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address, he offered me a paper flower, denoting, as he said, “a florid interpretation of blunt speech." As often as we endeavoured to introduce the business of our visit, he affected to be absorbed in these trifling conceits, or turned the conversation by allegorical sayings, to whose moral we could find no possible clue. His whole discourse was in parables, proverbs, truisms, and Oriental apologues. One of his tales lasted nearly an hour, about a man who wished to enjoy the peaceful cultivation of a small garden, without consulting the lord of the manor, whenever he removed a tulip; alluding, perhaps, to his situation with reference to the grand signior. There was evidently much cunning and deep policy in his pretended frivolity. Apparently occupied in regulating the shape of a watch-paper with his scissors, he was all the while deeply attentive to our words, and even to our looks, anxious to discover whether there was any urgency in the nature of our visit; and certainly betraying as much ostentation in the seeming privations to which he exposed himself, as he might have done by the most stately magnificence. He was desirous of directing the attention of his visitors to the homeliness of his mode of living: "If I find," said he, "only bread and water in another world, I shall have no cause of complaint, because I have been accustomed to such fare all my days; but those who have fared sumptuously in this life, will, I suspect, be much disappointed in the next." We spoke of the camp of his cavalry, then stationed near the town; and of the great preparations he seemed to be making against the Druses, and other rebel Arabs, with whom he was at war. "It is not," said he, "the part of a wise man to despise his enemy, whatsoever shape he may assume. If he be but a pismire, there is no reason why he should be permitted to creep upon your cheek while you are sleeping." We found we had touched a tender string; he believed these dissentions. had been excited in his dominions by sir Sidney Smith, to divert him from the possibility of assisting the French, by attacking the vizier's army in its march through Syria; and was much incensed while he complained to us of this breach of confidence. "I ate," said he, "bread and salt with that

He regarded it however

man; we were together as sworn friends. He did what he pleased here. I lent him my staff; he released all my prisoners, many of whom were in my debt, and never paid me a parâ. What engagements with him have I violated? What promises have I not fulfilled? What requests have I denied? I wished to combat the French by his side; but he has taken care that I shall be confined at home, to fight against my own people. Have I merited such treatment ?" When he was a little pacified, we ventured to assure him that he had listened to his own and to sir Sidney's enemies; that there did not exist a man more sincerely allied to him; and that the last commission we received, previously to our leaving the fleet, were sir Sidney's memorials of his regard for Djezzar pacha. In proof of this, I presumed to lay before him the present sir Sidney had entrusted to my care. It was a small but very elegant telescope, with silver slides. with disdain, saying, it had too splendid an exterior for him; and taking down an old ship glass, that hung above his head, covered with greasy leather, added, "Humbler instruments serve my purposes; besides, you may tell sir Sidney that Djezzar, old as he is, seldom requires the aid of a glass to view what passes around him." Finding it impossible to pacify him upon this subject, we turned the conversation, by stating the cause of our visit to Acre, and requested a supply of cattle for the use of the British fleet. He agreed to furnish an hundred bullocks, but upon the sole condition of not being offered payment for them in money. He said it would require some time to collect cattle for that purpose: we therefore persuaded captain Culverhouse to employ the interval in making, with us, a complete tour of the Holy Land. Djezzar, having heard of our intention, promised to supply us with horses from his own stables, and an escort, formed of his body guard, for the undertaking; ordering also his dragoman, signior Bertocino, to accompany us during the expedition, and to render us every assistance in his power.

'A very extraordinary accident happened the third day after our arrival, which had like to have put an end to all our pursuits in this and every other part of the world. We had

been in the morning to visit Djezzar, and had passed the day in viewing the bezesten (a covered place for shops, very inferior to that of Constantinople or of Moscow,) the custom-house, and some other objects of curiosity in the place. Signior Bertocino, interpreter to the pacha, and the imperial consul, Mr. Catafago, came to dine with us on board the Romulus. In the evening we accompanied them on shore, and took some coffee in the house of the consul, where we were introduced to the ladies of his family. We were amused by seeing his wife, a very beautiful woman, sitting cross-legged by us upon the divan of his apartment, and smoking tobacco with a pipe six feet in length. Her eye-lashes, as well as those of all the other women, were tinged with a black powder made of the sulpheret of antimony, and having by no means a cleanly appearance, although considered as essential an addition to the decorations of a woman of rank in Syria, as her ear-rings, or the golden cinctures of her ankles. Dark streaks were also penciled, from the corners of her eyes, along the temples. This curious practice instantly brought to our recollection certain passages of Scripture, wherein mention is made of a custom among Oriental women of "putting the eyes in painting;" and which our English translators of the Bible, unable to reconcile with their notions of a female toilet, have rendered "painting the face." Whether the interesting conversation to which the observance of this custom gave rise, or any other cause, prevented the consul from informing us of an order of the pacha, is now of no moment, but it was after the hour of eight when we left his hospitable mansion to return on board the Romulus; and Djezzar had decreed that no boat should pass the bar of the inner harbour after that hour. The crew of the long-boat were pulling stoutly for the ship, when, just as we were rowing beneath the tower of the battery that guards the inner harbour, a volley of large stones came like cannonshot upon us from above, dashed the oars from the hands of our sailors, and wounded three of them severely. It is very fortunate none of their brains were beat out, for some of the stones weighed several pounds. The cries of our wounded men gave us the first alarm, and presently another volley drove

