Quarrel between a Drûze and a Metouály—Buying of medals—Imposition practised on Lady Hester—Punishment of the offender—Illness and death of the Greek patriarch—Funeral ceremonies—Election of a new patriarch—Cottage in the gardens of Sayda—Long drought—Flocks of birds—Hydrophobia—Excursion of the Author to Garýfy—Shems ed Dyn and his father—Purchase of wine—Decline of commerce in the Levant—Mâlem Dubány and his daughters—Extortion of Eastern rulers—Arrival of Miss Williams—Arrival of Mr. Bankes—He copies and removes fresco paintings—Failure of his first attempt to reach Palmyra—Visit of Mr. Buckingham—Locusts—Lady Hester takes a voyage to Antioch.
Nothing particular occurred to interrupt our customary mode of living until a serious dispute happened at Hara, a village on the road from Abra to Sayda, between a Drûze and a Metouály. The Drûze, named Wahab, was watching his olive-grounds, when he observed the Metouály wantonly strike a branch, and knock down several olives. This created some words, which produced a quarrel; and the Drûze, who wore a short battle-axe in his girdle, cut a gash in the Metouály’s leg and in his back. The Metouály fled to Sayda, and complained of the assault to Musa Aga, motsellem of Gebâ, and at this time governor of the Metouály district, who was exasperated to the highest degree that such an aggression should have been committed in his immediate neighbourhood. Armed with a spear, and taking with him some of his people, he rode out blind with rage; and, encountering, near Hara, a mountaineer, who wore the Drûze dress, without inquiring whether this was the offender, he was about to run him through the body: when his secretary interposed, but could not save the man from a most severe beating given him on the spot. The real Drûze, in the mean time, had concealed himself at Heleleyah, a village near Mar Elias.
The fury of Musa Aga created some alarm among the peasantry at Abra: for, although Christians, they would not go to Sayda the whole of the next day. They feared lest, in the absence of the real offender, they might be maltreated: a strange way of doing justice! But on the third day some soldiers came down from the Shaykh Beshýr, and, arresting Wahab, carried him to Mukhtára.
The conversation of the villagers showed what a rancour those of the Drûze districts harboured against the Turks in the plain. They said that the shaykh was unjust, who thus, at the representation of Musa Aga, would punish a Drûze; and it appeared to me that both Christians and Drûzes would ill brook affronts from the Turks, if their leaders were disposed to encourage this disposition in them.
As winter was now approaching, the convent was, as usual, put in repair against the rains. This was a very necessary precaution; but was never a complete remedy: for there was not a year in which the wet did not penetrate more or less through the roofs into the rooms.
On the 21st of November, a young Russian passed through Sayda. The nature of medal-buying in these countries may be understood by what happened between him and a silversmith of the place, who gave me a laughable account of the traveller’s eagerness, and of the advantage which, in a matter of buying and selling, he thought himself authorized to take of it. The Livonian, as most travellers do, had no sooner arrived at Sayda than he inquired if there were any medals to sell in the place. A silversmith, who made a traffic of them, was summoned immediately; and for a silver coin (which, from his description, I judged to be a Jupiter holding an eagle), asked the very reasonable sum of six piasters, the silver weighing nearly to the value of five. The Livonian was not accustomed to have them presented to him so cheap, and, at a word, said I’ll take it: upon which the silversmith asked time to consider. He went to his shop, and was followed by the Livonian, who kept rising in his offers, which were as regularly refused by the silversmith, who now pretended he had been told it was a most rare coin, and demanded fifty piasters. On the third day the Livonian departed; and, in passing the shop where the silversmith, apprized of his going, took care to be, once more made a still greater offer than he had done, of thirty-six piasters, which was taken by the exulting silversmith; who, had the Livonian showed some reluctance to pay the original price of six, would have been glad to have disposed of it, as he had done of some others of the same kind, for even a less sum.
A curious trick was at this time played off on Lady Hester by a needy adventurer. The Pasha of Acre, with a harým full of concubines, had never been blessed but with one son, who died of the plague. It was very well known throughout the pashalik that the birth of another would give rise to considerable rejoicings: and it is customary in the East that whoever brings the first news of any joyful event should be handsomely recompensed. There was not indeed much likelihood of offspring: for the pasha was old, and had abused his constitution in indulgences. One day that I had ridden down to Abra from Meshmûshy, I received a note from her ladyship, in which, among other things, she mentioned that an officer of the pasha’s had been sent to announce to her the birth of a son, and that she had made a present to him in consequence. It happened that Hadj Ali, our old janissary, had called at the convent to see the syt, his mistress (as he always named Lady Hester); and, as he was recently from Acre, I questioned him why he had not brought the news himself. He declared that such an event was not expected and could not have happened: and he immediately guessed that there must have been some imposture practised. I accordingly wrote to caution her ladyship, and kept Hadj Ali until the messenger returned, which was in about nine hours, when he informed me that the officer who had brought the news styled himself Hassan Aga; that he had not only brought tidings of the birth of a son, but had said that the pasha had charged him to add that there was not a village in his pashalik, or a horse in his stable, which Lady Hester might not claim of him on such a happy day. On hearing the name, Hadj Ali knew him to be an adventurer, one Hassan, alias Hassan Nykhu.[84] In El Gezzàr’s time he was captain of a guard of twenty-five men, stationed at the bridge of the Casmia river for the security of the public road: since the death of El Gezzàr he had been out of employ, and lived by his wits.
I immediately sent off this account to Lady Hester, who was highly irritated at the man’s impudence: for it had nearly led her to send a letter of congratulation, and to order rejoicings to be made in her house. Accordingly, Sulymán, the Drûze, was despatched, to try and secure his person, and to deliver him over to Hadj Ali at Mar Elias. Sulymán went in pursuit of him, and traced his route: but, fearing that he might escape from him if he attempted to use force, he inveigled him back to Mar Elias, by saying that Lady Hester had sent after him in order to present him with a new suit of clothes as a farther recompense for his joyful tidings.
No sooner was he arrived at Mar Elias than Hadj Ali and Sulymán seized him, and bound him hand and foot. Hadj Ali reproached him with his lies, and he was locked up in the woodhouse until the morrow. The next day Lady Hester came down from Meshmûshy: and, on alighting at the door, she saw Hassan tied to a tree, with Sulymán keeping watch over him. She desired Hadj Ali to bastinado him, and then went in; but she little thought to what lengths these men would go: for, throwing the poor wretch on the ground on his back, with his hands tied as they were, one held up his feet whilst the other beat him most unmercifully on the soles; and when, at length, Sulymán’s strength failed him from passion, Hadj Ali seized a broom bat which lay near at hand, and struck the helpless man across the legs and thighs in a manner that I thought would have broken them. I had cried “enough!” several times; but at last seeing that they heeded me not, I forcibly held their hands, and with difficulty drew them off, pale, breathless, and trembling. Oh! how vile a being seemed to me then an infuriate and passionate man! They would have renewed the beating, had not I compelled them to desist.
Hassan was left bound to the tree, and afterwards thrown into the woodhouse for the night. On the following morning Hadj Ali departed for Acre; driving Hassan, lame and bruised, before him. He was furnished with the following letter from Lady Hester to Mâlem Haym. “A certain impostor, called Hassan, came to me at Meshmûshy in the name of the pasha and yourself, pretending that the pasha had been blessed with a son. Hadj Ali knew him, went in search of him, and put him in prison. He will tell you the rest.”