I Think They Must Be Like The Turks In Manner, As
They Have All The Eastern Gentlemanly 'Gelassenheit' (Ease) And
Politeness, And No Eastern 'Geschmeidigkeit' (Obsequiousness), And
No Idea Of Baksheesh; Withal Frugal, Industrious, And Money-Making,
To An Astonishing Degree.
The priest is a bit of a proselytiser,
and amused me much with an account of how he had converted English
girls from their evil courses and made them good Mussulwomen.
I
never heard a naif and sincere account of conversions FROM
Christianity before, and I must own it was much milder than the
Exeter Hall style.
I have heard a great many expressions of sorrow for the Queen from
the Malays, and always with the 'hope the people will take much
care of her, now she is alone'. Of course Prince Albert was only
the Queen's husband to them, and all their feeling is about her.
It is very difficult to see anything of them, for they want nothing
of you, and expect nothing but dislike and contempt. It would take
a long time to make many friends, as they are naturally
distrustful. I found that eating or drinking anything, if they
offer it, made most way, as they know they are accused of poisoning
all Christians indiscriminately. Of course, therefore, they are
shy of offering things. I drank tea in the Mosque at the end of
Ramadan, and was surrounded by delighted faces as I sipped. The
little boy who waits in this house here had followed us, and was
horrified: he is still waiting to see the poison work.
No one can conceive what has become of all the ships that usually
touch here about this time. I was promised my choice of Green's
and Smith's, and now only the heavy old Camperdown is expected with
rice from Moulmein. A lady now here, who has been Heaven only
knows WHERE NOT, praises Alexandria above all other places, after
Suez. Her lungs are bad, and she swears by Suez, which she says is
the dreariest and healthiest (for lungs) place in the world. You
can't think how soon one learns to 'annihilate space', if not time,
in one's thoughts, by daily reading advertisements for every port
in India, America, Australia, &c., &c., and conversing with people
who have just come from the 'ends of the earth'. Meanwhile, I fear
I shall have to fly from next winter again, and certainly will go
with J- to Egypt, which seems to me like next door.
I have run on, and not thanked you for your letter and M. Mignet's
beautiful eloge of Mr. Hallam, which pleased me greatly. I wish
Englishmen could learn to speak with the same good taste and
mesure.
Mr. Wodehouse, who has been very civil to me, kindly tried to get
me a passage home in a French frigate lying here, but in vain. I
am now sorry I let the Jack tars here persuade me not to go in the
little barque; but they talked so much of the heat and damp of such
tiny cabins in an iron vessel, that I gave her up, though I liked
the idea of a good tossing in such a tiny cockboat. I will leave a
letter for the May mail, unless I sail within a week of to-morrow,
or go by the Jason, which would be home far sooner than the mail.
I only hope you and A- won't be uneasy; the worst that can happen
is delay, and the long voyage will be all gain to health, which
would not be the case in a steamer.
All I hear of R- makes me wild to see her again. The little
darkies are the only pleasing children here, and a fat black
toddling thing is 'allerliebst'. I know a boy of four, literally
jet black, whom I long to steal as he follows his mother up to the
mountain to wash. Little Malays are lovely, but TOO well-behaved
and quiet. I tried to get a real 'tottie', or 'Hotentotje', but
the people were too drunk to remember where they had left their
child. C'est assez dire, that I should have had no scruple in
buying it for a bottle of 'smoke' (the spirit made from grape
husks). They are clever and affectionate when they have a chance,
poor things, - and so strange to look at.
By the bye, a Bonn man, Dr. Bleek, called here with 'Grusse' from
our old friends, Professor Mendelssohn and his wife. He is
devoting himself to Hottentot and aboriginal literature! - and has
actually mastered the Caffre click, which I vainly practised under
Kleenboy's tuition. He wanted to teach me to say 'Tkorkha', which
means 'you lie', or 'you have missed' (in shooting or throwing a
stone, &c.) - a curious combination of meanings. He taught me to
throw stones or a stick at him, which he always avoided, however
close they fell, and cried 'Tkorkha!' The Caffres ask for a
present, 'Tkzeelah Tabak', 'a gift for tobacco'.
The Farnese Hercules is a living TRUTH. I saw him in the street
two days ago, and he was a Caffre coolie. The proportions of the
head and throat were more wonderful in flesh, or muscle rather,
than in marble. I know a Caffre girl of thirteen, who is a noble
model of strength and beauty; such an arm - larger than any white
woman's - with such a dimple in her elbow, and a wrist and hand
which no glove is small enough to fit - and a noble countenance too.
She is 'apprenticed', a name for temporary slavery, and is highly
spoken of as a servant, as the Caffres always are. They are a
majestic race, but with just the stupid conceit of a certain sort
of Englishmen; the women and girls seem charming.
Easter Sunday. - The weather continues beautifully clear and bright,
like the finest European spring. It seems so strange for the
floral season to be the winter. But as the wind blows the air is
quite cold to-day; nevertheless, I feel much better the last two
days.
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