November 27.—­The first steamer full of travellers has just arrived, and with it the bother of the ladies all wanting my saddle.  I forbade Mustapha to send for it, but they intimidate the poor old fellow, and he comes and kisses my hand not to get him into trouble with one old woman who says she is the relation of a Consul and a great lady in her own country.  I am what Mrs. Grote called ‘cake’ enough to concede to Mustapha’s fears what I had sworn to refuse henceforth.  Last year five women on one steamer all sent for my saddle, besides other things—­campstools, umbrellas, beer, etc., etc.  This year I’ll bolt the doors when I see a steamer coming.  I hear the big people are so angry with the Indian saint because he treated them like dirt everywhere.  One great man went with a Moudir to see him, and asked him to sell him a memlook (a young slave boy).  The Indian, who had not spoken or saluted, burst forth, ’Be silent, thou wicked one! dost thou dare to ask me to sell thee a soul to take it with thee to hell?’ Fancy the surprise of the ‘distinguished’ Turk.  Never had he heard such language.  The story has travelled all up the river and is of course much enjoyed.

Last night Sheykh Yussuf gave an entertainment, killed a sheep, and had a reading of the Sirat er-Russoul (Chapter on the Prophet).  It was the night of the Prophet’s great vision, and is a great night in Islam.  I was sorry not to be well enough to go.  Now that there is no Kadee here, Sheykh Yussuf has lots of business to settle; and he came to me and said, ’Expound to me the laws of marriage and inheritance of the Christians, that I may do no wrong in the affairs of the Copts, for they won’t go and be settled by the priest out of the Gospels, and I can’t find any laws, except about marriage in the Gospels.’  I set him up with the text of the tribute money, and told him to judge according to his own laws, for that Christians had no laws other than those of the country they lived in.  Poor Yussuf was sore perplexed about a divorce case.  I refused to ‘expound,’ and told him all the learned in the law in England had not yet settled which text to follow.

Do you remember the German story of the lad who travelled um das Gruseln zu lernen?  Well, I, who never gruselte before, had a touch of it a few evenings ago.  I was sitting here quietly drinking tea, and four or five men were present, when a cat came to the door.  I called ’biss, biss,’ and offered milk, but pussy, after looking at us, ran away.  ’Well dost thou, oh Lady,’ said a quiet, sensible man, a merchant here, ’to be kind to the cat, for I dare say he gets little enough at home; his father, poor man, cannot cook for his children every day.’  And then in an explanatory tone to the company, ’That is Alee Nasseeree’s boy Yussuf—­it must be Yussuf, because his fellow twin Ismaeen is with his mule at Negadeh.’ Mir gruselte, I confess, not but what I have heard things almost