They were my junior by a few years, but as I lacked companions of my own age they became my regular playmates, until I finally grew acquainted with my other brothers and sisters at Bet il Sahel. It was on a Friday — the Mahometan Sunday — that we left our house quite early in the morning, probably at five or six o'clock.
We had not far to go, however, as our destination was scarcely more than a hundred steps away. The faithful, but unbearably cantankerous old doorkeeper gave us anything but an amiable welcome. He complained that he had been on his shaky old pins for the last hour answering female visitors. A Nubian slave belonging to my father, his beard had grown white in honourable service: I say "beard" advisedly, because male Arabs are in the habit of shaving their heads.
My father was much attached to him, particularly since this servant had once saved him from committing a hasty act which he might have regretted all his life, by knocking a sword out of his hand just as he was about to strike down a man who had roused his anger. But we small children had no respect for the old fellow's virtues, and in the exuberance of a frolicsome mood would often play naughty tricks on this ancient and worthy servitor. We were particularly fond of abstracting his keys, and I suppose there was hardly a room in the whole of Bet il Sahel where they had not lain hidden from him at one time or another.
One of my young brothers seemed to have a peculiar aptitude for secreting those keys in places unsuspected even by us conspirators. Ascending from the ground floor to the first story, we found the ladies of the house all astir and active, only that the exceptionally pious were still engaged in their morning devotions, and hence invisible to the outer world. No one would think of disturbing a Mahometan at prayer under any circumstances, no, not even if the house should take fire.
Our father was one of the devout worshippers on this occasion, and so we were obliged to wait until his prayers were done. Our visit had purposely been arranged to coincide with his presence at Bet il Sahel, to which, in fact, the unusual concourse was due. It must not be imagined that the ladies assembled were all friends or acquaintances of ours. On the contrary, some were entire strangers to us, and most of these came from Oman, our virtual mother-country, to ask my father for assistance of a material kind, which, indeed, was rarely denied.
Our mother-country is as poor as our relatives there, and our own prosperity really dated from my father's conquest of the rich island of Zanzibar. If the law prohibits, in general, a woman from holding personal intercourse of any sort with a strange man, it makes two exceptions, in favour of the sovereign and of the judge. Now, as thousands and thousands are totally ignorant of penmanship, and therefore cannot make their petitions in writing, nothing remains for such needy ones but to come themselves, even if they have to undertake the little journey from Asia to Africa.
At all events, my father used to endow his petitioners according to their rank and position, omitting to harass the poor wretches with a lot of questions, as the custom is in Europe. It was assumed that nobody would go begging other people's help for pure amusement's sake, and I daresay this may frequently apply to Germany as well. My brothers and sisters — whether previously acquainted with me or not — were all most cordial in their manner of welcome, none more so than the perfect Chole, dear to my memory forever.
Hitherto the affections of my young heart had been entirely devoted to my sweet mother, but now I began to worship this angel of light as well. Anyone judging her impartially and unenviously felt obliged to acknowledge her extraordinary beauty; and where is the human being completely insensible to the charm of beauty?
Bet il Sahel contained no such misanthropist, at any rate. This sister of mine was without peer in our family, her good looks being positively proverbial. Though fine eyes are not at all uncommon in the East — as everyone must be aware — she was inevitably called Star of the Morning. An Arab chief from Oman once inflicted an injury upon himself through falling too deeply under the spell of her fascination.
In the course of a sham fight, enacted before our house, the chief caught sight of her at a window, and became so enraptured with Chole's appearance that he forgot everybody and everything about him, and in this fit of amorous abstraction planted the point of his spear into his foot, not noticing the blood and feeling no pain, until awakened from his blissful dream by one of my brothers.
Bet il Sahel is relatively much smaller than Bet il Mtoni, and is likewise situated hard by the sea; there is something smiling and pleasant about the place which is reflected in the residents. All the living-rooms of Bet il Sahel command a glorious view of the water and the shipping.
Well do I remember the enchanting scene. The doors of the living-rooms — which are all on the upper story — open on a long, broad veranda, the most magnificent I have ever seen. The veranda has a roof supported by pillars reaching to the ground, and has a balustrade along its entire length. Numerous chairs were set out, and coloured lamps hung up, which by night lent the house an aspect of fairyland. You looked down over the balustrade into the courtyard — the liveliest, noisiest spot imaginable — communication between which and the upper story being maintained by means of two large stairways.
It was up and down, down and up, all day and all night, and often there was such a crowd at the foot or head of the stairs that it was difficult to reach them. In a corner of the yard cattle were slaughtered, skinned, and cleaned in quantities, all for the sole use of the house, which, like every house in Zanzibar, must provide its own meat.
In another corner sat Negroes having their heads shaved, while near them a lot of lazy water-carriers lay full length on the ground, paying not the slightest attention to the urgent calls for water, until unpleasantly reminded of their duty by a muscular eunuch. I have known these leisurely gentleman to start up, and to dash away like lightning with their jugs at the mere frown of their formidable taskmasters.
Near by nurses sunned themselves and their little charges, whom they were regaling with fairy tales and stories. The kitchen, too, was in the open, and the smoke ascended freely to heaven as it might fancy, for chimneys do not exist. Strife and confusion were the rule among the host of culinary sprites, the head cooks dealing out boxes on the ears in liberal style to the quarrelsome or dilatory scullions of either sex. In the Bet il Sahel kitchen the animals were cooked whole, and I have seen a fish arrive carried by two sturdy blacks; small fish were not taken in excepting by the basketload, nor fowl but by the dozen.
Flour, rice, and sugar were reckoned wholesale by bags, while the butter, imported from the north, especially from the island of Socotra, came in jars of a hundredweight each. Only spices were measured by the pound. Still more astonishing was the quantity of fruit consumed. Every day thirty or forty, or even fifty, men brought loads of fruit on their backs, apart from the consignments delivered by the little rowboats which supplied the plantations along the shore.
I am probably making no extravagant estimate if I put Bet il Sahel's daily consumption of fruit as high as the capacity of a railway van; but some days, for instance, during the mango harvest, the demand would be still larger. The slaves intrusted with all this fruit were extremely careless; they would plump the heavy baskets from their heads violently to the ground, so that half the contents would be bruised or squashed.
Product Review
The place was protected against the sea by a long wall about twelve feet thick, and when the tide was low some of the horses were tethered in front of this wall so that they might roll in the sand and enjoy themselves. My father was immensely attached to his thoroughbred steeds from Oman; he saw them regularly, and if one fell sick he would go to the stable, and satisfy himself that it was properly attended to. The fondness of Arabs for their favourite horses I can prove by my brother Majid's example. He owned a very handsome brown mare, and was exceedingly anxious that she should have a colt.
