"The vain, imprudent man dismounted from his camel to give them a more easy opportunity of paying him their respects, and when one of them held him by the hand in token of friendship, another cut him across the hams with a broad-sword, and a third run him through the back with a lance. He endeavoured to put his hands to his pistols, but it was too late. They afterwards persuaded his servants, who had fire-arms in their hands, and, like fools, did not use them, to capitulate; and, after they had disarmed them, they carried them aside and murdered them also, then took away all the water and camels, and left the Tucorory to die with thirst. You asked me when I saw him after his leaving Chendi? I tell you it was at a station of the Bishareen, two hours before you come to Umarack; his body lay upon the sand withered and dried, but not corrupted; his hough of the right leg, and back-sinew of the left, just above the heel, were cut asunder by a sword. The wounds through his body were apparent. The lance, I apprehend, had some crooks below the head of it, as is their custom, because a considerable quantity of his bowels were drawn out at the back. He had two wounds upon his head, which I suppose were given him after he was dead, for they had cut through the skull entirely, and any one of them would have been mortal in a moment. Ismael and the Barbarin threw sand over him. For my part, I paid no sort of respect to the carcase of a man, who, when living, had shewed so little for my preservation. We went to the right, and followed some footsteps; we saw three men dead, all big and corpulent; they were all thrust through with three lances; each of them had his throat cut, and one his jaw broken.
"All the next day the road was strewed with the bodies of the Tucorory, and the day after, at nine o'clock in the morning, we found his horse dead; the day following we found dead bodies of people, who had perished with thirst, scattered here and there like the tract of a pursuit after a battle; their dry bottles, made of gourds, were grasped in their hands, and some held them to their mouths as if sucking them. God, as I say, punished this man, by allowing his pride and presumption to blind him; for, had we joined our companies, there could not have been a better place imagined to have fought the Bishareen than that spot, had they dared to attack, which is not probable. It was a narrow, deep, sandy strait, and rugged on each side of it. We could have put our camels, with our water, in perfect security behind us, while our fire-arms, safely from the rock, would, with the first discharge, have destroyed the best men among them, and scattered the herd of them into the desert. The Tucorory would have seized their camels and water, of which they had but a small quantity, or we should have shot the skins through, or the Aga's horse would have overtaken them. In either case, as they were two days journey from Abou Bertran, the greatest part of them would have died with thirst; and if they had chosen to follow us, which after this rude treatment they would not have done, they could never have reached us till we had got out of their territory into those of the Ababdé, where they were as much strangers, and in as great danger as we, and the wells not capable of filling their girbas, so that they would have brought themselves both into distress and dispute. This is all that I know of Mahomet Towash."
The Aga said to himself, "Ullah Akbar;" and several of the company made their private ejaculations. The Imam had not yet spoke, but addressing himself to the Aga, "True it is, says he, God is great, and does what seems to him best; or who would have thought that a servant of the Caaba should be forsaken, while Kafrs like them, a thousand of them not of the account of one hair of that man's head, were protected by him, and arrived safe and unhurt!"
I was exceedingly angry, but weak in health and spirits; besides, I despised the Imam heartily, and was determined to be silent. But directly addressing himself to me, which he hitherto had not done, "I wonder, says he, how a Kafr like you, a man of no more worth than the dust under a mussulman's feet, should dare to wear a white turban, which none are permitted to do but true believers, and men of consideration in learning, or in the law!" I could hold no longer. "Kafr! said I, do you call me? You are a Kafr yourself. I worship God as you do, and Jesus Christ, whom Mahomet calls Rouch Ullah, the Spirit of God. Kafrs worship stones and trees, are ill-bred, and rude in manners, such as you are. Sir, said I to the Aga, I demand of you if the grand signior, whose firman you have in your hand, when writing of me, calls me Kafr? Does Ali Bey, and the Porte of Janizaries, use such opprobrious expressions? If they do not, you suffer me to be affronted in contempt of their orders, in a fortress which you command in the grand signior's name, which is not to your credit either as a mussulman or a soldier."—"He is right," says an old man, who seemed to be a secretary. "Moullah, says the Aga, I did not expect this from you; I did not think you could be so absurd as to ask any man, returning from so dangerous a journey as his, the reason of the colour of his turban."—"I do not refer that to his discretion, said I, there is my firman; I insist upon its being read at the divan, and I will afterwards dress my head and my body in any colour that is permitted me therein, and that I know is every sort of colour[51], and I insist that my firman may be read in the Divan."
