Chapter VIII

Visit to the Chamberlain—Our Host’s sons—French officers at
dinner—Reception of Mission by Sultan—Kilts and equestrianism—Palace
enclosure—Homage of soldiers—Dialogue between Sultan and
Envoy—Delivery of the Queen’s letter—Presentation of Mission.

_Sunday, 18th April 1880._

Our round of dissipations in Fez commenced this morning by a breakfast at the house of the Kaïd el Meshwa, the portly Chamberlain whose figure impressed us all in yesterday’s procession. Fortified by an early cup of coffee, we proceeded to his house in state, the military members of the Mission in uniform, and the others in diplomatic garb. The distance was said to be a quarter of a mile, and we were recommended to walk, but turning, fortunately, a deaf ear to the evil counsels of, I regret to say, His Excellency, we mounted our horses and rode for a mile through as dirty roads as can well be conceived, their narrowness necessitating our riding in single file most of the way, with mounted guards in front, and soldiers on foot bringing up the rear. Arrived at our destination, we dismounted under an archway, and traversing a dark and winding passage, came to a doorway where we were met and welcomed by our host. He led us into a spacious patio, prettily decorated after the Moorish style, having a fountain in the centre, and three comfortably-sized rooms opening into the court; these rooms were carpeted with handsome rugs from Rabât, stupidly covered in part by pieces of Brussels carpet. In each room were one or two French bedsteads, which, with the usual cushions round the walls, were the only articles of furniture. The inevitable three cups of green tea, without which prefix no business or pleasure can be undertaken, were served to us in one room, after which we were led across the patio to another, where a table, groaning with sweetmeats of all sorts, was laid out, a course of cold fish being first handed round as a kind of foundation.

The kaïd has a pleasant grave face, albeit a black one, and talked continually with His Excellency all the time we were jeopardising our constitutions with his light refection, which we were warned was not to count in our favour, but was only to serve as a preliminary to something more solid on another occasion. The square patio was all open at the top, and round the edge of it, peeping over the parapet, were a lot of white veiled faces (at which we occasionally stole furtive glances), looking eagerly on at the unusual scene below. A jolly little boy about three years old trotted in and out of the room, and I utilised him occasionally by making him eat some unctuous confection which was put on my plate, and which I was wholly unable to tackle. Another son of our host’s, a man about twenty-four years old, sat outside; his looks were not prepossessing, but it seems he has been suffering for over a month from a bullet wound in the leg, just above the ankle, which has almost crippled him. The manner of his receiving it is typical of Moorish customs, and of the ready and frank way they have of expressing the feeling of the moment. It seems that the youth is a good hand at lab el barôd; and a friend of his who was engaged with him at this pastime, annoyed at the superior dexterity he evinced, loaded his own gun with ball and fired, intending, so he said, “only to kill the horse,” instead of which the ball entered his rival’s leg, and is apparently there still. The doctor to-day, at the kaïd’s request, made a superficial examination of the wound, and is to search with a probe for the foreign body on another occasion.

The kaïd was interested in our various uniforms, and the differences between them were explained to him by Sir John. As the Highland dress is unsuited for equestrianism, I had indulged myself to-day in mounted officer’s attire, long boots, &c., but had been obliged to promise to appear in full dress in the presence of Majesty to-morrow, the Sultan having intimated his intention of receiving the Mission at 9 A.M. His Excellency, in describing the dress to the Kaïd el Meshwa at breakfast, alluded with delicacy to the nature of the inconvenience which would be experienced by the wearer in the saddle, upon which the Chamberlain promptly suggested the use of a pair of large Moorish continuations into which kilt and all could be tucked, and the cuticle of the rider be thereby secured from injury; he also offered for my use a small room in the palace to-morrow, in which I might disencumber myself of the extra garment before His Majesty’s arrival on the scene. This ingenious proposal so commended itself to Sir John that he at once accepted on my behalf, and this evening a huge pair of white linen drawers from the wardrobe of Síd Búbakr have made their appearance in my tent.

Returning from the Chamberlain’s house, some of us paid a visit to Kaïd Maclean, who did the honours of his establishment, and took us to the roof of his house, from whence there is a capital view of the town. He has got a large and very good garden, in which, among other edibles, he grows potatoes. This vegetable is unknown here, but although he has given them to several Moors to try, they, curiously enough, have not accepted his offer of seed for themselves. After luncheon he went with us for a ride outside the town. While galloping along, the horse of one of our escort, of whom we had six, put his foot into a hole, and coming down gave his rider a heavy fall upon the stony ground; the man picked himself up, bleeding profusely from the head, and said he was “La bás”—Anglicè, all right,—but he had to be taken home, and to-night we hear he is very ill.

The two French officers dined with us. M. Erckmann is a nephew of the author of “Le Conscrit,” &c.; he does not seem to care about the Moors, nor does he very much rely upon their professions of friendship for us. They have been here about two years, their services having been forced upon the Sultan by the French Government, whose jealousy was roused by Kaïd Maclean’s appointment to command His Majesty’s infantry. M. Erckmann is well educated and rather amusing; the other, we found upon enquiry, holds the rank of _sous officier_. He said little, devoting himself chiefly to the pleasures of the table, and laughing hoarsely at the jokes of his superior.