So, when the time came for the fulfilment of this hope, he gave orders that he should be notified of the birth at whatever hour it might occur. Thus, we were actually roused up out of bed one night, at about two o'clock, to be informed of the happy event. The groom who bore the welcome news received a fine present from his overjoyed master. But this is no exceptional case; in Arabia Proper the devotion to horses is said to be still more intense. Between half past nine and ten my elder brothers left their apartments to take breakfast with my father, in which repast not a single secondary wife, however great a favourite with the Sultan, was allowed to share.
Besides his children and grandchildren — those who had passed infancy, that is to say — the only persons admitted to his table were the principal wife Azze bint Sef and his sister Assha. Social distinctions in the East are never observed more rigorously than at meals; one is extremely cordial and affable toward one's guests, just as people of high station are here in Europe, or perhaps even more so, though at meals one excludes them from one's company.
The custom is so ancient that no one takes offence. In Zanzibar the secondary wives had a system of sub-distinctions. The handsome and expensive Circassians, fully conscious of their superior merits and value, refused to sit at table with the brown Abyssinian women. Thus each race, in accordance with a tacit understanding, kept to itself when eating. At Bet il Sahel I got the impression that the residents of the place were a much gayer set than at Bet il Mtoni.
The reason was that at Bet il Mtoni, Azze bint Sef ruled supreme over husband, stepchildren, their mothers, in short over everybody, whereas at Bet il Sahel, where Azze rarely appeared, everyone, my father not excepted, felt free and untrammelled. And I think my father must actually have appreciated this liberty of action very keenly, as he had for years sent no one to Bet il Mtoni for permanent residence unless by such person's request, although that place always had rooms empty, and the other was crowded.
The overpopulation I speak of at last gave rise to so much inconvenience that my father hit upon the idea of putting wooden pavilions on the broad veranda to serve as living rooms; eventually he had another house built — which went by the name of Bet il Ras Cape House — on the sea-coast a few miles north of Bet il Mtoni, and which was designed particularly for the younger Bet il Sahel generation.
A painter would have found rich material for his brush on the veranda at Bet il Sahel. To begin with, there were quite eight or nine different facial hues to be taken account of, and the many colours and shades of the garments worn would have offered the most vivid contrasts. No less lively was the bustle and stir. Children of all ages tore about, squabbled, and fought; shouting and clapping of hands — taking the place of the Western bell-ringing — for servants, resounded incessantly; the enormous, thick, wooden sandals of the women, sometimes inlaid with silver or gold, made a distressing clatter.
We children enjoyed the confusion of tongues immensely. Arabic was supposed to be the only language spoken, and in the Sultan's presence the rule was invariably obeyed; but no sooner was his back turned than a sort of Babel would break loose, Persian, Turkish, Circassian, Suahili, Nubian, Abyssinian, to say nothing of dialects. However, no one took exception to mere tumult but now and then an invalid, and our dear father was quite used to it, and never objected in the least.
Here, then, on the veranda, my sisters were assembled the day of my visit. From the stairs sounded the clinking of arms worn by my brothers, who had also come to see their father, in fact, to spend the whole day with him. More luxury and extravagance prevailed than at Bet il Mtoni, and I found better looking women than there, where my mother was the only Circassian but one. Here, on the other hand, the majority of the Sultan's wives were Circassians, who undoubtedly are much finer in appearance than the Abyssinians, though among them, too, great beauties may be seen.
Of course these natural advantages gave rise to envy and malice on the other side: Under such circumstances it was natural enough if ridiculous race hatreds manifested themselves among the children. Her virtues notwithstanding, the Abyssinian is usually of a spiteful, revengeful disposition, and when she flies into a temper goes beyond the limits not only of moderation but of decency. We daughters of Circassian mothers were called "cats" by our sisters who had Abyssinian blood in their veins, because some of us had the misfortune to possess blue eyes.
And then they spoke to us sarcastically as "your Highness," as further proof of their indignation at our having come into the world with white skin. Nor did they forgive my father for selecting as pets his two daughters Sharife and Chole from the loathsome tribe of cats. Under the oppressive Azze bint Sef, life at Bet il Mtoni had always been more or less cloistral; at Bet il Watoro I felt still lonelier; consequently I relished the cheerfulness and the movement at Bet il Sahel all the more. Two little nieces of mine, daughters of my brother Khaled, were brought from their home every morning to Bet il Sahel — and taken back in the evening — so that they might do their lessons with their young uncles and aunts, and play with them afterward.
Curshit, Khaled's mother, a Circassian by birth, was a very unusual woman. Of heroic bodily stature, she combined extraordinary will power with a highly developed intelligence, and I do not remember encountering her equal among the members of my sex. On one occasion that Khaled represented my father, during his absence, it was said she governed our country, with Khaled as her puppet. Certainly her counsel was invaluable to our family, and her decisions were momentous. Her two eyes were so sharp and observing that they saw as much as Argus's hundred eyes.
In matters of importance she showed the wisdom of Solomon. But the small children found her repulsive, and gladly avoided her. Evening came at last, and we began to think of returning to Bet il Watoro. Suddenly my father announced, to my mother's infinite dismay, that I must resume my lessons. Upon her plea that it had been impossible to find a suitable governess, he decreed that I was to be sent to Bet il Sahel each morning, and taken back in the evening, like my two nieces; thus I should be instructed together with my brothers and sisters there.
To me this news was most unpleasant: I was far too wild to get any joy out of sitting still; besides, my last mistress had altogether spoilt my taste for lessons. Yet momentarily the prospect of being with my brothers and sisters all day — except on Fridays — comforted me, especially as my charming sister Chole offered to take charge of me and watch over me. And so she did — like a mother. My real mother grieved terribly over my father's order separating us six days in a week, but of course, she was obliged to acquiesce.
She however bade me show myself several times during the day at a certain spot, by which means she could catch a glimpse of me from Bet il Watoro, and wave her greetings. Nor did we miss many opportunities to play silly tricks, and when punishment was the result I fared better than the others, on account of Chole's extreme good nature. We owned several handsome peacocks, one of which possessed an ugly disposition and could not endure us children. One day, as five of us were crossing over from Bet il Sahel to Bet il Tani — a sort of annex to the former — the peacock in question suddenly made a furious attack upon my brother Djemshid.
We all immediately pounced upon the monster and vanquished it, but were much too angry to think of letting it go without a reminder for its misconduct. So we concluded upon a hideous revenge, and pulled out the bird's handsomest tail feathers. And what a pitiful wreck that proud, bellicose beauty looked then!
