8 THE PALACE. 



The palace of the Suit ami Ebin Mahomed, who 

 was familiarly styled by his subjects, " Shabah" 

 (old man), consisted of two rooms, placed at right 

 angles to each other, the walls of which consisted 

 of mats made of the plaited palm leaf, stretched 

 upon a slight frame of sticks. The roofs also were 

 of similar material. The whole was inclosed by a 

 fence about six feet high, consisting of dry sticks, 

 also covered with mats. 



Screens of these suspended mats divided the 

 larger of the two rooms into four compartments, 

 which were severally used as the harem, store-room, 

 the family sleeping-room, and the audience-cham- 

 ber, if such imposing designations may with pro- 

 priety be bestowed upon the squalid menage of the 

 chief of Tajourah. In the other room was the oven, 

 or rather kiln, for baking ; a coarse ear the rn con- 

 struction, which resembled in form a large jar, 

 inside of which was placed the fuel ; when it was 

 properly heated, large layers of unleavened dough, 

 made from the meal of jowahree mixed with water, 

 was plastered upon the outside, where it remained 

 until it had dried into a heavy substance, well 

 finger-marked, and looked sufficiently like a cake 

 to satisfy the eaters, that they were, really, as they 

 frequently boasted, so far in advance of their Be- 

 douin neighbours, as to use baked bread. 



There were also in this room a few wooden 

 couches upon which the slave women were accus- 

 tomed to repose during the heat of the day, when 

 not engaged in grinding the jowahree meal, or 



