HAREM LIFE IN THE EAST.—FROM LUXOR TO ASSOUAN.
A surprise was in store for Frank and Fred when they returned from their excursion to the tombs of the kings.
Several ladies of the party had declined to visit the tombs, partly on account of the fatigue of the journey, and partly because they had been invited to see the harem of the English consul at Luxor, and did not wish to miss the opportunity of learning how the women of the East pass their time. When our friends returned to the boat the ladies had only been back a short time from the harem, and there was an active interchange of accumulated information until dinner was announced.
After dinner Frank tried to persuade one of the ladies to write an account of what she saw in the harem, as he wished to send it home for his sister and Miss Effie to read. She was unwilling to write, but promised that she would tell him the next day, while they were steaming up the river, and then he might write it out for himself.
Frank accepted the conditions, and next morning he sat down, pencil in hand, to take the story from the lady's lips. He thought it would be more interesting in her words than in his, and, as he was a rapid writer, he managed to get down a good part of the story just as she told it.
Here is the result of his work:
"We went to the office," said the lady, "and found the consul was all ready for us. We walked from there to his house, which is quite pretty when you get inside of it, and has a nice little garden on a balcony; from this balcony we went into the harem, accompanied by the consul's son, who speaks English. The consul remained outside with the husband of one of the ladies, as it would have been a great outrage upon Oriental etiquette for a foreign gentleman to step inside the sacred spot.
"The son of the consul only stayed long enough to introduce us, and then we were left to take care of ourselves. There were half a dozen women, some of them the wives of the consul, and others married to his son: we couldn't remember them all separately, and so when the young man left us we didn't know which was which. But it was of no particular consequence that we forgot, as we had to do all our talking by signs; the women spoke only Arabic, and not one of us knew a dozen words of that language. The only word I could think of was empshy! (clear out!), which you say to beggars when you want to be rid of them, and that wasn't exactly the kind of language to use when you are introduced to strangers.
AN ORIENTAL LADY AT HOME.
"When we entered the room they saluted us in Arabic, and invited us to sit on the carpet, which we did as well as we could. There were divans around the sides of the room, and a fine carpet in the centre, and we sat more on the carpet than on the divans. We wanted to do as nearly like our entertainers as we could, and when they invited us to the carpet we thought it would be rudeness to decline. Of course we were rather awkward about it, and laughed at our clumsiness, so as to give them a chance to laugh with us if they wanted to.
"They were dressed loosely in the flowing robes such as you see the Arab women wear in the streets, but they had no veils on their faces. There was one who did not seem to be more than fifteen years old, and I presume she was the favorite wife of the consul's son. She wore a dress embroidered more richly than any other, and the material was of a costly silk. I wanted to ask her where it was made, and how much it cost, as I fancied it would be a nice one to take home and excite the envy of my friends. But then, you know, it might have been impolite to put such a question, and, besides, I didn't know how to ask in Arabic. All things considered, I didn't ask at all.
"As soon as we sat down on the carpet they began to examine us; they looked very intently into our faces, they scanned our clothing and boots, loosened our hair, took out our ear-drops, and appeared as curious and innocent as children. We returned the compliment by examining them, and they seemed greatly pleased that we did so.
"What excited their curiosity more than anything else was Mrs. ——'s hair. They pinched it and twisted it in all sorts of ways, passed it through their hands, and were not contented until they satisfied themselves that it grew naturally on her head. Even then they kept touching it and looking at it closely every few minutes, all the time we were in the harem."
EASTERN LADIES LISTENING TO MUSIC.
Frank made a memorandum, for the benefit of his sister and Miss Effie, that the lady in question was English, and had hair of the purest blonde. It was rich and glossy, of the hue of old gold, and was doubtless the first hair of the kind these Arab ladies had ever seen. It was no wonder that their curiosity was roused by it. Black hair is universal among the Arabs, and the tricks of the bleachers of London and New York are unknown in Egypt.