Luckily our father happened to be in Bet il Mtoni that day, and the affair was hushed up by the time he returned. I remember that two Circassians joined us, from Egypt, and that we children noticed how haughty one of them was, ignoring us completely, in fact. This struck at our vanity; we accordingly tried to hatch out some scheme for the offender's undoing. It was no easy matter to reach her, as she avoided us, and we never had any dealings with her. But this only aggravated us the more, especially as she was our senior by only a few years.
One day, passing her room, we found the door open. She was sitting on a fragile Suahili bed, constructed of little else but a mat attached by cords to four posts. She was merrily singing some national ditty to herself. My sister Shewane acted as ringleader; she gave us a significant glance of which we, all kindred spirits, were not slow to catch the meaning. In a moment we had rushed in, seized the bed at its four corners, lifted it up as high as we were able, and let it bump down to the floor again, to the great terror of the amazed occupant.
It was a childish trick, but was warranted by the effect it had, which was to cure our victim of her indifference toward us for good and all, so that ever after she was affability itself. Our object was therefore attained. But occasionally I would play some prank on my own account. Once, soon after our removal to Bet il Watoro, I risked my neck in a humorous adventure of the sort. One morning I made my escape, and climbed a tall cocoanut palm as quick as a cat and unaided by a pingu , the stout rope that even expert climbers never dream of dispensing with.
Having got half-way up, I impudently began to call down my greetings to the passers-by. What a fright they got into! A group of alarmed individuals collected round the tree, imploring me to come down with all the caution I could muster. It was out of the question to send anyone up for me; in climbing a palm tree, one's hands are fully occupied, and one cannot take care of a child besides oneself.
However, I was enjoying myself capitally, and not until my mother appealed to me in heart-broken accents of despair, promising me all sorts of fine things, would I vouchsafe to descend, which finally I did, sliding down with great deliberation, and reaching the ground in safety. That day I was everybody's pet; presents were showered upon me to celebrate my fortunate deliverance from danger, though I really deserved a severe flogging.
We were always playing some trick or other, no punishment deterring us from the continuation of our naughtiness. There were seven of us, three boys and four girls, who kept the house lively, and often, alas, got our poor mothers into trouble. Now and then my dear mother kept me at home on some other day than Friday, which opportunities the indulgent Majid seized upon to spoil me thoroughly. It was on one of those occasions that he gave us a terrible fright. He was subject to frequent cramps, whence he was rarely, if ever, left unattended. Even if he took a bath, my mother and Chaduji, whose confidence in the servants was limited, took it in turn to watch at the door, exchanging a few words with him from time to time, when he would indulge in his favourite pleasantry of exclaiming "I am still alive!
Entering, in great perturbation, she found my beloved brother on the floor, in the throes of a violent attack — the worst he had ever suffered. A mounted messenger was at once despatched to Bet il Mtoni, to summon my father. From their ignorance about diseases in general, the people of Zanzibar are dupes of quackery; indeed, now that I am familiar with the natural and rational treatment of diseases by competent doctors, I feel tempted to believe that many deaths at home must have been due to barbarous medical methods rather than to sickness.
Unfortified with that adamantine faith in our "destiny," I hardly know how we should have supported our grief over the numerous deaths among our family and retainers. Poor Majid, who lay unconscious for hours in his spasms, was obliged to breathe air which would have been injurious to the healthiest person.
Memoirs of an Arabian princess : an autobiography
Despite our great indoor love of free, fresh air, an invalid, especially if suspected of visitation by the Evil One, is rigidly secluded from the outer atmosphere, and his room, as well as the whole house, vigorously fumigated. The Sultan landed about an hour after Majid's seizure in a mtumbi , a tiny fishing boat holding only one person.
He hastened to the house, and though the parent of more than forty children was passionately affected by the illness of one. Bitter tears coursed down his cheeks as he stood at the sick bed, crying out aloud "Oh, Allah, oh, Allah, preserve my son! The Most High listened to his petition, and Majid was restored to us.
When my mother questioned the Sultan as to his reason for coming in such a miserable craft, he replied: I had no time to spare, and did not even want to wait for a horse to be saddled. Just then I happened to catch sight of a fisherman in his mtumbi close to the benjile ; I hailed him, caught up my arms, jumped in, and made off immediately.
Narrow, short, and pointed at the bow, it therefore differs from what is known in Germany as the "Greenland canoe. Well, customs vary all the world over. As to the European the Arab's fondness for his arms is incomprehensible, so the Arab mind has much difficulty in understanding some of the Northern usages. Just now the awful toping by the male sex occurs to me as an example. Thus I went to school every day at Bet il Sahel, returning each evening to my mother at Bet il Watoro. After having learnt about a third of the Koran by heart, I was supposed to have done with school, at the age of nine.
Thenceforth I repaired but on Fridays to Bet il Sahel — my father's day there — in the company of my mother and Chaduji. We went on living contentedly in this way at Bet il Watoro for two years.
Navigation menu
But good times cannot be expected to last; usually some unforeseen and untoward event disturbs one's peace. So in our case. The cause of strife in our household was a creature than whom none could have been more charming and lovable. Assha, a distant relative of ours, had recently come from Oman to Zanzibar, where she was soon taken to wife by Majid.
We were all devoted to her, and all rejoiced over Majid's happiness, with the single exception of his sister Chaduji, who, I deeply regret to confess wronged Assha entirely, from beginning to end. Assha, I have remarked, was in every respect charming; besides, she was quite young, so that Chaduji ought to have instructed her, and by degrees have imparted dignity to her. But she treated her with scorn and enmity. Her marriage to Majid entitled Assha to first place in the household; nevertheless, Chaduji patronised her so that the poor, gentle soul would go weeping to my mother, to complain of this unwarranted treatment.
My mother's situation between two fires, as it were, became most difficult and unenviable. Chaduji declined to surrender any of her imaginary rights, and continued to look upon Assha as an irresponsible child. In vain did my mother endeavour to rectify her views, and to make her recognise the position of Majid's wife; in vain she besought her to spare Majid whatever annoyance she could, for his own sake.
Yet it was all done in vain. Our once agreeable existence at Bet il Watoro became unbearable, and in order to escape from a scene of perpetual discussion my mother decided to leave the house she liked so well. Majid and his wife would not hear of her departure, Assha being quite inconsolable; Chaduji, on the other hand, remained unmoved, which served to strengthen my mother in her resolve. Assha herself at last felt she could put up with Chaduji's autocratic ways no longer, and obtained a divorce from Majid. The poor thing took her wretched experiences in Zanzibar so to heart that she would none of the country or its inhabitants.
