2 7 8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



at Mecca, thirty hours journey off, where no Chriflian dares 

 go, whilil the whole Continent is open to the Turk for 

 cfcape, offers to purchafe the cargoes of four out of nine of 

 theie fliips himfelf ; another, of the fame caft, comes and 

 fays, he will buy none, unlefs he has them all. The fam- 

 ples are fhewn, and the cargoes of the whole nine (hips are 

 carried into the wildeft part of Arabia, by men with whom 

 one would not wifli to truft himfelf alone in the field. This 

 is not all, two India brokers come into the room to fettle the 

 price. One on the part of the India captain, the other on 

 that of the buyer the Turk. They are neither Mahometans 

 nor Chriftians, but have credit with both. They fit down on 

 the carpet, and take an India Ihawl, which they carry on 

 their moulder, like a napkin, and fpread it over their hands. 

 They talk, in the mean time, indifferent converfation, of the 

 arrival of fhips from India, or of the news of the day, as if 

 they were employed in no ferious bufinefs whatever. After 

 about twenty minutes fpent in handling each others fingers 

 below the fliawl, the bargain is concluded, fay for nine fhips, 

 without one word ever having been fpoken on the fubjecl, 

 or pen or ink ufed in any fhape whatever. There never was 

 one inftance of a difpute happening in thefefaks. 



But this is not yet all, the money is to be paid. A pri- 

 vate Moor, who has nothing to fupport him but his cha- 

 racter, becomes refponfible for the payment of thefe car- 

 goes ; his name was Ibrahim Saraf when I was there, u e. 

 Ibrahim the Broker. This man delivers a number of coarfe 

 hempen bags, full of what is fuppofed to be money. He 

 marks the contents upon the bag, and puts his feal upon 

 the firing that ties the mouth of it. This is received for 

 what is marked upon it, without any one ever having open- 

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