"Before we knew what they were doing," the lady continued, "they had our heads in their laps, and were staining our eyelids. They wanted to stain our finger-nails and tattoo our chins, but we declined the honor, as we did not like the effect of the coloring matter, which will not wash off. It remains on for several days, and when it begins to wear off it makes the hands very dingy. They were as much amused at the whiteness of our finger-nails as we were at the dark color of theirs.
"They wore their hair loose, with bands around the head to keep it in place, and the youngest of them had a very rich head-dress with many pieces of gold attached to it. They served us with pipes and coffee soon after we entered, and seemed much surprised at our refusal to smoke. One of us tried a few whiffs from a nargileh, and it made them laugh very much when the smoke choked her and set her to coughing.
"Our visit lasted about half an hour. They embraced us when we came away, but did not offer to kiss us, and the last thing they did was to give a farewell pinch to Mrs. ——'s hair. They intimated by signs that they would like to come to the boat to see us; but of course that would not be according to Eastern usage, and they are not at all likely to come."
Frank gathered other details about the life of Eastern women which he appended to his account of the visit we have just described. A few of them will not be out of place in this narrative.
"According to all I can learn," wrote Frank, "the life of an Eastern woman must be very monotonous. She goes out very little, and after she is married can only rarely visit her relatives. Day and night her place is in the harem, and she never speaks to any man except her husband—not even to his most intimate friends or to her own brothers. The time must hang very heavily on her hands, especially when, as is generally the case, she is unable to read, and cannot obtain the consolation which books afford.
AN ORIENTAL DANCING GIRL.
"I have told you of the marriage ceremonies among the modern Egyptians; they are practically the same in most of the Moslem countries, and have the same result among all except the poorer classes. The wife of a man who can afford the expense of a harem passes the most of her time there, and only goes out on rare occasions. Ladies of her own rank may call on her, and she can return their visits, but they are not very frequent, and she passes the most of the time entirely among the other women of her house. These include the servants or slaves, and possibly the other wives of her husband.
"Speaking of other wives, let me say here that, according to the Koran, an Arab or Turk may have four wives, provided he can take care of them, but by custom he sometimes has more. Doctor Bronson says the intercourse of the East with Europe has caused a great many men to adopt the customs of the latter country and have only one wife. Some of the high officers of Egypt have done so, and they are occasionally seen in public with their wives, which is a great innovation upon the old habits of the land.
"Where a man has two or more wives each of them is entitled to separate apartments, and to servants whose whole business is to wait on her; consequently, a harem is an expensive luxury, and there are not many who can afford it. Perhaps the saving of expense has something to do with the spread of European ideas among the Orientals. And then, too, there are apt to be quarrels among the occupants of the harem which the master is called upon to settle, and with a sufficient number of them his life is anything but a happy one.
AN EASTERN STORY-TELLER.
"The amusements of the ladies of the harem consist of music and story-telling, and for this there are professional narrators and performers who go from house to house, and are paid for their services. Of course these are women, as no man except the master of the house can enter the harem. Their visits are always welcome, as they greatly assist in passing away the time. When a story-teller is present the women gather about her, and sometimes the master of the house is seated in a balcony, where he can hear the performance and look upon the assemblage below. For the musical entertainments there are generally two or more performers, one of them playing on the flute and the other on the guitar. Then there are women who sing in addition to playing, or, if singers cannot play, they bring their own accompanists.
"A lady in Moslem countries gives a party very much like one in New York, with the difference that all the visitors are ladies. Generally these parties are in the afternoon, though they sometimes take place in the evening. In either case the guests come at an appointed hour and are received by the hostess, who is in evening costume and without a veil. Her visitors having come through the streets on their way to the house are of course veiled when they arrive, but the veil is laid aside with the shawls and cloaks, and the guests make themselves at home, very much as in Christian countries.
"If the hostess is the wife of an official, or merchant having business with foreigners, she sends invitations to their wives or sisters—in fact, to any ladies she knows, whether they are of her religion or not. In this way European ladies are introduced to the harems, and it often happens that warm friendships are formed between women of different religions, just as they are formed among men.
A RECEPTION IN A HAREM.
