firmity in the shape of deafness; in reality, no one
was more acute in hearing, hut as there are no bells
where there are no houses, he of- course could not
answer such a summons, and he was compelled to
attend to the call of his own name—“ Mahomet 1
Mahomet!” No reply, although the individual was
sitting within a few feet, apparently absorbed in the
contemplation of his own boots. “ Mahomet! ” with
an additional emphasis upon the second syllable.
Again no response. “ Mahomet, you rascal, why
don’t you answer?” This energetic address would
effect a change in his position ; the mild and lamblike
dragoman of Cairo would suddenly start from the
ground, tear his own hair from his head in handfuls,
and shout, “ Mahomet I Mahomet! Mahomet! always
Mahomet! D—n Mahomet! I wish he were dead, or
back in Cairo, this brute Mahomet!” The irascible
dragoman would then beat his own head unmercifully
with his fists, in a paroxysm of rage.
To comfort him I could only exclaim, 1 Well done,
Mahomet! thrash him ; pummel him well; punch
his head; you know him best; he deserves it ; don’t
spare him ! ” This advice, acting upon the natural
perversity of his disposition, generally soothed him,
and he ceased punching his head. This man was
entirely out of his place, if not out of his mind, at
certain moments, and having upon one occasion
smashed a basin by throwing it' in the face of the
cook, and upon another occasion narrowly escaped
homicide, by throwing an axe at a man’s head, which
missed by an inch, he became a notorious character
in the little expedition.
We left Berber in the evening at sunset; we were
mounted upon donkeys, while our Turkish attendants
rode upon excellent dromedaries that belonged to their
regiment of irregular cavalry. As usual, when ready
to start, Mahomet was the last; he had piled a huge
mass of bags and various luggage upon his donkey,
that almost obscured the animal, and he sat mounted
upon this pinnacle dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a
brace of handsome pistols in his belt, and his gun
slung across his shoulders. Upon my remonstrating
with him upon the cruelty of thus overloading the
donkey, he flew into a fit of rage, and dismounting
immediately, he drew his pistols from his belt and
dashed them upon the ground ; his gun shared the
same fate, and leaving his weapons upon the sand, he
sullenly walked behind his donkey, which he drove
forward with the caravan.
We pushed forward at the usual rapid amble of the
donkeys, and accompanied by Hadji Achmet upon
his dromedary, with the coffee-pot, &c. and a large
Persian rug slung behind the saddle, we quickly
distanced the slower caravan under the charge of
Hadji Velli and the sullen Mahomet.
There was no difficulty in the route, as the sterile
desert of sand and pebbles was bounded by a fringe of
bush and mimosa that marked the course of the Nile
to which our way lay parallel.. There was no object to
attract particular attention, and no sound but that of