54 
In the evening being at home, and in company with 
some of my friends, a servant arrived from the sultan 
and brought me a present from him. In delivering it 
to me he fell on his knees, and laid before me something 
covered with a cloth wrought with gold and silver. The 
curiosity of seeing the emperor of Morocco's present 
made me uncover it eagerly, and I found two black 
loaves. As I was by no means prepared for such a 
present, I could not, at the moment, make any conjec- 
ture of its meaning, and was for a time so much stag- 
gered, that I knew not what to answer; but those who 
were about me began eagerly to wish me joy; saying, 
" How happy you are: what good fortune! You are now 
the brother of the sultan; the sultan is your brother." 
I then began to recollect that among the Arabians the 
most sacred sign of fraternity consists in presenting each 
other with a piece of bread; and both eating of it; and 
therefore these two loaves sent me by the Sultan were 
his token of fraternity with me. They were black, be- 
cause the bread made for the sultan is baked in porta- 
ble ovens of iron, which gives this black colour to their 
outside, but they are very white and very good within. 
Next day having received the visits of some cousins 
and other relations of the sultan, 1 went with the kadi to 
make my visit to the eldest brother of the emperor, 
Ma Icy Abdsulem^ who had the misfortune to be blind. 
Our conversation, which lasted nearly an hour, turned 
chiefly on philanthropical subjects. 
Tuesday, 11th October, the kaid transmitted to me 
an order of the sultan, which enjoined me to be ready 
to go with him next day to Mequinez; he recommend- 
ed me to ask him for every thing thai I should want for 
this journey. 1 went immediately to the kaid, who was 
at the castle, and represented to him that I could not set 