"When there is a large party, some are seated on the divans and others on the carpet. Coffee and cigarettes are served, and those who desire pipes to smoke can be accommodated, as the long-stemmed nargileh abounds in every harem, and is very much in use. Conversation is very brisk, and it is said that the ladies of the East are quite as fluent with their tongues as their Western sisters.
"After a little time has been devoted to conversation the hostess gives a signal, and the entertainment provided for the occasion begins. If the lady has slaves that can sing they seat themselves on the floor and begin a song, but if there is not sufficient talent among them a party of professionals is especially engaged. The singing is followed by dancing, and this is almost always by professional dancing girls, and the affair is said to be much like the one we saw at Keneh.
"Dancing follows singing, and singing follows dancing, and now and then a story-teller is introduced for the amusement of those who like them. Sweetmeats and cakes are liberally served, and so are coffee and sherbet, which are taken from tiny cups such as we would disdain in our own country.
"In addition to these amusements they have cards and checkers, and many of the Eastern ladies are said to be very skilful at these games. In various ways the afternoon or evening is worn away, and, if the affair is a specially fine one, a supper is served on a large platter placed on a stand in the centre of the room. It consists mostly of preserved fruits and other dainties, and is not so extensive as the supper at a party of the same sort in America. Nobody is expected to leave until some of the most fashionable or distinguished ladies give the signal. The hostess pretends to be very sorry to have them go, but is no doubt wishing to herself that they would make haste and leave her alone.
"So much for harem life in Egypt. I'm sorry I can't tell more about it, but all my information must come from somebody else, and therefore you must consider it second-hand. The condition of women in the East is improving, but it is yet far behind that of Europe and America. The progress is more rapid in Egypt than in Turkey and other Moslem lands, and the example of the rulers of this country in establishing schools for girls will have an effect in the right direction. But it will take a long time to overcome the prejudices that exist in consequence of the religion of the East, not only among the men but among the women themselves. Many of the Egyptian and Turkish ladies have told their foreign visitors that they would not desire to change places with them: they enjoy their life of indolence and seclusion, as it gives them a feeling of protection they would not have if the customs of Europe prevailed among them."
Esneh was the first stopping-place above Luxor, and the object of interest was a temple partly cleared out and partly covered by the houses of the town. The only part to be seen was the portico, which was reached by a flight of steps descending to it. Nobody knows the extent of the temple, as it was covered for many hundred years with heaps of rubbish. The attempts to clear it out were made quite recently, but enough has not been excavated to give even the outline of the original edifice.
SCULPTURES MUTILATED BY THE PERSIANS.
The boys observed here, as they had already done at Luxor and other places, that the sculptures were frequently injured by the destruction of the faces of the figures that had been engraved with so much care. They asked the Doctor how this was done, and he thus explained it:
"The Persians," said he, "had a great objection to seeing figures on the walls of the temples, and when they overran Egypt they mutilated them in the way you perceive. Happily the sculptures were so numerous that they did not have sufficient time to destroy them all, or even a goodly portion of them.
"The early Christians, in their zeal for removing the evidences of paganism, continued the work which the Persians began. In some instances they plastered the figures over so as to conceal them, and thus unintentionally caused them to be preserved. Where the plaster is removed the figures are found in excellent condition."
It did not require a long time for the visit to the Temple of Esneh, as the curiosity of the travellers concerning Egyptian temples had somewhat diminished since their stay at Thebes, and the many explorations they had made. After seeing the temple they strolled through the town, and listened to the songs of a group of Arabs at the cafés which line the bank of the river near the landing-place.
Just as the whistle of the steamer gave the signal for continuing the journey, Frank's attention was attracted by what he pronounced a thing of beauty.
A THING OF BEAUTY.
It was not a girl, or a painting, or a temple, or even a scarabæus: it was a mule.
Both the boys pronounced it the handsomest beast of the kind they had seen in Egypt, and were sorry their time was so limited they could not study the animal closely. Its color was pure white, and Fred suggested that the mule was probably kalsomined every morning, and was evidently treated with great care.
