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SECTION XI.

journey from beit el fakih to mokha.

Chap. I.

Route to Mokha.

Assoon as Mr Von Haven and I were sufficiently recovered to bear the fatigues of travelling, it was resolved, that our whole party should leave Beit el Fakih. We set out, therefore, on the 10th of April, and took the road to Zebid, where I had already been.

In Tehama, it has been observed, people generally travel by night, rather than in the day. But if we had regulated our journies in this manner, Mr Forskal could not have continued to examine and collect plants, nor could I have surveyed the face of the country. He and I

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therefore, resolved to proceed forward by day, taking the owner of our asses to attend us, and to leave the rest of our party, with the servants and the baggage, to come up by night.

In consequence of this arrangement, we set out alone next morning, and passed through the plains contiguous to the river Zebid, and by the canals which are supplied from it. This beautiful tract of country is about two miles in breadth. The peasants were busy cultivating the fields, and raising earthen dykes about them, to retain the water for a certain time, after which it would be conveyed into other fields, to water and fertilize them in like manner. From these fields, to Mokha, hardly any villages are to be seen. The whole intervening country is dry, sandy, and covered with that coarse species of grass with which the houses are thatched here. On these sandy plains, the heat is excessive: We were overjoyed whenever we could shelter ourselves for a little, in any paltry coffee-hut.

On the second and third days of our journey, we saw nothing but coffee-huts, till we, at last, arrived in the large village of Mauschid. We were there alarmed with an account of a skirmishing war between two families, in which a man had been killed on the day preceding. But they assured us, that such private quarrels never interrupt the public tranquillity. When an Arab

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happens to be killed, his family may compromise with the murderer for a sum of money, or may demand of the magistrate to put him to death, or, if unwilling to receive satisfaction in either of this ways, may declare a resolution of taking vengeance themselves upon the person of the assassins, or upon his relations. A peasant of Mauschid had been slain some years before, by a man belonging to another village; and the family of the deceased had determined to inflict personal vengeance. Unfortunately, the man who had been newly slain in the contest was of the same family with him whose death had given rise to it, so that there were now two deaths to revenge in a set combat. Next day we met in a coffee-hut, a man belonging to the victorious party, who was armed with a large club, and told us, that he was eager to fight, as it was an affair of honour. The only thing that he regretted, was, that his family was to suffer for the death of two persons in whose life they had no sort of interest (FF).

In that same village, a Sub-Dola resides, with a few soldiers from the troops of the Dola of Hœs. Here, as at Zebid, a tax was demanded for each of our camels, from, which I presume, that these duties are to be paid upon entering the territorie under the jurisdiction of each separate Dola. By our agreement with the camel-driver,

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he was obliged to discharge all demands of this nature. But he contrived to shift this payment, by entering into a secret understanding with the officers who were to receive it. They told us, that we must either pay it ourselves, or suffer them to open and inspect our baggage. However, on our threatening to complain to the judge of the place, they desisted from their insolent pretensions. Thus the establishment of customs, and custom-house officers, is every where a source of endless villanies and vexations.

We passed through two other villages, and several more coffee-huts. We saw, near the road, a salt-work, from which salt is carried to the mountains, upon camels. The whole of this way is over sands.

Chap. II.

Arrival at Mokha.

After a disagreeable enough journey from Beit el Fakih, we entered this city, on the 23d of April. All who travel by land to Mokha, are obliged to enter by the same gate; and Europeans are under the humiliating necessity of alighting from their asses, and proceeding to their lodgings on

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on foot. We therefore alighted, while our baggage was inspected. Those who examined that, asked neither our names nor our passports, but directed us to a Kan, where Turks lodge, and where, as they supposed, we might possibly find some of our countrymen.

