conversation in Tintalous. Every scandal-monger has got hold of one
version of the story. From what we could gather, the great man was lying
down quietly, when suddenly, without any apparent provocation, he
started up, took a large stick from the fire, one of its ends still
burning, and with this terrific weapon belaboured his wife over the
face, striking especially at the mouth, and cutting the upper lip in
two. The poor woman is now very ill. No cause can be discovered for this
piece of brutality. En-Noor has, they pretend, two wives here, and one
on his estate at Damerghou; but he has only one son and three daughters.
No larger family has this great man, with all his wealth and slaves,
been able to bring up.

Beating a wife is so common in these countries, that, only when the act
is attended with features of unusual atrocity, as in this case of
En-Noor, does it excite any attention. There cannot be a question of the
fact, that our friend the Sultan is a great despot in every point of
view. Perhaps in no other way could he maintain any authority amongst
these semi-barbarian Kailouees. This, nevertheless, cannot excuse the
atrocity of beating his wife with burning fagots. Some say that the
exciting cause of his brutality was the eternal loquacity of the woman,
of which his highness began to be afraid. This may be true, or be only
an excuse invented by his courtiers. Supposing, however, the cause to
have been her _infidelity_, let us examine what can be reasonably
expected from these African women. They are not allowed scarcely to
believe themselves to possess souls; they have no moral motives to be
chaste, and certainly none of family and honour, being mostly slaves.
Then the greater part of the young girls of consequence are married to
old men, who are worn out by their sensual habits and indulgence with
innumerable concubines. These young women are thus left, though married,
like so many widows, without education or religious motives, and with