Muley Abd Errahman Even
Traffics In His Beauties, And Will Now And Then Make A Present Of One To
A Governor, In Consideration Of Receiving An Adequate Return Of Money,
Or Presents.
Sometimes, the Moors pay their Shereefian Sultan a similar
compliment, by presenting him with slaves from their harem.
[38]
Madame Bousac is, of course, a perfect lady according to Moorish ideas,
but her fascinations on the mind of the Emperor, arise more from her wit
and ability than her feminine grace and delicacy. She is anything but a
beauty, according to our ideas, being of a dark complexion, of middle
height, of large and powerful muscular proportions, very upright, as if
bending backwards, and with a hoarse and masculine voice. Like most
women in this part of the world, she is married to a man old enough to
be her father, or even grandfather, being even more than double her age.
She herself may be about thirty, at which age the beauty of Barbary
women is gone for ever. Such is the court-dame who has courage enough to
speak to the Emperor of Morocco in public. She conversed with us about
her affairs, telling us the Emperor had not yet advanced to her husband
the loan of 10,000 dollars as promised, nor did she expect it, for she
knew his avarice. "Rather would he sell one of his Sultanas." But he had
sent her a present of four haiks, which she shewed us; they were
extremely fine and white.
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