Ever since the adventure of the Shekh of the Jehaina, one of us had kept guard, the door being open every night for fear of fire, and it was my turn that night, a post that I never declined, for the sake of good example; but my spirits were so exhausted this day, that I gave the old Turk plenty of coffee and tobacco, to undertake, as he did with great willingness, the office of that night for me. I went to bed, and fell presently into a profound sleep, from which I was awakened, a little before midnight, by a message from the ladies, my patients, in the Shekh's house, sent by the black slave that had spoken in the Abyssinian language to me while I was attending her mistress. They advised me to be upon my guard, for the Shekh was absolutely resolved to take a severe revenge upon us all: That after we had left him that evening, an express arrived from the lower part of Atbara, giving him an account that Shekh Ibrahim, a great man at Sennaar, and favourite of Adelan the prime minister, while he was employed in gathering the taxes from the Arabs, had fought with the tribe called Shukorea, somewhere east of Sennaar; that he had been completely beaten, and many of his people killed; as also, that Shekh Ibrahim and his two sons were wounded; that Shekh Fidele had immediately sent back word, that he had then with him a surgeon and physician, meaning me, who could, upon occasion, even bring a dead man to life, but that I would never consent to come to him unless I was forced; therefore, if he would dispatch a sufficient number of armed men, to help him to surprise me in the night, he would conduct the execution of that scheme, and would send me to him in irons. He said I was an infidel, a white man from Abyssinia, and had several stout people with me expert in fire-arms, (of which I had a number,) who would be of great use to him in subduing the Arabs. They assured me, however, of their friendship, and begged me to consider what I had to do in time, for many wild men would be poured in upon me, who would not fail to kill me if I resisted.
I returned my most humble thanks to my kind informants; with a small gratification of civet to the two elder ladies, and a separate portion to the beautiful Aiscach, assuring them I should not fail to profit by any advice they should give me. After this I again fell into a sound sleep, which continued till morning; and, though my affairs had not the most prosperous appearance, I felt a calmness of mind to which I had been utterly a stranger ever since I had left Ras el Feel. My servants awakened me in the morning of the 11th; I drank coffee, and dressed, and took along with me Soliman and Ismael, without arms in our hands, but having knives and pistols in our girdles, to shew that we had lived in fear.
The Moullah's name was Welled Mestah, or the son of interpretation, or explanation. He was reputed to have attained such a degree of holiness as to work miracles, and, more than once in his life, to have been honoured with the conversation of angels and spirits, and, at times, to have called the devil into his presence, and reproved him. He was a man below the middle size, of a very dark complexion, and thin beard, seemingly past sixty, hollow-eyed, and very much emaciated. If holy, we could not say he was the beauty of holiness. I understood, afterwards, he was much addicted to the use of opium, to the effects of which he probably was indebted for his conversation with spirits. He had brought with him another saint, much younger and robuster than himself, who had been several times at Mecca, and had seen Metical Aga, but did not know him. He had seen likewise the English ships at Jidda, and knew the name of the nation, but nothing more. He was a sherriffe, (that is, a descendant of Mahomet) a degree of nobility much respected among the Arabs, distinguished by wearing a green turban. The Daveina, when they burnt all the country between Teawa and Beyla, saved this man's house, effects, and crop, in veneration of his sanctity. These two were sitting on each side of Shekh Fidele, and before him stood two black slaves holding each a monstrous long broad-sword. I approached these powers, ecclesiastical and civil, with great composure, as if nothing had happened; but Ismael, the Turk, had almost spoiled my gravity, for, seeing the swords in the men's hands before Fidele, he said, in his barbarous language, loud enough to be heard, "O, ho, they have got their scabbards upon their swords to-day."
