Chap. LXXII. POLITICAL MEETING AT THE RO'dHA. 79 
succession. Meanwhile the flies became quite insup- 
portable, and almost drove me to despair. 
But the day was also important in another respect, 
as the sons of Sidi Mohammed, El Bakay, and his 
brothers, attempted to bring about a friendly under- 
standing among themselves ; and I was not a little 
surprised in the morning of this day, on being in- 
formed by Sidi Mohammed, who acted as my guard 
here, that I was to accompany him back to the 
" r6dha," the venerated cemetery a few hundred 
yards east of the town, where Sidi Mukhtar lies 
buried ; for it thus seemed as if there was still some 
prospect of my again coming into collision with the 
townspeople. Galloping on the road with Daud, the 
brother of 'Abd-Allahi, who accompanied us, and 
beating him easily on my line " Blast of the Desert," 
as I styled my horse, which was still in tolerable 
condition, I followed my companion, and we took 
our post at the southern side of the tomb of the 
ancestor of the holy family. Although I had passed 
it repeatedly on former occasions, I never until now 
inspected it closely. I found it a spacious clay 
apartment, surrounded by several smaller tombs of 
people who were desirous of placing themselves under 
the protection of the spirit of this holy man, even in 
the other world. 
Gradually we were joined by the relations and 
friends of the Sheikh, A'lawate appearing first and 
saluting me in his usual smiling manner; then the 
sickly Mohammed ben 'Abd-Allahi, who was regarded 
