ASSOUM-SENNA-PASHA'S TROOPS.

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shore, the waves frequently washing the asses' feet. We now felt great difficulty in preventing ourselves from falling asleep, and were often on this account precipitated to the sand, to the great amusement of our Egyptian attendants. Frequently we were roused by the vivid flashes of lightning, which played beautifully from the bosom of the dark clouds above the sea.

After riding ten hours in this manner we came to Assoum, an unsheltered village, consisting of a few wretched huts, and with very bad water. To save time, our tents were not erected; but we cast ourselves down, wearied and sleepy, upon our mats, under the shelter of the coverlets thrown over us, and tried to find a little rest under a scorching sun and upon glowing sand. It was easy now to understand the murmurings of the children of Israel in the desert; for heat, thirst, and a long journey over burning sands, made us experience feelings of misery which we had not known before. After two hours of repose, a dip in the sea, and a sparing meal of rice and dates, we resumed our journey, being anxious to reach Damietta this evening. About three o'clock, as we left the sea-shore, the Minarets of the town appeared in the distant horizon. We rode through an undulating pass of low sand-hills, the air resembling that of an oven. Coming in sight of a well, our guides ran to quench their burning thirst. To us, however, this only afforded a trial of patience, for the water was so muddy that we could not drink. In a little time we arrived at Senana, a village on the west side of this branch of the Nile, where the Pasha has barracks for some thousand troops. The troops were exercising as we passed by:-some were in drill, and some shooting at a mark. They wear a white cotton dress, with a deep red sash, and are far from being a bold-looking set of men. The Nile here is 800 feet broad; and this was anciently called the Phatnitic or Bucolic branch. We sat down upon the bank, and drank freely of the water, which, when passed through a filter, was pure and delicious. An Egyptian officer brought us out chairs, and sat down with us in the shade of his house. He spoke with deep admiration of Mehemet Ali, and told us anecdotes of his unwearied activity.

The houses and mosques of Damietta looked very beautiful in the evening sun on the opposite bank of the river, a sad contrast to the filth, poverty, and guilt, to be found within. This is the ancient Tamiatis; it occupies a fine situation, and has well cultivated lands in its

66

DAMIETTA-INTRODUCTION TO VICE-CONSUL.

vicinity. We had sent Ibraim across the river with a letter to the Vice-Consul, the only representative of England in this place, to make known our arrival. He returned with a message from the Vice-Consul inviting us to his house; upon which we immediately embarked, and were soon rowed across the gentle stream, and up one of the canals, till we landed in Damietta, immediately under the Consul's garden. We were received into a large hall, with a stone floor, and a broad divan at the far end. In the one corner, *which is the place of state, we found the Vice-Consul, a smart-looking Egyptian, in a Greek dress of dark green, with yellow slippers. He received us very graciously, and made us sit beside him on the divan. Long pipes, highly ornamented, were immediately brought to us by the attendants. We felt it not a little teazing, after all our fatigues and sleeplessness, to be compelled, out of politeness, to go through these eastern formalities, and to recline with him for nearly two hours, until a repast was prepared such as he thought suitable for British travellers. However, we were deeply interested by observing many eastern customs, which we had read of from our youth. We were introduced also to the Consul's brother and nephew; the latter a fine-looking young man, with a pointed moustache, who had singular command over his features. He spoke to us in the Italian very freely; told us with great sangfroid of the poverty and misery of the inhabitants of Damietta; and when we informed him that we were Ministers of Christ, said that he admired our religion very much, because it appealed to reason. An old Bedouin sheikh was brought before us, who promised to do his best to procure camels for our future journey through the desert. At last the repast was served up. It was much after the English fashion, our host shewing us the greatest kindness. After all was over, we were guided by the janissary, carrying a silk lantern, through the dark streets, to rooms belonging to the British consulate. Our mats were spread upon the floor, and we slept soundly, although the mosquitoes annoyed us not a little. A locust also dropt in at one of the lattices of the room. Our chamber was fitted up in the true oriental style, for the part of the room assigned for the bed was about a foot higher than the rest of the floor. We saw the meaning of "going up to the bed." The windows were completely shaded by a wooden lattice-work on the outside, which we found universal in * Amos iii. 12, and Zech. x. 4. + Ps. cxxxii. 3.

VICE-CONSUL-GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE.

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Egypt. It is probably the same thing that is spoken of by Solomon, "shewing himself through the lattice."*

(May 21.) Early next morning, we settled accounts with the Egyptian donkeymen who had brought us thus far on our journey. Soon after which the Consul's janissary, dressed in white, with red shoes, came to invite us to our forenoon's repast. We then found that it is the custom in the East, to send for the guests when the feast is prepared, saying, "Come, for all things are now ready." The Consul was sitting as usual in the corner of his divan, along with some Egyptian friends, among

whom was the Governor of the province-a rough-looking man, with a grisly beard, snow-white turban and

Song ii 9.

