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humoured, and was, I understood, a great lover of brandy. Captain 
Court staid with us till bed tijne, and then went on board. Michaers 
house was a wretched residence : the walls were broken in many 
parts ; and as the numerous windows had only wooden fretwork 
in them, we found it very cold at night. My couch and curtains 
sheltered me, but the other gentlemen suffered severely. Schech 
Chedid was on ill terms with the Tor Arabs, and till their dis- 
putes were settled, it would by no means have been wise to 
attempt to leave the town. All was, for the present, adjusted on 
the 1 1th, and were to depart on the morrow, with a kafila chiefly 
of coffee, worth at least one hundred thousand pounds. It was 
owing to this dispute that the Schech brought so many of his 
people. One of his men shot a pilgrim through the head. The 
Schech immediately arrested him, and declared if the man died 
he should be punished ; but as they sailed in the dow yesterday, 
the fellow is to-day at liberty. Schech Chedid dined with us every 
day, and drank abundance of brandy, but not satisfied with that, 
after our dinner, generally retired to Mr. Thomaso's room, and 
added to it a few glasses of gin. I one day sent a dram to the 
door for his chief follower : he saw it, and said, laughing, " Aye, 
I know he drinks, but he must not do it before me." This was 
a mark of respect due from an inferior to a superior, not to violate 
the law in his presence. Chedid would not scruple to drink in 
the presence of his servants, nor the followers in the presence of 
their inferiors. 
Chedid is very pleasant and gay in his conversation ; talks of 
their being all robbers, and says these are good times for him — 
that he stays close to Cairo, and seizes many things—if they are 
VOL. III. Y Y 
