PURCHASE OF BULLOCKS. 291 



shaking hands, we each repeated " Y'AUah abbi !" 

 (God bless you!) and thus ended very satisfactorily, an 

 affair, which at one time had rather a serious aspect. 



We now entered upon the subject of providing 

 food for the Hy Soumaulee. I complained of the 

 exorbitant price asked for the bullocks, and pro- 

 posed that I should give three dollars each, for 

 those that would be required. Ohmed Medina 

 said, it was enough ; so that business was also 

 settled. A laughing proposal was then made, to 

 tie Ohmed Mahomed, during the night, but I 

 replied, that I had nothing to fear from him after 

 the Fahtah had been read, and with this compli- 

 ment to the sacred character of their oath, I got 

 up, and retired to my hut. 



In a very short time, my escort had slaughtered 

 and flayed the bullock; and, in expectation of a 

 hearty meal, were quite happy. One half of them 

 lay in a line upon the ground, at the back of my 

 hut, whilst the remainder were busily employed, 

 boiling the meat, at numerous little wood fires, 

 which occupied shallow holes, scraped with their 

 fingers, in the soil. Three stones, around each of 

 these, supported large earthenware pots ; and the 

 bubbling contents, and the sharp crackling fuel 

 told, that things were going on as satisfactorily as 

 possible. Some of the cooks, sitting on their 

 heels, were amusing themselves, during the process 

 of the boiling, by picking the bones, from which 

 the meat in the pots had been cut. Their long 



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