+ Luke xiv. 17. Esther vi. 14.

68

DAMIETTA-DINNER AT VICE-CONSUL'S.

piercing eye. He was very kind to us, and examined all our clothes, even the pockets and lappets of our coats, our watches, outside and inside, with uplifted eyebrows, adding" Buono, buono," at every discovery. The collazione was in the English fashion for our sakes, and the Governor for the first time, as he told us, attempted the use of the knife and fork. After the repast, the servants carried round a brazen basin, and out of a jar poured water on the hands of every guest. We remembered Elisha pouring water on the hands of Elijah.*

Returning again to the hall, and squatted once more upon the divan, coffee was brought in very small cups, each cup being enclosed in a small silver case. The long pipes were next carried in by six attendants. Each servant stood at a reverent distance, and kept his eye fixed upon the hand of the guest whom he was serving, watching the slightest motion. This vividly recalled the allusion in the Psalms, "Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters." While we were thus seated, a tall old man came in with a petition in his hand. He took off his shoes, and approached the Governor barefoot. The great man glanced rapidly over the paper, and without speaking a word, gathered his brows into a terrible frown; whereat the poor man retired as if from a serpent.

At parting, we were invited to return to the evening meal. No hour was fixed; but towards evening, we were sent for by the secretary, whose name was Salvator Strigelli, an intelligent young Italian, fantastically dressed, with long black hair curling upon his shoulders. We asked him when his master usually dined; he said, "About half an hour after sunset," which proved to be half-past seven. We had an opportunity of speaking to this secretary very directly on the necessity of a personal interest in Christ. He seemed, however, to have a strong leaning to scepticism, and was of a romantic turn of mind.

At the door of the Consul's house were many poor and diseased, hanging about in expectation of getting help from those who visited him. We remembered Lazarus laid at the rich man's gate. At dinner we were still more interested in observing a custom of the country. In the room where we were received, besides the divan on which we sat, there were seats all round the walls. Many came in and took their place on those * 2 Kings iii. 11. † Ps. cxxiii. 2. + Exod. iii. 5. » Luke xvi. 20.

*

ILLUSTRATIONS OF JEWISH CUSTOMS.

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side-seats, uninvited and yet unchallenged. They spoke to those at table on business or the news of the day, and our host spoke freely to them. This made us understand the scene in Simon's house at Bethany, where Jesus sat at supper, and Mary came in and anointed his feet with ointment; and also the scene in the Pharisee's house, where the woman who was a sinner came in, uninvited and yet not forbidden, and washed his feet with her tears. The chief dish at the table was a highly-seasoned pilau of rice; but the Consul pressed us much to another, which he described as a dish peculiar to Egypt, made of an herb like clover, called melahieh. It has a saltish taste, as its Arabic name indicates. Several armed Arabs were serving us, but the favourite attendant was Hassan, who was always summoned into the room by a loud call "Wa-hassan," accompanied by clapping the one hand very sharply on the other. The conversation was of a more serious cast than previously. The Consul, whose name is Michael Suruff, is by birth an Egyptian, and his father was a native of Damascus. He is a Greek Roman Catholic, but so liberal, that he declared he believed our Protestant worship to be much nearer the form which Christ would approve. He thought that there were no traces in Scripture of any such orders in the church as their bishops. At the same time he reckoned it a disgrace for any man to change his religion. (Wednesday, May 22.) In the pleasant air of morning the flat roof of our house afforded us an opportunity of realizing Peter's position in Acts x. 9, and of imitating his example. Immediately below our apartment was the Græco-Romish chapel, a very small apartment, filled with the fragrance of incense. Two priests stood at the altar and two monks were reading the Arabic service. Two little boys also were assisting; but we were the only auditors. The half of the population of Damietta is pro

John xii. 1-3.

Luke vii. 36-38. We afterwards saw this custom at Jerusalem, and there it was still more fitted to illustrate these incidents. We were sitting around Mr. Nicolayson's table, when first one and then another stranger opened the door and came in, taking seats by the wall. They leaned forward and spoke to those at table. Now, in the case of the woman that was a sinner, Christ is dining at a Pharisee's table. As the feast goes on, the door opens, and a woman enters and takes her seat by the wall just behind him. The Pharisee eyes her with abhorrence; but as custom permits it, he does not prevent her coming in. After a little time, as Jesus is reclining, with his feet sloped toward the back of the couch, the woman bends forward, pours her tears on his feet, and anoints them with precious ointment.