Chapter XIII

Visit to the palace—Failure to photograph Sultan—Set up
telephone—Panthers—Beauty of palace—Sultan’s
entertainment—Jugglers—Native drama—Dance of the Aissowieh—A saint
of Fez—Visit to the “Melha”—Inspection of infantry—Inns of
Fez—Pharaoh hardens his heart.

_Monday, 3d May 1880._

Yesterday’s rain having caused our visit to the palace to be postponed, we were hunted out of our beds at an early hour this morning by His Excellency; risked an attack of indigestion over our breakfasts, still under the same influence, and, after waiting some time admiring each other’s go-to-meeting clothes, finally received a command that His Majesty would receive us at ten o’clock. It having been whispered by Síd Búbakr that, if it could be done quietly, the Sultan would allow himself to be photographed, His Excellency was in high spirits; and already, I believe, in his mind’s eye the portrait was on its road to Windsor. But the mood of a Moorish autocrat is variable as the wind, and I doubt if the artist is yet fledged who will hand down to posterity a likeness of His Sharífian Majesty. We rode up to the palace through lanes which last night’s rain has converted into alternate torrents and seas of mud, splashing our pretty clothes and making us generally uncomfortable. The Ministers and Court were just leaving their small tents of office in the palace enclosure, and the fat Vizier, puffing and flushed with the exertion of hurriedly climbing on his mule, rather scored off Sir John, who had dismounted, it being _de rigueur_ here for a person of inferior rank always to dismount before addressing his superior. They had none of them heard we were coming—a great slight to the Grand Vizier, who, together with his colleagues, looked as black as thunder. We waited some time at the gate of the inner court, which want of attention drew down some Moorish blessings on the head of the officer in charge of it from the Envoy’s varied vocabulary; and after getting through, and into the garden, we were kept standing in the walk for upwards of an hour. We tried in vain to excite His Excellency’s indignation again, and presently the “Eyebrow” arrived with some excuse about the Sultan not knowing we were coming, as the soldier who brought the message made a mistake about the hour, &c., and consequently His Majesty was still at breakfast. At the real reason of the delay we of course never arrived; but as at that moment another messenger came, summoning Sir John and the “photographer” to the royal presence, our spirits rose at this apparent fulfilment of our wish to obtain the desired likeness. In the meantime, the rest of us were left to the tender mercies of the “Gentleman of the Eyebrow,” Síd Múhammed Gavass, and Síd Drís ben Abd el Wáhad, the “idle apprentice” of the Moorish engineers.[52] I improved the occasion by unpacking the heliograph (which they had brought along with the telephone, and which they think forms an integral part of it), and giving the latter youth, who had not yet seen the instrument, a lesson in its adjustment. Having discoursed on the subject in well-selected phrases for some time, I was disappointed at his asking with apparent interest, “And does it work well at night?” and again, after some further explanation, “How much wire do you have to use?” However, I must say, as soon as I got him to give his attention to the matter, and to leave off lusting after the fleshpots of Chatham and London, which we were the innocent means of recalling to his memory, he mastered the rudiments very quickly. In about half an hour His Excellency and the artists returned rather crestfallen, though at first they declared they had been taken to the Harem, and photographed His Majesty and all his wives. It turned out, however, that the Sultan, changeable as a school-girl, refused, as soon as he saw the camera again, to be taken, and even insisted on Sir John’s promising that no such attempt should be made. He sent, however, for three female slaves—one an enormously stout black lady, the other two of a more graceful build, brown complexion, and rather pretty; these victims he allowed to be sacrificed on the altar of art, retiring a little for fear of being included in the group, and laughing quietly at the scene.

