Page:Domestic Life in Palestine.pdf/437

430 "j, a, k." I thought that he intended this for some Arabic word, and I pronounced it accordingly, and said, "I do not think that I have ever heard that word; what does it mean?" He answered, "Hush, O lady! it is not Arabic it is in English." Then the signification of the word, which looked so unfamiliar in Arabic orthography, flashed into my mind, and I could not help smiling, as I uttered the word, "Jack," with its true English accent. He exclaimed, "Yes, yes, O lady, that is the word with which they continually curse me." "O Rabbi," I replied, "this is not a curse—it is not a bad word; 'Jack' is the English way of saying, ' Yuhanna ' . The sailors do not know that your name is Shaayea Ateyas, so they call you 'Jack', and they would call me by the same name perhaps if I were a boy." He seemed satisfied, and was more composed. He smoked a few cigarettes silently, as he watched my pencil while I made sketches of the beautiful town of Cintra. But the next morning the captain said to me, "Solomon wants to speak to you, I think, Miss—he looks so miserable, and is watching at the door." So I went out to him before taking breakfast. I found him more distressed than ever. He told me that the sailors had called out to him, "Hallo, Jack!" and all my attempts to reassure him were in vain. He felt convinced that it was a curse which they pronounced. He asked me if I had felt afraid when I was first left alone among strangers on this ship; he added, "I saw the Consul leave you. Were you not afraid then?" I said, "No, Shaayea, I was sorry to leave my brother, but not afraid; we are quite safe here." He answered, "You are safe, because you are among your own people; but I am a Jew, and the Christian sailors curse me loudly." I tried to convince him to the contrary, adding, "The Christians of England love the Jews, and our country is governed and our laws are made jointly by Jews and Christians. We have Jews in our Medjlis, and people of all creeds and countries are safe with us;" but he refused to be comforted. After this he would not go to the forepart of the ship, but kept