_Monday, 19th April 1880._

I think it will be long before the spectacle we saw to-day is forgotten by any of us, gorgeous as it was in its barbaric magnificence, and important in the political bearing it had upon the relations between Marocco and England. The Sultan had signified his intention of receiving His Excellency and suite at 9 A.M. So, shortly after 8 o’clock, we left our quarters, and rode towards the palace of His Sharífian Majesty.

Disdaining the pantaloons which the Kaïd el Meshwa had, through Síd Búbakr, so kindly provided me with, and turning a deaf ear to the vulgar suggestions of sidesaddles and riding habits, made by members of the Mission, I mounted my gray, and, as we went at a foot’s pace all the way, experienced at all events a minimum of inconvenience. We rode out at the gate of the town by which we entered on Saturday, and were taken through another doorway, a little distance on, into a large rectangular enclosure, with high walls on every side, the gate being immediately closed behind us to prevent the ingress of the mob who followed. At the farther corner from where we came in is the entrance to the palace, and opposite this, at about 400 yards’ distance, we dismounted, and, being marshalled in two ranks, with Sir John in front, awaited the arrival of His Majesty. A slight discussion at this moment arose as to whether the four military members of the Mission should remove their hats or not in the Royal Presence. Fortunately, as the African sun was beating down on us in all its glory, it was settled we were to remain covered, and, at the moment the Envoy advanced to make his obeisance, and again, of course, when we were separately presented, to salute in the ordinary fashion. We heard afterwards that the Sultan enquired why the hats of those in diplomatic uniforms were removed and ours kept on, but that he was quite satisfied at hearing (from Kaïd Maclean) that officers on duty never uncovered their heads.

Between us and the gateway by which the Sultan was to approach was a broad lane, formed by troops; and though in some of the regiments there was not much uniformity of dress and colour, the various tints seemed all to blend into one harmonious whole, which was quite indescribable, but upon which the eye never grew wearied of gazing. Half-way up the line of soldiers, on our left hand, stood a row of musicians, about thirty in number, each dressed in a long robe of uniform colour, but no two alike, every conceivable tint being represented, from the brightest orange to the darkest blue, the entire line shining like a rainbow in the bright morning sun. Opposite this painted group were assembled, clad in folds of snow-white muslin, about a hundred Court officials, who, in virtue of office or position, had a right to take part in the ceremonial. The infantry were under Kaïd Maclean, and near the gate were posted the artillery, commanded by our guest of last night. Of mounted men, or even officers, there were none, for on State occasions like this all must appear on foot before a Sultan of Marocco, “whose throne is his saddle, whose pavilion is the sky.” Other bodies of troops were drawn up in different parts of the enclosure; and round the whole, shutting out the scene from the gaze of the crowd, rose the high white walls, the glaring sameness of which formed a striking contrast to the gaudily-painted assembly they enclosed.

Punctuality is the politeness of princes, and in this respect, at all events, the Moorish monarch can vie with more civilised sovereigns; for before five minutes had elapsed a murmur of expectation and a flourish of trumpets announced His Majesty’s approach.

Mounted on a pure white horse of gigantic size, and preceded by two spearmen, with the High Chamberlain a little in advance of them, Mulai Hassan rode slowly in. Four led horses, magnificently caparisoned, pranced along, two on either side of him; and above his head was borne a large flat umbrella of some red material on a pole twelve feet high; while the rear was brought up by a small number of his black, or Bokhári, bodyguard, in front of whom marched the headsman or executioner, whose office, however, is almost a sinecure in Marocco. An air of solemnity and grandeur pervaded them all, from the imposing figure of the Sultan, towering above every one, to the tall attendants who, one on either side, slowly and with great regularity shot forth long white cloths towards His Majesty’s head to keep away the flies. The view of this singular procession, slowly advancing towards us, was most impressive; and though there might be in it all a spice of the theatrical element, any disagreeable effect of this was removed by the vastness of the scale on which it was conducted. As they came abreast of the musicians, who were making the place re-echo with their trombones to the strains of the Moorish National Anthem, the white-robed assembly opposite to them bowed reverently to the ground, the troops—most of them falling on their knees!—presented arms, and from every throat there rose simultaneously the shout of “Our Lord and Master, Our Lord and Master.” At about six paces from the Envoy, His Majesty stopped, and the Kaïd el Meshwa, or Chamberlain, advancing to Sir John, led him up to the Sultan, and in stentorian tones proclaimed his titles to the crowd. His Excellency then, bowing low, awaited, hat in hand, the pleasure of the Sultan, who addressed him as follows:—

“We are pleased to see you again at our Court, for you have always been an elect friend and counsellor. We are glad to learn you have been promoted to the rank of Envoy. We entertain high feelings of friendship towards the Queen and the British Nation, for we have never ceased to receive proofs of their friendship and regard. You are most welcome, as also are all the persons that accompany you.”

Here His Majesty paused, while the Chamberlain thundered out to the assemblage the last sentence of his master’s speech.