Rode home past the “Eyebrow’s” house, where they told us that if we “waited for a little we might be shown some of the rooms of the palace.” Disappointed, however, with the result of our morning’s visit, we stoutly declined to alight again, were the Sultan and his entire harem on view. After luncheon, however, I rode back to Ben Músa’s house, and spent a couple of hours in putting up the telephone between it and an apartment in the palace. The Eyebrow’s end of the wire we set up in a sort of lumber-room, full of every sort of toy, presents, &c. discarded by His Majesty—French china, some of it very pretty, clocks of every kind, boxes full of clothes, feathers, mirrors, artificial flowers, enough to furnish half a dozen fancy bazaars; and among this collection probably ere long both batteries and the connecting wire of the telephone, together with the heliographic instruments, will find a home. The other end we took along the wall, under an archway and through a long passage, into the Sultan’s private garden, then up a flight of steps to a broad and beautifully paved terrace, on which a wing of the upper story of the palace looks out. The room in which we fixed the end for His Majesty’s use was a perfect gem in its way; no furniture but two arm-chairs and a bed, underneath which a young but full-grown panther was rolling about, who came and sniffed unpleasantly at the calves of the Christian intruders. The work in the ceiling of the recess in which the bed was placed was really exquisite, and round the walls were inscriptions and verses from the Koran, executed in gold and colours of the richest and brightest kind. Half a dozen horrid-looking black eunuchs were there to watch that we did not stray farther than necessary for our work; and though I looked carefully round and into the garden, which was stretched out below us, for any other signs of life, I could see nothing but a lot of gaudily-dressed black boys, whose chief amusement seemed to be rolling over and fighting with the panthers (there are two of them), whose bites and scratches they returned with interest. We got the telephone arranged satisfactorily at last, and left the Eyebrow yelling into his end of it, much to the delight of two of the eunuchs, who were screaming in high falsetto into the other end. How long it may bear this severe test, which Mr. Bell can never have contemplated when constructing it, time alone can determine.

_Wednesday, 5th May 1880._

Our last public entertainment here took place to-day, with accompaniments which will engrave it for long on our memories. Our host on this occasion was no less a person than His Sharífian Majesty, who, though he did not appear in person, provided a most ample assortment of food for both body and mind. The summer palace where the picnic took place is about two miles to the south-west of the town, and is enclosed in an extensive grove of orange-trees, among which some tents had been pitched for the party. Before luncheon we were taken to have a look at the building, in which there is not much to see. It consists of a very large courtyard, open at the top, and paved with marble, into which a number of good-sized suites of rooms open. The chief interest which attaches to the place is a melancholy one, it having been built by Christian slaves, of whom most were English, during the reign of Mulai Ismael, in the beginning of last century.

We were rather surprised that some great officer of State, such as one of the chamberlains or the Sultan’s secretary, was not present to represent their master; and to a suspicious mind it looked not unlike intentional neglect on the part of some one. His Excellency at once repudiated this idea, and pointing to a Moor who happened to be shouting rather louder than the others, explained that he was “an official of high position called the _Kaïd of the Freigíahs_, and had the arrangement of everything.” Now, seeing that this same “kaïd” is merely the chief tent-pitcher, of whose services in this capacity I availed myself a few days ago in the palace garden, I am not wholly convinced by His Excellency’s ready repartee.

We had brought with us not only our own servants with knives and forks, but also a goodly supply of the fluid prohibited by the Prophet, which substitute for the dirty water one usually gets at Moorish feasts helped to wash down pleasantly the sumptuous meal provided by His Majesty’s _chef_.

