ers came from Egypt, and that I wished to know if
any in the latter country could speak the old language. She replied that
the Rhagarin of "Montesinos" could still speak it, but that her people in
Egypt had lost the tongue. Mahomet declared that Montesinos meant Mount
Sinai or Syria. I then asked her if the Rhagarin had no peculiar name
for themselves, and she replied, "Yes, we call ourselves Tataren."

This was at least satisfactory. All over Southern Germany and in Norway
the Rommany are sailed Tataren; and though the word means Tartars, and is
simply a misapplied term, it indicates a common race. The woman seemed
to be very much gratified at the interest I manifested in her people. I
gave her a double piastre, and asked for its value in blue-glass armlets.
She gave me two pair, and as I turned to depart called me back, and with
a good-natured smile handed me four more as a present. This generosity
was very Gipsy-like, and very unlike the usual behaviour of any common
Egyptian.

While on the Nile, I inquired of people in different towns if they had
ever seen Gipsies where they lived, and was invariably answered in the
negative. Remembering to have read in some book a statement that the
Ghawazi or dancing-girls formed a tribe by themselves, and spoke a
peculiar language, I asked an American who has lived for many years in
Egypt if he thought they could be Gipsies. He replied that an English
lady of title, who had also been for a long time in the country, had
formed this opinion. But when I questioned dancing-girls myself, I found
them quite ignorant of any language except Arabic, and knowing nothing
relating to the Rommany. Two Ghawazi whom I saw had, indeed, the
peculiarly brilliant eyes and general expression of Gipsies. The rest
appeared to be Egyptian-Arab; and I found on inquiry that one of the
latter had really been a peasant girl who till within seven months had
worked in the fields, while two others were occupied alternately with
field-work and dancing.

At the market in Boulac, Mahomet took me to a number of _Rhagarin_. They
all resembled the one whom I have described, and were all occupied in
selling exactly the same class of articles. They all differed slightly,
as I thought, from the ordinary Egyptians in their appearance, and were
decidedly unlike them, in being neither importunate for money nor
disagreeable in their manners. But though they were certainly Gipsies,
none of them would speak