I returned my most humble thanks to my kind informants; with a small gratification of civet to the two elder ladies, and a separate portion to the beautiful Aiscach, assuring them I should not fail to profit by any advice they should give me. After this I again fell into a sound sleep, which continued till morning; and, though my affairs had not the most prosperous appearance, I felt a calmness of mind to which I had been utterly a stranger ever since I had left Ras el Feel. My servants awakened me in the morning of the 11th; I drank coffee, and dressed, and took along with me Soliman and Ismael, without arms in our hands, but having knives and pistols in our girdles, to shew that we had lived in fear. The Moullah's name was Welled Mestah, or the _son of interpretation_, or _explanation_. He was reputed to have attained such a degree of holiness as to work miracles, and, more than once in his life, to have been honoured with the conversation of angels and spirits, and, at times, to have called the devil into his presence, and reproved him. He was a man below the middle size, of a very dark complexion, and thin beard, seemingly past sixty, hollow-eyed, and very much emaciated. If holy, we could not say he was the beauty of holiness. I understood, afterwards, he was much addicted to the use of opium, to the effects of which he probably was indebted for his conversation with spirits. He had brought with him another saint, much younger and robuster than himself, who had been several times at Mecca, and had seen Metical Aga, but did not know him. He had seen likewise the English ships at Jidda, and knew the name of the nation, but nothing more. He was a sherriffe, (that is, a descendant of Mahomet) a degree of nobility much respected among the Arabs, distinguished by wearing a green turban. The Daveina, when they burnt all the country between Teawa and Beyla, saved this man's house, effects, and crop, in veneration of his sanctity. These two were sitting on each side of Shekh Fidele, and before him stood two black slaves holding each a monstrous long broad-sword. I approached these powers, ecclesiastical and civil, with great composure, as if nothing had happened; but Ismael, the Turk, had almost spoiled my gravity, for, seeing the swords in the men's hands before Fidele, he said, in his barbarous language, loud enough to be heard, "O, ho, they have got their scabbards upon their swords to-day."