The regulation of the liquor traffic in the American cities appears to present as many difficulties as it does in England, especially as regards the Sunday traffic. The Sunday before we left New York the police made a raid upon the liquor dealers in the city, and arrested a number of them for selling during prohibited hours. Their organs threatened all sorts of reprisals at the coming election, and a meeting of the trade was called to condemn the action of the authorities. Most of the requisitionists—judging by their names—were either German or Irish. At the time appointed some hundreds of liquor dealers assembled, and presently a gentleman came on the platform and began to address them. Soon, however, it began to dawn upon the trade that they had been somewhat considerably sold, for the speaker gave them a regular teetotal lecture, enlarging upon the evils the dealers were responsible for, and warning them to forsake their wicked ways. The audience could not stand this, and threatened the orator that if he didn’t “make tracks right away” they would give him “something hot,” upon which he quietly retired, having given them the first temperance lecture they had ever heard.
Our visit to America was brought to a fitting termination by another glorious excursion on the Hudson: after which it was with great pleasure and satisfaction that we went on board one of the splendid White Star Liners, soon to land again on the shores of dear old England.
CHAPTER X.
We arrived off Suez about four o’clock on the morning of the 1st of March, having travelled from Australia in the magnificent steamship “Orient.” After saying farewell to our friends, at seven o’clock we set out for the shore, our boat being manned by a picturesque party of Arabs. We had about four miles to go, the latter portion of the journey being through water so shallow that the men had to propel the boat by nimbly running forward and placing one end of the oar in the mud and pushing against the other with the shoulder; singing a monotonous song all the while. On arriving at our landing-place opposite the Custom House, a motley crowd rushed forward, some dressed in night-shirts, some in towels, others in their own black skins only. When we stopped, a score of them dashed into the water and began to seize our luggage, seeing which our boatmen called to us to beat them on the head with our umbrellas, and to kick them off; but we managed to defend our property by loud words, which broke no bones. Then we were carried ashore amidst such shrieking, hustling, jostling, and shouting as I had never heard or seen before. The luggage was set down in the middle of the square to await the arrival of an official from the Custom House.
After a very slight examination we were permitted to pass, and then began another battle for the luggage; but we selected as our dragoman a tall, stout fellow named Hassan, who quickly routed the others; and then a file of these half-naked Arabs marched off to the hotel with the luggage on their backs. The Suez Hotel is a very comfortable establishment, with large, clean, and airy rooms, and bright and attentive native servants.
After breakfast we went for a stroll through the town. The streets are very narrow, and the tiny shops are filled with vegetables and other garden produce, oils, simple metal wares, etc. In one street the Bedouin Arabs have stalls for the sale of charcoal, brought by them from the desert; a very sullen, repulsive set of fellows they appear to be. There are few European buildings, and what there are were built for the French officials during the construction of the Canal. These were all vacated during the Franco-German war, and very few French have since returned, consequently the houses are in a very dilapidated condition.
Before leaving England we had arranged for a party of our friends to meet us at Suez, and on returning from our stroll in the town, we walked for a while in the large inner court of the hotel, when presently we saw our friends entering, they having landed just three hours after our arrival from Australia.
After lunch, nine of us took donkeys and had a ride round the town and neighbourhood. Not being assured of my riding ability, I asked my companions to keep near me, which they promised to do, and which they doubtless would have done if they could; but alas! their noble brutes dashed off at full speed, and I was left alone. At every street corner stood a mob of darkies shouting, laughing, and begging, and calling out the names of the various donkeys, “Mrs. Langtry,” “Mrs. Cornwallis West” (this was mine), “Mr. Spurgeon,” etc. On getting back to the hotel gates there was a crowd of about fifty donkeys, all their fifty drivers wanting us to engage them for our next ride, and it required a vigorous use of Hassan’s stick to clear a passage for us.
On the following morning we left for Cairo by train, and in due time Hassan appeared with about a dozen men and a shaky old wagon to take our luggage to the station, and truly it was a formidable lot—a lady and gentleman from Australia having no less than nine trunks.