Page images
PDF
EPUB

window; it opened on the port of Suez, and we enjoyed with delight the coolness of the sea. Our watch was prolonged to a very late hour of the night, for whatever physical need we had of repose, the emotions we had experienced, and the dangers we had escaped, kept us awake. There our halts every evening, with their varied incidents, were presented to our minds; the Desert with its concerts of hyenas and jackals, its traces of lizards and serpents, its scorching sun, and its mortal khamsin, was no more than a recollection; but it was a living recollection, one which, though I may say, could be touched with the finger, yet near as we were to it, already offered to our minds all its poetry and magnificence. Time and distance have only increased the grandeur of these recollections; even now, all the pleasing and terrible emotions of this wondrous pilgrimage, remain palpitating in my heart; and I would not hesitate, if an opportunity of returning presented itself, to purchase them again at the price of the same fatigues and the same dangers.

[ocr errors]

287

XVII. THE GOVERNOR OF SUEZ.

THE next morning our first visit was paid to the governor of Suez; it would seem that we had been strongly recommended to him, or that our amiability had left an agreeable impression, for his reception of us was quite fraternal. Scarcely had we entered, when we were served with goblets of that delicious water which I had so often regretted during the past three weeks, spent in a hopeless search for a similar cooling beverage. After the water came pipes and coffee; and after pipes and coffee the history of our adventures. I told and Mohammed repeated the events of our journey, and it was gratifying to observe the impressions they produced on the grave and benevolent countenance of the Pacha. The trick played by the Father of Victory seemed to rejoice him exceedingly; but what astonished me most was, the species of pleasure with which he heard my very innocent and disinterested denunciation of the little robbery of our provisions by the Arabs; when I came to this part of my narrative, he made me repeat twice the episode of the michmich, sugar and coffee; he then asked for the conclusion of the tale with so radiant a countenance, that it was manifest he took the greatest pleasure in

the translation of my prose. This gave me a high idea of his taste, and very sincere regret that he could not appreciate the original text. When I had concluded the recital of our Odyssey, the governor ordered water to be brought a second time, and invited us to dine with him. We had no motive for refusing this invitation; we therefore accepted it, stipulating only for a convenient time. We went to make a tour of the city, and then returned at the appointed time.

As we crossed the lower court of the Pacha's palace, we remarked that in order to do us honour, he had made a kind of military display.

Every

body was engaged in the palace; servants, slaves, and eunuchs. We were introduced into a large square saloon, where he was waiting for us squatted in a corner of the divan. After the usual' salutations, which our faithful interpreter Mohammed translated so far as words were concerned,-for we began to manage the gestures easily enough,-the servants brought in a large silver tray which they placed on the ground. We immediately rose and proceeded to squat ourselves around. A servant then came in with silver ewers and basins, and poured out water to wash our hands. The Pacha asked for water twice; we had never seen a Turk push cleanliness so far.

The tray supported four silver plates with covers

of the same metal, clumsily but richly ornamented. One contained the true eastern pilau with its chicken in the middle; the second a curry, whose composition I could not guess; the third a quarter of lamb; and the fourth a fish. We boldly put our hands into the dish, observing, however, a certain subordination, even amongst ourselves, and we commenced by dividing the chicken. For the liquid part of the repast we had next each of us a goblet of our favourite water, and I know not of any wine that I would have preferred at that moment.

From the chicken we passed to the curry. Here the helping became still more easy, for the meat, or what appeared meat, had been chopped beforehand. Every morsel served as a spoon to take up a certain part of the seasoning with it. But we soon discovered that what we had taken for meat was some kind of leguminous vegetable. On the whole our fare would have appeared very meagre to Parisians; but to us, who had become true children of Ishmael, everything was the best possible.

After the curry came the quarter of lamb. We remarked from the demonstrations with which the governor received this dish that he belonged to the same school of carving as Taleb and Bechara. He extended his arms; held the meat fast with one hand, and with the forefinger and thumb of the other he pinched the flesh, which he detached from

U

the bone with a facility which seemed like enchantment. This time we did not attempt to follow his example, certain that we should fail to our shame. We asked the governor permission to use our blades, that he might not be alarmed by an unexpected gesture; and when this permission was granted, we cut the animal to pieces with our daggers.

Last came the fish, and with it one of the severest trials we had experienced in our lives. The fish, whose name I do not know, was the most bony I ever met, so that at the first mouthful, we found it necessary to use extraordinary precautions to avoid choking. We therefore diligently investigated every single morsel before us, to extract these dangerous substances; the governor who had swallowed his portion without troubling himself about the fishbones, seeing what we were at, made the servant bring him a portion of the fish on a silver plate; he tore off a piece of it with his right hand, which he placed in the hollow of his left, and commenced operations by extracting every bone, small and great; to this first preparation he added about an equal quantity of crumbled bread, and then some spices; he rolled the whole together so as to make a ball about the size of an egg, placed the ball on a silver salver, made a sign to a slave to take it to Baron Taylor, and immediately commenced a second edition of the same work.

The notion that this labour was

« PreviousContinue »