The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-27
The Backwoods Of Egypt-Ancient Mines are Being Revoked

DCulS J
posed to have been made as a temple
and a tomb by one of the Egyptian
Kings. who lived more than a thou
sand years after Cheops built the
great pyramid.
How Egypt Governs SInnt.
The Peninsula Of sinai. In. which the
children of Israel wandered for forty
years after they came out Of the Nile
valley, now belongs to the Egyptians
and Is governed by them. The country
cnmels and Bedouin guides, and 1t is
possible to go UP the mountains where
Moves saw the Lord In a bttrntng bush,
and where he received the Ten Com
mandments engraved on blocks of
stone. while the 1sraelites were wor-
Shipping the golden calf in tho foothills.
The Peninsula OF. Sinai is one Of the
1t has no tillable soil. but It is said to
be well minerallzed. and to have de-
posits OF copper which were worked as
far back as 300 g. G. These deposits
concession for mining them has been
given to ono of the exploration COM
panies. Tha Cairo syndicate IL inves-
tigating in the northern half of the
ported the discovery of coal In small
quantities. Petroleum is believed to
exist there. and salso %turquoises and
other valuable stones.
The government, however, Is finding
1t difficult to administer the country.
and Just before Lord Cromer left he
directed that the whole peninsula be
put under the war department. A Brit
ish officer OF the Egyptian army is to
be the governor and cotnmandant. His
headquarters will be at Nekhl. the
chief tow of the peninsula. which is
abou It's centre; and there will be
Hnthnr G Tfrrvrf Ia n E nHinnro r otnfirroJ ~ nj
various points. The intention is to
make the country safe for tourists and
travellers. us well as for prospectors.
and 1t Will soon be possible to visit
parts of the peninsula.
The Queer Natives of Sinnt.
In the past 1t has been difficult to
control the natives Of Sinai. The
country Is SO large and SO rough, and
the population SO sparse. that it is
and bring them to justice. A camel
corps has been organized and n tele-
graph line n possibly a o for
motor cars will be built to .Nckhl, al
though this may not be until at some
time in the future.
AT present there are about 10000 in
habitants in the peninsula. They are
who are believed to be the descend
ants of some Roman troops sent to the
peninsula in the sixth. century.
These Sinai people have their own
| SySIcHlS Ol JuSIlCc, duu Iuey TtScHl Tic
laws which the Egyptians are trying
to force upon them. They believe in
the vendetta and in blood money as
payment for murder. If q man kills
OF the dead man have the right to
money be paid. The blood money for
an ordinary murder Is fixed at forty-one
camels. and 1t may be paid In install
ments. tho payments running for a
month or a year or more. IT a man
kills another secretly n denies the
crime. but Is found guilty. he is fined
mans relatives may take revenge by
killing one of the family of the MUIR
derer, and still have the right to three
blood moneys.
How the Judges Detect Crime.
Shortly before he left Egypt Lord
Justice In the Sinai Peninsula. and in
one of his reports described how a
Justice detected whether criminals were
guilty or not. He had three methods
by water. by fire and by dream. The
test tv dream was made by his honor
going to sleep and dreaming whether
the accused was guilty or not If
the dream showed the man guilty. 1T
and he was punished. The wafer test
was made with a copper jug filed
with that fluid. The Judge. the accused
and the spectators sat in a circle and
the JuS, IN some WdV OF tOltleI. WIS
made to move ABOUND through the
group, and tf 1t topped opposite the
accused he was guilty.
The fire test was severe. 1t was of
ten used to convict men of steal
ing. In this Ease the Judge heated
an iron pan over the GOALS until 1t
was red hot. and then made the as-
cused touch 1T three times with his
tongue. If the tongue showed marks
of burning he was guilty. and il not ne
was Innocent. Two eXperts always sat
with the Judge to witness whether the
tongues of the accused We're burnt or
mot.
All such methods arc now to be done
away with. and the British and Egyp-
tian officials are to see that Justice is
administered according to the laws of
the land.
Copyright. 1907, by Frank g. Car
penter.)