irt L Travel f into the h ev an t. 25 
and weighed above half a hundred weight -, ic was all patched up of feveral 
little pieces of different colours: Every one carr;e and kifs'd his hand with 
great refpedt, the weight of his Turban making him walk very foftly, and 
with a great deal of Gravity. There are many other forts of Santo Sy and in 
a word, enough in to man out feveral Galleys. The Turks who are 
nothing near fo fuperftitious as the Arabs, have no fuch efteem for them ; and 
formerly there was a Bafha who fent as many of thefe lazy Lubbards as he 
could find to the Galleys. They have alfo dead Samos to whofe memory they 
bear a fingular Reverence j fome of them are Interr'd upon the High-ways and 
upon Bridges, and when the Moors find any of thefe Sepulchres, they ask leave 
of the Samo who is within, to go that way, or crofs over that Bridge. But 
I think the chief of the dead Santos whom they reverence in EL^y^r^ is 
Sidi Ahmet el bedoui-^ for being at Caire on the ninth of Jdy^ I Ikvv a 
great many people go to a certain Fair that is kept at a Village called Ment- sidi Ahmetd 
teiamr in the Ifle or Delta of ^jj;'/>f,on the fide of the Channel oïRofnto. That 
Fair is held there, becaufe the laid Sckfi^ is Interr'd in that place, where thev 
pray at his Grave, and from all parts of Rgyft People come to this Fair 
and Devotion . They fay that at that time, this Sidi Ahmet el Bedom^ yearly 
delivers three Slaves out of Malta^ and three Moors fail not to bo there 
and affirm that the night before, they were brought from Malta^ where 
they had been Slaves. One day a Turk of Qiiality, who had been a Slave in 
Malta-t went thither, and finding thefe Rogues to aflert a Lie with fbmuch 
boldnef?, put fo many quellions to them, that he convided them of the Cheat. "'" " 
They relate a great many vertues of this Hellifh Saint, of which it was none* 
of the Icafl:, that he never knew Woman, only lay with his own Ihe-Afs 
They alfo tell ho w this S.into having fome priviledge granted him by a Baflia 
and that another Bafha offering to take it from him, he went on a time to 
the appartment of that Bafha, and being brought in before him told him 
that he had had that priviledge a long time, and prayed him to let him 
enjoy it ; but finding after much entreaty^ that the Bafha was inexorable 
he turned up his cap a little that the point of it might encline to one fide' 
and faid to the Bafha, thou wilt not then fuffer me to enjoy my priviledge? 
and the Bafha aniwered him no ^ then turning his Cap a little more to one 
fide, thou wilt not then, (faid he to the Bafha j let me enjoy my priviledge- 
who replied no ; then turning his Cap a great deal to one fide,the Baflia percei- 
ved that theCaftle leaned all to one fide, and was ready to fall, for the Caftle 
turned fide-ways proportionally as he had turned hisGap,whereupon the Bafha 
in a great fright affured him that he would preferve his Priviledge unto him 
and prayed him to fet the Caftle upright as it was before, which he did' 
by fetting his Cap by little and little to rights again. They have fo much 
Devotion for that Saint, that when the Caravan of Mecha fets out in time 
of that Fair, many leave the Caravan and Pilgrimage of Mecha^ and pay their 
Vifits to that Saint. This devotion lafts a fortnight, and all Perfons Moors 
Chriftians and Jews, are fuffered to go to that Fair. When they have vi fi- 
led that Saint, they go to another not far diltant, then to another, and fo 
to four or five j in fhort, they fpend a Month in thefe Devotions. 
Kk 2 
CHAP. 