The Envoy then replied,—

“I thank Your Majesty for the gratifying expression of your friendship towards my gracious Sovereign and the British nation, and I feel highly honoured by the sentiments Your Majesty has been pleased to express with regard to myself.”

His Excellency now handed the Queen’s letter to the Sultan, and continued,—

“I have the honour to deliver the royal letter which Her Majesty the Queen has addressed to Your Sharífian Majesty. Her Majesty desires your welfare and prosperity, and that of your subjects. I shall regard myself as most fortunate if I continue to enjoy Your Majesty’s confidence, and should be enabled through Your Majesty’s support and goodwill to draw closer the ties of friendship by the promotion of the mutual interests of the nations of England and Marocco. I thank Your Majesty for the honourable reception granted me the day of my entry into this city, and for your munificent hospitality. It affords me much pleasure to inform Your Majesty that the Governors and other officers in the provinces through which I passed, received me with hospitality and marks of honour and goodwill.”

To which the Sultan replied,—

“You deserve every mark of honour and goodwill from us and our officers: present me the members of your Mission.”

The Sultan spoke at first in a low and very tremulous voice, and was so nervous I was afraid he would break down. He soon recovered himself, however, and the dignity of his manner was enhanced by the silence and reverential awe of the thousands of soldiers and courtiers who hung upon his words and actions. The conversation, too, was disturbed occasionally by the restlessness of His Majesty’s charger, which equine eccentricities will—so it is whispered—bring dire vengeance on the Master of the Horse; but this opinion, I hope, is a calumny, as there is a lurking expression of kindness in the Sultan’s grave and handsome face; and the way in which he manœuvred his steed, to bring under the shade of the huge red umbrella His Excellency’s wholly unprotected head, earned at once our admiration and the gratitude of that statesman.

Sir John now beckoned to each of us in turn to come and be presented, briefly mentioning to His Majesty what were our professions and designations. The Sultan, at the conclusion of each presentation, said a few words of welcome, which were translated to us by His Excellency, and shouted out _pro bono publico_ at the top of the Chamberlain’s voice. His Majesty asked several questions relating to my uniform, and was interested in hearing from the Envoy that it is a dress worn by the Jebelis, or mountaineers, who live to the north of England—a tribe which never retreats in battle, and from which the Queen gets her best soldiers. “I also, your Majesty,” somewhat pertinently added His Excellency, “am a native of those parts.” The ceremony being now concluded, the Sultan retired under a salute from his artillery, the noise of which caused the great white horse to caper about, much to the discomfiture of the umbrella-bearer and other attendants.

This ancient custom, above described, for the ruler of Marocco, himself mounted on horseback, to receive foreign ambassadors on foot, has given considerable offence to some of the representatives of our Continental neighbours, who have remonstrated, fortunately without success, on the smallness of the figure they have had to cut on these occasions. It may be that, with the march of civilisation, this usage will cease, and that Sultans, in common with their peers, will admit ambassadors into the more sacred precincts of the palace, in which case those who have witnessed the rude splendour of these out-of-door receptions may consider themselves fortunate. What is more probable is that, unless the reforms so urgently needed, and which the Sultan himself is anxious to inaugurate, be not speedily undertaken, the state of Marocco will go from bad to worse, until, having bid farewell to even the residue of its ancient grandeur, European powers will no longer deem it necessary to send officers of rank and distinction to represent them at the Moorish Court.

There seemed to be no hitch whatever in the conduct and arrangements of to-day’s ceremonial, though it can seldom have fallen to the lot of the present Sultan to receive a visitor of such importance as the English Envoy Extraordinary; neither can the Chamberlain, whose voice is still ringing in my ears, have often to perform his duties on such a scale and in so august a presence. One incident that rather tried our gravity occurred just before the conclusion of the scene, and was this: On our left during the ceremony stood the old Arab scribe and the two interpreters, and His Majesty’s attention having been drawn to the fact of their presence, he condescendingly muttered a few words, which were repeated by the Chamberlain—“The servants, too, are welcomed by our Lord.” This they acknowledged by bowing to the ground, and then retired to their original places in rear, except old Haïm, whom we irreverently call Tweedledum. This worthy Israelite, overcome by the novelty of the situation and the Sultan’s condescension, stood rooted to the ground, and in a voice that emulated the Chamberlain’s poured forth a loud and incessant stream of blessings on His Majesty’s head. As his lungs are powerful, and there seemed no symptoms of cessation, he was gently removed by the attendants, still calling upon the God of Abraham to maintain the line of Mulai Hassan on the throne of their fathers.

As soon as the Sultan and his attendants had passed through the gateway into the palace, the Vizier and other officials came up to welcome Sir John, and to enquire into the nature of the presents contained in the two large boxes bound up in white cloth which had been brought along with us on the backs of mules. As it was not a convenient moment for the delivery of a lecture on the principle of the telephone or heliograph, His Excellency replied that it would be necessary to open and see the instruments before explaining their use, and this, of course, must not be done till the Sultan’s pleasure respecting them was known. In the meantime he exacted a promise from His Majesty’s “Eyebrow,” or head of the household, that the boxes should be put in a safe place, and not opened or tampered with in any way.