Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-13
Dragomen Are Pleased.

drawing too largely on his low STOCK OF en-
-ergy to follow up Inquiries in such clfcum
stances. But l had to do 1t.
Dragomen Are Pleased.
However, there was one class who well
coined the only American in Egypt spon-
taneously and heartily. They were not
bored or surprised. They did not care why
I had come. 1 was there and that was
enough for them. They were the dragomen.
| They escorted me from the ship at Alex
andria to the hotel. They took possession
of my ROOM gave orders for my comfort
| and in other ways made me feel that the
stranger in Egypt was their hostage II not
their guest. 1t always has been so. Egypt
without the dragomen would no more be
Egypt than If 1t We're without the Nile
and the Sphinx and the Ltbyan desert.
They left their cards for me in English
and Arabic with notes of explanation and
hieroglyphics which could be interpreted
yariously.
Perhaps owing to a preference for knock
around by myself perhaps owing to innate
antagonism, I did not have much occasion
for the dragomen. This grieved them, but
they would not leave me on that account.
At Alexandria l managed to enjoy the
color streams of the Mediterranean, the
reflection of the translucent skies and the
Transparent, fiery sun without their aid.
but in trying to visit Pompey's pillar I
came to grief, and thenceforth the par
tiCular dragoman who hypnotzed me
found an unresisting victim. Under his
guidance / saw the difference between the
Arab or Egyptian life and the European
life. the latter being all that many Wis.,
itors see. In fact. some of them except for
a chance glimpse of mosque don't know
that Alexandria is different from Naples
or other Mediterranean cities. But 1t is.
1t was at Cairo, however that the drago-
men came out strongest They differed
from those at Alexandria in the vol
uminousness of their baggy breeches, the
brightness Of their turbans and their cul-
ture. They were all cultured. I had not
been lodged at Shepheard's an hour be-
fore they took possession OF me. Some
were named Mohammed Ali and some were
Ali Mohammcds. Others We're 1brahimS or
Hassans while few distinguished them
selves from the mob by Coptic names.
But they. were all glad to see the only
American in Egypt and they all offered
him reduced rates. 1t was the duh sea-
son, they explained. They had to live, and
IN order TO live through the dun season
and await their regular prey when the
tourist thrush began they We're willing to
give their valuable time cheaply.
Some Have Intelligence
Many Of these dragomen were really in
teliigent fellows and in their own way
could be useful to a stranger. Some had
been employed by eminent Psychologists
from whom they bore certificates OF their
capacity. Others were simply tourist touts.
But none of them cared what the business
OF the only American was and none asked
why he was neither tourist nor an
Psychologist.
They reasoned that being an American
he had Il right to be eccentric and they
assumed without reasoning that being an
American he must be a millionaire. New
ertheiess times being dull they were will
ing 10 keep to their schedules of reduced
rates II was uSe}cs to protest to the hotel
management against the invasion. The
manager explained to me that II was less
nuisance to have them take possession
leave the visitor to be pounCed or the
moment lie stepped from the hotel to tn,
streets because the streets were common
property and the dragOmen would assert
their right there more forcib!y than under
the necessary restraint of the hCtel.
After dinner they would come in single
file and make their addresses Then they
would descend on me i'll group. native
Egyptian official from the Soudan enjoyed
il immensely and as he understood Eng
fish he had the benefit of my remarks.
The dragomen seemed TO be formed into
a kind of Il trust. There competition
among them individuals, yet there was
a common purpose not to let the only
American escape and it did not matter
which one got the days job long as the
contract was made which insured fee
20 some one of their number.
For a few days / fought them off with
fair success and enjoyed their discount
:ure. one afternoon after lunch l caught
them ali mapping and reached an electric
car two blocks from the hotel without dis
covery L rode out TO the citadel with the
notion of reviving my recollection of Sala-
din and some chapters of MoSlem and
Christian history. The donkey boys took
possession of me there but they We're not
so irritating the dragomen. One urchin
quickly struck a bargain and l mounted