Síd Búbakr and the two Chatham officers being either too shy to feed with us, or being unwilling so to commit themselves in public, went to another tent, where countless dishes of all kinds were brought to them and a select few of the palace people by the Sultan’s slaves, who had lighted fires in the wood to keep the viands hot. As there was not room in their tent for half the dishes provided, Síd Búbakr had them arranged in rows outside, and then distributed to the various lots of servants, soldiers, slaves, &c.—a most popular arrangement, which went straight to the hearts and stomachs of all present. After we had finished our luncheon, and Colonel Gordon Cumming’s party, who joined us later, had had theirs, some jugglers came and performed. Their tricks were good, but what they excelled in were feats of strength, one man supporting seven others on his shoulders, and many other things of the sort, all on the wet, muddy ground. It was a curious scene; on one side were the party of Christians in the shelter of the tent, of which a side had been left open, while opposite stood the bystanders, whose interests were divided between us and the performers; behind these were about fifty or sixty people who had filed quietly into the grove just before the performances commenced, and of whose identity we were shortly made aware. In the background were the horses, picketed, and several tents which had been pitched to shelter the officers of our numerous guard from the rain, which was falling heavily. The jugglers and athletes having withdrawn, a contortionist, who must be quite at the head of his profession, appeared, and imitated an ape to perfection, the way he changed his face—naturally not an unpleasant one—being horrible and yet ludicrous to a degree. The ape having retired, a comical-looking man, with a sort of fool’s cap on his head, made a stump oration, imitating various characters, his jokes making the people roar with laughter, in which His Excellency and the khalífa, who are both perfect Arabic scholars, joined; but whether from the jokes being purely on local topics, or from some other cause, they did not think fit to translate them for our benefit into English. The speech concluded, the jester, assisted by a small black boy and a fair, effeminate-looking youth, proceeded to enact in dumb show certain scenes and tableaux taken from native domestic life and manners; but as these began to assume features which would hardly have failed to come under the censure of the Lord Chamberlain at home, Síd Búbakr with infinite good taste stopped the music (without which nothing can be got through), and the performers went their way, wondering, doubtless, at the want of curiosity we evinced in not waiting for the development of their highly seasoned drama. Now came the last of the varied entertainments provided for us by our royal host, and it was certainly as unexpected by those who were best acquainted with Moorish customs as it was horrifying to all, and especially to those who had never witnessed it before. It seems that some days ago, when this picnic at the summer palace was first mooted, and Sir John was asked what style of amusement we should like best, he begged that the “Aissowieh” might be sent to amuse us. Now by that term is usually meant the snake-charmers, who belong to the great sect of Aissowa, and it was, of course, only the snake-charmers to whom His Excellency referred. His suggestion was, however, interpreted otherwise, and the Sultan imagined that our unaccountable taste made us anxious to see the performance of the ghastly and horrible rites of the real Aissowieh.

The founder of this sect was a poor Arab, Muhammed ben Aissa, who lived in Mequinez about three hundred years ago, in the most abject poverty. As a reward for his unwavering faith in the mercy of God, and in the good offices of the Prophet, a miraculous supply of food was sent him, with which he was enabled to supply all the poor of the town, and was thenceforth regarded as a saint, multitudes coming to him and imploring to be received as disciples. With these followers he travelled through the empire, barefoot, and “without scrip or purse,” trusting implicitly to the Prophet to provide the necessaries of life. When they were hungry their leader gave them poisonous plants to eat, which not only proved innocuous, but satisfied the cravings of their appetite. Very soon they attained the power of receiving without hurt the bites of poisonous snakes; while burnings of the most terrible description, wounds, and contusions, were impotent against them. Tradition asserts that Ben Aissa, as a reward for his virtues and faith, was caught up into heaven, like the Prophet Elijah, in a chariot and horses of fire—a team which his previous training would enable him to handle with ease.

The sect is at this day very numerous, and twice a year—at the feast of Bairám, and at the end of Ramadán—they assemble from all the sacred towns, and commence a kind of triumphal march through the country. The provinces through which they pass are—or at all events used to be—thought specially favoured by Providence, the inhabitants vying with one another to minister to their wants, and according to them “the best of the cheer and the seat by the fire,”—once “the undenied right of the barefooted Friar.”

