46 
TRAVELS m AFRICA. Chap. LXXI. 
hammed did not seem to be at all unfavourably dis- 
posed towards Hammddi, and wanted even to enter 
the town in his company ; but he was obliged to yield 
to the combined efforts of his two younger brothers, 
who refused the company of their cousin. 
This was the first opportunity I had of seeing 
Hammadi, with whom I had wished from the begin- 
ning to be on friendly terms, but was forced by the 
policy of my host to avoid all intercourse with him, and 
thus to make him my adversary, as he was that of the 
Sheikh. I had received a favourable account of his 
learning from different quarters ; but his personal 
appearance was certainly not very prepossessing. He 
was of a stout figure, with broad coarse features, 
strongly marked with the small-pox, and of a very 
dark complexion, his descent from a female slave being 
his chief disadvantage. 
Sidi Mohammed was very anxious to get into the 
town, but El Bakdy, with his usual slowness, and 
perhaps this time longer detained by the interesting 
situation of his wife, made his appearance at a very 
late hour in the afternoon, and endeavoured to defer 
our departure till the next day ; but his elder brother 
was too energetic to be thus put off, and having given 
sufiicient vent to his dissatisfaction on account of the 
too great influence which Mrs. Bak (that was the 
name of El Bakdy's wife) exercised over his brother, 
and asking me with an ingenious turn whether I knew 
who was more influential than sheikho A'hmedu ben 
A'hmedu and lorded it over his brother, he mounted 
