Friday Being Their Sabbath, The Day Is Kept Perfectly Holy; All The
Moors Are Employed In Prayer, Reading The Koran, Or Visiting The Tombs
Of Their Departed Friends.
Curiosity prompted me to go and see an assemblage of fanatics, at a
celebrated saint's house, in the neighbourhood of this town.
They
were to perform many wonderful things, such as tearing a live sheep in
pieces, and devouring the flesh, fighting with wild beasts, and
several other barbarous exhibitions. These people, called in Barbary
_Free Masons_, are nothing more than a set of canting, roaring
companions, surcharged with wine and other liquors, and assembled in
this holy place, for the sole purpose of giving free vent to their
brutal passions. This society is peculiar to itself, having no
connexion with our ancient or modern Free Masons. I have however
obtained a free access to their saints' houses and secret meetings,
with permission to go any where unmolested; but I always take the
precaution to go well armed, and escorted by the Emperor's guards, as
nothing can exceed the barbarous acts of this fanatic set of people.
I am extremely happy to say, that my most sanguine expectations with
regard to the poor man, whose accident I mentioned in my last, are
realized; every unfavourable symptom has vanished, and I can safely
rely on his perfect recovery. The complaint of my female patient has
also given way to a proper course of medicine, and the Governor is one
of the happiest of men. When I announced the pleasing intelligence of
her disease being removed, he embraced me with such ecstacy that I
almost dreaded suffocation; in short, he has spared nothing that can
evince his gratitude and satisfaction, for what he terms the
inestimable benefit I have conferred upon him.
The country round this city is inexpressibly rich and beautiful, being
laid put for several miles in gardens, abounding in flowers and
fruit-trees; among the latter the vine sands pre-eminent, yielding
most delicious grapes. The air here, as in the other parts of
Barbary, is very pure and salubrious.
LETTER XVII.
_Depart for Morocco - Roads dreadfully infested, by Robbers - A Tribe of
aboriginal Freebooters - Description of Morocco - Filth of the common
People - Tobacco disallowed - Justice of the Emperor_.
Mequinez
Since I wrote last, I have taken a trip to Morocco and back again. As
I had a great deal of leisure time, and every thing here having lost
the attraction of novelty, I determined to go further up the interior
of the country; and accordingly applied to the Emperor for permission
to visit Morocco, which he granted, but with the injunction that I
should return as quickly as possible.
I set off, accompanied by my usual guard, which I assure you I never
found so necessary as on this journey; for the rapacious spirit of the
peasantry exposed us continually to the danger of being plundered, we
were therefore obliged to keep watch alternately, to prevent our
property, perhaps our lives, becoming a prey to these wretches.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 53 of 76
Words from 27136 to 27642
of 39195
