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.
[Illustration: THE SULTAN’S “SUBSTITUTES.”]
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.