128 TRAVELS IN THE 
person. They, with their usual rudeness, searched every part of 
my apparel, and stripped me of all my gold, amber, my watch, 
and one of my pocket compasses ; I had fortunately, in the night, 
buried the other compass in the sand ; and this, with the clothes 
I had on, was all that the tyranny of Ali had now left me. 
The gold and amber were highly gratifying to Moorish 
avarice, but the pocket compass soon became an object of su- 
perstitious curiosity. Ali was very desirous to be informed, why 
that small piece of iron, the needle, always pointed to the Great 
Desert ; and I found myself somewhat puzzled to answer the 
question. To have pleaded my ignorance, would have created a 
suspicion that I wished to conceal the real truth from him ; I 
therefore told him, that my mother resided far beyond the sands 
of Sahara, and that whilst she was alive the piece of iron would 
always point that way, and serve as a guide to conduct me to 
her, and that if she was dead it would point to her grave. Ali 
now looked at the compass with redoubled amazement ; turned 
it round and round repeatedly ; but observing that it always 
pointed the same way, he took it up with great caution and 
returned it to me, manifesting that he thought there was 
something of magic in it, and that he was afraid of keeping 
so dangerous an instrument in his possession. 
March 20th. This morning a council of chief men was held 
in Ali's tent respecting me I their decisions, though they were 
all unfavourable to me, were differently related by different 
persons. Some said that they intended to put me to death ; 
others that I was only to lose my right hand ; but the most 
probable account was that which I received from Ali's own son s 
