all decently yet,
but I understand a good deal, and stammer out a little.

March 1, 1864: Mrs. Austin

_To Mrs. Austin_.

LUXOR,
_March_ 1, 1864.

DEAREST MUTTER,

I think I shall have an opportunity of sending letters in a few days by a
fast steamer, so I will begin one on the chance and send it by post if
the steamer is delayed long. The glory of the climate now is beyond
description, and I feel better every day. I go out early--at seven or
eight o'clock--on my tiny black donkey, and come in to breakfast about
ten, and go out again at four.

I want to photograph Yussuf for you. The feelings and prejudices and
ideas of a cultivated Arab, as I get at them little by little, are
curious beyond compare. It won't do to generalize from one man, of
course, but even one gives some very new ideas. The most striking thing
is the sweetness and delicacy of feeling--the horror of hurting anyone
(this must be individual, of course: it is too good to be general). I
apologized to him two days ago for inadvertently answering the _Salaam
aleykoum_, which he, of course, said to Omar on coming in. Yesterday
evening he walked in and startled me by a _Salaam aleykee_ addressed to
me; he had evidently been thinking it over whether he ought to say it to
me, and come to the conclusion that it was not wrong. 'Surely it is well
for all the creatures of God to speak peace (_Salaam_) to each other,'
said he. Now, no uneducated Muslim would have arrived at such a
conclusion. Omar would pray, work, lie, do anything for me--sacrifice
money even; but I doubt whether he _could_ utter _Salaam aleykoum_ to any
but a Muslim. I answered as I felt: 'Peace, oh my brother, and God bless
thee!' It was almost as if a Catholic priest had felt impelled by
charity to offer the communion to a heretic. I observed that the story
of the barber was new to him, and asked if he did not know the 'Thousand
and One Nights.' No; he studied only things of religion, no light
amusements were proper for an Alim (elder of religion); _we_ Europeans
did not know that, of course, as _our_ religion was to enjoy ourselves;
but _he_ must not make merry with diversions, or music, or droll stories.
(See the mutual ignorance of all ascetics!) He has a little girl of six
or seven, and teaches her to write and re