Askaros Kassis the Copt Author:Edwin De Leon Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE SERPENT-CHARM. TWO hours after noon on the ensuing day the party from the Hotel d'Orient set out to visit the house of Askaros, and t... more »o partake of the Eastern dinner he had caused to be prepared for them. Their young host himself had called for them, and with thoughtful care had caused his sa'is to bring, for the use of Edith and her aunt, two of those remarkably fine white donkeys which are more prized in Egypt than ordinary horses. These, both in size, spirit, and pace, are very different animals from the wretched little creatures which alone are seen in Europe. Standing as high as a small horse, full of life and spirit, carrying themselves with proud, erect head and arched neck — and with gait so easy you may carry a glass of water without spilling it, as they amble along — they are the best animals imaginable for ladies' use; the European side-saddle being substituted for the native one when strangers ride them. The narrowness of the Cairene streets forbids the use of carriages, except in particular quarters of the city, and, even in these, is accompanied with inconvenience and even danger: so, as the house of Askaros was in thenarrow and confined Copt quarter, it could only be reached on horseback or on foot. It was with great difficulty that Miss Primmins could be induced to mount the odd and wicked-looking donkey which was assigned to her; and it was only on the solemn pledge of Sir Charles that he would walk beside her all the way that she finally consented. The men of the party were all on foot, for the distance was not great; and, after passing through the Mooskie, or street of European shops, and winding through many narrow by-ways—whose houses jutted over their heads, with each successive story protruding farther forward until only a narro...« less