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The Ashura and its Mutilations 247
on both sides, as well as the houses, were packed with
spectators. When we got to our seats we found that they
were on the first floor of an Arab restaurant, which had a
veranda over the pavement for its customers, that quite
precluded our seeing anything of the street. It was so like
an Egyptian to let a room, from which nothing could be
seen, to foreigners. Mustafa suggested that we should sit on
the roof of the veranda: he had his face to save for having
been taken in. But it would certainly have given way, and
the police thought of a much better idea. They directed
the restaurant keeper to put chairs for us out in the road,
which their own patrols were keeping clear. They warned
us, however, that the people in the procession might be
annoyed by the proximity of infidels and might try to hustle
us. They said we were not to mind that, because they
would move them on. They asked Mustafa if the English
ladies would be afraid. Mustafa himself was the most afraid,
probably because he knew more about the risks we were
running. We decided that as Captain Archer was willing to
let us take the risk it was quite worth taking it, especially as
we were going to get a view of the proceedings beyond our
wildest hopes.
Ramidge had not turned up.
It was quite exciting, even before the procession came
along. The splendid-looking police troopers on their white
Arabs charged the crowd at short intervals to keep them in
their places, and sometimes they came down the streets at a
gallop. We were surrounded by evil, evilly-behaved people.
But as the police had put our chairs well out into the road it
did not matter much till the crowd began to close on us
behind. Then another brilliant idea struck the police : they
made the restaurant keeper clear his counter, and put out
chairs upon that, but we declined this inglorious safety ; it
was more fun in the street. And just then Ramidge turned
up, and as he spoke Arabic fluently we were in a better
position to understand the temper of the crowd. It was no
wonder if they were in a temper, because the police were
charging up and down the street incessantly. It turned out