To our dear Sister the Syt Hester, whom may the Almighty save, and whose days may he prolong unto us, whom she has breathed upon—this letter, with our most profound respect, comes greeting—Amen, O God of the Universe! Next, shouldst thou, our sister, inquire after us, thy brother, we, praise be to God, are well, but ever anxious after thy perfect safety, which is the sum of our wishes and prayers.
From the time that you were with us, we have been in bloody affrays with the pasha. He it is that slew our son Farez and our men. This was God’s doings, but we stopped the rout, and God, the most High, scattered them; so that we are, just now, quiet. But it behoves us that we should inform your Felicity, and give you tidings also of the state of Nasar. For two years past he has escorted the pilgrims (to Mecca): but we have no news that you are coming unto us. The bearer of this is our chieftain, Abd-el-Rasák, and if you wish for a mare, send word by him, and let us know: for we wait the commands of your Felicity.
Mahannah-el-Fadel.
Whilst the Bedouins were sitting with me, on Tuesday, the 19th November, about half past eleven in the morning, the sky became by degrees overcast, and, unapprized of such an event, I did not at first perceive that the sun was eclipsed. I blackened a piece of glass with smoke, and made the Bedouins look through it; but they seemed to me to express no irrational astonishment whatever. The cottagers in the village brought out pans and kettles, and beat them to avert the evil influence of the heavens.
The twenty-seven cases which Giorgio had brought out from England for Lady Hester contained numberless articles of every kind, which she had ordered to be bought for her, to distribute as presents amongst her various friends and acquaintances in Turkey. With her usual method and expedition in business, these different objects were, in a week’s time, unpacked, ticketed, and arranged, so as to require nothing but the delivery of them to those for whom she intended them. My attention was chiefly occupied by Mr. N., to whom the country and its inhabitants were to be made familiar as speedily as possible, and who looked to me for such information on the climate and the diseases incident to it as my long residence in it might be supposed to have given me.
It was now finally resolved that I should embark by the earliest occasion for Europe: but, as there was a thermometer and a barometer, among some other things, which Lady Hester intended to give to Mâlem Haym, of Acre, I made one more journey to that place, as well to take leave of my friends there, as to explain to the Mâlem the nature of these two tubes, and where best to suspend them. Accordingly, on the 24th of November, I set off for Acre at noon, and slept that night at the Khudder, opposite Sarfend. I reached the Guffer Nakûra the next day, and, early on the third, arrived at Acre.
Having finished my business with Mâlem Haym, I then paid my last visits to my acquaintance. At one of their houses I met with a native of Acre, who, having accompanied the French in their flight from Syria, under Buonaparte, had become a soldier, and, by bravery and conduct, risen to be captain in the Imperial guard, and member of the Legion of Honour. Yet this man, had he remained in his native place, would have been at best an humble shopkeeper, subject to the abuse, and occasionally to the blows, of his masters, the Turks.[103]
There was a strong feeling of party excited throughout the sea-ports of Syria about this time, by the death of the governor of Smyrna. It was a useful lesson to consuls and to other Europeans, not to hold out inducements to a Mahometan to violate the precepts of his religion. A Turk, who drinks, goes to balls and parties at European houses, flirts with Greek women, and forgets the gravity peculiar to his nation, may go on thus for a time; but eventually the Porte never pardons such flagrant violations of the precepts of the Prophet, and deprives him of his place or of his life. His successor is then chosen from those who are known to be very anti-Christian; or, if not naturally so disposed, he is obliged, in self-defence, to keep the Franks at a great distance, marking them as objects of contempt in every thing he does. This real or apparent severity is adopted throughout the country, and thus is generated mutual hatred, which, had that reserve been practised which is proper between people who can never thoroughly amalgamate, would not have happened.
Mr. Lewis Catafago, of Acre, who had conducted her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales to Jerusalem, bore testimony to her condescension and affability during the journey. The priests of the monastery there had circulated reports in prejudice of her generosity, by declaring that the corn supplied for her horses had been left unpaid for; although it was very well known that, besides paying very liberally for whatever was consumed by herself and suite, she settled an annual sum on the monastery.
On the 29th, I left Acre, and slept a few hours at Ras-el-Ayn. Whilst it was yet dark, I resumed my journey, and reached the river Khasmia about two hours before sunrise. Giovanni spread my carpet in the open field, in front of a ruined caravansery, where I lay down, in the hope of getting another nap: but I had hardly composed myself to rest, when the noise of horses’ feet and of loud and dissonant voices startled me, and I sat up. Soon afterwards, about a hundred Hawáry horse soldiers rode up to the spot where I was; and it was so very dark that I cried out to prevent them from riding over me. As Giovanni was seated against a ruined wall, where he had made a fire to boil me some coffee, I was taken for a traveller, and not the slightest molestation was offered me. Each soldier dismounted at the place he liked best, unstrapped the foot-ropes from behind his saddle, to tether his horse; and immediately a hundred voices were heard of Mohammed, Yusef, Mahmoud, Selim, Ali, &c., crying, “Hand me a stone, to drive in my tethering-pin!”—“Will you lend me yours, when you have done?”—with the like exclamations; and the iron pins were heard yielding a clang through the field to the strokes which drove them into the ground. Thus, in ten minutes, the whole troop was encamped. Then followed the noise of fighting and neighing among some of the horses, which had been tied too near to each other; for these soldiers ride chiefly stallions: but silence succeeded as soon as each soldier had unstrapped his corn-bag, and had hung it on his horse’s head, whilst the riders drew from their wallets such provisions as they had brought from their last station. As each man carries his all on his horse, there were no baggage animals, and no tents to pitch. All squatted on the ground, to eat and smoke their pipes, and many lay down to sleep on the ground in their cloaks or sheepskin pelisses.