TH E FORTUNE-TELLER.
a present, and suggested his young hopeful as a
suitable recipient.
I gave him a few sous, which he promptly placed
for safe keeping in his mouth, whence Aissa, in
order, as he said, to prevent him from choking himself,
at once removed them and appropriated them
to his own use.
He folded his now howling son in an affectionate
embrace, El Haj kicked up the camel, and, surrounded
by a small crowd of loafing Arabs, we
started for the Mozabite’s shop to pick up the rest of
our stores.
Our crowd of followers increased so fast and
became so pressing in their attentions during our
progress through the town, that, in order to get rid
of them, I took Aissa with me into the market to
buy some fresh vegetables and meat, and left El
Haj to take on the camel alone.
In the market we found a man who read fortunes
in sand. I requested him to do a little prophesying
on our account, to read Aissa’s fortune, and tell us
what was likely to happen to us on our journey.
He seated himself by the roadside, unknotted a
large handkerchief which he was carrying filled
with the fine white sand from the dunes of the Souf,
laid it open on the ground and carefully smoothed
over the surface of the sand with an air of great importance
and mystery.
He next commenced to question Aissa as to his
age, birthplace, name, and occupation. Aissa replied
that his age was thirty, his birthplace Biskra, and
his name Aissa ben Jedu. His occupation was not