Under favour of the south wind she sailed back to Oman, where she had an aunt living in the neighbourhood of Muscat, the capital, both her parents having died. As for my mother and me, our removal had been planned for some time, and we migrated to Bet il Tani. My sister Chole was delighted, as we now were almost under her very roof; she in fact secured and arranged our new quarters for us. The Sultan's houses were all so crowded that it was no easy matter to get rooms, and gradually a habit had arisen of counting upon vacancies through death.
It was really abominable to see a woman prick up her ears at another woman's cough, as if hoping for a case of consumption. Sinful as such thoughts must appear, they were of course due to this overcrowding. My mother and I owed it to Chole that we got a fine, large room at Bet il Tani without having to wait for somebody's decease. Chaduji we rarely saw now; she felt insulted by our change of abode, and accused my mother of lack of affection for her, quite wrongfully, to be sure.
But my mother had simply been unable to endure Chaduji's oppression of the girl whose chief offense was having become Majid's wife. He continued to visit us, however, and to remain one of our best friends. Bet il Tani was situated in immediate proximity to Bet il Sahel, and was connected with it by a bridge that passed over a Turkish bath-house midway between the two.
At the time I speak of Bet il Tani presented but a shadow of its former splendours. On its first story there had once lived a Persian princess, Shesadeh by name. She was one of my father's principal wives and a great beauty. Said to have been enormously extravagant, she nevertheless had the reputation of great kindness toward her stepchildren. A hundred and fifty Persian horsemen, who occupied the ground floor, formed her modest suite; she rode and hunted with them in the open light of day, which, according to Arabian notions, was going rather too far.
The Persian women seem to receive a sort of Spartan education; they have a great deal more liberty than ours, but are coarser both in thought and behaviour. Shesadeh, I was told, had led a most luxurious life. Her clothes — Persian style — were literally stitched with genuine pearls from top to bottom; if a servant, sweeping the rooms, found any on the floor, the princess would always refuse to take them back. She not only made desperate inroads upon the Sultan's bounty, but transgressed against sacred laws. Marrying my father for his wealth, her heart was bestowed on another.
- Raptor of Deliverance Book 1.
- Control Your Dreams - Control Your Life: Self Instruction (Advice & How To Book 1).
- You might also Like...;
- Item Preview;
The Sultan went nigh to incurring blood-guiltiness one day, in the heat of his anger, when a faithful attendant stayed his arm, saving Shesadeh from death and my father from a dreadful sin. Nothing but divorce was possible after that; fortunately the union had been childless. Some years later the Sultan was fighting the Persians at Bender Abbas, on the Persian Gulf, when, it was reported, the handsome Shesadeh was observed with the hostile forces, aiming at members of our family. In that princess's erstwhile home I began to learn writing on my own account, and after a very primitive method.
Of course this had to be done in secret, as women are never taught to write, and any knowledge they may acquire of it must not be discovered. For a first lesson I took the Koran, and tried to imitate the characters on the shoulderblade of a camel, which in Zanzibar does duty for a slate. Success inspired me with encouragement — I made quick progress. But eventually I needed some guidance in caligraphy proper, so I imposed upon one of our "educated" slaves the huge honour of acting as my writing master. Somehow the affair came to light, and torrents of obloquy descended upon me.
But not a rap cared I! Of course, natural conditions vary throughout the world, and it is they that govern our ideas, our habits, and our customs. In the North one is compelled to exert oneself in order to live at all, and very hard too, if one wishes to enjoy life, but the Southern races are greatly favoured. I repeat the word "favoured" because the frugality of a people is an inestimable blessing; the Arabs, who are often described in books as exceedingly idle, are remarkably frugal, more so perhaps than any but the Chinese.
Nature herself has ordained that the Southerner can work, while the Northerner must. The Northern nations seem to be very conceited, and look down with pride and contempt upon the people of the tropics — not a laudable state of mind. At the same time they are blind to the fact, in Europe, that their activity is absolutely compulsory to prevent them from perishing by the hundred thousand.
The European is obliged to work — that is all; hence he has no right to make such a great virtue of sheer necessity. And what may the reason be? Merely that the former have more summer than winter, and consequently that they have less of a struggle for existence. A cold climate implies the providing and securing oneself against all sorts of contingencies and actualities quite unknown in southern lands. Luxury plays the same part everywhere. Who has the money and the inclination will find opportunity to gratify his fancies, whatever quarter of the globe he may inhabit.
So let us leave this subject untouched, and confine ourselves to the real necessities of life. If in this country the new-born infant requires a quantity of things to protect its frail existence against the perversities of a changeable climate, the little brown-skinned Southerner lies almost naked, slumbering easily while fanned by a perpetual current of warm air.
If in Germany a two-year-old child needs shoes, stockings, pantalettes, a couple of petticoats, a dress, an overcoat, gloves, scarf, gaiters, muff, and a fur cap, whether it belongs to a banker or a labourer — the quality being all that differs — in Zanzibar the costume of a royal prince of the same age comprises two articles, shirt and cap. Then why should an Arabian mother, whose demands for herself and child are so small, work as hard as a German housewife? She has never heard of darning gloves and stockings, of performing the sundry labours done for a European child once a week. A certain great institution of European households we are ignorant of — washday.
In Zanzibar we wash every day whatever needs washing, and in half an hour's time the things are all dry, pressed not ironed , and put away. We also dispense with curtains, which besides being troublesome and keeping out the sunlight, have to be kept clean and in repair. An Oriental woman, whatever her rank, tears her clothes to a surprisingly limited extent, which is natural enough, since she does not move about so much, frequents the public thoroughfares less, and possesses fewer garments.
All these, and several other considerations help to make the Oriental woman's lot more bearable and comfortable than the European's, without particular regard to social station. But in order to be familiar with the details of their daily life one must have spent some time among them.
Tourists, who make only a brief sojourn in those parts, and who, perhaps, get their information from waiters at hotels, are scarcely to be considered as credible witnesses. European ladies who may actually have penetrated into a harem, perhaps in Constantinople or in Cairo, are still unacquainted with the real harem; they have only known its outer semblance in the rooms kept for show, rooms where European finery is partially aped. Besides, the climate is so generous and beneficent that one hardly need trouble about the morrow.
I do not deny that the people down there are disposed to taking things easy, but remembering the heat of July and August in Europe, one may conceive what sort of effect the tropical sun would have upon one. The Arab has no leaning toward commerce and industry; he cares for little else than warfare and agriculture. Few Arabs take to a special trade or profession; they make indifferent merchants, though much given to bartering; the Semitic sense of business they appear to lack.
His frugality enables the Arab to make ends meet easily, and as a rule he thinks only of the immediate present. He never plans for the distant future, for he knows that any day may be his last. Thus the life of the Oriental glides smoothly and easily along. Still, I now am describing only the life in Zanzibar and Oman, which in various respects differ from other Eastern countries. The Mahometan's day is regulated — if that is not saying too much — by his religious devotions. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order lo keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial panics, including placing Icchnical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help. Please do not remove it. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries.
