The times., 1897-07-05
a DoSKEY-BoY OF CAIRO.
Faithful to ,he Original Law of
the Prophet.

the Prophet.
My principal recollection of q recent
Visit 10 CAIRO is that was always on q
donkey andthatthe donkey always took Iue
to delightful places Although it was my
first visit dId not open "a guide book. L
knew vaguely that one owed a duty 70 The
pyramids, To the sphinx, tG the Nile AMI 10
a mosque o. two But as fUr systema;iziug
my ten ia ysOf time IN the business-lik way
OF a "Baedeker," with first day, second
day, ana 70 ON TO tenth day-s haCk-break-
ing catalogue Of sightseeing never
thogghl OF il. The soft, delicious, gently
bracing air of Egyptian spring =
against the HaeGcker system. Instead
/ simply Eeckohed To a donkey toy tof
course, twenty y-fiye toys rushed up yell
ing in bHd English) ana let The donkey 20
Aud at the END Of ten DAYS believe that,
in bis own random way, the donkey had
taken me 10 every place worth seeing,
lille / had the dCIigh fully irresponsible
sensation Of doing nothing.
Sometimes the donkey was small and
thin an agiR and animated rail fence;
sometimes lie was large ana "a, withafine
white coat SET ,off by the smart red sad
de Sometimes mis- master was a long
legged young man Ike David Copperfield's
donkey boy, who wished him To come To-
the palliS," once his master seemed 10 be a
dear Hide monkey, until he spoke. " hen /
argued that he must be u boy; but I'm not
sure yet And once his master refused
cigarette, and i'll my surprise almost los;
balance.
What. not smoke, Hassan?" said l. u
thought all the donkey boys smokedr'
Il don't said HasSan, who looked about
eleven, was snort, very brown, very scau,i!y
dressed quite dirty, had only one eye, and
| JIottcd behind the donkey with rounde1
shoulders and head craned forward. u
| don t: aud if I did my family would beat
me, and quite right, too
But who are you, and who are your
| fanily?'' asked
"Ah." he said, proudly; we are Sudauese
In the Sudan We are strict. To smoke to
! use wine. to drink coffee. not tn pray
these are shameful things. And If Il man
| does ANYTHING impure they hang him TO
! a tree with his face toward the sun -
| Here was a curiosity. ] like the Cairo
donfey boys. they are a good-natured lot,
| but | hear there are few vices which they
| cannot teach if asked. Hassan seemed
genuine. He volunteered no information
| to begin with. and answered my questions
| directly and simply. | rode his donkey
again in order To sift the boy, ana have
come to the conclusion that he is genu-
ire. ragged donkey Toy in Cairo try
ing to live up to the ideal. preserved some
how in the Soudan, OF the primitive Puri-
| tan days of Mohamnedauism it is en-
| couraging to think of. ! confess il was
| romantic, this chatting w tn a little chap
| who could describe Osman Digna. his
| dress, his horse "a SPOTTED crea ture, If l
| remember HaSsan's story, his affahility
| to rich and rour Much f the Toys Arabic
was inconprehenSihle; but lie was little
actor, and pictured several lattles he hal
seen fought between the English and
SoudaneSe. Once his ugly little face flashed
with beautiful light.
How happy we are when we hear one
of our men has died for his country Then
we bring out the mGSic and make brave
| show"
Won't You take me to the Soudau?" !
asked.
Never" replied Hassan. ''If they saw
me with an Inglese they would say: Has
san has become a Kaffir>-an infidel. -
''Oh, Thea, you call me an infidel, do y0u?''
said I.
Mo- said the boy delicately. You see
/ have teel year in Cairo, and have
grown to see that there may he some good
people who are not Moslems: but my friends
who have not seen the world would never
understand it at all"
Brave little Hassan! May heaven keeE
him in the coming years close to the high
est ideal of goodneSs he may learn! WheI
J left he asked me for q paper sort
or diploma in donkey driving; and CAV,
him this
The bearer, Hassan, the donkey boz
from the SOulau. refused a cii-are'te. "a wing
tha' ~ would e against his principles 9,
s-rH,ke Pc strikes ula as genuine 10 50
tie dlfferearf hpf wcrn hjfn and re Hver
aae ~ fkry toy II infinite - New York IN
Gepenrent