"Moullah, says Hagi Ismael, addressing himself to the Imam, who had twice attempted to speak but could not get permission, you put me in mind of these liars and thieves at Teawa; all their turbans were white or green; they call themselves mussulmen, and sheraffe, and men of learning like you; but I swear, greater Kafrs than they were never in hell. I wish you may not be something of that kind." Hagi Ismael was standing behind. He had a barracan like us, a red cap and no turban, and the Moullah, I believe, did not know he was a Turk, and still less that he was a sherriffe; I fancy he rather took him for a Greek, from the bad manner in which he pronounced the Arabic. "Friend, said the priest, take this piece of advice from me, and speak more reverently of your betters, or you may have a chance to get your tongue scraped." Hagi Ismael was never blessed with much temper. He was very honest, but, though seventy years old, was as passionate as a child, and the more so, as he did not understand the language. He was an officer in the Porte of Janizaries, besides being a sherriffe; had been sent, as I have already said, by the Bey to escort the Abuna to Abyssinia. Unluckily at this time he understood what was said distinctly, and came up close to the Moullah, saying, in a violent passion, "Kafr Meloun Ibn kelb, i. e. Pagan accursed, and race of a dog! Do you threaten me, a sherriffe, with a grey beard? Who are my betters? The Aga is not my superior, were he a sherriffe, which he is not. He is an officer of the janizaries as I am; he commands me to-day, and I command him to-morrow; but, if it was not for his presence, I would not leave that beard of yours till I had shaken your head from your shoulders."
All now was confusion. I cried, "Hagi Ismael, for God's sake forbear." Every body spoke, no body heard. The Moullah had crossed the room and sat down beside the Aga, who said to him very sternly, "What Yagoube may do, and what he may not do, in Syene, has never been confided to you, though it has been to me, and I have not thought it necessary to take your advice upon it. This man is the servant of a king. Were you to insult him in Constantinople, his complaint would cost a much greater man than you his life, even this day before sun-set. Who taught you to call him Kafr whom you had never before seen, and then abuse the janizary, who, besides, is a sherriffe, and an aged man, whose hand better men than you kiss when they meet him in the street? Go home and learn wisdom, since you cannot teach it; at least, don't make the grand signior's castle the scene of your abuse and folly." The Moullah upon this rebuke departed, very much humbled.
As Michael had brought the drawings, I turned to the trees and flowers. The Aga was greatly pleased with them, and laughed, putting them up to his nose as if smelling them. They did not offend him, as they were not the likeness of any thing that had life. I then shewed him a fish, and reached the book to an old man with a long beard, but who had a very chearful countenance. He looked at it with great surprise. The Aga had several times called him his father. "Do not be angry, says he to me, if I ask you a question. I am not such a man as the Moullah that is gone." "I will answer all your questions with pleasure, said I, and, in your turn, you must not take the answer ill." "No, no, said two or three of them, Hagi Soliman knows better." Soliman. "Do you not believe, says he, that that fish will rise against you at the day of judgment?" Ya. "I do not know, but I shall be very much surprised if it does." "I assure you he will, says Hagi Soliman." Ya. "Be it so, it is a matter of indifference to me." Sol. "Do you know what God will say to you about that fish? Shall I tell you?" Ya. "I have not the least idea, and you will oblige me." Sol. "God will say to you, Did you make that fish? What will you answer?" Ya. "I will answer, I did." Sol. "He will say to you again, Make a soul to it." Ya. "I will answer, I cannot." Sol. "He will say, Why did you make that fish's body, when you was not capable to give it a soul? What can you answer then?" Ya. "I made that body, because thou gavest me talents and capacity to do it. I do not make the soul, because thou hast denied me power and ability, and reserved that to thyself only." Sol. "Do you think he will be contented with that answer?" Ya. "I do most certainly think so. It is truth, and I do not think a more direct one can be given." Sol. "Aha! the Moullah would tell you that will not do; painting things that have life is idolatry, and the punishment is hell-fire." Ya. "Patience, then, my case is desperate, for it is not a sin I intend to repent of." Thus ended this curious discussion, and we went away in perfect good humour one with the other. A number of the better sort drank coffee with me in the evening. The Aga sent me two sheep, and, observing my feet much inflamed and wounded, made me likewise a present of a pair of slippers of soft Turkey leather to defend them from the inclemency of the weather.