ver and the magical
effect of the after-glow upon the Libyan mountains opposite. All
these buildings--"Maison de France," stores, yards, etc. . . . are
all swept away.']

December 17, 1863: Sir Alexander Duff Gordon

_To Sir Alexander Duff Gordon_.

CAIRO,
_December_ 17, 1863.

DEAREST ALICK,

At last I hope I shall get off in a few days. I have had one delay and
bother after another, chiefly caused by relying on the fine speeches of
Mr. D. On applying straight to the French Consulate at Alexandria, Janet
got me the loan of the _Maison de France_ at Thebes at once. M. Mounier,
the agent to Halim Pasha, is going up to Esneh, and will let me travel in
the steamer which is to tow his dahabieh. It will be dirty, but will
cost little and take me out of this dreadful cold weather in five or six
days.

_December_ 22.--I wrote the above five days ago, since when I have had to
turn out of Thayer's house, as his new Vice-Consul wanted it, and am back
at Briggs'. M. Mounier is waiting in frantic impatience to set off, and
I ditto; but Ismail Pasha keeps him from day to day. The worry of
depending on anyone in the East is beyond belief. Tell your mother that
Lady Herbert is gone up the river; her son was much the better for Cairo.
I saw Pietro, her courier, who is stupendously grand, he offered Omar 8
pounds a month to go with them; you may imagine how Pietro despised his
heathenish ignorance in preferring to stay with me for 3 pounds. It
quite confirmed him in his contempt for the Arabs.

You would have laughed to hear me buying a carpet. I saw an old broker
with one on his shoulder in the bazaar, and asked the price, 'eight
napoleons'--then it was unfolded and spread in the street, to the great
inconvenience of passers-by, just in front of a coffee-shop. I look at
it superciliously, and say, 'Three hundred piastres, O uncle,' the poor
old broker cries out in despair to the men sitting outside the
coffee-shop: 'O Muslims, hear that and look at this excellent carpet.
Three hundred piastres! By the faith, it is worth two thousand!' But
the men take my part and one mildly says: 'I wonder that an old man as
thou art should tell us that this lady, who is a traveller and a person
of experience, values it at three hundred--thinkest thou we will give
thee more