32

I re

as thou didst command me, safely to Foumtatahouine. I cared for thy mule, watered and fed it with care. mained three times one day at the inn and paid 22 piasters for barley and bran. Sheik Cadhi fed me; therefore, O Caid, thou owest me 22 piasters.'

Three times 22 is 66; putting the price of the barley and bran at 12 piasters, Ali made almost 600 per cent, for all three thou owest me 22 piasters.'

When Mohammed-Es-Seghir, Cadhi of Djebel-El-Abiodth, heard that I had paid and that he had paid, he thought it a huge joke; and, when a week later, we heard that the Caid had also paid, he laughed until the tears rolled down his cheeks.

Many weeks later, when calling on the Caid of Medenine to thank him for his kindness in lending me the mule, and to ask him if it came back in good condition, I asked him, "Why do you keep a servant that cheats all three of us?”

He smiled and said, "Ali is fond of horses and mules and gives them the very best of care; if an animal goes lame, he will walk for days rather than hurt it, and he always gives the animals. enough to eat. I know that he often buys barley for less than he charges me, but then my stables are well cared for."

HOLDING AN EARLY MORNING LEVÉE When I awoke in the morning I was obliged to open the shutters, that I had to keep closed on account of thieves; then the servants, Ben Saada among them, that slept in front of the various doors of my house would hear me and go and call the Cadhi and Mohammed.

In a minute or two they would come in and salute me. Then Kaliphe and Brebisch would next appear, followed by any Troglodyte sheiks that were in the village. These men would sit in solemn array while I would finish my toilet and dress.

When they arrived, in the midst of a sponge bath, it was, to say the least, a bit disconcerting, but the chief interest to them was to watch me shaving and brushing my teeth. Mohammed told me that he had tooth-brushes, but had never seen tooth powder or paste, and, more

over, he never used his brushes. (His teeth, by the way, were superb.)

After my bath, helping hands were not lacking to aid me on with my clothes. Sometimes my rooms were so crowded that those that could not enter had to look in through the open windows.

Since Mabrucka told me that she and all the women of the harem had come in one day with her elder brother when I was sound asleep after a hard day's ride, I have never been quite certain if there were not peep-holes from some of the harem rooms, and that the fair dames of the various households had not watched me dressing! Who knows!

Every morning after shaving, when I turned to put my hand on my military hair-brushes, they would be missing, and Brebisch and Mohammed would be busy, fez in hand, brushing their caps. Mohammed would say, "Cher ami, these brushes are wonderful for smoothing a fez."

My nail-file and scissors were also much appreciated. Every time that Mohammed would cut his finger nails he would spread a towel, napkin, or newspaper to catch all the cuttings. It seems that the hair and nails of fingers and toes belong to the Evil One, and, unless the cuttings are burned or buried in the ground (sand), it gives possession of the living body to the Devil.

Even numbers bring good fortune; odd numbers very bad luck. Five is an exception and a very lucky number. The sudden change in the gait of a horse may lead to the most important decisions.

When the Cadhi started out on his long ride to Tripoli with the other members of the French Commission, he saw seven black crows and he was terribly downcast, but a moment later another crow flew up and joined the seven, making eight all told, and the Cadhi was all smiles and hope.

One must never say, "Tomorrow we will do so and so," or go to such a place; one must first say, "An-cha-Allah," which means "if God wills.”

One night after twilight, when squatted in front of our Troglodyte caves, some mighty hunters of the Great Tents (Sahara) told me the following fable: