94 MOCHA. 
could prevent his being ultimately starved into a surrender. The 
force of the Turks was estimated at about 1000; these are superior 
to any Arabs, and would be quite sufficient to defend him from the 
Wahabees. The Seid mentioned that he was going to Bombay, and 
hoped I would there assist him in obtaining some favour he wished 
from Government. I told him I had no such power; but as I should 
be at Mr. Duncan's, I would willingly obtain him an opportunity of 
making his own application. 
The conversation became more free than I expected from an 
Arab. He laughed about the women, and asked me if I wished to 
become acquainted with all the secrets of the harem. I said, cer- 
tainly. He then said he would give me a book which would answer 
that purpose. From what he afterwards said, it must much resemble 
a work of Peter Aretine, well known in Europe. He however forgot 
his promise : other things intervened, and 1 never got the book, 
The next morning, he sent me a history, and a collection of fables. 
He had a library of some hundred volumes, chiefly polemical, and 
among others, a most beautiful Koran in Persian and Arabic char- 
acters, written on vellum. The pages that faced each other had the 
same sentences in each language ; the whole was richly ornamented. 
He valued it at two hundred and fifty dollars. The rooms below, 
that I saw, were of a good size, and were filled with many nick-knacks 
which he had picked up in his different voyages. On my taking leave, 
we had rose water thrown on our handkerchiefs. He conducted me 
back to the door. There cannot be a Wronger instance of the timid- 
ity of this Government, than its permitting such a man to live in 
the town ; he is in avowed correspondence with the Sherilfe of Abou 
Arish, and, through him, with the Wahabee Chief Jund. Possibly^ 
