Part 18 (1/2)

TRANSLATION

”Look at the Gorgios, the Gorgios aroundto take my life away

”I ade up to my knees in blood, all for my happy boy

”My husband is taken to prison, to prison, to prison; my husband is taken to prison, to the place of which I know”

CHAPTER X GIPSIES IN EGYPT

Difficulty of obtaining Information--The Khedive on the Gipsies--Mr Edward Elias--Mahomet introduces arin or Gipsies at Boulac--Cophts--Herr Seetzen on Egyptian Gipsies--The Gipsy with the Monkey in Cairo--Street- cries of the Gipsy Woyptian Gipsies

Since writing the foregoing pages, and only a day or two after one of the incidents therein described, I went to Egypt, passing the winter in Cairo and on the Nile While waiting in the city for the friend hom I was to ascend the mysterious river, it naturally occurred to me, that as I was in the country which inal land of the Gipsies, it would be orth my while to try to meet with some, if any were to be found

It is reentle savans and beys, the only educated person I ever ive me any information on the subject of its Gipsies was the Khedive or Viceroy hie to those who are aware of the really wonderful extent of his knowledge of the country which he rules I had been but a few days in Cairo when, at an intervieith the Khedive, Mr Beardsley, the Ahness that I was interested in the subject of the Gipsies, upon which the Khedive said that there were in Egypt arin), ere probably the same as the ”Bohemiens” or Gipsies of Europe His words were, as nearly as I can remember, as follows:--

”They are wanderers who live in tents, and are regarded with contempt even by the peasantry Their women tell fortunes, tattoo, {189} and sell small-wares; the men work in iron (_quincaillerie_) They are all adroit thieves, and noted as such Thearound the country with monkeys; in fact, they appear to be in all respects the same people as the Gipsies of Europe”

This was all that I could learn for several days; for though there were Gipsies--or ”Egypcians”--in Egypt, I had almost as much trouble to find them as Eilert Sundt had to discover their brethren in Norway In speaking of the subject to Mr Edward Elias, a gentleypt, he most kindly undertook to secure the aid of the chief of police, who in turn had recourse to the Shekh of the Gipsies But the Shekh I was told was not himself a Gipsy, and there were none of his subjects in Cairo After a few days, three wanderers, supposed to be Ronorant of any language except Arabic Their occupation was”with a stick;” in fact, they were performers in those curious and extremely ancient Fescennine farces, or _Atellanae_, which are depicted on ancient vases, and are still acted on the roads in Egypt as they were in Greece before the days of Thespis Then I was informed that Gipsies were often encamped near the Pyramids, but research in this direction was equally fruitless

Rehness had toldan ape, endeavoured to enter into conversation with hiine hat result! In an instant ere surrounded by fifty natives of the lower class, jabbering, jeering, screa--all intent, as it verily seeave theme, he simply clamoured for lad to make my escape

At last I was successful I had frequently eent and well-behaved lish well, and as fa hiarin, he replied that every Saturday there was a fair or market held at Boulac, where I would be sure to meet omen of the tribe The men, I was told, seldom ventured into the city, because they were subject to much insult and ill-treatment from the common people On the day appointed I rode to the

There were thousands of blue-shi+rted and red-tarbouched or white-turbaned Egyptians, buying or selling, or else ar-cane, pipe-pedlars, and vendors of rosaries; jugglers and ed wolass armlets, and similar trinkets

She was dressed like any Arab woman of the lower class, but was not veiled, and on her chin blue lines were tattooed Her features and whole expression were, however, evidently Gipsy

I spoke to her in Roible to any of the race in England, Germany, or Turkey; but she did not understandbut Arabic At my request Mahomet explained to her that I had travelled froarin who declared that their fathers caypt, 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 arin had no peculiar name for themselves, and she replied, ”Yes, we call ourselves Tataren”

This was at least satisfactory All over Southern Gerh the word means Tartars, and is simply a misapplied term, it indicates a coratified at the interest I ave her a double piastre, and asked for its value in blue-glass arave me two pair, and as I turned to depart called ood-natured senerosity was very Gipsy-like, and very unlike the usual behaviour of any coyptian

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 Re to have read in soirls fore, I asked an Aht they could be Gipsies He replied that an English lady of title, who had also been for a long time in the country, had forirls e except Arabic, and knowing nothing relating to the Rommany Two Ghahoeneral 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 arin_ They all resembled the one who exactly the saht, froyptians in their appearance, and were decidedly unlike thereeable in their h they were certainly Gipsies, none of them would speak Rommany, and I doubt very much if they could have done so

Bonaventura Vulcanius, who in 1597 first gave the world a speciua Getarum” (which specimen, by the way, on account of its rarity, I propose to republish in another work), believed that the Gipsies were Nubians; and others, following in his track, supposed they were really Cophtic Christians (Pott, ”Die Zigeuner,” &c, Halle, 1844, p 5) And I must confess that this recurred forcibly to ypt, I asked a Copht scribe if he were Muslim, and he replied, ”_La_, _ana Gipti_” (”No, I a the word _Gipti_, or Copht, so that itthat _roain startled; and when I found _teyptian (_vide_ Brugsch, ”Grammaire,”

&c), it seemed as if there were still e

Other writers long before yptian Gipsy, but with no satisfactory result A German naypt and Syria, and wrote (1806) on the subject a MS, which Pott (”Die Zigeuner,” &c) cites largely Of these Roms he speaks as follows: ”Gipsies are to be found in the entire Osypt The Turks call theyptians, as well as themselves, _Nury_, in the plural _El Nauar_ It was on the 24th November 1806 when I visited a troop of therove, to the west side of Naplos They were for the greater part of a dirty yellow co down on the side from where it was parted in a short plait, and their lips are mulatto- like” (Seetzen subsequently renoyptians) ”The women had their under lips coloured dark blue, like female Bedouins, and a few eaten-in points around the s