Fidele seemed to have a very serene countenance, till we approached nearer, when, seeing the pistols in our girdles, he appeared rather discomposed, and probably he thought the blunderbuss was not far off; I made him, however, a bow, and shook him by the hand; I likewise made another bow to their two holinesses. As people of that sanctity seldom chuse to have, even their cloaths, touched by unbelievers in public, I made no further advance towards them. The sherriffe no sooner saw Ismael's turban, than he got up, took him in his arms, and, as he was an older man than himself, though all in rags, kissed his forehead with great respect. This was returned by Hagi Ismael, first kissing his forehead and then his hand; after which the Moullah did the same, as I thought with rather less ceremony. Ismael gave a very slight salutation of Salama to the Shekh, and we all sat down.
"Brother, says the sherriffe to Ismael, you seem a stranger in this country." "I am a Turk, answered Ismael, born in Anatolia, a janizary of Ali Bey at Cairo." "He came, says Shekh Fidele, to Habesh, with their Kafr, the Abuna or great priest, and is returning to Cairo with that white man, who is physician to Ali Bey." "Kafr there, or Kafr here, continued Ismael (who did but half underhand what was said) the greatest of all Kafrs (that is Infidel) is, I believe, in Teawa. I do not think there is one Mussulman in this cursed place." "Is this the Frank, says the Moullah, whose servant brought letters to the Shekh of Beyla some weeks ago, and was forwarded to Sennaar?" "No, says Fidele, he does not know the Shekh of Beyla." "I am sure, says the Moullah, that, such a day, when I was at Sennaar, there was a talk of a man of this kind, whose servant was at Aira with Shekh Adelan, and had orders to come hither with a servant of his, and one from the king; and I am sure, upon reflection, continued the Moullah, this must be the man." "Shekh, says he, turning to me, (who sat silent, overjoyed at the train I saw the affair taking) did you come from Habesh? have you letters for Sennaar?" "I came from Habesh, replied I, with letters to the king of Sennaar; likewise letters to him from the sherriffe of Mecca, and from Ali Bey of Cairo, (you are welcome to see them all,) yet, contrary to faith, observed even in Pagan nations, I am here detained by Shekh Fidele, who last night attempted to murder me in his own house, because I would not pay him 2000 piastres." Shekh Fidele's face turned pale; he could scarcely utter, "That is not true." "As that book is the word of God, says Ismael, (pointing to the Koran, lying in the sherriffe's lap) it is every word true. Look upon my turban, (says he to Fidele) do you call me a liar?" Fid. "I did not call you a liar, only that Christian lied." Ism. "I say, that every word he spoke is truth, or I am no true believer. Was not your sword drawn, and your scabbard lying on the floor, when I entered the room? Was there any one present but him and you? Whom did you draw your sword upon?" "Pure merriment for a little amusement, says Fidele, turning to the Moullah, I was diverting myself with the Christian, who came to give me medicines." "The diversion, I fancy, was over on your part, says Soliman, my servant, when you threw away your sword, after drawing it, and called upon all your servants for assistance. Were not your women at the door upon my entering it?" Fid. "Would you have had me shot in my own house by an infidel? Did he not present a pistol at me?" Ism. "Lord! Lord! he was only diverting himself, too? Did not you see that? You should have gone on with your merriment:—What stopt you?" "Look you, Shekh, said I, your inward thoughts are seen by me. Did not you send two messengers to Shekh Ibrahim in Atbara that very night, within these twelve hours, desiring him to take me by force, while asleep, to heal his wounded men? Was this amusement, too? Beware in time, for every thought in your heart is known to me as soon as it is formed."
