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European boys, had not been provided for him. Hoops, skipping-ropes, trap bat and ball, foot ball, and more especially a rocking horse, had been omitted; but as to drums, fifes, whistles, and those of the noisiest, their name were legion. The majority were, however, most costly mechanical inventions. I presented him with a small pistol, with percussion caps, rather a noisy though harmless weapon, but the use of it was prohibited, lest he should hurt himself, which was impossible. All gymnastic amusements had been neglected. But in making the slaves pretend to be carpenters, he himself acting as foreman and taskmaster, an office in which, like the Egyptians of old in the time of Pharaoh and the Israelites, he was a proficient. Many a time and oft did he turn bricklayer himself, by getting flat pieces of wood, with which he made the slaves scrape the walls, while to others he gave long sticks, and, pretending to mix up mortar, he placed the . pieces of paper moistened with water upon flat pieces of wood instead of hods, and made the slaves carry it to those who were engaged in erecting his temporary palace.

At other times he would enact the pilgrims going to Mecca. Then he made the little slaves take their handkerchiefs, one of which they bound over their faces, concealing the whole of their countenances except the eyes, and spreading the other open they placed it over their heads. Then, taking the thin coverlets, they made habarahs of them, in which they attired themselves. Their handkerchiefs were then converted into wallets, into which he placed paper to represent their provisions, and cardboard counters for their money. This being done, he started them off down the apartment two by two, while he himself attended one of the little Princesses, who was carried on the shoulders of some of the slaves, seated in a chair, the substitute for a palanquin (for, singular to add, none are ever used in Egypt), and then the procession moved up and down the apartment, while several of the other slaves kept beating their drums in the most discordant manner. Sometimes His Highness would imitate the Hammals, "porters," by making the slaves carry the cushions of the divans on their shoulders, he himself walking

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in front of them, holding a long and rather thick stick in his hand, at the same time hallooing out, Hum! Hum! Allah! Allah! hout iyam, "God be thanked for this daily burthen," which all the slaves were obliged to repeat under penalty of receiving several knocks with his stick. Occasionally he would also personate the Hekim Bachi, "Viceregal doctor," and then he made one of the little slaves run before him, shouting forth, Allah! Allah! Dustoor! Dustoor ! "God! God! Move away! Move away!" when the slaves, both young and grown-up, many of whom mingled in his pastimes, covered their heads with their dresses, or with anything that they might be making up for themselves, which made him laugh most heartily.

Then he walked up and down the room, accompanied by a little slave, looked at the hands of the female slaves, some of whom were obliged to pretend that they were ill, and had bad fingers or wounded legs. Then he gave orders to his little assistant to bind up the part affected, and administered bread pills to them for medicine, but to those who were his

Ickbals, "favourites," he gave bon-bons, as immense baskets filled with them are monthly imported from Paris by one of His Highness's partners there for exclusive distribution in the Harems. I repeat Harems, because His Highness the Viceroy has several others up the Nile both in Lower and Upper Egypt, besides that in which I resided with the Prince.

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CHAPTER XVI.

WHILE dilating upon the admirable manner in which his Highness enacted the physician, I may as well mention that His Highness the Viceroy has a staff of medical men, chiefly Italians. When I fell ill at Cairo, His Highness Ismael Pacha sent his own physician extraordinary to visit me; but it appeared evident to me that from his treatment of myself, they do not understand the constitutions of EnglishThey are seldom or never called into the Harems, except to attend upon the Prince.

women.

The mothers of the Harem are skilled in the practice of midwifery; they are generally old, ugly women, who bend the knee to that sovereign ruler of Egypt, Prince Baksheesh, and are ever ready to commit any crime or forward any