222
condition. The only sprinkling machine known here is the same generally used in India—a water-carrier with a goatskin slung across his shoulders.
My donkey boy followed up the “Gen- eral,” making his presence known by fre- quent whaeks over the flanks of the poor beast, and emphasising them with epithets rather yough and emphatic, than eompli- mentary tohispedigrec. The “donk” from instinet or long experience seemed to know when the blow was coming, and would make a sudden spurt to avoid it, whieh threatened the vider with being dropped off behind, The hazsarg swarm with people, Men and women, donkeys, camels and oxen bearing heavy loads, are inextricably mingled, every one in the way of others, with no rule of turning out to the right or the left, ail shout- ing, screaming, pulling and whacking tho beasts, with most ludierons appents to the Prophet. It now requires a sharp lookout, Net so much, for fear of running over some one—for the foot passengers have 2 miracu- lous way of eseaping danger—as to escape coniing to grief by being wedged in between a carmel laden with stene or wood, and the projecting panniers of a mule filled with vegetables or boxes of merchandise. Re gardiess of the hubbub and confusion of the street, you cun see the turbanned merchant sitting crossdegged on a mat in frant of hig little seven by nine shop, smoking his ehibowk and sipping his coffee with true Musselman coolness and gravily. ‘Turning into a by-street I slipped off the “General,” ond Jeaying him in charge of the boy, [found a standing place on the cor ner to wateh the passers by. As I wore the faz i atiracted no special notice and a grim old Turk made room for me on the hoard in front of his shop, Iere comes 4 woman out shopping, an ateupation of which the fair sex are as fond of in Cairo asin New York, followed by a euntich, black as Wrebus, with un urmful of parcels. She may be “the light of the harem,” or her grand-nother, for all I ean tell, for she is wrapped in the univer- sel white cotton winding sheet, and her face 15 hidden behind a browa figured gauze ¥cil. As she does not youchsafe to shoot ‘‘an eve- lash arrow from an eycbrow bow” in this di- rection, 1 presume she is oldand ugly, Next comes the very personification of the “Father of the Faithful,” with long white beard, a massive wrinkled face, and oriental dress, identical with that worn by the old
