OUT OF THE WORLD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3551, 17 June 1912, Page 5

OUT OF THE WORLD.

EGYPTIAN VILLAGE; INCIDENT.

How little an Egyptian village heeds the passage of events in the world is shown by a story which Mr Arthur Weigall tells" in Blackwood’s Magazine, in the course of an article on “Napoleon’s Great Adventure.” “In the year 1907 a detachment of English troops was route-marching in the Delta, and, being somewhat short of provisions, halted near a small village in order to purchase a few chickens and' pigeons. The Omdeli, or headman, hearing the news and thinking that the supplies were to be commandeered without payment, hurriedly sought amongst his papers until he had found a certain document preserved with care in a sealed envelope- With this in hand he made his way to the officer in. command, and told him,that the village was exempt from supplying food to the troops, this document- being proof, of his statement. The officer opened the envelope,' and found therein an order signed by one of Bonaparte’s generals, stating that in return, for services rendered to the French Army the village was to lie free from interference in future. The Englishman. smiled, and laid the document aside. “This was made out. bv the French over a hundred years ago,” he said to the Omdeh. “It is no longer valid.”

The Egyptian shrugged his shoulders; “French or English,” he replied, “now or then; it is all the same to us. We are the same people.”