Comment # 11 on bug 979566 from Egbert Eich

Point is: you are using a server side font here. Thus, this font needs to be
installed on the machine the Xserver is running on. The font iteslf will never
leave the server machine only the metrics do. Thus, if you are running an X
connection over ssh, it may not be the machine you run uxterm on.
Unless you are using Xvnc or something, this is likely the machine the cable
runs to from the monitor you are reading this text on.

On this machine you need to make sure that
a. xorg-x11-fonts-core is installed.
b. /usr/share/fonts/misc/9x18.pcf.gz exists
c. /usr/share/fonts/misc/fonts.dir contains an entry:
    9x18.pcf.gz -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1
d. The Xserver picks up this font directory: Check your log file of the Xserver 
   for the list after "FontPath set to:'.