round the rooms in a circle. Miss Banks went to each in
turn, and made a note of the case in a book. This over, she retired to an
inner room; and, among scales, and glass measures, and drugs, and tins,
and bottles by the score, proceeded to make up all the various medicines.
Meanwhile, two others of the staff took up positions in the middle of
the circles of men and women, and read the Bible to them in Arabic and
talked to them. They seemed to listen attentively, and one or two nodded
occasionally in agreement with what was said.

Thus, though everybody was doctored and provided with medicine gratis,
they had to sit and listen for a certain time to Christian views, _nolens
volens_; and this is the chief opportunity which missionaries have of
preaching to the Mohammedan world.

Many of the patients who had been before brought medicine-bottles and
ointment-boxes to be refilled. If not, the bottles had to be paid for. In
the first instance they were given in with the medicine; but bottles are
things of great value to the labouring Moor, and it was found that the
people came purely for the sake of getting them--once outside the house,
the medicine was thrown away.

One woman paid for her bottle in kind--four eggs. Some of the bottles
were absurdly small; others the reverse, for one woman appeared carrying
a great earthenware water-pot standing three feet high.

"My daughter," she said to Miss Banks, "I want medicine."

"Yes, but I cannot give you medicine in such a huge pot."

"My daughter, I have been three days on the road, and I want _much_
medicine."

Another woman, who looked old and decrepit, begged and prayed that a
bottle might be given her. Miss Banks was adamant. The woman whined and
entreated from ten till half-past eleven: "I am too poor to buy one. Look
at me; I am ill," and so on--until at last one of the other missionaries
begged Miss Banks to give her a bottle and send her away. Still she
refused to break her rule. The last patient got up to go. It was twelve
o'clock. The old woman thrust her hand into the rag round her waist,
pulled out a bottle, and handed it to Miss Banks to be filled.

The cases we saw were numerous. A mother with two little boys whose heads
had to be examined: they were dispatched with a box of ointment (sulphur
and oil) and a bottle of medicine. A boy with swelled glands had them
painted. A woman had her chest painted, a man various parts of him.
Pills, ointment, powders, etc.,