The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-02-13
BOOK I.
BOOK I.
The Messenger From khar.
tooIT1.

The Messenger From khar.
toOrn.
CHAPTER T.
At SHEPHERDS, ON THE SQUARE CALLED
EsBEHIYEH.
"Backsheeshw hoarsely whispered a
stout, red-faccd traveller, bending over
a small, nervous man, who, seated on
the piazza in front of the well-known
Shepherd's Hotel in Cairo, Egypt,
dashes off page after page Of lead-ren-
ell work, aided by the lights that IL
lumine the grand plaza.
The latter individual never raises
his eyes, but with q groan and me-
chanical movement of the arm draws
q plaster from his pocket and holds 1t
it up, which miserable coin is gravely
taken by the man in the plaid suit
and travelling helmet-hat. He does
not move away, but stands there at
the elbow of the scribe, waiting for
that interminable scribbling to be
done, and meanwhile watching the
lively scene upon the great square OF
Esbehiyeh.
1t is certainly q good sight for for
eign eyes, and one that will never be
forgotten. Although the month is
February, a delicious, balmy atmos-
phere hangs over the old city on the
Nile. Music throbs upon the air, and,
judging from the gay scenes to be met
with after night closes in, it would
be hard to believe the Mohammedan
fast corresponding to our Lent is in
progress. The Koran, however, only
demands observance of strict rules
from sunrise to sunset, so that in all
oriental countries the devout worship
ers make night a period of feastinS.
Just at the present period many Ian
terms and fambeaux and lamps IL
lumine the grand square, from which
arise discordant sounds, a perfect
babel of confusion. Here. under a
cluster of palms, a snake-charmer
handles his cobras with apparent i'm
punity, boxing their heads and caus-
ing them to do all manner CT strange
things. Near by are dragomans, OF
guides, haggling with owners of don
keys, who, in turn, scold or cuff the
boys in charge of the little beasts.
Close by are fakirs, pretending to
sell wonderful things for a trifle;
mountebanks, dealers in turbans,
fezes, relics and handkerchiefs, and a
general conglomeration of idle, Curl
Gus strollers.
The light discloses q picture that
can probably he looked upon in no
other city save Damascus. Here min
gle Turks, with their red fez and ma
tional dress; Arabs, in white bournous
and turban; native fellahin, or Egyp-
tians, wearing blue gowns and the
everlasting brown skull-cap; Jews.
with long boards and sober garments;
Nubians, Persians, Greeks and a
sprinkling Of foreigners. The red
coats Of British soldiers give way
pretty much to the sensible white that
Is worn in all hot countries; still there
is enough to lend color to the kaleido-
scopic picture.
The stout man sees all this without
emotion; he seldom, if ever, allows
himself to be so deeply interested in
anything as to forget himself. Stand
ing just back Of the tilted chair of
the smaller man, who writes sheet
after sheet with railroad rapidity, he
puffs away at his cigar and calmly
waits for the time to come when his
friend will have exhausted the sub
ject or blunted all his pencils. Every
thing comes to the one who has pa
tience, and this is the most prominent
trait in the character Of the stout tour
ist
Eureka. have done it! Glowing de-
scription! Burning rhetoric! Do you
proud, my boy! Now I'd give a plaster
to run across Grimes"
He has hardly spoken these words
half aloud, when the man with the
florid face and heavy hand deliber-
ately raps him on the shoulder.
PAY your debts, young man. !
claim the reward by virtue of dis.
covecy. Here's one miserable Turkish
coin you've showed on me. French
money is preferred" he says, solemn,
ly.
"Ohi 1t was you who groaned Back,
sheesh! in my ear, was it? I've heard
little else since I struck Egypt. It's
a bowling paradise of beggars 1 &c
to bed with bag of piasters-give
'em out in my sleep assure you
Grimes"
Sandy Barlow is the correspondent
of a great daily journal in the United
States, and is never known to be iI
anything but hurry. In piping times
OF peace he finds material to employ
his pencil in various foreign countries
and his letters have been considered
line reading on account of their pi
quancy and crisp style, characteristic,
of everything the man does.
Those who know Sandy best hav,
discovered that the war correspondent
has 4 warm heart, and will readil,
go out Of his way to help one whom
be counts a friend This stout gen
tleman whom he calls Grimes is-s,
rumor sayS-the wealthy owner of sew
eral mines in Colorado, about which
he occasionally speaks. He keeps hi
own counsel, however. and any on
who is good judge Of physiognom,
would have little difficulty in readin;
on his rcsolute face all the signs tina
go to make up determined charac
ter.
"Are you at liberty, Barlow?
80, I'd like to have q little talk" re