The clergyman was lodged in a small cell spread with carpets and
cushions, and he was waited upon by the monks.

These monks think that they lead a very holy life in the desert. They eat
no meat, and they rise in the night to pray in their chapel. But God does
not care for such service as this. He never commanded men to shut
themselves up in a desert, but rather to do good in the world.

One day the monks told the traveller they would show him the place where
the burning bush once stood. How could they know the place? However, they
pretended to know it. They led the way to the chapel, then taking off
their shoes, they went down some stone steps till they came to a round
room under ground, with three lamps burning in the midst. "There," said
the monks, "is the very spot where the burning bush once stood."

There were two things the traveller enjoyed while in the convent, the
beautiful garden full of thick trees and sweet flowers; and the cool pure
water from the well. Such water and such a garden in the midst of a
desert were sweet indeed.

The Arabs, who accompanied the traveller, enjoyed much the plentiful
meals provided at the convent; for the monks bought sheep from the
shepherds around, to feed their guests. After leaving the convent,
Suleiman was taken ill in consequence of having eaten too much while
there. The clergyman gave him medicine, which cured him. The Arabs were
very fond of their chief, and were so grateful to the stranger for giving
him in medicine, that they called him "the good physician." Suleiman
himself showed his gratitude by bringing his own black coffee-pot into
the tent of the stranger, and asking him to drink coffee with him; for