The sherriffe muttered to himself, "Hakim y'Eref—he is a learned man; he knows these things." "Shekh Ibrahim is returned to Sennaar, says the Moullah, that is the reason why he should make haste, and all this that has passed is very improper. If a man diverts himself with drawn swords, is he not likely, when angry, to kill? this ought not to be; send the man away; you can get camels from the Jehaina. Men like him have no money. There are many of them, at all times and places, wandering over the face of the earth, and will be so till Hagiuge Magiuge[28] come; they are Dervishes, study the herbs and the water, and cure diseases." "God bless the truth! said I; there it is. I am a Dervish, a poor, but an innocent man." The Moullah seemed to take credit to himself for all this learning. "I saw, says the Sherriffe, a number of his countrymen in large ships from the Indies, when I was at Jidda; they are called Inglese." "They are brave men, says Ismael, and came first from Turkey. Their country is called Caz Dangli to this day. I have seen it, and am sure no man would hurt Yagoube that knew him." Fid. "So, Yagoube is his name; the first time I knew it." Moul. "Yagoube el Hakim; now I remember it perfectly. Ali Tchelebi, Mahomet Abou Calec's factor, is ill of an enchantment from an enemy; his bowels are out of order; he it was that asked me if such a man was yet come to Beyla. They surely expect that you should forward him to Sennaar. True, Yagoube el Hakim, that was his name." Fid. "He shall go next week, since it is so, if I can but get camels." Upon this we rose, seeing other people coming in. When I took hold of the Shekh's hand at going away, he asked me, in apparent good humour, "Well, Yagoube, are we friends now?" I answered him, in the most complacent tone of voice possible, "Sir, I never was your enemy; so far otherwise, that my only anxiety now is, lest your behaviour may bring upon you powerful adversaries, before whom you are not able to stand. The ill-usage I have met with will not be easily passed over either in Abyssinia or at Sennaar. I am neither servant nor merchant; and it has been your ill-luck to try your wicked experiments upon a man like me, who never in his life carried much money about him, because he never valued it." Moul. "You must forget all, and I will be your friend with the Shekh, since you come from the Sherriffe of Mecca." "And I, too, says the other, for the kindness you have shewed our brother Ismael there, in carrying him home from among the Kafrs of Habesh; and if Fidele cannot procure camels, we will try and help him; so go in peace, and get ready."
We had scarce got rid of this real danger, when the apprehension of an imaginary one struck us violently. The water at Teawa is stagnant in pools, and exceedingly bad. Either that, or the bouza, a kind of new beer which they sent us with our meat, had given all of us, at the same time, a violent diarrhœa, and I was tormented with a perpetual thirst ever since we had been overtaken by the simoom; and the bouza being acid, was not only more agreeable, but, I thought, relieved me more than bad water; in this, therefore, I certainly had exceeded. When we found we were all taken ill at the same time, it came into our wise heads that Shekh Fidele had given us poison in our dinner, and we were very much perplexed what we should do the next day. None of us, therefore, tasted the meat sent us; when at night, our friend, the black slave came, and to her we frankly told our doubts. The poor creature fell into such violent fits of laughing, which followed so close the one upon the other, and lasted so long, that I feared she would have expired upon the spot. "It is the water, says she; it does so to all strangers;" and then she fell into another great fit of laughter. "Child, answered I, you know the Shekh is not our friend, and there is no easier way to get rid of us than by poison, as we eat everything that comes from you without fear."—"And so you may, says she; the Shekh could do no such thing without our knowledge, and we would rather all be burnt alive than be guilty of so vile an action. Besides, says she, this is not like Habesh, where both meat and drink, brought to you, are tasted by the bearer before you use them. There is no such thing as poison in Atbara; the lance and the knife in the field, that is the manner in which they kill one another here."
We then shewed her our dinner uneaten, and she again fell into a violent fit of laughter, and took the meat away that she might warm it, and we heard her laughing all the way as she went by herself. She was not long in returning with provisions in plenty, and told us, that her mistresses never were so diverted in their lives, and that she left them still laughing. The black slave then called me to the door, and gave me an India green handkerchief, which she said Aiscach had pulled from her head, and sent with her to me, with orders to inquire, "Do the women of your country do such things, Yagoube, which, for all the fathers and gold in the world, Aiscach would not be guilty of? My father is indeed a Funge[29], but my mother is a Jehaina[30]."