This Is Called Mesafeha, And Is Said To Have Been A Habit Of Mohammed.] They Say To A Stranger, "O Faithful," Or "Brother;" And The Saying Of The Prophet, "That All Faithful Are Brethren," Is Constantly Upon Their Lips.

"Welcome, a thousand times welcome," says a shopkeeper to his foreign customer; "you are the stranger of God, the

Guest of the holy city; my whole property is at your disposal." When the service of any one is wanted, the applicant says, "Our whole subsistence, after God, is owing to you pilgrims; can we do less than be grateful?" If in the mosque a foreigner is exposed to the sun, the Mekkawy will make room for him in a shady place; if he passes a coffee-shop, he will hear voices calling him to enter and take a cup of coffee; if a Mekkawy takes a jar to drink from any public water-seller, he will offer it, before he sets it to his mouth, to any passenger; and upon the slightest acquaintance, he will say to his new friend, "When will you honour me at home, and take your supper with me?" When they quarrel among themselves, none of those scurrilous names or vile language is heard, so frequently used in Egypt and Syria; blows are only given on very extraordinary occasions, and the arrival of a respectable person puts an immediate stop to any dispute, on his recommending peace: "God has made us great sinners," they will then say, "but he has bestowed upon us, likewise, the virtue of easy repentance."

To these amiable qualities the Mekkawys add another, for which they must also be commended:

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Words from 76432 to 76708 of 182297