CHAPTER XL—THE PASHA AND THE PRIESTS.—EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE—SCHOOLS AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.
Egypt and her relations with Turkey—The Army and Navy—Egyptian history boiled down—The reigning family—Wonderful Relics—Mohammed Ali as a ruler—The Pasha and the priests—Ordering a Wedding—Married on short notice—Gratifying the Empress Eugenie—An Arab school-room—A college with nine thousand students—A jaw-breaking language—How to indite an epistle in Arabic—The caravan to Mecca—Going on a pilgrimage—A horrible ceremony—Trampling on dervishes—The “Bride of the Nile”—Extraordinary customs.
EGYPT is sufficiently independent to have a government of her own, and to maintain a standing army. She pays an annual tribute to Turkey of half a million pounds sterling, but the amount varies somewhat, according to circumstances. In return for this tribute she is allowed to do pretty much as she pleases in the way of contracting loans and making internal improvements. The army is restricted to fifteen thousand men, but by means of an arrangement for short terms of service it is practically four or five times as large. The organization of the army is very much on the European model, and the troops are drilled according to the modern systems of tactics.