Whether a book is slill in copyright varies from country lo country, and we can'l offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe. About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences.
Tired out in body and in mind, I did not then expecj; to live to be able to tell them, when they had grown up, of the many changes in my life, and of the recollec- tions of my youth. I therefore resolved to write my memoirs for them, and this I have done for love and devotion to my children, whose affection has been my only solace for many long and anxious years, and whose tender sympathy has kept me from despair in my heaviest troubles.
Originally, therefore, my memoirs were not intended for the general public, but for my dear children alone, to whom I desired to bequeath the same, in token of a fond mother's love, and I only yielded to the re- peatedly expressed wishes of many friends in having them published now. These pages were concluded years ago — with the exception of the last chapter, which was added re- cently, after a voyage I was permitted to undertake, with my children, to my old home, Zanzibar, in the course of last year.
In Bet il Mtoni, the oldest of our palaces in the island of Zanzibar, I was born, and there I lived until the age of seven. Bet il Mtoni, distant about five miles from the city of Zanzibar, lies on the sea coast, surrounded by most beautiful scenery, and quite hidden in a grove of palm and mango trees, and other gigantic specimens of tropical vegetation. The house of my birth is called "Mtoni house," after the little river Mtoni, which rises only a few miles inland, runs through the whole palace into numerous fountains, and flows directly behind the palace walls into the splendid and ani- mated inlet which severs the island from the African continent.
Only one large-sized courtyard divides the numerous buildings of Bet il Mtoni, which, on account of their heterogeneous styles, invented as occasion required, with their numberless and puzzling passages, must be called, on the whole, ugly rather than beautiful. Our chief amusement in these family houses con- sisted in taking long rides, as we had neither theatri- cals nor concerts to entertain us.
We frequently had races in the country, which as frequently ended in an accident. Once I nearly lost my life in such a race. Afraid of being overtaken by my brother Hamdam, I had paid no attention to a very large crooked cocoa tree right in my way, and my forehead had almost come in contact with its stem before I had even noticed it. Quick as thought I threw myself back, and in this way mercifully escaped a horrid death. The numerous flights of stairs were one of the pecu- liarities of Bet il Mtoni, which were unusually steep, and had huge steps, apparently made for a race of giants.
Straight up they went, without a turning or a landing place ; one's only assistance a very primitive kind of railing, which, being in constant use, needed as constant repair. I remember even now how all the people living in our wing of the house were frightened one morning when both railings of our stone staircase were found to be missing, and I am yet surprised that of the many persons passing up and down no one came to grief. Statistics being a thing quite unknown in Zanzibar, nobody of course could tell how many people actually lived in our house.
I think I do not exaggerate, how- ever, in estimating the total number of inhabitants at Bet il Mtoni at one thousand. To understand this it must be remembered that great numbers of servants are employed in the East by all people of quality aud by those who want to appear rich. A very rigorous spirit of caste ruled at Bet il Mtoni, which was observed by high and low alike. Tall orange trees, as high as the largest cherry trees in these parts, throve in dense rows in front of the bath-houses ; their branches often sheltered us while young, when we were afraid of punishment from our excessively strict teacher.
Man and beast lived amicably together in the large courtyard, without being in the least inconvenienced by each other's presence — peacocks, gazelles, guinea- fowls, flamingoes, geese, ducks, and ostriches roamed about in perfect liberty, and were petted and fed by old and young. We children vastly enjoyed hunting out the many eggs that lay about here and there, especially the large ostrich eggs, and to hand them over to the head cook, who would reward us with presents of sweetmeats.
Zanzibar: memoirs of an Arabian princess
Twice a day, early in the morning and in the even- ing, all children above five years of age had riding lessons in this court from one of the eunuchs, during which the members of our little zoological garden roamed about as freely as ever. When we had made sufficient progress in this art, we were each mounted by our father.
The boys got permission to choose a horse from the royal stud, while we girls received large white donkeys from Mesket, which are often much more expensive than horses. Of course we were provided with a complete harness for these handsome beasts at the same time. Once I uearlv lost mv life in such a race.
The numerous dights of stairs were one of tue pecu- liarities of Bet ii Mtoni, which were unusuaiiv steer, and had huge steps, apparently made for a race of giants. I remember even now how all the people living in our wing of the house were frightened one morning when both raiiings of our stone staircase were found to be missing, and I am yet surprised that of the many persons passing up and down no one came to grief.
To understand this it must be remembered that great numbers of servants are employed in the East by all people of quality and by those who want to appear rich. He resided, however, only four days a week in the country with us, and the remainder he spent in his city palace, Bet il Sahel. The title " Imam" is a religious dignity, which is but rarely conferred on a sovereign. Origi- nally we owe this distinction to our great-grandfather " Ahmed" ; the title has since that time been hereditary in our family, and every member of it is authorized to append it to his signature.
Being one of his younger children I only remember my father with his venerable, snow-white beard. He was above middle height, his features had a very fascinating and engaging expression, and his whole appearance commanded respect. In spite of his war- like propensities and his delight in conquest, he was a model father and sovereign. Justice he valued as the highest of all things, and in this respect he knew no difference of person, not even between one of his own sons and the lowest slave. He humbled himself before God ; nor was he self-conceited and proud like so many high-born people.
It happened, and' not rarely either, that he would ride over by himself to the wedding of a simple slave, who had gained his regard by many years of loyal service, to offer his congratulations to the young couple in person. He always used to call me, " Old woman," as I was very fond of cold milk soup Arab, " farni " , which is This version of " The Memoirs of an Arabian Princess " is rendered from the German, in which language the work originally appeared.
May this book, then, go out into the world and gain as many friends as it has always been my good fortune to make for myself I. There were a dozen baths in one row at the extreme end of the courtyard, and in rainy weather these popular resorts could only be reached under the shelter of an umbrella. Apart from them lay what was called the " Persian " bath, a Turkish steam bath, whose ingenious and tasteful architecture was unequalled in Zanzibar. Each bathing house contained two baths, five yards long by four yards wide, and just deep enough to let the water come up to the breast of a grown-up person.
These refreshing baths were a favourite resort with all people in the house ; most of them stayed in them for many hours every day, to pray, sleep, work, and read there, even to take their meals ; and from four o'clock in the morning till midnight they were never once empty. On entering these bath-houses, which are all alike, two raised resting-places may be observed to the right and left for prayer and repose, which are covered with the finest coloured mats. Every other article of luxury, such as carpets, was banished from these rooms.
