THE FLIGHT FROM TAJ 223 



have found the salt, hard sand especially good for their 

 very enduring mortar, for their ruined villages are to 

 be found only on marshes, as at Buseima, Buma and 

 Jof. When we heard that there were Tebu remains in 

 Taiserbo and actual Tebus in Ribiana, we instantly 

 concluded that there were marshes in these two oases 

 and the idea proved correct. 



When we returned from our matutinal walks we had 

 enough appetite to cope with Sidi Saleh's prodigious 

 hospitality. Everj^ morning on the stroke of nine a 

 light tap came on my green and yellow door and there 

 was Durur, with smiling ebony face, ready to lead us 

 by sandy path and intricate court and passage to the 

 wide, carpeted loggia, where waited our kindly host to 

 wave us into the long, dark chamber redolent of roses 

 and cinnamon. After we had gravely washed our 

 hands in the Damascus basin, we crouched cross-legged 

 beside the immense brass tray and there was a moment 

 of thrilled expectation while another slave lifted the 

 lids of a dozen dishes. Sometimes there was a small 

 carved tray, inlaid with silver, on which stood half a 

 score of bowls of sweetmeats, stiff blancmanges of all 

 colours adorned with almonds, very sweet pastes some- 

 thing like Yorkshire pudding, junket made of the milk 

 of a newly lambing sheep, all sorts of date concoctions, 

 couss-couss made with raisins and sugar, a white, sticky 

 cream flavoured with mint. Always there were bowls 

 of sweet hot milk and piles of thin, crisp, heavy bread 

 fried with butter and eaten hot with sugar, called in 

 Egypt "bread of the judge." Arab custom ordains 

 that a guest must be entertained for three days and 

 three nights, but the generous kaimakaan would not 

 hear of our getting anything for ourselves. The story 

 of Jedabia was repeated over again. Once we protested 

 about the mighty meals provided in the house of Sidi 



