[Translated by Rene Basset and Chauncey C. Starkweather]

THE STORY OF SIDI BRAHIM OF MASSAT

I

The Taleb Sidi Brahim, son of Amhammed of Massat, in the province of Sous, tells the following story about himself:  When he was still a child at his father’s house he went to the mosque to read with a taleb.  He studied with him for twelve and a half years.  His father gave him bread and kouskous, and he ate eight deniers’ worth a day.  I will make known the country of Massat.  It contains seventeen towns.  In the middle of these is a market.  The Jews have a refuge in the village of the chief named Mobarek-ben-Mahomet.  He lives with a sheik called Brahim-Mahomet-Abon-Djemaa.  These two chiefs levy a tax on the Jews.  They receive from them four ounces per family at the beginning of each month.  If the festival of the Mussulmans coincides with the Sabbath of the Jews, the latter pay to each of the chiefs one ounce for a Jew or a Jewess, boy or girl, little or big.  The following are the details of the population of Massat.  It includes 1,700 men.  As to the women, little boys or girls, only the Lord knows their number.  There are 1,250 houses.  The horses amount to 180.  They ride them and make them work like oxen and mules.  They also fight on horseback.  The country has trees, vines, figs, cacti, dates, oranges, lemons, apples, apricots, melons, and olives.  There is a river which flows from there to the sea.  The commerce is considerable.  There are Jews and Mussulmans.  The number of books in the mosque is unknown, unless it be by God.  The teachers are numerous as well as the pilgrims, the descendants of Mahomet, and the saints.  May God aid us with his blessing!

We will now speak of the tribute which the people of Massat pay yearly to Prince Mouley-Abd-Er-Rahman.  Up to our days they had, for fifty-one years, given him 5,000 livres of silver.  The prince said to them, “You must pay 1,000 livres more.”  They answered, “By the Lord, we will only give you as before, 5,000 livres, a slave, a servant, and a horse.”  The kaid Abd-el-Cadik, who was caliph of the King of Taroundant, hastened to send against them forty-five horsemen, and said to them:  “You must give me six thousand livres of silver, and a slave, a servant, and a horse in addition.”  They refused and drove away the cavalry, saying, “Return to the kaid who sent you against us, and say to him that we will not increase our tribute as he demands.”  The horsemen returned and arrived at Taroundant.  The kaid asked him, “Tell me what happened to you with the people of Massat.”  They answered him, “They read in their assembly the letter that you sent them, and told us to go back, and that they would pay no larger sum.”  The kaid called a council and asked what had better be done with the people of Massat.  The sheiks of the Achtouks answered, “Make complaints to the Sultan