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6o Oriental Cairo
I have often photographed such a party without being
noticed.
But if a poor and primitive native was consulting the
soothsayer, and the darkness had fallen, and the traffic had
ceased, the sight was truly impressive, especially in contrast
to the cafes opposite. The Sharia cl-Genaina has a row of
cafes for Arabs and mean whites, because they can hear the
music coming round the corner from the cross street, the
most blatant in Cairo. These cafes were not interesting ;
people really went to them for refreshment ; most of them
only bought their drinks from the cafe and their doubtful
delicacies from the peripatetic restaurateurs. There was one
rather amazing cafe along here : it was kept by a retired
British sergeant, who had married a Greek woman, and was
the favourite resort of Tommy Atkins. We had rooms over
that caf6 once, so I am in a position to give it a character.
The Tommies who frequented it never made any particular
noise except with their sing-songs ; the women who served
them were good enough for Grundy, and the place had a
reputation for decent liquor. The most striking feature was
the number of Tommies who could play the accompaniment
to the latest music-hall and comic-opera songs, and play with
veyve. It was a sort of concert by the audience. It gave me
a great idea of Tommy Atkins.
The street behind the Sharia el-Genaina, the Sharia
VVagh-el-Birket, and the cross street which joined them, are
the most unblushing in Cairo, except the parades of the
Fishmarket. But the Sharia Wagh-el-Birket is picturesque
in its way, for one side of ,it is taken up by arcades with
compromising cafes under them, and the other has its
upper floors tenanted by gay women who aspire to the
better-class. Every floor has its balcony, and every balcony
has its fantastically robed Juliet leaning over. As the
street, in spite of its glare, is not well-lighted, you cannot
see how displeasing they are ; you get a mere impression
of light draperies trailing from lofty balconies under the
lustrous night blue of Egypt, while from the rooms be-
hind lamps with ^rose-coloured shades diffuse invitations.