I l !
in
to overtake them before nightfall, was precious.
We could afford to stay no longer in the camp.
I gave the young Tawarek a franc or two as
compensation for the indignities that he had suffered
at our hands, and handed him, in addition, a few
coins to distribute among the women, and then we
took our leave.
As we reached the crest of a dune, lying at a
little distance from the tents, I looked back to take
a farewell view of the scene. The inhabitants of
the camp had by that time returned to their ordinary
occupations. One of the women had come out from
the tent and was calling in the children to their
midday meal. The slaves were busy preparing the
food, and the stalwart young noble whom I had
photographed had picked up one of the smaller
children and was carrying it, laughing and crowing,
on his shoulder to the tent. That domestic scene
was the last I saw of the masked Tawareks.
