170 
tary in some families: the father of Sidi Ali was a great 
saint; Sidi Ali is now as much venerated, and his son 
Sidi Bentzami begins already to become so. As the 
productive power is the gift of heaven, these saints enjoy 
it in a most distinguished manner, for Sidi Ali keeps a 
number of negro women, and has a great many children. 
Besides his lawful wives and his common concubines 
Sidi Alarbi keeps eighteen young negro girls. 
I had once the honour of an interview with Sidi Ali 
when he came to Morocco; he quieted some scruples 
in my too delicate conscience. I made him a little 
present of about fifty pounds, and he returned me a lion's 
skin, on which he had been in the habit of saying his 
prayers for thirteen years. Besides this he gave me a 
quantity of sweetmeats, and a large bottle of lemon sy- 
rup, which he is used to mix with his tea. I did not 
... . 1 
fail to praise it highly. This holy man, free from al 1 
worldly interest, employed the money which I had giv- 
en him, and that which he had been raising by alms, in 
the purchase of guns and other weapons for the defen - 
ders of the faith who escorted him. 
Sidi Ali was about fifty years old. He had a round 
ruddy coloured face, lively eyes, and a small beard white 
as snow; he was of a low stature, full and well propor- 
tioned. His dress was always the same; it consisted 
of a kind of shirt or small white woolen caftan, a little 
turban, and a sort of hhaik or light woolen cloth, which 
covered his head and hung down behind, and on the sides 
like a small cloak. He spoke a little through the nose, 
but with much sweetness. The eldest son of this saint 
follows the footsteps of his father, and notwithstanding 
his youth, begins to partake of his sanctity. He is only 
