LADY GORDON'S REMINISCENCES.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 69, 23 March 1887, Page 3

LADY GORDON'S REMINISCENCES.

Soojic3 In tno Oriont Which Woro of

Uncommon Intei-ent.

Eaktbhn Ufo is to this closo observer a perpetual panorama. Sho sees from her windows a Turkish wedding procession with a pretty boy of 13 for bridegroom, dressed in scarlet robo and turban, preceded by flaring creapets and surroundud by carrying tapers and einging songs—or a Coptic brido dressed in whito and blazing with diamond?,

passes by ; abyatto3 with harp, eackbut and dulcimer, playing and singing beforo her, and little girls in scarlet habarahs, noting as bridesmaids. Or, tho scene changiog, ns lifo itself change?, a poor man who has lost his little son creops out of his desolate homo and stands under her window, wailing, " Oh, my boy !" wetting tho <!uM. with his tears, and calling on the passers-by to grieve with him Or a littla half-black, not 2 years old, wearing " a bit of iron wire i? ono oa», and irou rings round his ankles — and nothing else," solemnly gazes at tho Inkeleezeh Sitt fnr an hour or co, and then dance 3 before ber "to amu.'o her mind ;" his uncle having made hisa fit to be seen by •emptying a pitcher of water on bis head to rinse off the dust —" which," says Lady Duff Gordon. "U equivalent to a clean pinafore." The precocity of Eastorn children is marvellous. A bay of 12 foil desperately in love with a pretty Baroness X., more than twico hU age, put on a turban for tho h'rft time to look liko a man, and seated himsolf cross-legged on the carpet before Lady Duff Gordorj, to tell her of bis devouiins passion, and begged some medicine to "make him whito" and improve him in the e\ es of hi? beloved. The Eon of tho Sultan of Darfoor, " pretty, imperious little niggor" about 11, dressed in a yellow silk caftan and ecarlot burncosu, being presented to her, exclaimed scornfully, " Why, she ha woman ; she can't talk to me 1" But a box of French sweetmeats altered his opinion, and on being a=ked hoi. many brothers ho had tho young Princo condescended to reply : " Who can count them? They are like mice!" Tho Arabs often carry their reverence for the other ?ex to the opposite extreme. Omar submitted to be bullied and lectured by Zoynib, a Nubian girl of 8 who had been given to Lady Duff GordoD, and whon laughed at for his docility answered: "Bow I pay anything to it? That one child I" When Abd-el-Kader wag expected at Cairo Lady Duff Gordon's donkey driver asked her if he were not Akhu-lßennt (a brother of girls). She said she did not know that he had ony eistera, "The Arabs, oh lady," was tho reply, "call that man 'a broth-Dr of girls,' to whom God haa given a elf an heart to love all women a3 hi 3 eieterp, and strength and courage to Sght for their protection." Even polygamy i^. according to Lady T)uff Gardon, often merely consideration for tho necosMtiea of the " wer.kf.r vessel." Hearing that Haesan, the janissary ot American Caneulate, had married his brother's widow and adopted bath her boys, sho said the two wives did not sound to her very comfortable. " Oh, no," replied Omar, " not comfortable at all for the man, but he take care of the women. That is what is proper. That is the good Muslim."