The animal was the property of the governor, and his trappings were in keeping with his fine appearance. Some of the travellers regarded the saddle quite as much as they did the animal that carried it. Frank said he could understand why the Arabs are such excellent horsemen, when the saddles are so formed that it is very difficult to throw a rider out of them.
VIEW IN THE TEMPLE OF EDFOO.
From Esneh to the foot of the first cataract there was no incident of importance. The boat stopped at two or three places where there were ruined temples, the most interesting being that of Edfoo. It was cleared out in 1864 by order of the Egyptian Government, and the rubbish that had been there thousands of years lay piled around it. The rubbish had tended to the preservation of the sculptures, and after the clearing was completed they were found to be in better condition than in most of the other temples.
The general plan of the building was much like that of the Temple of Denderah, and it was dedicated to the worship of the hawk. In the sanctuary is a cage hewn from a single block of granite, which was once the home of the sacred bird, who, no doubt, received the adoration of the faithful much against his will. He would have preferred freedom and a flock of chickens to the homage of the Egyptians, unless he was unlike the hawks of modern days.
HAGAR SILSILIS.
At Hagar Silsilis, or "the Rock of the Chain," the boat stopped to give an opportunity for seeing the quarries, whence great quantities of stone were taken for the construction of the temples at Esneh, Edfoo, Karnak, and other places. The excavations where the stones were cut have been partly filled by drifting sand, but enough of them remain to show how the work was done. The Nile is here only a little more than a thousand feet wide at its narrowest part, and there is a tradition that when ancient Egypt was threatened with invasion a chain was stretched across the river to prevent the passage of hostile boats. Frank made a hasty sketch of the place, and included in his drawing the column of rock where the chain is said to have been fastened.
There was once a flourishing town at this place, but at present little remains of it; and even the ruins have been so covered with sand that they cannot be readily found. The desert comes down on both sides of the river at Hagar Silsilis, and the fertile land of the Nile disappears altogether. To the stranger ascending the river for the first time it seems as though he had reached the head of the Nile, and his journey was to come suddenly to an end; but a turn of the stream undeceives him, and his eye rests upon a more agreeable scene.
THE FOOT OF THE FIRST CATARACT.
On and on went the boat, and the scenery became more and more picturesque as the sandstone formation disappeared and granite took its place. The barren shores of Hagar Silsilis were forgotten in the fertility of the soil below Assouan and the brightness of the verdure on the island of Elephantine, which lies at the foot of the first cataract of the Nile. The hills around the cataract were crowned with little shrines and tombs of Moslem saints, and there was a fringe of barren hills directly back of the town in sharp contrast to the fertility of the soil below it. The sun shone brightly on the water, which appeared quiet as a lake enclosed in the mountains; the black rocks that rose here and there on the bank of the river seemed to threaten danger to any boat that ventured near them, since it was not easy to know what might be concealed below the surface. Beyond Elephantine Island the river was broken and lost, and our friends had no difficulty in comprehending that they were in a part of the Nile quite unlike anything they had seen before.
The steamer swung sharply around at the foot of the island, and in a few minutes was at the landing-place of Assouan, the Syene of the ancients.
Not only were our friends among new scenes of rocks and hills, but the crowds of natives that welcomed them were different from any they had seen before. It was a mingling of Arabs and Nubians: the former were nothing new, but the latter had put in an appearance for the first time. They were scantily dressed, their skins were black as ink, and their woolly hair was done up in little ringlets, like pen-holders, and apparently soaked in grease. The goods they offered for sale were ostrich feathers, Nubian dresses, arrows, old coins, knives, and kindred things, and they were as shrewd in making bargains as their friends the Arabs. Whips and canes of the hide of the hippopotamus were liberally offered, and nearly every passenger made purchases of these articles.
The hippopotamus whip is called a courbash by the Arabs, and has the reputation of being the most cruel whip in the world. It is much like the "green hide" that was in use in the Southern States of North America during the days of slavery, and a blow from it is to be dreaded and long remembered by man or beast.
It was late in the afternoon when our friends arrived at Assouan, and there was only time to stroll through the bazaars before sunset. Plans were made for an excursion to the island of Philæ on the following day, and everybody went early to bed.