At the time of our arrival, there was an English merchant from Bombay, in the city. We were unwilling to address ourselves to him, lest he might think us vagrants of suspicious character. Besides, we had letters of recommendation from our friends at Jidda, Loheia, and Beit el Fakih, to the Dola, to the English interpreter, a Banian in great credit, and to a merchant of the city, whose name was Seid Salek. Having observed, that the Mussulmans treated those Pagans from India, commonly in a very contemptuous manner, we were in no haste to begin an acquaintance with the Banian, whom we found afterwards to be a very worthy man. We were already acquainted with Seid Salek’s son Ismael, who had been our companion in the passage from Jidda to Loheia, and had made advances to obtain our friendship. This Ismael, besides, had early prepossessed us in his favour, by speaking Dutch tolerably well. We unluckily, therefore, addressed ourselves to him in preference to every other person.

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These two, the father and son, were accustomed to attach themselves to strangers with dishonest views; and the son had studied some of the languages of Europe, in order that he might be the better able to accomplish his knavish purposes. They had enticed a Dutch vessel from Batavia to Mokha, the master of which falling, without resource, into their hands, was cruelly duped and plundered. By their intrigues, they had kept every other merchant at a distance so that, with respect to the sale of the cargo, he was absolutely at their mercy. They had hoped to make their gain of us, in the same manner; and, when they saw their hopes of this frustrated, laboured, out of spite, to do us every ill office in their power.

We paid our first visit to Ismael. He received us seemingly with great kindness, treated us with punch, and invited a renegado from India, who was settled, as a merchant, at Mokha, to keep us company. This renegado was a deep drinker, and endeavoured, but without success, to make us drunk. Ismael advised us to resume our European dress, and not to discover our knowledge of Arabic, lest we should be taken for renegadoes. He endeavoured to dissuade us from our intended journey to Sana; telling us, that those highlanders were a savage, inhospitable race, and the Imam treated all strangers

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who had the misfortune not to be Musulmans, in the most abusive manner. He was also careful to prepossess us against the people of Mokha, who, by his account, entertained inveterate hatred against Europeans; but encouraged us, by offering the powerful protection of his father, to ward off every danger or mortification, that we might have to fear. In short, his whole conversation was of such a nature, that I could not help perceiving from it, that travellers must be grossly imposed upon, whenever they trust credulously to the relations they receive from the inhabitants of the country through which they travel. Had we not known Arabic, we might have returned into Europe with very false impressions of every thing in Arabia.

The only piece of service that this man did us, was, in immediately hiring for us a house that was large enough to lodge us all.

Chap. III.

Disagreeable incidents at Mokha.

From what happened to us first, after our arrival in this city, we found reason to suspect that Ismael had secretly instigated the under-officers of the customs to harrass and oppress us,

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in order that we might thus be forced to throw ourselves into a blind and implicit dependence upon him. Our baggage was carried straight to the custom-house, where was the Dola in person. We begged, that those articles, which we needed for immediate use, might first be inspected: but the officers would begin with examining our chests of natural curiosities, which we had sent by sea from Loheya, and which had been kept here unopened, ever since the arrival of the vessel by which they had been brought, In one of the chests were fishes from the Arabic gulph, preserved in spirit of wine, and inclosed in a small barrel. We begged the officers of the customs not to open the barrel; for that the fishes smelled disagreeably. They, however, not only opened it, but searched it with a pointed instrument of iron, and at length emptied it entirely of the contents. The Arabs, who have a violent aversion to strong liquors, were much prepossessed against us, when they felt the smell of the spirituous liquor; and were no less displeased to find the fætor of the dead fishes spread through the whole custom-house.

We insisted that they should, at least, let us have our beds. But, without listening to our request, they continued to toss over and examine our chests, which contained specimens of shells, at the risk of breaking them. The Arabs could

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not comprehend, how a man of sense could collect such trifles, without some interested views: and they accordingly accused us of intending to abuse the Dola, by producing only articles of trifling value, to amuse his people, while we concealed our more precious effects.

At last, appeared a vessel in which Mr Forskal had preserved some serpents in spirit of wine. At sight of this, the Arabs were terrified. A person, who was servant to the Dola, observed, that those Franks had come hither to poison the Musulmans, and that it was in order to their success in this, that one of them pretended to be a physician. The Dola, who was a mild old man, and till now did not seem to have conceived any prejudice against us, became suddenly in a passion when this idea was suggested, and swore, by God, that we should not remain a single night in the city. The reader will readily conceive, how the insolence of the people of the custom-house, and of the attending mob, would naturally rise upon this. The custom-house was abruptly shut, and we could obtain none of our goods from it.