Every Muslim Mahometan requires a separate and perfectly clean dress for prayers, in- tended only for this purpose, and which ought to be qjiite white. Of course this rather inconvenient re- ligious precept is only followed by extremely devout persons. The places of repose are separated by narrow arcades from the bath-rooms, which are all in the open flir; two arched bridges of stone, with steps gradually rising, lead again to other rooms lying apart.
Afraid of heing overtaken by my brother Hamdam, I had paid no attention to a very largo crooked cocoa tree right in my way, and my forehead had almost come in contact with its stem before I had even noticed it. I remember even now how all the people living in our wing of the house were frightened one morning when both railings of our stone staircase were found to be missing, and I am yet surprised that of the many persons passing up and down no oue came to grief.
To understand this it must bo remembered that great numbers of servants are employed in the East by all people of quality and by those who want to appear rich. Justice ho valued as the highest of all things, and in this respect he knew no difference of person, not even between one of his own sons and the lowest slave. It happened, and not rarely either, that he would ride over by himself to the wedding of a simple slave, who had gained his regard by many years of loyal service, to offer his congratulations to the young couple in person.
My mother was a Circassian by birth, who in early youth had been toru away from her home. Her father had been a farmer, and she had always lived peace- fully with her parents and her little brother and sister. War broke out suddenly, and the country was overrun by marauding bands ; on their approach the family fled into an underground place, as my mother called it — she probably meant a cellar, which is not known in Zanzibar.
Their place of refuge was, how- ever, invaded by a merciless horde, the parents were slain, and the children carried off by three mounted Arnauts. One of these, with her elder brother, soon disappeared out of sight; the other two, with my mother and her little sister, three years old, crying bitterly for her mother, kept together until evening, when they too parted, and my mother never heard any more of the lost ones ap long as she lived. She came into my father's possession when quite a child, probably at the tender age of seven or eight years, as she cast her first tooth in our house.
She was at once adopted as playmate by two of my sisters, her own age, with whom she was educated and brought up. Together with them she learnt to read, which raised her a good deal above her equals, who, as a rule, became members of our family at the age of six- teen or eighteen years, or older still, when they had outgrown whatever taste they might once have had for schooling. She could scarcely be called pretty, but she was tall and shapely, had black eyes, and hair down to her knees. She was in great favour with my father, who never refused her anything, though she interceded mostly for others, and, when she came to see him, he always rose to meet her half-way — a distinction he conferred but very rarely.
She was as kind and pious as she was modest, and in all her dealings frank and open. She had had another daughter besides myself, who had died quite young. Her mental powers were not great, but she was very clever at needlework. She has always been a tender and loving mother to me, but this did not hinder her from punishing me severely when she deemed it necessary. She had many friends at Bet il Mtoni, which is rarely to be met with in an Arab harem.
She had the most unshaken and firmest trust in God. When I was about five years old I remember a fire breaking out in the stables close by, one night while my father was at his city residence. A false alarm spread over the house that we, too, were in imminent danger ; upon which the good woman hastened to take me on one arm, and her big Ktiran we pronounce the word thus on the other, and hurried into the open air.
On the rest of her possessions she set no value in this hour of danger. My mother resolved, therefore, to say good-bye to them after prayers, which all had to attend. The cutter lay off the Bendjle ready to receive us at 7 p. Old Djohar, a trusty eunuch, came to report every- thing ready to my father, who was watching our departure from the Bendjle, and took the helm ; he was to convey us to our new destination in company with another eunuch.
All our friends in tears accom- panied us as far as the house door, and their cries, " Weda, weda " farewell, farewell , ring in my ears to this very day. There was no landing pier on the flat shore, and we had to get into the boat either by being carried in a chair or by walking through the dry sand and over a plank ; my mother got into the cutter in this manner, attended on both sides by some eunuchs, while another carried me in his arms and placed me in the stern sheets. The light of the coloured hanging-lanterns in. We kept close in shore, and I was soon fast asleep in my mother's lap.
My brokers and sisters, of all ages, were supposed to go every day and wish her good morning; but rarely were her vanity and pride gratified by more than one visitor at the appointed time — before her breakfast hour — so greatly was she disliked by us all. My older brothers and sisters lived at Bet il Mtoni ; some of them, Schecha and Zuene, for instance, were old enough to have Been my grand- mothers. The latter had a son, Ali bin Suut, whose beard had turned grey already when I knew him first ; she was a widow, and had found a shelter in her paternal home after the death of her husband.
I know not a single instance in which the son was more liked by father or mother, merely because he happened to be a son. Though the law ib some cases favours sons more than daughters, and grants them larger privi- leges — as, for instance, in the division of inheritances — yet the children are everywhere loved and treated alike. It is, of course, but natural, and only human, that in the South, as well as all over the world, one child, whether boy or girl, is secretly more beloved by his parents than the other, but this is never shown openly.
It was thus with our father also; for the two of his children he loved best were not sons, but daughters, Scharife and Chole. As soon as my father heard of this affair, he said to me: This in- stance proves how greatly people are often mis- informed on foreign matters. It stands to reason that a good deal depends everywhere upon the children themselves, and it would wrong good children to treat them in the same way as bad ones. The Bendjle was the prettiest spot at Bet il Mtoni. It was an immense round tower in front of the main building, and close to the sea, large enough for a ball, had such a thing been known in our country.
It looked very much like a gigantic merry-go-round, with a vaulted ceiling in the same style as the building. The entire framework, the floor, railing, and the tent- like ceiling were constructed of painted wood. My dear father used to walk up and down in this place for hours and hours together, plunged in deep thought, and with head bent down. A bullet which he received in battle, and had settled in the hip, caused him frequent pain, and made him limp a little.
Some dozens of cane chairs were placed all about this lofty balcony, and a large telescope was put up for general use. The view from this raised " Bendjle " was surpassingly beautiful. Several times during the day my father, Azze bint Sef, and all his grown- up children would take their coffee here. Any one wishing to speak to my father privately would be sure of finding him here alone for several hours in the day.
A tall flagstaff was erected on the shore to signal whenever these boats and crews were wanted. People of all races lived in these two houses — the races of various beauty. The slaves were dressed in SUahely style, but we were permitted to appear in Arab fashion alone. Any newly-arrived Circassian or Abyssinian woman had to exchange her ample robes and fantastic attire within three days for -the Arab costume provided for her.
Bonnets and gloves are no less indispensable articles of toilet to any Western lady or woman of respectability than jewellery is to us. Trinkets are considered so necessary, that even beggar-women may be seen plying their trade decked out in them. My father had special treasure chambers in both his houses at Zanzibar, and in his palace at Mesket, in Oman, amply stocked with sovereigns and gold pieces of Spanish and other coinage; besides these, however, they contained large assortments of feminine adornments, from the simplest article to the diamond-set crown, expressly procured to serve as presents.
