64 
well; his accent is pure;" and addressing himself to 
me, he cried, " Come near to me." I approached a 
little. He repeated, " Come near to me." I then went 
close to him. He said, " Sit down," I hasted to 
comply; and immediately he made the person upon 
his left sit down. " You have without doubt," said the 
Scherif, u some news from the Christian lands. Tell 
me the last you have heard." I related to him briefly 
the actual state of Europe. He asked me if I Could 
read and write French. " A little, sire," I replied. "A 
little, or well?" " A little, and incorrectly, sire." 
" Which are the languages that you speak and write 
the best?" " Italian and Spanish." We continued this 
conversation during an hour. At length, after having 
made him my present, and delivered the firman of the 
Captain Pacha, I retired, accompanied by my friend, 
the chief of Zemzem, who conducted me to my house. 
Before I proceed, I must give a description of this 
interesting person, the Chief of the Well. 
He is a young man, about twenty-two or twenty- 
four years of age, extremely handsome, with very fine 
eyes. He dresses remarkably well, and is very polished. 
He has an air of sweetness, which is seducing, and 
appears to be endowed with all the qualities which 
render a person amiable. As he possesses the entire 
confidence of the Scherif, he fills the most important 
place. His title is, The Poisoner. Take courage, 
reader, lest I should make you tremble for me. This 
dangerous man was known to me the first time I went 
to the well of Zemzem, when he made his court assi- 
duously to me. He gave me a magnificent dinner, and 
sent me every day two small pitchers of the water of 
the miraculous well. He even watched the moments 
when I went to the temple, and ran with the most 
