I do not like to say all I hear.  As to the Ulema, Kadees, Muftis, etc., I know many from towns and villages, and all say ’We are Muslims, but we should thank God to send Europeans to govern us,’ the feeling is against the Government and the Turks up here—­not against Christians.  A Coptic friend of mine has lost all his uncle’s family at Gau, all were shot down—­Copt and Christian alike.  As to Hajjee Sultan, who lies in chains at Keneh and his family up at Esneh, a better man never lived, nor one more liberal to Christians.  Copts ate of his bread as freely as Muslims.  He lies there because he is distantly related by marriage to Achmet et-Tayib, the real reason is because he is wealthy and some enemy covets his goods.

Ask M. Mounier what he knows.  Perhaps I know even more of the feeling as I am almost adopted by the Abu-l-Hajjajeeah, and sit every evening with some party or another of decent men.  I assure you I am in despair at all I see—­and if the soldiers do come it will be worse than the cattle disease.  Are not the cawasses bad enough?  Do they not buy in the market at their own prices and beat the sakkas in sole payment for the skins of water?  Who denies it here?  Cairo is like Paris, things are kept sweet there, but up here—!  Of course Effendina hears the ‘smooth prophecies’ of the tyrants whom he sends up river.  When I wrote before I knew nothing certain but now I have eye-witnesses’ testimony, and I say that the Pasha deceives or is deceived—­I hope the latter.  An order from him did stop the slaughter of women and children which Fadil Pasha was about to effect.

To turn to less wretched matters.  I will come right down Alexandria with the boat, I shall rejoice to see you again.

Possibly the Abab’deh may come with me and I hope Sheykh Yussuf, ’my chaplain’ as Arthur Taylor called him.  We shall be quite a little fleet.

April, 1865:  Sir Alexander Duff Gordon

To Sir Alexander Duff Gordon. April, 1865.

Dearest Alexander,

Yesterday was the Bairam I rejoice to say and I have lots of physic to make up, for all the stomachs damaged by Ramadan.

I have persuaded Mr. Fowler the engineer who was with Lord Dudley to take my dear little pupil Achmet son of Ibn Mustapha to learn the business at Leeds instead of idling in his father’s house here.  I will give the child a letter to you in case he should go to London.  He has been reading the gospels with me at his own desire.  I refused till I had asked his father’s consent, and Sheykh Yussuf who heard me begged me by all means to make him read it carefully so as to guard him against the heretical inventions he might be beset with among the English ’of the vulgar sort.’  What a poser for a missionary!