The name “Aissa” (Jesus) is that by which our Lord is always mentioned in the Koran, so Aissowa becomes the equivalent of Jesuit, or follower of Jesus, and, in fact, the fundamental principles of the two orders are identical—faith and obedience.[53]

The preliminary rite of these people consists in working themselves into a state of religious frenzy, in which, when reason has entirely lost her sway, they think to propitiate the Deity by cutting themselves with knives and stones, and sometimes giving themselves up to the commission of the most brutal crimes and horrible excesses. When in this condition, which by the law of the land renders them more or less irresponsible for their actions, neither man, woman, nor beast is safe who happens to cross their path, and God help the unfortunate Christian or Jew who may fall into their clutches! Among them, however, are certain high priests or elders, who, like the leaders of religious revivals elsewhere, exercise a sort of magnetic influence over their flock, even when they are at their worst.

Considerable opposition was made to His Excellency’s supposed request by the town authorities, who declined to be responsible for the safety of the Christian spectators when brought into close contact with the fanatical Aissowieh. The fiat of the Sultan had, however, gone forth; so nothing could be done but to choose from among the known followers of the sect the least extravagant and dangerous members. These then were the crowd of people who, having hitherto kept in the background, were now brought forward by their Emkaddemín or high priests—three old men of great height and commanding appearance, with dark flowing robes and long white beards. At first they were formed up in double rows, facing each other, with the Emkaddemín between them, and began their dance to a monotonous tune kept up on drums and horns. Gradually they kept working towards our tent, stamping their feet to the time of the drums, and throwing their heads backwards and forwards with a corresponding and rapidly increasing motion. It is an acknowledged fact that since the days when David danced before the ark, dancing has been regarded as a religious exercise by many fanatical sects, who affirm that, by subjecting their bodies for some time to such action, a state of mental derangement is attained which renders them callous to all pain, and wholly irresponsible for their actions. Such apparently was the effect on the Aissowieh, who were now reduced to about twenty, those to whom the spirit had not communicated this state of religious ecstasy having had the good taste to withdraw from their more favoured brethren. Those who remained presented a horrid appearance; their clothes hung loosely on them; in most cases their turbans had fallen off, exposing sometimes a bare and shiny skull, sometimes long dishevelled hair, which, by the constant motion of their heads, now hung in clusters down their backs, now in matted locks concealing their faces. Occasionally three or four would break away from the ring and indulge in a _pas seul_ outside it, or else run full tilt with their heads against a tree, and beat the stem with their hands till the blood flowed freely down. The eyes of all of them had now become fixed and glassy, their tongues lolled out of their mouths, and their faces assumed a livid hue, while from the entire circle rose the ceaseless cry of “Allah, Allah, Allah,” as the wretched maniacs invoked their God, of whose character they must take a strange view if they think He enjoys the ghastly scene! The chief method observable in their madness was that they seldom did each other any injury, though occasionally one or two at a time would fall on their faces and commence tearing up the grass, which, with handfuls of mud, they would force down their throats, and digest with apparent satisfaction. On these occasions, if two of them came in contact, one would seize the leg or head of the other, and commence gnawing it in an abstracted manner, inflicting horrible wounds, to which operation his fellow enthusiast would make no objection. The Emkaddemín would now interfere, and by kneeling on their heads and other gentle measures, quiet them; then, by some mysterious exorcism, they would recall the men to reason, keeping their eye on them till they sheepishly left the spot and got away behind the spectators. By this means all but four of the Aissowieh were disposed of; those that were left, however, seemed beyond even the influence of their priests, who would occasionally make an attempt to subdue them; but failing to do so, contented themselves with closely watching, and when necessary, placing themselves between us and the wretched men, who now looked more like beasts than human beings. In fact, through some freak of their disordered brains, these men had assumed the _rôle_ of wild animals, and were prowling about on all fours, uttering unearthly cries, like hungry beasts in quest of prey. It was not a pleasant moment when one of them neared the tent, peering among us with brutish eyes, and I could not help thinking a live Christian among those four would have had a sorry chance. Nor would such an accident be wholly unpleasing to the spectators. The Emkaddemín, however, had a peculiar method of satisfying the appetites of their remaining disciples, and when they suddenly paused in front of us, adopted the following plan. Among our servants were several followers of the sect, who, forbidden to join in the saturnalia, had been looking with sympathetic eyes at their co-religionists. One young boy, however, of about twelve, also an Aissowa, who has lately been taken into the service of the khalífa, not being able to resist the fascination of the scene, joined in it, and having given himself wholly over to the Evil One, was now lying in a state of exhaustion on the ground, his stomach full of mud and grass, and his nice new clothes, provided by an indulgent master, reduced to rags. Towards young Hassan, for so is the youth yclept, one of the priests now moved, and taking him up by the waist, threw him as a bait to allure away the fanatics from us. The device succeeded better than we had hoped for, and with a horrid roar they threw themselves upon the boy. He remained where he had been thrown without moving or uttering a sound, and while the horrid crew were howling and struggling over the morsel before proceeding to tear it to pieces, he sprang from among them into the arms of the nearest Emkaddem, who, secreting him in his ample robes, moved away from the spot. The vacant despair and then rage of the Aissowieh, when they saw their victim was gone, was indescribable; they tore up the ground with their nails and teeth, and then separating, apparently in search of their prey, were set on by their leaders, who by moral suasion and by physical force, requisitioned from their now sobered followers, removed the still raving madmen from the scene. It was a relief when it was all over, as the performance, though shocking and repulsive, had an element of fascination in it which prevented one from taking one’s eyes for a moment off the principals.[54]

