ornamented with
five or six flag-staffs, and from these, on days of public rejoicing, the
standards of England and France were displayed at the corners farthest
apart. He declared himself, in his Damascene French, consul of all the
powers, or, as he phrased it, "_Je suis moi, consul, de toutes les
potences_." And it really did not require this certificate to convince
most of his visitors, that, like many of the trading consuls of the
Levant, he was somewhat of a gallows bird. In the position in which he was
placed, Sidney conceived this worthy consular agent might afford him some
advice.

On arriving at the house with the flag-staffs, Achmet was sent in to
present the letter. In spite of the quarantine, it was received and read
by Elias of Sham without difficulty. But though the consul lad no fear of
plague before his eyes, he had a strong aversion to hold any intercourse
with persons suspected of being spies by the officers of Mohammed Ali, and
Ibrahim Pasha. He accordingly positively declined the visit of Sidney, and
sent down his vice-consul, a tall youth with lantern jaws, to inform the
travellers in the middle of the street, that Mr Elias of Sham, the British
consul, could not recognise any traveller in Syria to be an Englishman,
who did not wear the English dress on his body, and a round hat on his
head. This communication was so completely in the classic style of English
diplomacy in the Levant, that Hassan's axiom concerning the sanity of
Elchees and Ambassadors, rushed to the recollection of Sidney, and he
perceived that even trading consuls felt bound to put a touch of folly ill
their official communications to vouch for their diplomatic authority.

Rather amused than discomposed by this reception, Sidney bethought himself
of another letter he possessed, to a Persian merchant named Ibrahim, and
called by Turks Sishman. Fat Abraham pretended to be Persian consul, so it
was proposed to try whether the Mohammedan had more of the trader, and
less of the diplomat than his Christian colleague. As the quarantine
regulations gave nobody any concern, it was determined to make this visit
as imposing as possible. Achmet arranged the procession, and marched
before the travellers as dragoman, himself preceded by two Albanian
soldiers armed to the teeth; the cook and two more Albanians followed in
the rear, and with the greatest dignity, the whole body moved through the
bazaar to the shop of Fat Abraham.

Ibrahim Sishman