xlvi INTRODUCTION. 



ly came into my mind, that by the gibberifh, in imi* 

 tation of Turkifli, which the Arab had uttered to mc 

 while he was beating and ftripping me, he took me for 

 a Turk, and to this in all probability the ill-ufage was 



owing. 



An old man and a number of young Arabs came up to 

 me where I was fitting. I gave them the falute Salam All- 

 cum ! which was only returned by one young man, in a 

 tone as if he wondered at my impudence. The old man 

 then afked me, Whether I was a Turk, and what I had to 

 do there? I replied, I was no Turk, but a poor Chriftian phy- 

 fician, a Dervifh that went about the world feeking to do 

 good for God's fake, was then flying from famine, and going 

 to Greece to get bread. He then afked me if I was a Cre- 

 tan ? I faid, I had never been in Crete, but came from Tu- 

 nis, and was returning to that town, having loft every thing 

 I had in the fliip wreck of that veflel. I faid this in fo des- 

 pairing a tone, that there was no doubt left with the Arab 

 that the fact was true. A ragged, dirty baracan was imme- 

 diately thrown over me, and I was ordered up to a tent, in 

 the end of which flood a long fpear thrufl through it, a 

 mark of Sovereignty. 



I there faw the Shekh of the tribe, who being in peace 

 with the Bey of Bengazi, and alfo with the bhekh or Ptolo- 

 meta, after many queftions ordered me a plentiful fupper, 

 of which all my fervants partook, none of them having pe- 

 rifhed. A multitude of confultations followed on their com- 

 plaints, of which I freed myfelf in the beft manner I could, 

 aliedging the lofs of all my medicines, in order to induce 

 fome of them to feek for the fextant at leafl, but all to no 

 i purpofe, 