I had seen it once before, when, among other eccentricities, they tore a live sheep to pieces and ate it—a fate I had fully expected to see young Hassan undergo; but then I was safely ensconced on the roof of the Belgian Consul’s house at Tangier, and offered no such temptation to the performers as we did to-day. Never before, however, have the Aissowieh been called upon to gratify the curiosity of private individuals, more especially of people holding infidel doctrines like ours; and even among themselves I do not think these rites ever take place except at their two great festivals above mentioned.

_Thursday, 6th May 1880._

The ghastly but interesting performances of yesterday made me forget to note down a curious sight I saw in the city in the forenoon—viz. that while walking through the streets I was fortunate enough to meet a real saint in the body—in fact in nothing else—who is much respected in that quarter of the town. He was a fat, elderly person, of middle height, with a restless and dissatisfied expression of countenance, and not a stitch of clothing on of any sort or kind. He passed me with a kind of ambling, shuffling gait, and had a dazed and puzzled look, like a nocturnal rover driven out of his cave into the garish light of day. On enquiry through Mr. Náhum of some of the crowd attendant as usual upon us, I was told he had affected this _negligé_ style of dress from infancy, but was a man of renowned sanctity, and “did a great deal of good.” No one seemed to notice him, and looking back I saw his broad brown shoulders disappearing among the people, none of whom even turned round to look at him. Gentlemen of his cloth, if one may so speak of an unclothed man, have from time immemorial been allowed great latitude in Marocco. An author, writing in the beginning of last century on the subject, says, “All things are lawful for the saints,” and describes how “there was a naked one at Lally some years ago seized a young wench in the streets, who, not well understanding sanctification, began to be turbulent.” The remainder of the anecdote will be found by any reader curious in the matter in Windhus’s “Journey to Mequinez” (London, 1725).

