all this haste appeared, coming slowly up the stairs. It was a
small man of sixty-five or seventy, one of my own countrymen, attired in
a linen duster and a travel-worn high hat; his silver-haired head was
bent over his guide-book, and he wore blue spectacles. I don't think he
saw anything but blue antiquities, safely made of stone.

Hareem carriages (that is, ladies' carriages) in Cairo are large,
heavily built broughams. The occupants wear thin white muslin or white
tulle veils tied across the face under the eyes, with an upper band of
the same material across the forehead; but these veils do not in reality
hide the features much more closely than do the dotted black or white
lace veils worn by Europeans. The muffling outer draperies, however,
completely conceal the figure, and this makes the marked difference
between them and their English, French, and American sisters in the
other carriages near at hand. On the box of the brougham, with the
coachman, the eunuch takes his place. To go out without a eunuch would
be a humiliation for a Cairo wife; to her view, it would seem to say
that she is not sufficiently attractive to require a guardian. The
hareem carriage of a man of importance has not only its eunuch, but also
its sais, or running footman; often two of them. These winged creatures
precede the carriage; no matter how rapid the pace of the horses, they
are always in advance, carrying, lightly poised in one hand, high in the
air, a long lance-like wand. Their gait is the most beautiful motion I
have ever seen. The Mercury of John of Bologna; the younger gods of
Olympus--will these do for comparisons? One calls the sais winged not
only because of his speed, but also on account of his large white
sleeves (in English, angel sleeves), which, though lightly caught
together behind, float out on each side as he runs, like actual wings.
His costume is rich--a short velvet jacket thickly embroidered with
gold; a red cap with long silken tassel; full white trousers which end
at the knee, leaving the legs and feet bare; and a brilliant scarf
encircling the small waist. These men are Nubians, and are admirably
formed; often they are very handsome. Naturally one never sees an old
one, and it is said that they die young. Their original office was to
clear a passage for the carriage through the narrow, crowded streets;
now that the streets are broader, they are not so frequently seen,
though Egyptians of rank still employ them, n