Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846 — John Shaqi
Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846Richardson, James
History
Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846
Richardson, James
Sahara -- Description and travel
Our first day's ride was mostly through desert lands, for The Desert
reaches to the walls of the city of Tripoli. The little village of
Gargash was seen at our right, near the margin of the sea. Gameo
exclaimed, "There's the little mosque--there's the little cemetery--there
are the little gardens, little palms!"--and little this, and little the
other: indeed, it was a perfect miniature of congregated human existence.
Arrived at Janzour, Gameo and his brother prepared to return. But
previous to his leaving, Gameo, who was a tabeeb of great notoriety,
determined to display his healing art. He took out his lancet, and
forthwith bled everybody in the Kaëd's caravanseria. When his brother
begged of him not to bleed any more people unless they paid him
something--not to be such a _sciocco_ ("ninny,") he turned round upon
him, and indignantly exclaimed "Ancora voglio lasciare il mio nome qui"
(Here I will leave my name also!) It was the delight of Gameo to be the
grand tabeeb of Tripoli, and even to prescribe for the officers and
subordinate bashaws; and yet Gameo and his family many days were without
bread to eat, to my certain knowledge. I relieved them as much as I
could. The Moors and Arabs are very funny about bleeding, and the matters
of the tabeeb; they will ask you to bleed them when in perfect health.
All these persons who were bled at Janzour had no ailments; they will
also swallow physic, whether well or ill. One of them consulted Gameo
privately how he was to obtain children from his wife, who was barren.
Another wished to obtain the affections of a girl by administering to her
a dose of medicine. They consider a doctor in the light, in which our
fathers of the time of Friar Bacon did, of a magician, and a person who
holds some sort of illicit intercourse with the devil, or, at any rate,
with the genii. They never give the doctor credit for his skill, but
attribute his wit and success to the blessing or interposition of God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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