234 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



to go with us to Cairo to seek a personal interview 

 with the Khedive about present Hamran troubles, and to 

 petition him to place all the people of this country, who 

 are as yet under Egyptian rule, directly under the govern- 

 ment of Munsinger Pasha. He has begged us to assist him 

 in this laudable project ; but not to commit ourselves to 

 a mistake, we have only promised to refer the matter to 

 Munsinger, and if he approves the Sheik will be 

 allowed to travel with us to Cairo. 



March 19. After breakfast, as a parting gift, we 

 gave some of our store of presents to our guest and his 

 uncles, consisting of handsome Venetian beads, Cairo 

 beads, looking-glasses, ribbons, and scissors, and per- 

 taining more therefore to the lady department, 'but 

 equally acceptable ; and as there seemed no prospect of 

 our visitors being the first to move we took the initiative, 

 and left them under Albert's watchful eye to check the 

 rather restive tendency of their hands. Aghill has 

 succeeded in wringing from the Arab who showed us 

 the ostrich-nest the three dollars we gave him, and two 

 or three from another who sold Albert a rhinoceros 

 horn ; but Essafi with all his cunning has been the great 

 sufferer, for the Sheik has succeeded in borrowing from 

 him his month's wages of twenty dollars, and the 

 general opinion is that he will never see a penny of 

 them again* Soon after Vivian's departure he found a 

 young lioness under a tree, and not being able to see 



