292 TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. CHAP. V I I I . I never thought a man could be put upon paper. That’s the very Kaftan he bought of Hadje Mahmoud! And look, he has a nose and mouth too, o h ! o h ! o h ! Allah! Allah! Allah!” Fighi Salem, a friend of ours, was particularly anxious that I should give him, before my departure, a stock of medicines, such as would enable him to become a father. I constantly made some excuse, but he was so pressing, that, unwilling to own my want of ability to comply, I gave him a compound of the dust of our medicine chest, which I pompously assured him was excellent, and would produce the desired effect. I recommended to him, when taking the prescription, to shut one eye while he drank, or to hold his ears; which he promised faithfully to observe, and I make no doubt was anxiously awaiting the result. I made up some packages o f medicine, which I presented to Mukni, begging him to accept also a small still which he had borrowed, and which I knew he never intended to return. He asked it first for the purpose, as he said, of making caraway water; but I strongly suspect it was employed in composing something more congenial to his palate, as his Negresses kept the still on the fire night and day, and much mystery was observed on the occasion. Belford was sent for once or twice to put it in order, Mukni allowing him to enter the Haram attended by one of his sons. I sold our small horse for twenty dollars, and hired camels to bring home our goods as far as Sockna at one mitgal (or at the rate of the exchange of gold, one dollar three-fourths), the kantar. We. had a-japanned tea-tray,, which was considered by far the finest thing ever seen in Morzouk. This I presented to Hadje Mahmoud for the improvement of his family. He had often extolled it highly, and whenever he brought any one to visit us, begged that his friend might be indulged with a sight of it. We at last discovered that he wanted it to show to his Negress, who was with
27f 50
To see the actual publication please follow the link above