I rode again through the _Melha_ with Zouche. It seems to consist of a long, filthily dirty street, with lanes, too narrow for a horse, leading off it. We walked up one of these, and looked into one or two of the houses, which seem very clean inside. The Israelites always look glad to see one, and in a country where, with a few exceptions, one meets with only hostile looks and forbidding faces, even such lowly recognition is not without its value. Mr. Náhum, who accompanied us as interpreter, was of course quite at home in the quarter, and took us into a house belonging to a friend of his. The lady of the house was a good-looking woman of about thirty, with a pretty little girl of seven. The latter had a handsome bracelet, which I was told was a mark showing the owner to be a married “woman.” This early union is common among the Moorish Jews, the husband and wife living under her parents’ roof, but separate from the rest of the family, as becomes the dignity of their estate. In this instance the bridegroom was nine years old, but was away at school, so we did not see him. We passed a distillery in the _Melha_, where any one having raisins, &c., which he wants to “dethtyle,” as Tweedledee explained it, pays so much, according to quantity. Both spirits (má hia)[55] and native wine are made by the Jews; but it is considered “harámi” for Mussulmans to drink it. The má hia is not pleasant, and tastes of aniseed; but I can imagine getting to like the wine—it has little or no strength. On our way back we saw the “Hotel de Ville” where the Bashaw administers (?) justice. There was a strong escort of uncommonly wild-looking but well-mounted soldiers in attendance, who refused to allow us even to look into the courtyard. It is here that all rich criminals and well-to-do persons with grievances are brought before the governor, his khalífa being deputed to hear “the short but simple annals of the poor.” Outside the town we met a cavalcade going to visit the camp of the student-sultan. A younger brother of the real Sultan was in it, attended by both Chamberlains and the Grand Vizier; but though we drew up out of the way and bowed as they passed, none of them took the slightest notice of us.

A letter has come for Sir John from the Sultan’s private secretary, saying that His Majesty intends adopting the suggestions contained in my memorandum, and requesting that I would go and inspect his infantry and their arms, &c., so as to draw up a further report for his information. I accordingly rode off to the palace square, where I found the infantry, to the number of about three thousand, formed up in mass of columns. Kaïd Maclean was there, and the Commander-in-Chief, with the Kaïd of the Artillery (both of whom are civilians), presently joining us, I commenced my inspection, accompanied by them. The Colonels of regiments, as we came to each, shouldered arms in English fashion, and followed us round their several commands. It was the most curious parade I ever attended; for, apart from the novelty of the sensation of having a Commander-in-Chief and a General of Artillery trotting in my wake, I had the disagreeable feeling of knowing that the former had expressed himself so strongly about my suggestions to the Sultan as to leave but little hope in the minds of my friends that I should get out of Fez alive. The system by which the head of the army has hitherto been chiefly paid is by his receiving so much a head for each human being he causes to defile before the Sultan one day in each month; it is, therefore, naturally galling to him that a Christian and a stranger, how exalted soever his position, should take the bread out of his mouth by recommending the dismissal of one-third of the people by whose appearance on a certain day he gains his livelihood. He is own brother, too, to the fanatical Vizier, who deprecates and abhors the interference of any foreigner in the working of the interior economy of the State. It seemed to me, at first, a mistake having the whole force out at once for inspection; but on consideration I reflected that if it had been done by regiments or brigades, the same men, arms, and clothing would have been made to do duty a second and even a third time. I think the chief among defects innumerable was the diversity of the patterns of the rifles, which were of every class and make, from the newest Martini-Henry to the oldest flint lock of the date of 1815. On some of the latter, in fact, I looked with interest, wondering if they had played a part at Waterloo! The commonest pattern was an old United States rifle, of which I forget the date, but an objection to which was that the powder ran out of the breech almost as quickly as they poured it into the muzzle. I tried hard to impress upon the Commander-in-Chief the convenience of having all rifles of one pattern, on account of the ammunition, and that breech-loaders were cheaper than muzzle-loaders. He replied that the exclusive use of the breech-loader was impossible, as they could not make cartridges for themselves. I quoted the Turkish army, with their Peabody-Martini and ammunition from America, to which he objected, “But suppose Marocco went to war with America?” I did not reply that in that case Marocco would only need a very limited supply, but suggested their making their own. “Lá bás,”[56] was the answer to this and many similar remarks. The finest regiment of any was that of the “Bokhári,”[57] or bodyguard of the Sultan. The physique of the men was superb, and they were better armed and clothed than their fellows. There were seven companies of them, about two hundred and thirty-two in all, exclusive of supernumeraries. It appears the Commander-in-Chief, on noticing that I was counting the men as I went along, was annoyed beyond measure; and Tweedledee, who was acting aide-de-camp, remarked to me, “Why to count their thilly tholdier? the brute-th that they are; perhapth they kill uth.” On being asked what my motive for counting them was, I replied, “Curiosity,” and at once desisted; but Haynes, who was with me, continued, unseen, to note down the numbers. It appears the Sultan had ordered a parade of the whole force, nominally 6000, but the Commander-in-Chief, being unable to muster at so short a notice more than one-half, was much alarmed lest it should come to His Majesty’s ears.

