake. master! We can
find Master Bob. Here is bit of pape
that lay on his bed
While the Colonel rubbed his eyes ant
looked at the scrap of Arabic the man
produced, a commotion occurred out
side and the dragoman rushed in with
Aboo's dagger in his hand. 1t had beer
taken from the breast Of the Nubian