SHEIK ALI BEN SALIM 35 



Several days later I met JafFer Dewjee, called Jaffer 

 the Ancient, and he kindly showed me through his 

 most unique museum. Here I looked upon a mar- 

 velous Persian rug over four hundred years old which 

 had belonged to King Shah Abas. There was a hawk 

 of ancient carving wliich represented the god Horus 

 of Egypt. It had lain buried for three thousand two 

 hundred twenty-eight years in the tomb of Pharaoh 

 Seti I, King of Upper and Lower Egypt. There were 

 rubies, emeralds, and turquoise over five hundred years 

 old; and here was an ornament of gold, inlaid with 

 over one thousand precious stones, that had belonged 

 to a prince of India. 



Wonderful china, brass work, porcelain, hammered 

 copper, ivory, Oriental rugs, vases, cut-metal designs, 

 old Lamu chairs inlaid with ivory and native wood, 

 silver nails, and ancient coins were displayed around 

 the room. Jailer showed me amber which he said was 

 over two thousand years old. It was full of bugs, and 

 he explained that amber was tree gum which had been 

 buried underground for long periods of time. He had 

 twelve pieces of porcelain from the door of a Persian 

 tomb, and when I marveled at its still brilliant color- 

 ing, he told me that the Lamu people had built porce- 

 lain into their walls and arches, and although it had 

 been exposed to the elements for centuries, it had 

 never lost its brilliance. There were wonders without 

 end in this museum of Jailer's. 



Now he shouted to his servants, and soon a boy 

 fetched me an old book while another came in bearing 

 a tray with tea. We sat down on a divan among all 

 these rare curios, and while we sipped the cup that 

 cheers, I glanced out of the open window across EaUn- 