The rear ranks of many companies, as we got farther down, were filled up with boys of ten and twelve, and on my pointing any out as unfit to bear arms, they were at once packed off, merely to appear again to-morrow. In short, every question had its ready answer, every suggestion its promised adoption. The clothes of nearly each man being different, I recommended regiments, or even companies, being kept uniform. “Oh, these are only put on to-day because it was raining, and there are 30,000 suits ready to be fitted on to-morrow.” “Send for one.” In a little time a jacket and trousers were brought, apparently run up in view of such an emergency. They were of coarse red baize, which looked bright enough when new, but would never wear. “The rifles are hardly any of them fit for use.” “No, but there are 25,000 in the armoury all new.” I had my doubts about the 30,000 suits, but as regarded the rifles I knew it to be false, as the few they have, which have not been issued, were condemned as useless lately by their own authorities.

The last regiments I came to were, like Falstaff’s army, “exceeding beggarly;” old men alongside young boys, both equally unfit for service, diseased, semi-blind, halt, all mixed up together. I was glad when, after about two hours’ work, the job was completed, and there remained nothing but to thank the Commander-in-Chief and his staff for their enforced courtesy, in doing which I took a leaf out of his own book. “Your army, Amín,[58] as regards material, is first-rate, and, if well clothed, equipped, and drilled, would be second to none in Europe,”—provided, I mentally add, you send three-fourths of them to the right about! To some of the kaïds, who were really smart, soldier-like fellows, and were anxious for one’s real opinion, I explained that on an average one hundred serviceable men might be picked out of each regiment, and the whole made into two or even three respectable corps. As this plan would entail the reduction of many colonels and supernumeraries to a lower grade, they did not see the arrangement in the same light. Among the several English innovations I recommended was the free application of pipeclay and blacking, as used in our army, but, from personal experience, I drew the line at red-tape. As the Sultan’s secretary was waiting for my report, I returned here to draw it up and hand it over to the interpreter, assisted by Síd Muhammed Gavass. The shortness of time at my disposal prevented my touching on several points to which I would otherwise have alluded, and it is to be hoped the crudeness of the document will gain polish at the hands of its manipulators in their translation of the original into Arabic.[59] The diseased appearance of so many of the soldiers led me to ask if there was any hospital for them in Fez, but I could not make out that there was, and, in fact, I do not think such an institution exists even for the civil population. Lunatics, too, are allowed to roam about, and are kindly treated by the people, unless they develop very violent symptoms, when they are confined in the common jails, chained to the ground by a ring round their waist. In the fifteenth century things seem to have been better managed, there having been several hospitals then in Fez. Leo Africanus, in describing one of them, tells us there was a ward in it “for franticke and distracted persons, whose Governoure, when he bringeth them any sustenance, hath a whip of purpose to chastise those that offer to bite, strike, or play any mad part.” There was also at that period a “Hospitall for diseased strangers, which have their dyet, but no phisicke allowed them.” The same writer mentions the inns of Fez as badly conducted establishments, which he cannot conscientiously recommend, for “none resort to them but most lewd and wicked people, to the end they may more boldly commit vilanie.” At present there are no inns here in our sense of the word, though resting-houses (fondaks) exist, where travellers, provided with food and all other necessaries, can procure shelter.

For the last three days we have been ready to leave, and actually packed up many of our things ready for a start, but on each evening an order has come from the Sultan, as from Pharaoh of old, delaying us on some pretext or other.