Chap. LXXI. FAMILY CONCERNS. 
47 
his horse and sent his young nephew to tell his father 
that he was ready and was expecting him. Thus 
forced against his own inclination, the Sheikh at 
length disengaged himself from his family, and we 
went into the town in the company of a few horsemen 
who had come out to pay their respects to Sidi Moham- 
med, firing a few shots as we entered the place. 
Of course, in a town where no strong government 
is established, and where every great man exercised 
all the influence and power of which he was capable, 
due homage and tribute were to be rendered to this 
potentate of the desert who came to honour it with 
a visit. A musical performance took place in front 
of the house of the Sheikh, where he took up his 
quarters ; and each foreign merchant prepared a gift, 
according to his wealth, by which to obtain the pro- 
tection of this man, or rather to forestall his intrigues. 
These gifts were by no means small ; and I felt a 
great deal of compassion for my friend 'All ben 
Taleb, whose present, although by no means trifling, 
was sent back by Sidi Mohammed as neither adequate 
to the dignity of the receiver nor to that of the giver. 
I myself also found it necessary to make to this digni- 
tary a respectable present. I gave him the finest ber- 
niis or Arab mantle which I had still left, besides a 
black tobe, and sundry smaller articles. 
In other respects the town at this time became 
rather quieter, and trade was more dull. The 
small caravan of the Tajakant, some members of 
which had only spent a few days in the town, left on 
