SOUAKIM AND ITS INHABITANTS. 337 



and report the probable time of its arrival. Our Maltese 

 interpreter, Emanuel Chassaro, is the captain of a small 

 Egyptian gunboat stationed here. He served for some 

 years in the English navy, and, amongst other men-of- 

 war, on board the ' Agamemnon ' when commanded by 

 Captain, now Admiral, Sir Thomas Symonds, of whom 

 he has evidently the happiest recollections ; and when 

 he found that we. knew his late master he became 

 doubly anxious to serve us. 



The next proceeding was to lay in a good stock of 

 provisions for the sea voyage, having, as before, to find 

 our own supplies on board. 



The chief Greek stores are on the island, and after 

 obtaining there nearly all that we required, we crossed 

 over to the mainland and inspected the small shops on 

 each side of the chief thoroughfare without being able to 

 add anything beyond some very good-tasting bread and 

 a few eggs, for Mohamed had the commission to buy 

 our live stock of sheep and poultry there. The bazaar 

 was well thronged with people in very varied costumes. 

 Some men were very gorgeously attired after Eastern 

 fashion, and though most of them had their splendid 

 heads of hair coated with a white layer of fat, a few 

 had it dyed a bright red colour. 



All the women were unveiled and enveloped more or 

 less in a white robe, and, besides numerous bracelets of 

 silver, wore the usual ornament of a ring in the right 



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