We have had three days of the south wind, which the ‘Saturday Review’ says I am not to call Samoom; and I was poorly, and kept in bed two days with a cold.  Apropos, I will give you the Luxor contribution towards the further confusion of the Samoom (or Simoom) controversy.  I told Sheykh Yussuf that an English newspaper, written by particularly clever people, said that I was wrong to call the bad wind here ‘Samoom,’ (it was in an article on Palgrave’s book, I think).  Sheykh Yussuf said, ’True, oh lady, no doubt those learned gentlemen’ (politely saluting them with his hand) ’thought one such as thou shouldest have written classical Arabic (Arabi fossieh), and have called it “al Daboor;” nevertheless, it is proper to write it “Samoom,” not, as some do “Simoom,” which is the plural of sim (poison).’  I shook my head, and said, I did not recollect al Daboor.  Then my Reis, sitting at the door, offered his suggestion.  ’Probably the English, who it is well known are a nation of sailors, use the name given to the land wind by el-baharieh (the boatmen), and call it el-mereeseh.’  ‘But,’ said I, ’the clever gentlemen say that I am wrong altogether, and never can have seen a real Samoom, for that would have killed me in ten minutes.’  Hereupon Sheykh Mohammed el-Abab’deh, who is not nearly so polished as his brother Hassan, burst into a regular bedawee roar of laughter, and said, ’Yah! do the Ganassil (Europeans) take thee for a rat, oh lady?  Whoever heard of el Beni Adam (the children of Adam) dying of the wind?  Men die of thirst quicker when the Samoom blows and they have no water.  But no one ever died of the wind alone, except the rats—­they do.’  I give you the opinion of three ‘representative men—­’ scholar, sailor, and bedawee; if that helps you to a solution of the controversy.

We have just had a scene, rather startling to notions about fatalism, etc.  Owing to the importation of a good deal of cattle from the Soudan, there is an expectation of the prevalence of small-pox, and the village barbers are busy vaccinating in all directions to prevent the infection brought, either by the cattle or, more likely, by their drivers.  Now, my maid had told me she had never been vaccinated, and I sent for Hajjee Mahmood to cut my hair and vaccinate her.  To my utter amazement the girl, who had never shown any religious bigotry, and does not fast, or make any demonstrations, refused peremptorily.  It appears that the priests and sisters appointed by the enlightened administration of Prussia instil into their pupils and penitents that vaccination is a ‘tempting of God.’ Oh oui, she said, je sais bien que chez nous mes parents pouvaient recevoir un proces verbal, mais il vaut mieux cela que d’aller contre la volonte de Dieu.  Si Dieu le veut, j’aurai la petite-verole, et s’il ne veut pas, je ne l’aurai pas.  I scolded her pretty sharply, and said it was not only stupid, but selfish.