what he says of the Europeans.
I know the cruel old platitudes about governing Orientals by fear which
the English pick up like mocking birds from the Turks. I know all about
'the stick' and 'vigour' and all that--but--'I sit among the people' and
I know too that Mohammed feels just as John Smith or Tom Brown would feel
in his place, and that men who were very savage against the rioters in
the beginning, are now almost in a humour to rise against the Turks
themselves just exactly as free-born Britons might be. There are even
men of the class who have something to lose who express their disgust
very freely.

I saw the steamer pass up to Fazoghlou but the prisoners were all below.
The Sheykh of the Abab'deh here has had to send a party of his men to
guard them through the desert. Altogether this year is miserable in
Egypt. I have not once heard the _zaghareet_. Every one is anxious and
depressed, and I fear hungry, the land is parched from the low Nile, the
heat has set in six weeks earlier than usual, the animals are scarecrows
for want of food, and now these horrid stories of bloodshed and cruelty
and robbery (for the Pasha takes the lands of these villages for his own)
have saddened every face. I think Hajjee Ali is right and that there
will be more disturbances. If there are they will be caused by the
cruelty and oppression at Gau and the three neighbouring villages. From
Salamieh, two miles above Luxor, every man woman and child in any degree
kin to Achmet et-Tayib has been taken in chains to Keneh and no one here
expects to see one of them return alive. Some are remarkably good men, I
hear, and I have heard men say 'if Hajjee Sultan is killed and all his
family we will never do a good action any more, for we see it is of no
use.'

There was a talk among the three or four Europeans here at the beginning
of the rumours of a revolt of organizing a defence among Christians only.
Conceive what a silly and gratuitous provocation! There was no religion
in the business at all and of course the proper person to organize
defence was the Maohn, and he and Mustapha and others had planned using
my house as a castle and defending that in case of a visit from the
rioters. I have no doubt the true cause of the row is the usual
one--hunger--the high price of food. It was like our Swing, or bread
riots, nothing more and a very feeble affair too. It is curious to see
the travellers' gay dahabiehs just as usual and the E