While we were in the custom-house, a servant came to tell us, that our books and other things had been all thrown out of the windows of the house which we had hired, and the door

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shut against us. We went to see what might be the reason of that outrage, but could find neither Ismael nor his father. One of the citizens, who was a friend of Ismael’s, attacked us with abusive language. No person would afford us lodgings; but every one looked upon us as vagrants who would instantly be driven out of the city in disgrace. At length, one of the citizens expressed himself willing to receive us into his house, if he were sure, that government would not punish him for it. We led him to the Cadi, who assured him, that he should risk nothing by lodging us. In Turkey, the Cadies are reputed very corrupt and selfish: but in Yemen, we found them persons of great worth and integrity, earnest to do prompt and candid justice. The English merchant whom I mentioned above was Mr Francis Scott. He had heard of our difficulties and perplexity; and, although we had not yet visited him, gave us an invitation to dinner, which we accepted with the greatest pleasure. He expressed a warm desire to serve us; and we now perceived, how foolishly we had acted in not applying, at first to him and his Banian interpreter. However, we durst not break off abruptly, with Ismael and his father.

When we could not obtain any of our things from the custom-house, Ismael advised us to offer

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the Dola a present of fifty ducats; and hinted that he should be the bearer of the present, for that the Dola would not condescend to speak with Christians. We had no intention of making so large a present, still less of intrusting him with it. But, after various reflections, we at last resolved to sacrifice those fifty ducats upon the occasion; and it was agreed, that I should wait upon the Dola with this present, next day. On my way, however, I learned, that the Dola having been exercising his troops, had received a wound in the foot. Upon receiving this information, I returned home; hoping that our physician would be sent for, and that we might thus avoid the expence of the present.

But, as Mr Cramer was not called by the Dola, and out effects still remained at the custom-house, we understood, that a considerable present was expected from us. Mr Forskal had hitherto been always refused admission by the servants of the Dola, upon pretence, that their master would not treat with us otherwise, than through the medium of Ismael and his father; yet, he now undertook to make a hew attempt to obtain an audience. When he had explained the purpose of his visit, he was admitted, and so graciously received, that the Dola kindly chid him for not applying directly to himself at the first. Next day, he, in his turn, sent us a present

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of four lambs, and two small bags of rice; and at the same time gave orders, that our effects should be delivered to us, without being more particularly examined.

Chap. IV.

Our stay at Mokha continued; and the death of Mr Von Haven.

The Dola, when he received his wound, had been advised by the principal persons about him, to send for the European physician. But he was afraid, that Mr Cramer might, in revenge for the ill treatment which we had suffered, administer to him improper medicines, or might apply heating drugs, which the Arabs think very dangerous. But the Cadi represented to him, that no person had yet complained of us; and that it was nowise strange, that a physician should have dead serpents in his possession, these being used as ingredients in some medical compositions. The Europeans, he farther told him, ought not to be despised or slighted for collecting shells or insects of which the Arabs knew not the use.

These representations, and the alarming state of the wound, which was becoming worse, in

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the hands of four or five empirics, induced the Dola to send, on the 4th of May, to enquire whether we were still angry with him, or is our physician would undertake to cure him. We were all overjoyed to hear that the prejudices which the governor had conceived against us were so perfectly removed; and Mr Cramer gladly offered his services. No sooner had our answer been carried to the Dola, than he sent one of his servants with a mule for Mr Cramer. Europeans, when they pass before the Dola’s palace, are usually obliged to alight and walk, if they happen to be mounted: but, to evince to the people the entire reconciliation that had taken place between the Dola and us, Mr Cramer was permitted to pass through this forbidden ground, and even to enter the court of the palace without dismounting.