On the seventh day after the birth of a child my father used to' pay a visit to the infant and its mother to present some article of jewellery to the baby. In the same way a new Surie received at onco the necessary jewels, and had her servants assigned to her by the chief eunuch. Though himself very simple in all his ways, my father was very particular about all people around him. No one was permitted to appear before him except in full dress, and this was the rule with his children as well as with the youngest eunuch. Sometimes a gold coin was attached to each plait, which looked much prettier.
These ornaments were taken off at bedtime, and re-attached in the morning. The girls had their hair dressed in this pony fashion up to the period when they had to go about veiled. Once I ran off to my father without these ornaments in my hair- dress, to get some of the French sweetmeats he used to give us every morning. Instead of obtaining these, however, I was promptly sent back in charge of a servant — I had appeared before him not properly dressed ; but I took good care never again to commit the same offence. My sister Zejane and my stepmother Medine were my mother's most intimate friends.
My mother and Sara had solemnly promised each other, that whoever survived the other should replace her with her children. Chadudj and Madjid, however, were nearly full-grown when Sara died, and they did not need my mother's help as long as they lived in their paternal home. It was the custom in our family for boys up to the age of eighteen or twenty to remain with their mothers in our father's house, and to submit to the general house rules.
At about this stage of life each prince was pronounced of age, though this depended entirely upon his behaviour. When of age he was numbered amongst the grown-up people — an honour which was always eagerly coveted. A separate residence was then assigned to him, together with horses, servants, and everything else he required, also an adequate monthly allowance. My brother Madjid had now obtained this honour, more on account of his conduct than of his age.
He was very modest, and won all hearts by his kind and gentle manners. Not a week passed but he rode over from the city he lived at Bet il Sahel with his mother to see us, and he always liked to play with me, though he was my senior by twelve years. He came over perfectly delighted one day to tell my mother that he had just been pronounced of age, and that, being his own master now, he had received a house of his own.
He insisted at the same time upon our removing to his new place to live with him, and he was joined in this request by Chadudj. On her part she declared herself willing to live with him as long as it suited both himself and his sister. Madjid at once offered to save her all trouble by speaking himself to my father, and next day, indeed, he informed us that the latter had given his consent Our removal being thus settled, it was arranged, after a long consultation, that we were to take up our new residence with him in the course of a few days, after he had completed all necessary arrangements at his place.
My mother did not find it easy to reconcile herself to the prospect of her impending removal. She was very much attached to Bet il Mtoni, where she had lived from her childhood; she was not fond of any change, and was very much afflicted by the separation from Zejane and from my stepmother Medine. She told me, however, afterwards that her own scruples had been outweighed by the consideration of making herself useful to the children of her dear departed friend.
As soon as it became known that she had decided to remove to town, every person she met cried out, " Have you lost all trust in us, Djilfidan, that you are going to leave us for ever? I am, moreover, speaking of Arab life, of an Arab home, and there are two things above all quite unknown in a real Arab house, the word " chance " and materialism. The Mahometan not only believes in God as his Creator and Preserver, but he is con- vinced at all times of His presence, and he feels like- wise sure that not his own will, but the will of the Lord is done in little things as well as in great.
It took us some days to complete all our arrange- ments, and then we waited for Madjid's return, who was to arrange about our journey. I had had one brother and two sisters, all nearly of my own age, as com- panions at Bet il Mtoni, and I was very sorry to leave them, little Ealub in particular, who had been greatly attached to me ; on the other hand, I was right glad of the opportunity of getting away from our excessively severe teacher.
Our large room looked something like a beehive during the parting scenes with so ynany friends and acquaintances ; everybody brought a parting gift in proportion to his means and affection. This is a cus- tom very much in use with us, for no Arab will deny himself the pleasure of presenting a parting gift to his friend, even if hehas nothingto give but themerest trifle. I remember a case in point which occurred in my early youth. We had made an excursion from Bet il Mtoni to one of our estates, and were just about to step into our boats to return home, when I felt some one tugging at my dress from behind.
I did not know the poor old woman at all, but afterwards she proved to have been an old protegee of my mother's. My father happened to be at Bet il Mtoni at the time, and next day my mother went up with me to bid him good-bye.. We found him walking up and down the Bendjle aq usual, and he came at once to meet us as soon as he saw us. My parents began talking at once about our journey, and, to stop the many questions with which I continually interrupted them, one of the attending eunuchs was ordered to bring me sweets and sherbet.
I was of course very curious to know some- thing about our new home and about life in town. I had only once been there for a very short time, and had not even seen all my brothers and sisters, nor my numerous stepmothers who lived there. Azze bint Sef was graciously pleased to dismiss us standing, which with her was a great honour, as she always remained seated when she received people. We were also per- mitted to kiss her hand before turning our back upon her for ever. On landing, I was received by my young brothers in a very lively manner. They wanted us to go with them at once, but my mother had to decline, as she did not wish to keep Chadudj waiting, who was watching our arrival from her house.
I was very sorry that I was not allowed to join my young relations at once, but my mother remained firm, and I was con- soled by the promise that we were to spend a day at Bet il Sahel as soon as my father had returned to it. We therefore passed on to get to Madjid's residence, Bet il Watoro, which was close by, and from which there was also a splendid view over the sea.
Chadudj received us at the bottom of the staircase and bid us heartily welcome: Madjid was below in his reception room with his friends, waiting for permission to come up and join us. How delighted he was, good, noble fellow, to welcome us in his new home! Our own room was of but middling size, and looked out on the mosque close by. It was furnished like all Arab apartments, and there was nothing wanting to our comfort.
Eich and distinguished people generally furnish their houses in the following style: Persian carpets or very fine and soft matting cover the floors ; tho thick, whitewashed walls are divided from floor to ceiling into several partitions by deep recesses ; these recesses are again subdivided by shelves of wood, painted green, forming a kind of open cabinet. Upon these shelves are symmetrically ranged the choicest and most expensive objects of glass and china.
To an Arab nothing can be too costly to decorate these shelves ; a handsome cut glass, a plate beautifully ' painted, or an elegant and tasteful jug, may cost any price ; if they look pretty they are sure to be pur- chased. The bare and narrow walls between the recesses are carefully concealed by large mirrors reaching from the low divans to the ceiling ; these mirrors are gene- rally expressly ordered from Europe.
As a rule, pictures are prohibited to a Mahometan as imitations of Divine creation: Clocks, again, are in great favour everywhere,- and some houses contain quite a rich collection of them; they are placed above and in pairs on each side of the mirrors. The walls of the gentlemen's rooms are decorated with costly weapons from Arabia, Persia, and Turkey, and this is done by every Arab according to his means.
