“4th. Your wife’s personal property shall remain with the Pasha.
“5th. You shall assist, protect, and watch over your wife while on the march, and allow her on reaching camp to serve Ferida.
“6th. You shall not trouble your wife and distract her with your demands during the day—except in case of your illness.
“7th. The Pasha, in consideration of your wife’s service, shall feed and clothe her, and see that she is carried on the march.”
Both the Pasha and Mohammed agreed.
The woman was then called, and the Pasha translated word for word the above conditions. As she heard them she swept the white muslin from her face, and in the absence of any superior attraction she appeared to me to possess considerable beauty, with splendid large black eyes—a distinctively fine Cairene face. The hut was filled with perfume from her spotless white muslin robe. Under this overdress, she wore a scarlet dress. In the wilds of Africa I never met anything approaching her.
After the conditions had been translated, she interjected a vigorous “Never, never, no, never!” coupled with a free abuse of Mohammed, who stood looking ridiculously angry and jealous. He appealed to me to listen to her.
“Take her to you, Mohammed.”
The man gave the order to her to proceed to his house, which order she contemptuously disregarded.
“She must go to your house now,” I said.