man, and hope to be back in my own by Sunday.
But oh Lord! I got hold of the Barber himself turned painter; and as the
little cangia was moored alongside the _Urania_ in order to hold all the
mattresses, carpets, etc. I was his victim. First, it was a request for
'three pounds to buy paint.' 'None but the best of paint is fitting for
a noble person like thee, and that thou knowest is costly, and I am thy
servant and would do thee honour.' 'Very well,' say I, 'take the money,
and see, oh man, that the paint is of the best, or thy backsheesh will be
bad also.' Well, he begins and then rushes in to say: 'Come oh Bey, oh
Pasha! and behold the brilliancy of the white paint, like milk, like
glass, like the full moon.' I go and say, 'Mashallah! but now be so good
as to work fast, for my son will be here in a few days, and nothing is
ready.' Fatal remark. 'Mashallah! Bismillah! may the Lord spare him,
may God prolong thy days, let me advise thee how to keep the eye from
him, for doubtless thy son is beautiful as a memlook of 1,000 purses.
Remember to spit in his face when he comes on board, and revile him aloud
that all the people may hear thee, and compel him to wear torn and dirty
clothes when he goes out:--and how many children hast thou, and our
master, thy master, and is he well?' etc. etc. '_Shukr Allah_! all is
well with us,' say I; 'but, by the Prophet, paint, oh _Ma-alim_ (exactly
the German _Meister_) and do not break my head any more.' But I was
forced to take refuge at a distance from Hajj' Alee's tongue. Read the
story of the Barber, and you will know exactly what Ma-alim Hajj' Alee
is. Also just as I got out of my boat and he had begun, the painter whom
I had last year and with whom I was dissatisfied, went to the Sheykh of
the painters and persuaded him to put my man in prison for working too
cheap--that was at daybreak. So I sent up my Reis to the Sheykh to
inform him that if my man did not return by next day at daybreak, I would
send for an European painter and force the Sheykh to pay the bill. Of
course my man came.

My steersman Hassan, and a good man, Hoseyn, who can wash and is
generally nice and pleasant, arrived from el-Bastowee a few days ago, and
are waiting here till I want them. Poor little ugly black Hassan has had
his house burnt down in his village, and lost all the clothes which he
had bought with his wages; they were very good clothes, some of them, and
a heavy loss. He is my Reis