Peeps at Many Lands: Egypt

s," as the word means, its dominant type, and in order to form any idea of their character o

n as the villages afford. The roads are the canal-banks, or little paths which wind among the fields; but, as we have already seen, the country has many

brings water from the well, to the old man so soon to find his last resting-place in the picturesque "gabana"[9] without the village. Seed-time and harvest go side by side in Egypt, and one may often witness every operation of the farm, from ploughing to threshing, goin

Ceme

g at the handmill, or grouped about the village well, all recall incidents in the lives of Isaac and Rebekah, and episodes of patriarchal times. Their salutations and modes of speech are also Biblical, and lend a touch of poetry to their lives. "Turn in, my lord, turn in

but to all intents and purposes, in habit of thought and speech, in costume and customs, the

. On approaching a village, which is often surrounded by dense groves of date-palms, the traveller will be met by the head men, who, with many salaams, conduct

E VIL

e in massive wooden doors, which are closed at night and guarded by the village watchman. The huts-for they are nothing else-which compose the village are seldom of more than one storey, while in many cases their small doorway forms their onl

. Light and ventilation practically do not exist, while a few mats, water-pots, and cooking utensils comprise the only furniture; yet the peopl

nd cattle which wander in the lanes. At night a fire of corn-cobs is lit, and while its smoke serves to drive away the swarms of mosquitoes and flies with which the village is usually infested,

d fig-trees, and enjoy the pomegranates, apricots, and other fruits which it supplies. These houses are generally clean and comfortably furnished after the Turkish manner. The host, prosperous-looking and well clothed, meets his guest at the doorstep or assists him to dismount,

le dishes of salad and other condiments, mark the places of the diners; but before eating, each person present ceremoniou

geons, and various kinds of stews and salads, is eaten with the hands, the diners often presenting each other with choice morsels from their portion; a baked turkey stuffed with nuts, or on important occasions a whole sheep, forms the principal dish, which is cleverly divided by the host or principal guest w

ar-cane, and vegetables, with the occasional addition of a little meat, or such fish as may be caught in the canals.

by the occasional marriage feast, or village fair, or, in the mor

o enjoyment and the effort to make others happy. Gay booths are erected in the open spaces, in which is singing and the performance of strange Eastern dances. Mummers and conjurers perform

nd at night illuminations delight

in memory of the martyred grandson of the Prophet, and although they are Mohammedans the

out that period, from sunrise to sunset, the Moslem abstains from food or drink, except in the case of the aged or infirm, or of anyone engag

in France; then everyone visits the tombs of their relatives, laying garlands upon the g

is to him a very personal God, whom he may at all times approach in praise or prayer in the certain belief of His fatherly care. Nothing impresses a traveller more than this tremendous belief of the Mohammedans in their Deity and their religion; and th

d be the name of the Lord," is a general attitude of mind, and this, combined with their long centuries of servitude, has had so much effect upon the national character of the Egyptian

ing, while the Egyptian army has shown what wonders may be wrought, even with the poorest material, by sustained and honest effort in the right direction; a

humoured and keenly alive to a joke; fond of their children, and showing great consideration for age, they have many traits which endear them to those who hav

ions, they are not even permitted to enter the mosques at prayer-time, and until recently the scanty education which the boys enjoyed was denied to their sisters. It is no wonder, therefore, that these o