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As told to me,
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, in Arabic at Shaykh `Ubayad in March,
1903.
Sa`iyd
Pasha's death was a great misfortune to me and to all, as he was favorable
to the children of the country. ‘Isma`iyl was quite otherwise.
In his time everything was put back into the hands of the Turks and Circassians
(al-Sharaksah),
and the Egyptians in the army got no protection and no promotion. I went
on serving as Qa’im Maqam for twelve years
without much incident till war came with Abyssinia. I was not sent to the
war with Russia, but when the war with Abyssinia (al-Habashah)
broke out all available troops were wanted, and the garrisons were withdrawn
from the stations on the Hajj Road, and I was sent to do
this. I was sent quite alone without a single soldier or a single piastre
and had to get there as best I could on a camel all by myself.
I
went
in this way to Nakhl, `Aqabah and Wadj collecting
the garrisons and putting in Arabs to take charge of the forts there
as ghaffirs (ghufara'). Then we crossed
over the Red sea to al-Qusayr and so by Qinah
to
Cairo. I was not paid a penny for this service or even my expenses.
The country was in a fearful state of oppression, and it was then I began
to interest myself in politics to save my countrymen from ruin. I was sent
on to Musawa` from Cairo and took part in the campaign of
which Ratib Pasha was commander-in-chief, with Loring
Pasha, the American (Conferderate), as Chief of the Staff. Though,I
was not present at the battle of Qurrah, being in charge of
the transport service between Musawa` and the army. It was a disastrous
battle, seven 'uwrtat (companies) being completely
destroyed. Loring Pasha was the officer mostly in fault. The Khedive's
son, Hasan, was there, but only as a boy, to learn soldiering.
He was not, in command nor is it true that he was taken prisoner by the
Abyssinians (al-Habash).
After
this I thought much about politics. I remember to have seen Shaykh
Gamal al-Diyn (al-‘Afghaniy), but not to speak to, but
my former connection with al-'Azhar made me acquainted with several of
his disciples. The most distinguished of them were Shaykh
Muhammad `Abduh and Shaykh Hasan al-Tawiyl.
The
first book that ever gave  me
ideas about political matters was an Arabic translation of the "Life
of Bonaparte" by Colonel Louis. The book had been brought by
Sa`iyd
Pasha with him to Madiynah and its account of the conquest of
Egypt
by 30,000 Frenchmen so angered him that he threw the book on the
ground, saying "See how your countrymen let themselves be beaten!"
And I took it up and read all that night, without sleeping, till the morning.
Then I told Sa`iyd Pasha that I had read it and that I saw that
the French had been victorious because they were better drilled and
organized, and that we could do as well in Egypt if we tried.
You
ask me about the affair of the riot against Nuwbar Pasha
in the time of ‘Isma`iyl and whetherI had a hand in it. I
had none, for the reason that I was away at Rashiyd (Rosetta)
with
my regiment. But the day before the thing happened I was telegraphed for
by the War office....
(To be continued)
Excerpt
from "The Wind and the Whirlwind"
Poem
by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt.
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