Arab beds are very high, and to get into them it is necessary to mount upon a chair or to call in the assistance of a chambermaid. The empty space beneath is often occupied by the children's or sick nurse. Tables are rarely seen, and only in the houses of people of high station, but there are chairs of all kinds and colours. Windows and doors stand open all the year during the day ; they are only shut for a short time during the rainy season.
In our country we do not at all understand what " draught " means. At first I did not like our new residence at all ; I missed my young brothers aiyl sisters very much, and Bet il Watoro appeared to me very small compared to gigantic Bet il Mtoni. I was by no means pleased that I was to stay here for ever. I could not sail my boats here, unless I chose to do so in a washtub, as there was no river near, and all water had to be fetched from a well outside the house. My' dear mother, whose greatest pleasure was to give away all she possessed, wanted me to send my beautiful sail- ing boats to my brothers at Bet il Mtoni, but I could not make up my mind to do that at once.
For the first time in my life I felt indeed very unhappy and downcast. Dear Madjid alone took some trouble about me, and showed me over the house from top to bottom ; but nothing could please me, I was per- fectly indifferent to everything, and I urged my mother incessantly to return at once to Bet il Mtoni and to my dear relations there.
This could not be done, of course, and the less so as she really proved a great help to my brother and sister.
Fortunately I soon discovered Madjid to be a great- friend of all kinds of live beasts, of which he had quite a collection, amongst others any number of white rabbits, which spoiled the new house completely, much to the annoyance of my mother and sister. He also kept a great many fighting cocks of all countries ; I have never again seen such a fine col- lection together, not even in zoological gardens.
I was soon his constant companion on his visit to his favourites, and he was kind enough to let me share in all his amusements. Before long I owned a number of fighting cocks myself, and I felt not quite so lonely now at Bet il Watoro. We inspected our champions nearly every day, which were led up and down by servants. A cockfight is, indeed, by no means an un- interesting affair — it is very entertaining, as it takes up the entire attention of the spgetator, and often it is intensely amusing.
Afterwards he gave me fencing lessons with swords, daggers, and lances, and taught me to practise with gun and pistol when we went into the country. All this, of course, did not improve my taste for fancy needle- work, and I preferred much to handle all kinds of weapons to sitting quietly at the bobbin-machine for hours together.
Zanzibar: memoirs of an Arabian princess | World news | The Guardian
The perfect liberty I enjoyed in all these pastimes — for as yet a new teacher had not been found for me — made me soon feel in better spirits, and my objec- tion to lonely Bet il Watoro soon vanished. Ner did I neglect riding, and, by Madjid's orders, Mesrur the eunuch improved me in horsemanship. My mother being too busily employed in the house to have much spare time for me, I got soon attached to a clever Abyssinian woman, who grew very fond of me, and who taught me her language; but I have long since forgotten all I learned from her. A lively intercourse was kept up with Bej; il Mtoni, and whenever we went there we were always received most affectionately by all our friends.
The communi- cation between the two places was kept up by slaves carrying verbal messages to and fro. Eastern people are not very fond of letter- writing, even when able to write. Every person of note or wealth keeps some slaves who are employed as runners only. They must travel a certain number of miles daily, but they are well treated otherwise, and special care is taken of them. They are trusted with the most confidential messages. Upon their honesty and secrecy depends frequently their master's welfare, and even more! In spite of this great drawback, people cannot be induced to learn to write, and to make themselves independent for life.
The saying, ' ' Leave the world to take its course," is nowhere more true than with us. My sister Chadudj was very fond of society. Those who arrived very early were received by the servants, and conducted to a room, where they could rest until eight or nine o'clock, when they were welcomed by the lady of the house. Later on I shall have occasion to say more of these ladies' visits in a separate chapter. I did not at all succeed in being on the same friendly terms with Chadudj as I was with Madjid. She was rather forbidding, and I never got to love her fondly. There was too great a contrast between good, noble Madjid and her.
Nor was I the only one who was of this opinion. Above all, she could be very cold to strangers, and ungracious, and on this account she had many enemies. She had the greatest dislike to all novel and foreign things, and nothing annoyed her more than the call of a European lady, though it never lasted above half or three- quarters of an hour.
In other respects she was very circumspect and of a practical turn, considering her station; she was never idle, and when she had nothing else to do she. Among these children there were three very pretty boys, whose father was superintendent of buildings in our service. These boys were called Selim, Abdallah, and Tani, and, being only a few years younger than myself, they soon became my daily com- panions, as I had no others of my own age in the place, till I went over more frequently to my brothers and sisters at Bet il Sahel.
The long-looked for day at last arrived on which I was to pay a visit to Bet il Sahel with my mother and Chadudj from early morn till night. It was on a Friday, the Mahometan Sabbath, that we left our house as early as half-past five, wrapped in our big black shawls with gold borders called Scheie. We had not far to go, only some one hundred paces, to get to our destination.
The faithful but rather cross old gatekeeper did not receive us in an over friendly manner. More crossly even than was his wont, he told us that he had been on his feeble legs for the last hour admitting lady visitors. Said il Nubi, as the crusty old fellow was called, was a Nubian slave of my father's, whose beard — I cannot express myself otherwise, as the Arabs wear their heads shaved bare — had grown white in long and loyal service. She secretly taught herself to write, a skill which was unusual for women at the time.
When her father died in she was declared of age, twelve years old, and received her paternal inheritance. This consisted of a plantation with a residence, and 5, pounds. In her mother died and Salme received her maternal inheritance, three plantations. The same year a dispute broke out between her brothers Majid and Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar. Though she favoured Majid, her favourite sister Khwala made her side with Barghash. Because she could write she acted at the age of fifteen as secretary of Barghash's party. With the help of an English gunboat the insurrection of Barghash was soon brought to an end; Barghash was sent into exile in Bombay for two years and Salme withdrew to Kisimbani, one of her estates.
Salme eventually moved back to Stone Town and made up with Majid. This earned her the lasting enmity from Barghash, as well as a split with her favorite sister Khwala. While living in Stone Town she became acquainted with her neighbor, a German merchant, Rudolph Heinrich Ruete born 10 March ; died 6 August and became pregnant by him. In August , after her pregnancy had become obvious, she fled on board the British frigate H. There she took Christian instruction and was baptised prior to her marriage at Aden on 30 May She had given birth to a son, Heinrich, in Aden in December , and he died in France en route to Germany in the summer of The two relocated to Hamburg, Germany.
Her husband died in after a tram accident, leaving Ruete in difficult economic circumstances because the authorities denied her inheritance claims.