The Valley of the Nile

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 12, 20 August 1941, Page 2

The Valley of the Nile

MBy L/Cpl. N.- H. qhadwWk). . Since being in camp ia Egypt I havesfeept much of my Isave visiting various places of interest, but founif none more interesting than the" Nile Valley, inhabited toy the poorer class of Egyptians 'who are responsible for the cultivation of this rich and fertile' land. There it* a saying that if there were no Nile there would be no Egypt and this is easy to understand after a close study of this Valley. Egypt, of course, is a very large country, the greater part of whieh is large spaces of desert waste. The Nile, flowing from Abyssinia right through to the Mediterranean, is the only means of supplying the water for the crops, for rain scarcely ever falls here, and if they were dependent on rainfall, vegetation would never grow.

For centuries the waters of the i Nie have been used for irrigation, and today the Nile Valley is probably one of the richest pastoral lands in the world. The fluids are irrigated from large canals, which in turn supply many smaller ones, a system which must have entailed a tremendous amount of labour. There are no fences dividing one crop from another, for almost every yard of land is cultivated and fences would mean the loss of too much valuable land. Vegetables, fruit, corn, potton and fodder are a few of the many crops to be seen- growing there. The owners of all this land employ the poorer cass of Egyptians to cultivate it, and they are to be seen in the fields soon after dawn, only ceasing when the sun- is setting, for which they are paid,., the sum of seven piastres (or 1/6) a day. On several occasions t have been out at; an early hour, qnly to find them al-, ready at work. \lt seemed a Oracle to me that they could successfully cultivate all this land, for tliiy used no agricultural implements such as are seen on almost every farm in New Zealand. The methods they use are those used by their '.forefathers generations ago, and being so slow, they are forced tb Employ their families to help ttyejh, almost from the time they can walk.

I stopped to watch a man lifting water from tlje caiial by ( means of a long wooden pole, from one end of which. was suspended a bucket, while on the other end was tied p large st6ne, the whole being balanced on a post. From the bucket he poured into a drain which ran through his crops. Another was lifting the water by turning a long wooden cylinder which ha<Fa Spiral track on the inside and as he turned it the water worked up the spiral into the drain. In another direction several old women were cutting corn, which,, when tied into bundles, was loaded on to a camel. When fully loaded all that was visible of the animal was its legs and neck, which to some extent explains why it was "the last straw that broke*the camel's bkck". When several were loaded and tied together they were led off in single file to the village, where the corn was thrashed.

A small boy led a donkey along {the bank of the canal, pulling an ancient cart loaded with vegetables for the market, feeding it as it walked, for this hardy animal is worked all day long, getting very little rest. Going in the other direction were two or three water buffalo, driven by a small girl no more than four years of age. Work went on like this all day, and only when the sun dipped behind the pyramids did they go off to their village, tired and weary, their only thought being of sleep. They worked seven long days a week, with little time for recreation, and as a corner of the road hid them from view, I made up my mind that I would go and see where and how they lived as soon as the opportunity arose.

Several days later I was fortunate that my days work took me near one of these villages and It was here that I learned to pity these poor creatures. Being curious to see this place, I walked over to the village, passing several women and small girls, who looked at me shyly as they went by, carrying large bowls on their headß. It was a marvel to me that none of them ever spilled, though they walked very erect. When I entered the village a number of small children followed me and seemed to be quite excited at Being a soldier in the village. Old men stopped and looked at me curiously, wondering who this intruder was, and at first seemed a little afraid, for I was the first soldier who had been in their village. When I said "Sa-eda" to them they mußt have realised my visit )vas a friendly one, for they immediately replied "Sa-eda, Baroya," which means "Good-day and Welcome" in Arabic.

I stopped to watch the slow process of thrashing which was spread out in a circle, while two buffalo which were tied to' a stake in the centre, pulled a set of discs over It to cut It up. Women then separated the corn from.' this by tossing it in the air, saving the stalks for fodder. I wandered on, looking here and there among the crumbling ruinß which had been repaired to some extent by mud. I was astonished to see" the 'filth in some of them, for on tpe floor in one comer an unpleasant odour camei from sometbiftg a woman w&s cooking over a smoking fire. In some of

these whole families slept, while various kinds of animals seemed to have the freedom of the village, and even slept in some of the rooms with the natives. I wondered which were the intruder, human or animal, and thought it was no wonder that most of'these people were suffering from various types of disease, living in hovels as dirty as these. A feeling of nausea swept over me after seeing many sights, apart from those already mentioned, and yet, are they to be blamed or pitied? I was inclined to think the latter, for their very existence seemed to depend on the long hours they toiled in the fields, for which they were paid so little.

Though I was glad to get away from this place, I had satisfied my curiosity. Walking back to the road I saw a modern car cruising along on the other side of the canal, and then turn into a gateway which led up to the front door of a large modern two-storey house. A well dressed man stepped from beside his chaffeur and entered the house. Here was the man who owned the land across the canal, living in comfort, while these poor people he employed toiled all day for a few "ackers," which could barely supply their needs. In these dirty crumbling ruins which they called their home, lived the people who were indirectly responsible for the building of that lovely home across the canal. It seems incredible that these low creatures should be the descendants of the fine and clever race' that the ancient Egyptians were centuries ago, and I cannot help but feel some small measure of pity for them after seeing how they live and understand their struggle for existence. All I have seen makes me feel proud of the Maori and I can see now why he is the most civilised coloured race ia the world. ' ,