Eothen [79]
and green.
The next day I entered upon Egypt, and floated along (for the delight was as the delight of bathing) through green wavy fields of rice, and pastures fresh and plentiful, and dived into the cold verdure of groves and gardens, and quenched my hot eyes in shade, as though in deep, rushing waters.
CHAPTER XVIII - CAIRO AND THE PLAGUE *
CAIRO and plague! During the whole time of my stay the plague was so master of the city, and showed itself so staringly in every street and every alley, that I can't now affect to dissociate the two ideas.
* There is some semblance of bravado in my manner of talking about the plague. I have been more careful to describe the terrors of other people than my own. The truth is, that during the whole period of my stay at Cairo I remained thoroughly impressed with a sense of my danger. I may almost say, that I lived in perpetual apprehension, for even in sleep, as I fancy, there remained with me some faint notion of the peril with which I was encompassed. But fear does not necessarily damp the spirits; on the contrary, it will often operate as an excitement, giving rise to unusual animation, and thus it affected me. If I had not been surrounded at this time by new faces, new scenes, and new sounds, the effect produced upon my mind by one unceasing cause of alarm might have been very different. As it was, the eagerness with which I pursued my rambles among the wonders of Egypt was sharpened and increased by the sting of the fear of death. Thus my account of the matter plainly conveys an impression that I remained at Cairo without losing my cheerfulness and buoyancy of spirits. And this is the truth, but it is also true, as I have freely confessed, that my sense of danger during the whole period was lively and continuous.
When coming from the Desert I rode through a village which lies near to the city on the eastern side, there approached me with busy face and earnest gestures a personage in the Turkish dress. His long flowing beard gave him rather a majestic look, but his briskness of manner, and his visible anxiety to accost me, seemed strange in an Oriental. The man in fact was French, or of French origin, and his object was to warn me of the plague, and prevent me from entering the city.
"Arretez-vous, monsieur, je vous en prie - arretez-vous; il ne faut pas entrer dans la ville; la peste y regne partout."
"Oui, je sais,* mais - "
* Anglice for "je le sais." These answers of mine, as given above, are not meant as specimens of mere French, but of that fine, terse, nervous, CONTINENTAL ENGLISH with which I and my compatriots make our way through Europe. This language, by- the-bye, is one possessing great force and energy, and is not without its literature, a literature of the very highest order. Where will you find more sturdy specimens of downright, honest, and noble English than in the Duke of Wellington's "French" despatches?
"Mais monsieur, je dis la peste - la peste; c'est de LA PESTE, qu'il est question."
"Oui, je sais, mais - "
"Mais monsieur, je dis encore LA PESTE - LA PESTE. Je vous conjure de ne pas entrer dans la ville - vous seriez dans une ville empestee."
"Oui, je sais, mais - "
"Mais monsieur, je dois donc vous avertir tout bonnement que si vous entrez dans la ville, vous serez - enfin vous serez COMPROMIS!" *
* The import of the word "compromised," when used in reference to contagion, is explained on page 18.
"Oui, je sais, mais - "
The Frenchman was at last convinced that it was vain to reason with a mere Englishman, who could not understand what it was to be "compromised." I thanked him most sincerely for his kindly meant warning; in hot countries it is very unusual indeed for a man to go out in the glare of the sun and give free advice to a stranger.
When I arrived at Cairo I summoned Osman Effendi, who was, as I knew, the owner of several houses, and would be able to provide me with apartments. He had no difficulty in doing this, for there was not one European traveller in Cairo besides myself.
The next day I entered upon Egypt, and floated along (for the delight was as the delight of bathing) through green wavy fields of rice, and pastures fresh and plentiful, and dived into the cold verdure of groves and gardens, and quenched my hot eyes in shade, as though in deep, rushing waters.
CHAPTER XVIII - CAIRO AND THE PLAGUE *
CAIRO and plague! During the whole time of my stay the plague was so master of the city, and showed itself so staringly in every street and every alley, that I can't now affect to dissociate the two ideas.
* There is some semblance of bravado in my manner of talking about the plague. I have been more careful to describe the terrors of other people than my own. The truth is, that during the whole period of my stay at Cairo I remained thoroughly impressed with a sense of my danger. I may almost say, that I lived in perpetual apprehension, for even in sleep, as I fancy, there remained with me some faint notion of the peril with which I was encompassed. But fear does not necessarily damp the spirits; on the contrary, it will often operate as an excitement, giving rise to unusual animation, and thus it affected me. If I had not been surrounded at this time by new faces, new scenes, and new sounds, the effect produced upon my mind by one unceasing cause of alarm might have been very different. As it was, the eagerness with which I pursued my rambles among the wonders of Egypt was sharpened and increased by the sting of the fear of death. Thus my account of the matter plainly conveys an impression that I remained at Cairo without losing my cheerfulness and buoyancy of spirits. And this is the truth, but it is also true, as I have freely confessed, that my sense of danger during the whole period was lively and continuous.
When coming from the Desert I rode through a village which lies near to the city on the eastern side, there approached me with busy face and earnest gestures a personage in the Turkish dress. His long flowing beard gave him rather a majestic look, but his briskness of manner, and his visible anxiety to accost me, seemed strange in an Oriental. The man in fact was French, or of French origin, and his object was to warn me of the plague, and prevent me from entering the city.
"Arretez-vous, monsieur, je vous en prie - arretez-vous; il ne faut pas entrer dans la ville; la peste y regne partout."
"Oui, je sais,* mais - "
* Anglice for "je le sais." These answers of mine, as given above, are not meant as specimens of mere French, but of that fine, terse, nervous, CONTINENTAL ENGLISH with which I and my compatriots make our way through Europe. This language, by- the-bye, is one possessing great force and energy, and is not without its literature, a literature of the very highest order. Where will you find more sturdy specimens of downright, honest, and noble English than in the Duke of Wellington's "French" despatches?
"Mais monsieur, je dis la peste - la peste; c'est de LA PESTE, qu'il est question."
"Oui, je sais, mais - "
"Mais monsieur, je dis encore LA PESTE - LA PESTE. Je vous conjure de ne pas entrer dans la ville - vous seriez dans une ville empestee."
"Oui, je sais, mais - "
"Mais monsieur, je dois donc vous avertir tout bonnement que si vous entrez dans la ville, vous serez - enfin vous serez COMPROMIS!" *
* The import of the word "compromised," when used in reference to contagion, is explained on page 18.
"Oui, je sais, mais - "
The Frenchman was at last convinced that it was vain to reason with a mere Englishman, who could not understand what it was to be "compromised." I thanked him most sincerely for his kindly meant warning; in hot countries it is very unusual indeed for a man to go out in the glare of the sun and give free advice to a stranger.
When I arrived at Cairo I summoned Osman Effendi, who was, as I knew, the owner of several houses, and would be able to provide me with apartments. He had no difficulty in doing this, for there was not one European traveller in Cairo besides myself.