e been amused to hear the girl who came to dance for us at Esneh
lecture Maurice about evil ways, but she was an old friend of mine, and
gave good and sound advice.

Everyone is delighted about Abyssinia. 'Thank God our Pasha will fear
the English more than before, and the Sultan also,' and when I lamented
the expense, they all exclaimed, 'Never mind the expense, it is worth
more than ten millions to you; your faces are whitened and your power
enlarged before all the world; but why don't you take us on your way
back.'

I saw a very interesting man at Keneh, one Faam, a Copt, who has turned
Presbyterian, and has induced a hundred others at Koos to do likewise: an
American missionary is their minister. Faam was sent off to the Soudan
by the Patriarch, but brought back. He is a splendid old fellow, and I
felt I looked on the face of a Christian martyr, a curious sight in the
nineteenth century: the calm, fearless, rapt expression was like what you
see in noble old Italian pictures, and he had the perfect absence of
'doing pious' which shows the undoubting faith. He and the Mufti, also a
noble fellow, sparred about religion in a jocose and friendly tone which
would be quite unintelligible in Exeter Hall. When he was gone the Mufti
said, 'Ah! we thank them, for though they know not the truth of Islam,
they are good men, and walk straight, and would die for their religion:
their example is excellent; praise be to God for them.'

June 14, 1868: Sir Alexander Duff Gordon

_To Sir Alexander Duff Gordon_.

BOULAK,
_June_ 14, 1868.

DEAREST ALICK,

The climate has been odious for Egypt--to shiver in cold winds of June on
the Nile seems hard. Maurice inherits my faculty for getting on with
'd------d niggers'; all the crew kissed him on both cheeks and swore to
come back again in the winter; and up the country he was hand and glove
with all the fellaheen, eating a good deal of what he called 'muck' with
great enjoyment, walking arm in arm with a crazy derweesh, fetching home
a bride at night and swearing lustily by the Prophet. The good manners
of the Arab _canaille_, have rubbed off the very disagreeable varnish
which he got at Brussels.

Dr. Patterson wants me to go to Beyrout or one of the Greek isles for a
change. I am very feeble and short of breath--but I will t