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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



as thou didst command me, safely to 

 Foumtatahouine. I cared for thy mule, 

 watered and fed it with care. I re- 

 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 condi- 

 tion, 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 LEVEE 



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 Bre- 

 bisch would next appear, followed by any 

 Troglodyte sheiks that were in the vil- 

 lage. 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. Moham- 

 med would say, "Cher ami, these brushes 

 are wonderful for smoothing a fez." 



My nail-file and scissors were also 

 much appreciated. Every time that Mo- 

 hammed would cut his finger nails he 

 would spread a towel, napkin, or news- 

 paper 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 mem- 

 bers 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, mak- 

 ing 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 squat- 

 ted in front of our Troglodyte caves, 

 some mighty hunters of the Great Tents 

 (Sahara) told me the following fable: 



