VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR.
By a particular invitation, we visited the conqueror. We landed at a stone-pier, and shortly passed through one of the city-gates. After winding through extremely narrow and crooked streets, which were as hot as the blast from a “baker’s oven,” we arrived at a building dignified with the name of “the palace,” fronting an open space of ground on one side, and on another, overlooking the harbour. There were, lounging about the grand entrance, a goodly number of his cut-throats, whose trade and pastime are blood, armed to the teeth, and ready for service. We were conducted through long dark passages, up a precipitous staircase, wide enough only for one person to advance at a time. Landing places were frequent, and heavy doors at each, so as to cut off all communication: wherever a soldier could be placed on the narrow landings or passages, either above or below, there was no space left empty. In passing through the entrance, up this narrow stairway, the scene of so much bloodshed at different times, we were strongly impressed with the idea, that the lumps of dirt and the spots on the walls, were the blood and brains of many a victim; and however erroneous the opinion might be, we imagined every thing about the palace smelt of blood, as though it were the shambles of wretched human beings.
We passed through the anteroom, filled with his body guard, and found him reclining on a raised settee, covered with Turkey carpets. Captain G. and myself were requested to take seats on each side of him—he placing himself in the corner of the settee, probably as a precautionary means against treachery. He was a stout, noble looking man, having a bushy black beard and mustaches; his aspect was by no means ferocious. He was rather plainly dressed, in dark striped silk, and wore the red cloth cap.
He treated us with great affability and kindness, expressed himself highly gratified at the sight of two American men-of-war, (being the first, as we understood, that had ever entered the port.) He offered every assistance in his power, and sent to the ship a present of some bullocks, sheep, and vegetables. Our conversation related principally to the difference in charges paid on English and American vessels. It seems the English vessels pay a duty of two and a quarter per cent., without any other charges, while the Americans pay three per cent. Anchorage money, which was one hundred and eighty, has been increased as high as three hundred and fifty dollars on the largest vessels, although it has been lessened lately to two hundred and fifty: the harbour-master, also, is paid twenty-three dollars: there are, besides, some smaller impositions. He promised to do all that lay in his power, to equalize the charges on English and American vessels; but said that the government was in a very unsettled state at present; that he had sent despatches to the sultan of Stamboul, alias, Constantinople, announcing the conquest of this and other places in his name, and that he was now awaiting his orders, &c.
The wide anteroom-doors being open, the guard was within a few feet of us, and heard all our conversation. They were principally Turks: some wore the turban, and others the red military cap. They were heavily armed about the waist, with two pair of horse-pistols, a cimeter, and perhaps with one or two daggers; the handles of all being fancifully inlaid with silver. Their complexions were generally of a light olive, with black eyes and long beards. Some were quite white, having small very light blue eyes. They were fine looking men, possessing stout muscular frames. The sleeves of many were tucked up to the shoulder, showing a very brawny arm. They stood in a respectful attitude, but not cringing, like a Siamese or Cochin-Chinese, in the presence of a superior. They were indolent in their appearance, yet the ferocity of the tiger lurked in their countenances. A sign or a nod; a word, or even a wink, was sufficient for these blood-hounds to lay us dead at their master’s feet. But such fears were far from us, or that the delicious coffee of Yemen, which we were sipping, was imbued with poison.
Part of his fine stud of Arabian horses were handsomely caparisoned and brought to the door, for us to ride through the town and into the suburbs, to see the extensive villages of the Arabs, Sommanlis, or Abyssinians. The village, occupied formerly by the Jews, was deserted; what had become of them, we could not learn. Two slaves were placed at the stirrup of each horse to accompany the party: for the most part of the way they kept pace with the riders. These villages are situated, generally, in the midst of extensive date-groves. The houses of the Sommanlis have neat conical roofs, made of date-leaves, or coarse rushes, and the sides are of the same material, or of mats. They have woolly hair mostly, extremely black skins, but prominent noses, limbs well formed, fine teeth, and rather pleasant countenances: they are as straight built as the young areca.