We had, after this, frequent opportunities of seeing the Dola, and testifying our friendship to him. Mr Forskal one day related to him, how we had been insulted and turned out by the owner of our first lodging. The Dola promised him satisfaction, and made the person of whom he complained, be cast, that very night, into prison. Ismael, enraged to see his friend punished for an act of insolence which he himself had prompted, threatened us with a mob, by which we might be torn in pieces. Mr Forskal, although

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regardless of his threats, waited on the Dola, and entreated him to liberate the prisoner, and only recommend to him, to be more civil to strangers in future.

This change in our situation, rendered Mokha much less unpleasant to us than it had been at first. But disease began now to fall severely upon us; I had been attacked, soon after our arrival here, with a violent dysentery, from which, however, I recovered, after fifteen days illness. Mr Von Haven, who had been ill at Beit el Fakih, became much worse here. After walking out in the cool of the evening, he was tolerably well through the night; but the heats of the day he was quite unable to bear. At last, he ventured to ly for several nights successively, upon the roof of the house, in the open air, and with his face uncovered. On the night of the 24th of May, he caught cold, and was so ill in the morning, that it was necessary for two servants to carry him down into his apartment. His fever was become doubly violent, and he was delirious by the evening. He then sunk into a deep lethargy, and expired in the night.

He had paid more attention than any other of us, to oriental literature. The public have lost, by his death, some very interesting discoveries,

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and some curious collections of this sort, which he had made.

The custom of interring the dead in a coffin, is unknown in Arabia. We had one made, however, for our deceased friend, in order to preserve his remains from any accident. The Captain of an English ship lent us six of his sailors to bear the body to the European burying place. All the English in Mokha attended at the funeral; and the obsequies were performed with more decency, and with less interruption, than those of a Consul at Cairo, which were disturbed by the crowding of the people to witness the solemnity, and by the robbery of the audacious Bedouins. On this occasion, the Arabs of Yemen shewed themselves reasonable and humane.

Chap. V.

We leave Mokha.

After the death of Mr Von Haven, we began to think seriously of leaving Mokha, and making a tour into the interior parts of Yemen. We were divided in opinion, with regard to the plan upon

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upon which we ought to regulate our subsequent proceedings; some being disposed to remain another year in Arabia, while the rest were desirous of returning immediately to Europe. But we all agreed to set out without farther delay, upon our journey to Sana.

Mr Forskal and I had made several excursions in a very simple guise, and almost without attendants. But as our whole party were now to travel all together, we could not well go without a certain train to accompany us. We could not, however, travel in this style without permission from the Dola, which would not be easily obtained; as it could not be thought, that he would willingly suffer his physician to leave him before his wound were healed. We, nevertheless, ventured to make the request: but the Dola refused us upon a fair pretext. He told us, that he must first write to Sana, to know whether the Imam would receive us, and that we could not leave Mokha till the Imam had returned an answer.

When thus refused permission to proceed to Sana, we begged that we might, at least, be allowed to remove to Taœs, in the mean time, for the sake of our health. Even this was refused us. We then proposed to the Dola, to leave our physician behind. But the Arabs feared, that the pain of separation from his friends, might secretly

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distress Mr Cramer, so as to render him more negligent of his patient’s cure.

When we complained of these restraints to the principal men of the city, they observed, that it was hard to conceive what rendered us so impatient to depart; for that by going to the Highlands, we should only endanger our health more, as those who went thither from the burning sands of Tehama, were commonly attacked with a violent fever, immediately upon their arrival.

At length, when we were much at a loss how to proceed, a surgical empiric luckily came in, to free us from our perplexity. He promised to cure the Dola’s wound within eight days; and our physician was immediately dismissed. We, at the same time, obtained permission to set out for Taœs, and were favoured with a setter of recommendation to the Dola of that city. Mr Cramer received for his fee, a mule with a saddle and bridle, and India stuff for a suit of clothes in the Arab fashion. As an additional proof of his friendship, the Dola sent one of his servants to attend us. We should have been well pleased to excuse this instance of his attention; for his servant was only a spy, under a more honourable name, to watch over our conduct, and hinder us from going farther than Taœs.

Not wishing to run any risk of losing our ready money, we put it all into the hands of the

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English interpreter, who gave us bills upon his countrymen, the Banians at Taœs and Sana. This was the first time we could get bills of exchange in the East.