ate brown face for a kiss like an affectionate
child. As I kissed him, a very pious old moollah said _Bismillah_ (In
the name of God) with an approving nod, and Sheykh Mohammed's old father,
a splendid old man in a green turban, thanked me with effusion, and
prayed that my children might always find help and kindness. I suppose
if I confessed to kissing a 'dirty Arab' in a 'hovel' the English
travellers would execrate me; but it shows how much there is in
'Mussulman bigotry, unconquerable hatred, etc.,' for this family are
Seyyids (descendents of the Prophet) and very pious. Sheykh Yussuf does
not even smoke, and he preaches on Fridays. You would love these
Saeedees, they are such thorough gentlemen. I rode over to the village a
few days ago to see a farmer named Omar. Of course I had to eat, and the
people were enchanted at my going alone, as they are used to see the
English armed and guarded. Sidi Omar, however, insisted on accompanying
me home, which is the civil thing here. He piled a whole stack of green
fodder on his little nimble donkey, and hoisted himself atop of it
without saddle or bridle (the fodder was for Mustapha A'gha), and we
trotted home across the beautiful green barley-fields, to the amazement
of some European young men out shooting. We did look a curious pair,
certainly, with my English saddle and bridle, habit, hat and feather, on
horseback, and Sidi Omar's brown shirt, brown legs and white turban,
guiding his donkey with his chibouque. We were laughing very merrily,
too, over my blundering Arabic.

Young Heathcote and Strutt called here, but were hurrying on up the
river. I shall see more of them when they come down. Young Strutt is so
like his mother I knew him in the street. I would like to give him a
fantasia, but it is not proper for a woman to send for the dancing-girls,
and as I am the friend of the Maohn (police magistrate), the Kadee, and
the respectable people here, I cannot do what is indecent in their eyes.
It is quite enough that they approve my unveiled face, and my associating
with men; that is 'my custom,' and they think no harm of it.

To-morrow or next day Ramadan begins at the first sight of the new moon.
It is a great nuisance, because everybody is cross. Omar did not keep it
last year, but this year he will, and if he spoils my dinners, who can
blame him? There was a wedding close by here last night, and about ten
o'clock all the women passed under my windows wit