drinking in Abyssinia, he sent for
some in the hope of finding relief. He not only recovered from his
illness; but, because of its sleep-dispelling qualities, he sanctioned
the use of the drink among the dervishes "that they might spend the
night in prayers or other religious exercises with more attention and
presence of mind.[34]"

It is altogether probable that the coffee drink was known in Aden before
the time of Sheik Gemaleddin; but the endorsement of the very learned
imam, whom science and religion had already made famous, was sufficient
to start a vogue for the beverage that spread throughout Yemen, and
thence to the far corners of the world. We read in the Arabian
manuscript at the Bibliotheque Nationale that lawyers, students, as well
as travelers who journeyed at night, artisans, and others, who worked at
night, to escape the heat of the day, took to drinking coffee; and even
left off another drink, then becoming popular, made from the leaves of a
plant called _khat_ or _cat_ (_catha edulis_).

Sheik Gemaleddin was assisted in his work of spreading the gospel of
this the first propaganda for coffee by one Muhammed Alhadrami, a
physician of great reputation, born in Hadramaut, Arabia Felix.

A recently unearthed and little known version of coffee's origin shows
how features of both the Omar tradition and the Gemaleddin story may be
combined by a professional Occidental tale-writer[35]:

Toward the middle of the fifteenth century, a poor Arab was
traveling in Abyssinia. Finding himself weak and weary, he stopped
near a grove. For fuel wherewith to cook his rice, he cut down a
tree that happened to be covered with dried berries. His meal being
cooked and eaten, the traveler discovered that these half-burnt
berries were fragrant. He collected a number of them and, on
crushing them with a stone, found that the aroma was increased to a
great extent. While wondering at this, he accidentally let the
substance fall into an earthen vessel that contained his scanty
supply of water.

A miracle! The almost putrid water was purified. He brought it to
his lips; it was fresh and agreeable; and after a short rest the
traveler so far recovered his strength and energy as to be able to
resume his journey. The lucky Arab gathered as many berries as he
could, and having arrived at Aden, informed the mufti of his
discovery. That worthy was an invete