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Ahmet Bey had, for a long time, two lions, (whether he still has them I know not) which lived along with him in the Divan. These animals knew their master perfectly, but they knew nobody else. When he was in a good humour, he would call one of his servants, oblige him to play with the lions, and laugh most heartily at every wound which they gave him. He would not put an end to this cruel sport, till he was fairly tired of laughing, or till the poor wretch, covered with wounds and blood, dropped dead upon the floor.

Whenever Ahmet Bey is bled, he thrusts his hand in the blood, squeezes it between his fingers, eyes it with savage pleasure, and thinks it softer than velvet- that is his expression. This scene, which is of frequent occurrence, fills his attendants with dismay. They are alarmed lest he should take it into his head to make a fatal comparison.

I could mention many more traits of this kind, but my pen is weary of relating such horrors.

There is at Cairo another personage who has made a great noise, and whom I should still less have liked to see than Ahmet Bey, not that, like the latter, he is bloodthirsty and ferocious; but he is infamous. This is an apostate, who, for the sake of gold, has sold his conscience, exchanged the Gospel for the Koran, and renounced the name of his forefathers for that of Soliman Bey, a name of ignominy, by which he is now known throughout all Europe. After a brief interval of favour and transient good fortune, despised by those whose faith and country he has forsaken, still more despised by those whose absurd creed he has embraced, he drags on

VOL. II.

290

MINISTER AT WAR.

a life of dishonour in shame and disgrace.

Deserted even by those who flattered him most in the days of his elevation, he has most frequently no other companion than the remorse which clings to the soul of the renegado, and never tortures him so keenly as in solitude.

I was to have dined, one of these last days, with the minister at war, than whom there is not a man more necessary, or more devoted, to the cause of Mehemet Ali. His excellency had done me the honour to invite me to a splendid entertainment, which he intended to give in the part of his harem not inhabited by his women. The death of one of his nephews, which happened in the mean time, forbade him to indulge any other feelings than those of grief. This personage, who is reputed to be one of the most skilful of the Mahometans in the art of war, and in the science of administration, is distinguished by mild and polished manners. His wealth is immense his palace is magnificent, and scarcely surpassed by that of Ibrahim, which is one of the finest in modern Egypt.

I shall say but a word concerning the menagerie which I have lately seen. It is less curious than most of those in Europe. The most remarkable of the animals of which it is composed are an elephant and two leopards.

In a preceding letter I have intimated that one of the principal duties of the Father warden of the Holy Sepulchre is to visit, at least once in the space of three years, the different monasteries scattered throughout Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, and Egypt. The present warden is now travelling in fulfilment of this duty. He arrived here last week, and landed at Boulak. He was at first

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291

received in the house of a pious widow, where he waited till the moment when he could, according to custom, make his solemn entry into the city. On such occasions, unless circumstances imperatively forbid, it is seldom that the catholic population of the places where monastic establishments are situated fails to go forth to meet him, in order to do him honour, and to escort him to the convent, where he alights.

use,

No sooner was it known at Cairo that his reverence was at Boulak, than the Coptic catholic bishop, the clergy, and a considerable concourse of catholics, prepared to go and meet him. Moved by a sentiment of religion, as much as by the recollection of the kindness which he had shown me during my residence at Jerusalem, I was anxious to join the persons who wished to give some éclat to the ceremony; and, with this view, I requested the minister at war to have the goodness to lend me one of his horses. His excellency had the attention, not only to send me the animal which he kept for his own particular but also to place several of his says at my disposal. The reverend Father made his entry amidst an immense concourse, collected by piety or curiosity along the road by which he was to pass. The Coptic bishop was on his right, and I on his left. The beauty of the horse which I rode, and the magnificence of his trappings, struck every eye; and, as it was impossible not to perceive at a glance to whom he belonged, the catholics regarded this extreme complaisance of the minister for a poor monk of La Trappe, going to meet an humble Franciscan, as a mark of protection granted to our holy religion; and the Mahometan crowd, save and except

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a few murmurers, behaved so much the more re

spectfully.

On reaching the monastery, the reverend Father repaired immediately to the church; the train could scarcely follow him thither: the avenues were choked with the concourse of spectators. After the benediction, the clergy and the consuls were admitted to his reverence, and successively paid him their respects.

It was the second time that I had borne a part in this kind of ceremony, the more interesting for a Christian as it takes place in an infidel land. The reverend Father had visited Alexandria while I was in that city, and had been received there with great pomp. The merchant ships, Italian, Spanish, Austrian, and Sardinian, were decorated with flags, hoisted their respective colours, several of them fired their guns, and the consuls vied with each other in paying the venerable warden all possible honour and respect.

LETTER LI.

DEPARTURE FOR MOUNT SINAI - BEAUTIFUL DROMEDARY FROM THE STABLES OF THE VICEROY GATE OF VICTORY-THE DESESTPETRIFIED WOOD - SCRUPULOUS SHEIK - SUPPER-CAMELS-HosPITABLE CUSTOM OF THE SHEIK-NIGHT-SCENE-SILENCE OF THE DESERT CASTLE OF ASCHIROUD-ROUTE of the GREAT CARAVAN GOING TO MECCA-VIEW OF THE RED SEA AND SUEZ-ENVIRONS OF SUEZ-INTERIOR OF THE TOWN-UGLY CHILDREN -M. MANOULA, AGENT OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY-VISIT TO THE GOVERNORBONAPARTE GULF OF SUEZ-ARABIA PETRA-CHARCOAL-TRADE CARRIED ON BY THE ARABS FOUNTAINS OF MOSES - PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA BY THE ISRAELITES SHELLS OF THE RED SEAASH-WEDNESDAY- - WATER-SMALL BIRD ANTELOPE.

Cairo, March 18th, 1833.

Here I am, returned from Mount Sinai, my dear friend. After taking a few moments' rest, and arranging the

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various notes hastily made during the journey, my first thought is to return to our correspondence, and to resume my narrative at the point where I broke off in my last letter.

On the day before my departure from Cairo, I was still undecided upon the choice of the animal that should "Take the horse of the desert," said some; carry me. "he will be easier and more convenient for you."—" Do not trust yourself to him," cried others; "he would not be able to bear the fatigue for any length of time. We advise you to choose the dromedary, the ship of the desert, as the Arabs call him." I followed the latter advice. Still there was left the difficulty of procuring a dromedary, and above all of finding a good one. The governor, being apprised of my embarrassment, sent to offer me one out of the viceroy's stables, which I eagerly accepted. He accordingly sent me a handsome white dromedary, richly caparisoned, covered with a magnificent laced housing of purple velvet, and marked, on the thigh, with the cipher of his Highness -a mark which, when seen at a distance by the Bedouins, would overawe them, and make them treat me with respect.

My caravan consisted of my janissary, a Bedouin sheik, and four Bedouins, who were to have under their charge the like number of camels, laden with a tent, a mattress, carpets, skins containing the quantity of water which we presumed we should need, other provisions, and beans for our cattle.

On the 14th of February, the caravan assembled at the Austrian consulate. The sheik went up to the consul, bowed before him, laid his hand successively on his