travels

HOLY LAND, AND CYPRUS. 109myself fortunate in escaping so well; as it is not at all anuncommon thing for a boat to be completely emptied of itsvaluables, by the dexterity of the Nile pirates, in the courseof a night, even when the boatmen are on board. ...When Iapplied to the caimacan of the village to assist me to recovermy loss, he seized on two unfortunate peasants, formerly suspectedof theft; and, unknown to me, put them into heavyirons, and gave them the bastinado on the soles of the feetito induce them to confess themselves guilty. After in vainoffering a reward and promise of pardori, to give some informationrelative to my loss, I obtained their release. Aword from me would have sent them to Siout, where theywould most likely have been executed. r; ,The state of si\bjection to which the peasants of Egyptare reduced, even at this distance from Cairo, may be conceived,when it is known that in none of the villages is theremore than one Turk who acts as caimacan, or lieutenant tothe cashief of the district. He rules with absolute sway,imprisons, bastinadoes, and. casts into irons at pleasure;though the punishment of death is left to the award of thePasha or his minister.i.^The chief mode of subsistence of the Troglodites. OfGoomoo seemed from the pillage of the tombs, of which theydaily discover new ones; whence, the dead bodies beingtaken, they are broken up, and the resinous substance foundΚΥΠΡΙΑΚΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