There is a strange fashion prevailing among the fops of this village; that of changing the colour of their wool to a light brown or yellow; but as the colouring of gray hair, among a more civilized people, is by no means uncommon, they are not, therefore, altogether singular. These fops had no other covering to boast of than a waist-cloth.
MOCHA—BEGGARS.
The lofty mountains of Yemen afford great relief to the inland prospect; but in the immediate vicinity of Mocha, there is only an extensive date-grove; elsewhere every thing is desolate and steril: the eye wanders in vain for an oasis, for some green spot, and sees only tufts of coarse brown grass, and a plain of sand. The town has a very neat and substantial appearance from the roadstead, presenting to the view a compact mass of white buildings, mosques, minarets, and castles, breaking only the uniformity of the scene. They are lofty, so as to catch every breeze which passes over the walls—are flat-roofed, and the inhabitants sleep on them in consequence of the excessive heat. They are protected, in part, against the baneful effects arising from heavy dews, and from the power of the moon, by a light leaf roof; are clumsily built, mostly of brick baked in the sun; and there is no appearance that a level was ever used. The floors are undulating, like the waves of the sea. Crooked, dark, and narrow passages, and steep staircases, with strong doors at every landing, ready to be barricaded in case of an insurrection, or an enemy making his appearance, are common in every house: in fact, every dwelling is a strong castle. On entering within the city walls, all idea of comfort instantly vanishes; dirty, intricate streets are every where lumbered with the rubbish from ruined buildings; turbaned heads, the red military cap, and loose floating garments, are seen at every step, all being heavily armed about the waist, “ready to do battle;” women, with closely veiled faces; porters, sweating most profusely, under heavy loads of luscious dates, oozing through the meshes of the slight mat covering; strings of camels, laden with coffee, &c., from Yemen, lying in the streets, munching their allotted portion of hard brown beans, or bearing about skins of water for sale; asses, without number, laden variously; small droves of miserable cattle, or rather frames set up ready for filling out, if sufficient encouragement should be given to effect it. Abyssinian sheep, covered with hair instead of wool, having broad tails, hanging nearly to the ground: they are mostly black-headed, affording delicious mutton: goats, every where, grown fat even upon the coarsest rushes, and the twigs and leaves of the common thorn. But the most distressing sight is that of the poor, blind, diseased, and lame beggars, which meet you every where, in the streets and in the bazars, at the mosque-doors and at the doors of the palace, in the suburbs and at the gates of the city, begging most earnestly for the smallest pittance, for even one or two commassées, (a small copper coin, being three hundred and eighty to the dollar,) or a few cowries. Some of them were mere walking skeletons; their frames being covered with shrivelled brown parchment, stretched over what resembled bunches of dried catgut, being the muscular parts of the body. They had deep sunken cheeks, hollow to the bones, and sharp noses; the nostrils being so nipped in as to present only the mark of an orifice, like an old closed and deep-cut wound, badly united: not a particle of flesh was on their legs, arms, or their collapsed bodies. Some could walk, but how it was effected, in their extremely emaciated condition, was a mystery of wonder; the slightest breath of wind would almost overpower them; and I was, several times, upon the eve of holding out my hands to save these shadows from being dashed to the ground. Death stared them in the face, and only suffered them to remain in misery a few moments longer, that they might complete, perhaps, their allotted task of penance, for the vile deeds done in the body.
We passed through extensive covered bazars, which appeared to be well supplied with goods. The size of some of the shops, or rather closets, was extremely small, the vender sitting with his legs under him, having every thing within reach of his hands. There was but little fruit and vegetables for sale, but fish and fowls, goats, sheep, and bullocks, in abundance; plenty of dates; some highly-flavoured, but extremely small oblong grapes; raisins, without seed; and ordinary pomegranates. Occasionally, there may be had water-melons, sweet potatoes, onions, a superior kind of sorrel, and some long gourds.