may seem fit,
and he will subside into liberty. _Du reste_, the Maohn here says he is
legally entitled to his freedom. If the new French Consul-General will
let me stay on here I will leave my furniture and come down straight to
your hospitable roof in Alexandria _en route_ for Europe. I fear my plan
of a dahabieh of my own would be too expensive, the wages of common
boatmen now are three napoleons a month. M. Prevost Paradol, whose
company has been a real _bonne fortune_ to me, will speak to the
Consul-General. I know all Thebes would sign a round-robin in my favour
if they only knew how, for I am very popular here, and the only _Hakeen_.
I have effected some brilliant cures, and get lots of presents. Eggs,
turkeys, etc., etc., it is quite a pleasure to see how the poor people
instead of trying to sponge on one are anxious to make a return for
kindness. I give nothing whatever but my physick. These country people
are very good. A nice young Circassian Cawass sat up with a stranger, a
dying Englishman, all night because I had doctored his wife. I have also
a pupil, Mustapha's youngest boy, a sweet intelligent lad who is pining
for an education. I wish he could go to England. He speaks English very
well and reads and writes indifferently, but I never saw a boy so wild to
learn. Is it difficult to get a boy into the Abbassieh college? as it is
gratuitous I suppose it is. I quite grieve over little Ach met forced to
dawdle away his time and his faculties here.

March 13, 1865: Mrs. Austin

_To Mrs. Austin_.

LUXOR,
_March_ 13, 1865.

DEAREST MUTTER,

I hope your mind has not been disturbed by any rumours of 'battle, murder
and sudden death' up in our part of the world. A week ago we heard that
a Prussian boat had been attacked, all on board murdered, and the boat
burned; then that ten villages were in open revolt, and that Effendina
(the Viceroy) himself had come up and 'taken a broom and swept them
clean' _i.e._--exterminated the inhabitants. The truth now appears to be
that a crazy darweesh has made a disturbance--but I will tell it as I
heard it. He did as his father likewise did thirty years ago, made
himself _Ism_ (name) by repeating one of the appellations of God, like
_Ya Latif_ three thousand times every night for three years which
rende