Expedition to discover the sources of the White Nile, in the years 1840, 1841, Vol. 1 (of 2)Werne, Ferdinand
History
Expedition to discover the sources of the White Nile, in the years 1840, 1841, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Werne, Ferdinand
Nile River
man, as the master, having once taken, remained in his seat, which
looked towards the principal door of the hall, and allowed him to
place his legs under him conveniently. Turkish etiquette is carried
to a great extent, and requires a kind of study.
We two slightly saluted each other by bending forward the right
shoulder, because the Basha, shortly before the march to Taka, had
called me and my brother his right and left eye, which saying he was
obliged to repeat here, in order to excuse his friendship towards
Kafirs. Conscious of his dignity, the high-priest sat down upon the
place of honour in the corner of the reception-room, at the right
hand as you enter. In the great audience-hall of the Basha, this
elevated seat of honour is over the divàn, covered with a red or
blue velvet cloth with gold or silver embroidery, and deeply fringed,
with low pillows set round it; but there are days when scarcely a
Mohammed Ali, or the Sultan himself, is allowed to sit upon this,
or any of the seats in the public divàn. The word Divàn signifies
not only the broad sofa running round the wall, or the sitting of a
ministerial council, but every sitting on business transactions and
conversation in council, as well as the hall and even the building
in which this takes place, and also the reception-room in private
houses. The servants in attendance had been dismissed, but the Kadhi,
who being a Magarb, knew wine, and had himself in our house praised
the Spanish as the best. He had, moreover, not disdained a cordial
made of the same by my brother, which he took as a stomachic medicine,
but pretended now not to know anything of the new Turkish labour in
the vineyard of the Lord in _conspectu omnium_, and only gazed upon
the Chasnadàr with his cunning eyes. The latter, a Circassian, who
had grown up in the service of Ahmed, went into a room close by, and
brought the poor man a golden or gilded kupa with a cover; whereupon
the grand inquisitor sipped his refreshing draught with much _goût_,
carefully covered again the vessel and placed it close by him at the
window. The Chasnadàr, who, close to me, was arranging himself in
his place, said, in his excitement, much louder than was necessary,
“el Spitzbub kebir,” and clapped his hands for the servants. The
Kadhi Kebir had received this name at the suggestion of the Basha,
when the latter, just as the Kadhi left him, asked us how a misaur is
called by the Nemzas; and my brother immediately answered Spitzbub
(rogue), which those close around the Basha received with real
ecstasy. However, Misaur means properly a talkative fellow,—_ergo_,
a liar and knave;—Faki, or Fakir misaur, denotes a hypocrite or
lying priest, the number of whom here is legion in proportion to
the population, by whom the Faki (plural Fokra) are not generally
held in esteem. The Kadhi did not concern himself about this title
of honour, but, with the utmost tranquillity, drank his champagne
out of the ciborium, in pious draughts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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