Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-07-09
A Little Donkey Boy of Cairo
And How lie Lived Up to III. idea.


Frederick J Bliss in New York Independent
NV principal recollection of recent visit
to Cairo is, that ! was always on a donkey,
and that the donkey always took me 20 de
lChtfu places Although 1t was my first
visit l did not open a guide-book l knew
vaguely that one owed a duty to the Pyra-
mids. to the Sphinx, to the Nile, and to a
mosque or two. But as for systematizing
my ten days of time in the business-ike way
of a "Baedeker, with list day, 2nd day and
so on to 10th dav-a back breaking catalog
of sight-seeing-l never thought of it, The
soft delicious. gently bracing air of an
Egyptian spring is against the Baedeker
svtsem Instead ! simply beckoned 20
donkey boy lof course - boys rushed up
yelling in bad English and let the donkey
20. And at the end of ten days J believe
that. IN his own random way, the donkey
had taken me to every place worth seeing
while ! had the delightfully."- irresponsible
sensation of doing nothing
Sometimes the donkey was small and
thln-an agile and animated rail fence
sometimes he was large and fat with fine
white coat, set Oft by the smart red sad
die sometimes his master was a long
legged young man, like David Copperfield S
donkey boy who wished him to come to
the pallis;' once h master seemed TO be a
dear little monkey, until lac spoke. when l
argued that he must be boy: but I'm not
sure yet And once his master refused "a
clgaret, and IN my surprise ! almost lost
balance.
wv nat not smoke. Hassan said ! 81
thought all the donk " BOYS smoked"
81 don't said Hassau. who looked about
II, was short. very brown very scantilv
dressed, quite dirty mad only one eye, and
trotted behind the donkey with rounded
shoulders and head craned forward 81
don't and if l did my family would beat
me- ami quite right. too
But who are you, and who are your
family asked.
All, he said proudly I'VE are SUI
danese. In the sudan we are strict To
smoke, to use wine to drink coffee, not to
pray-these are shameful things And if
a man does anything impure they hang him
TO tree with his face toward the sun
Here was a curiosity / like the Cairo
donkey boys, they are a good-natured lot
but | hear there are few vices which they
cannot teach, if asked Hassan seemed
genuine. ne volunteered no information 70
begin with and answered my questions di-
rectly and simply rode ms donkey again
IN order to sift the boy, and nave come
to the conclusion that he Is genuine A
ragged donkey boy III Cairo trying to live
up t. the ideal, preserved somehow III tue
sudan of the primitive Puritan DAYS of
Mohammedanlsm-It Is encouraging %
think oi. confess II was romantic. this
chatting with "a little chap who could de
scribe bsmau DlguH-his dress his horse IA
spotted creature, If ] remember Hassau s
story. his attabllity to rich and poor Much
OF the boy Arabic was IncOmprehensible
but q was little actor, and pictured sev-
era battles he had seen fought between
the English and oudanese Once his ugly
little face flashed with a beautiful light
'how happy we are when We hear one
OF our men mas died for ms country Then
We bring out the music and make brave
show
Won't you take me to the Sudan
asked
''Never replied Hassau. If they saw
me with al Ingese they would say. Has
san has become katiir, an infdel
"oh. then YOU call me an intdel. do YOU {.
said /
NO said the boy. delicately "You
see | have been a year IN Cairo and have
grown TO see that there NAV be some good
people who are not Mosems hut my friends
who have not seen the world would never
understand II at all
Brave little hassan MAY heaven keep
him IN the coming years close to the high
est ideal OF goodness he may learn When
left he asked me for paper sort Of
diploma in donkey driving. and ! gave MIN
this
The bearer. Hassan, the donkey boy
from the Sudan, refused ciCaret. saying
that 1t was against his principles to smoke
lie strikes me as genuine. II so, the diff
ference between him and the average don
key boy is infinite