us back with all possible speed towards the shore. Not one of us who sat in the stern of the boat received any injury. Captain Culverhouse, and Mr. Loudon, purser of the Romulus, ran for the consul: the rest of us rushed into the groundfloor of the watch-tower whence the attack proceeded: it was a kind of guard-room. Being the foremost of the party, I observed a man in the very act of descending from the tower into this place, evidently in some agitation. Having seized him by the collar, a struggle ensued: the other Arabs attempted to rescue him, and a general confusion prevailed, in the midst of which the consul and captain Culverhouse entered the place. It was some time before any order could be restored; our party were determined not to give up the culprit we had secured; but the consul knowing him, and undertaking to be responsible for his appearance when called for, we retired, and went on board the Romulus.

'Next morning, word was brought to the ship, that unless the captain went on shore, the man would be put to death. We accompanied him to the consul's house, and met the pacha's interpreter; but found that the whole was a fabrication; no notice had been taken of the event, and Djezzar was yet ignorant of the circumstance. Upon this, captam Culverhouse returned to his ship; and sent me to inform the pacha, that he should be compelled to have recourse to other measures, if the insult offered to his majesty's flag was not properly noticed; and that he would go no more on shore until this was done. Determined, therefore, that Djezzar should have due information of the outrage, I took with me the stones which were found in the long-boat, tied in a sack; one of the wounded sailors, and a midshipman, being ordered to accompany me. Signior Bertocino met us upon the shore, assuring me that it was the hour when Djezzar always slept; that it would be certain death to any one of his slaves who should wake him : and having earnestly entreated me not to venture to the palace, he declined acting as interpreter. I resolved therefore to make myself understood without his aid; and ascended the staircase of the seraglio, towards the door of the apartment wherein Djezzar had always received us. This I found shut The

guards, mute, or whispering, began their signs to us, as we advanced, not to make any noise. The young midshipman, however, as well as myself, began to knock at the door, and immediately every one of the guards fled. It was some time before any notice was taken of our summons; but at length the door was opened by a slave, appointed, as we were afterwards informed, to keep flies from the pacha's face during his sleep, and who always remained with him, in the outer apartment of his charem, for this purpose, during the repose he took in the day. This man, after putting his finger to his lips, pushed us from the passage, saying, "Heida! heida, djour! hist! hist!" that is to say, "Begone, begone, infidel! hush! hush!" We called loudly for Djezzar; and presently heard the murmuring of the old pacha's voice in the inner apartment, somewhat milder than the growling of a bear roused from his repose, calling for his slave. As soon as he had been told the cause of the disturbance, he ordered us to be admitted. I presented myself foremost, with my sack of stones; and understanding enough of Arabic to comprehend him when he asked what was the matter, untied the cloth, and rolled them before him upon the floor; shewing him, at the same time, our seamen's broken shins and wounded shoulder. Bertocino was now loudly called for by the pacha, and, of course, compelled to make his appearance; Djezzar making signs to me and to the young officer to remain seated by him until his interpreter arrived. As soon as Bertocino had placed himself, as usual, upon his knees, by the pacha's side, and informed him of the cause of our visit, an order was given to one of the attendants, to bring the captain of the guard instantly into Djezzar's presence. This man came: it appeared that his absence from his post the preceding evening had given occasion to the attack made upon the long-boat; some of the fanatic Arabs thinking it a fine opportunity to strike a blow at a party of infidels. Nothing could exceed the expression of fury visible in Djezzar's countenance at this intelligence. It might have been said of him as of Nebuchadnezzar, "The form of his visage was changed." Drawing his dagger, he beckoned the officer,---as Bertocino trembling said to us,

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