This a
little damps the exultation caused by seeing him so honoured by the
Effendina. One man who had heard that he had called the American
missionaries 'beggars,' grumbled to me, 'Ah yes, beggars, beggars, they
didn't beg of me for money.' I really do think that there must be
something in this dread of the Protestant movement. Evidently the Pasha
is backing up the Patriarch who keeps his church well apart from all
other Christians, and well under the thumb of the Turks. It was pretty
to hear the priests talk so politely of Islam, and curse the Protestants
so bitterly. We were very nearly having a row about a woman, who
formerly turned Moslimeh to get rid of an old blind Copt husband who had
been forced upon her, and was permitted to recant, I suppose in order to
get rid of the Muslim husband in his turn. However he said, 'I don't
care, she is the mother of my two children, and whether she is Muslim or
Christian she is my wife, and I won't divorce her, but I'll send her to
church as much as she likes.' Thereupon the priests of course dropped
the wrangle, much to the relief of Sheykh Yussuf, in whose house she had
taken up her quarters after leaving the church, and who was afraid of
being drawn into a dispute.

My new little Darfour boy is very funny and very intelligent. I hope he
will turn out well, he seems well disposed, though rather lazy. Mabrook
quarrelled with a boy belonging to the quarter close to us about a bird,
and both boys ran away. The Arab boy is missing still I suppose, but
Mabrook was brought back by force, swelling with passion, and with his
clothes most scripturally 'rent.' He had regularly 'run amuck.' Sheykh
Yussuf lectured him on his insolence to the people of the quarter, and I
wound up by saying, 'Oh my son! whither dost thou wish to go? I cannot
let thee wander about like a beggar, with torn clothes and no money, that
the police may take thee and put thee in the army; but say where thou
desirest to go, and we will talk about it with discretion.' It was at
once borne in upon him that he did not want to go anywhere, and he said,
'I repent; I am but an ox, bring the courbash, beat me, and let me go to
finish cooking the Sitt's dinner.' I remitted the beating, with a threat
that if he bullied the neighbours again he would get it at the police,
and not from Omar's very inefficient arm. In half an hour he was as
merry as ever. It was a curious display of negro temper, and all about