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VILLAGE POLITICIANS 263
times, that a piece of youvhah on the stove began
to smoke, a dozen voices would cry together " the
bread burns !
They had two or three keen politicians in this
village, particularly the teacher, a thin-faced, darkbearded
man, with bright eyes, who would have
been a Radical or Socialist in any other country.
He was in favour of the new Government and
against Abdul Hamid, and appeared to have a small
following of fluent talkers. On behalf of the Young-
Turks he could only urge what they were going to
do for the country ; but against the old Government
he found much to say both as to what it had done
and what not done. The old Government, he maintained,
was Abdul Hamid, the one man answerable
for all trouble. Abdul Hamid had spent immense
sums on himself; Abdul Hamid had given even
greater sums to foreigners by way of baksheesh.
This money should have gone to the Army and
Navy, and because it had not been so used the
present troubles had overtaken the country. Finally,
Abdul Hamid had lost Egypt and Tripoli. The company
now wished to hear what Ighsan had to say,
for he seemed to be well known, and held in large
respect.
Unlike the teacher, he spoke without vehemence.
He began with slow scorn : he took the edge of
his jacket delicately between thumb and forefinger,
and shook it with a look of loathing. The action
counts as the last native gesture of contempt, and
is said to signify the shaking out of certain familiar
vermin—as has to be done sometimes. That was
what he thought of the new Government and Liberty
and the rest of it. He was in favour of the old
Government as the best—in favour of Abdul Hamid
and Sultan Abdul Aziz, of Sultan Murad and Sultan
Selim—thus comparing great sultans of the past with
the present form of government. As for baksheesh,
it had been paid by foreigners to Abdul Hamid.
He wound up by shaking his jacket again.