Pg. 603

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Charles Dickens.] THE MERRY MEN OF CAIRO. 603

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 words of the choicest that our language contains. The learned Abd-es-Sarf has written a large book on the donkeys of Cairo alone, and the things appertaining; but, as he has forgotten to laud the perfection of the, saddles and the bridles, much remains to be done.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 1 Among the chief excellences of Cairo are its wags or merry men. Like unto them are to be found in no country on the face of the earth. They are not drunkards, dike the merry men of Stamboul; nor licentious, dike those of Damascus; nor dishonest, like those of Aleppo; nor riotous, like those of Bassora. They mingle a pleasant proportion of gravity with their mirth; and their chief art is to pass their life in jollity, without doing any harm to their fellow creatures—or rather, without doing more than is required to keep themselves in pleasant humour, for it is im­possible to laugh without  seeing others suffer slightly.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 One of the most celebrated of these merry men is Hassan, who passes his time in piercing the skins of the water-carriers, and in enjoy­ing the rage  and tears of the unfortunate man who, on arriving at his destination, finds that he has nothing but empty bags of leather on his camels. He always follows his victim at a distance, and when he has sufficiently laughed, he comes forward, saying, “Poor man, what is the matter? Here is the price of thy water.” Then the carrier replies, “May Allah shower blessings upon thee, and curses on the man who pierced my skins!”

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 Another, named Chirza, chiefly delights in putting dead dogs or cats into the water-jars of the women; and it is related that he once saw a woman set down a jar at a door and go into the house to gossip. He had a cat under his cloak, and slipped it in without being seen. In the evening, he related his joke to several friends who dined with him, and all laughed. Suddenly, the servant came in and said that the jar, from which the water they had drank had been taken, contained a dead cat; and it was discovered that Chirza had played off his trick on his own maid by mistake.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 But all the wags of the present day are inferior to the one surnamed Abu Munchar, or the Father of the Nose, who flourished under the reign of King Ali Mustapha. His real name was Abdallah; but, as his nose was about the size and shape of a full-grown cucumber, first the children, then the women, and, by degrees, everybody nicknamed him Abu Munchar. He was the son of a merchant, who bequeathed to him considerable property, charging him to increase it; but, as he loved ease better than labour, and saw that he had sufficient to keep him in comfort all his life, he determined to abandon trade and to adopt the profession of a merry man. More than fifty of his exploits have been handed down by tradition; but it is generally admitted that the one we are about to relate was the most amusing.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 1 He lived in a fine mansion near the Zeyneb gate, and his neighbours talked of scarcely anything but the comical things he said and did. In order to be more at liberty, however, he bought a small house at the other ex­tremity of the city, and used often to go there dressed in mean garments, and concoct and carry out plans of amusements. His mysteri­ous way of living created great curiosity in the neighbourhood; and as secrecy always irritates the inquisitive, many began to spread the report that he was no other than Manrow, the celebrated robber, disguised by a nose that Allah had not given him. These reports at length induced the head of the police to pay a visit to the house. Abu Munchar was a little alarmed at first; but, as he had heard of the reports that had been spread, he received the official with a gay countenance, and without giving him time to speak, said: “O my master, this is a most fortunate occasion. I wished to see you; for, on going along the street this morning, I found a purse containing a hundred pieces of gold, and as it is not probable that I shall discover the owner so easily as you will, it is best to place it in your hands ” So saying, he drew forth a purse and handed it to the head of the police, who understood the whole affair, and who, after making some mild inquiries as to Abdallah’s way of life, went away. The merry man accompanied him into the street, where his visitor embraced him with great demonstrations of affection, and con­tinued his round, answering all curious in­quirers by saying, “A man who laughs is never dangerous!”

¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0 When the neighbours saw with what dis­tinction Abu Munchar was treated by the dreaded Zabib, they changed their opinion of him and eagerly sought his acquaintance. Among those who had most vilified him previously, was a poor devil of a barber, who used to shave in a bath visited only by water- carriers, fish-men, donkey-boys, and beggars; and who could scarcely contrive to exist on the produce of his razor. It is true, that more than half his earnings were expended in coffee and hasheesh (to which he was inveterately addicted), and that many would not trust their heads in his hands, because he had once, when very drunk, sliced off the ear of a patient.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 This barber, named Ali, said to himself one day: “The man with the nose is evi­dently a jolly fellow, and yet he seems as poor as myself, Perhaps he has the secret of happiness; and, if I could make his ac­quaintance he might discover it to me. I am a pleasant wise fellow, full of learned sayings, and strange stories, and witty conceits, and ready answers, and experience of the world, and elegance of manner and taste, and know­ledge of exceeding good stories and of song­craft—in short, there is no more agreeable companion in the world than I am; and, if I can show my talents to this man it is