The Leisure of an Egyptian Official

Lord Edward Cecil, known as `Nigs' lived from 1867 to 1918 and belonged to the distinguished family of English statesmen. The fourth child of the third Marquis of Salisbury, who became Conservative PM in 1885, Lord Edward enjoyed the reputation of being the wittiest man in England and Ireland. According to his wife, he could be said to be the real inspiration behind the Boy Scout, movement which was born in Mafeking during the Boer War, where Lord Edward served as a senior officer under Baden-Powell. This narrative is drawn from the 18 years the author spent attached to the Civil Service in Egypt before and after the First World War. Lord Edward was based in Cairo and gives us a sketch of his daily routine there which conveys, in the most diverting way, a picture of life in Egyptian society as it used to be in the days of the English Civil Servants...