3 4

LIE OF COBDEN.

losar

1836. _ or 51, and it was agreed that we should start as soon as our
Air. 32. luggage was on board. In the meantime I went into a cotton-mill
 in the neighbourhood, which presented a miserable
appearance. Upon leaving, I gave backshish to one of the
managers, who followed me immediately with a bad piece of
money, which he accused me of having paid him. I threatened
to shoot him, or something equally improbable, and thus
escaped this attempt. Our Vice-Consul now left us, and we
proposed to start, but the owner of the boat very coolly
ordered a cargo of wood to be laid alongside, which he was
determined to take along with its owner to Cairo. As this
would have left no room for Rosario or Hussein for sleeping,
we resisted, and all began to grow out of humour. We threw
the wood out of the boat, and drove the porters, who were
attempting to load, ashore. A fresh difficulty now arose.
The owner of the boat refused to let her start until the next
day, and very soon all the crew, reis and all, disappeared.
My opinion of humanity sank several degrees. It now grew
towards evening. We were moored alongside of the town of
Fooah, and just opposite to a khan or coffee-house, in the
balcony of which sat the owner of the boat, smoking his
long pipe and surrounded by a party of lazy rascals like himself,
 who were all singing and laughing, probably amused at
our dilemma. Much as it is against my principles, I now
resorted to brute force. I took the pistols out of the portmanteau
 where Fred had placed them loaded and primed,
but not without secret resolves that I would not injure any
one. The doctor also arrived, and we went ashore to find the
governor of the town, intending to make a complaint. It
was dark, and we had a difficulty in finding out that the
principal officer of Fooah was from home, but on inquiry for
his deputy, we were told that the owner of the boat against
whom we complained, was the man himself! Thus the judge
and criminal were one person, which was certainly against