98 
EL- ARA WAN. 
On the morning of the 10th of May my guide took me 
to his correspondent Kahf^ to whom I had been recom- 
mended in a private letter from Sidi-Abdallahi-Chebir. I 
met with a favourable reception, and he lodged me in one 
of his houses, where he had some slaves and merchandise. 
As soon as I was installed in my new dwelling, my guide, 
who had been very attentive to me on the journey, wished 
through my influence to get himself quartered upon Kalif ; 
but I refused to make any such proposal to my host, lest I 
should appear troublesome. Finding me obstinate on this 
point, he asked me to lend him my cotton wrapper to wear 
while he paraded about the town to visit his acquaintance. 
I consented to this in order to get rid of him ; but next day, 
I thought it prudent to make him return my wrapper. 
Another time he told me that he had been robbed of the 
wooden bowl, out of which he used to drink on the journey, 
and earnestly begged me to ask my host for one and give it 
him. Wearied by all these demands and not knowing 
how to get rid of the troublesome fellow, I gave him a flat 
refusal ; but that did not deter him from coming very often 
to partake of my repast of rice and couscous. This man 
was continually asking the slaves, whether they had any 
provisions or other articles to sell, a practise by which he 
and others like him often induced the poor creatures to plun- 
der their masters. 
My host sent me, about eleven o'clock in the morning, 
a plate of well flavoured rice and meat, and about eight in 
the evening a plate of couscous for my supper. The water 
for my drink was brackish and luke-warm. 
On the 11th and following days, I inspected the town of 
El-Arawan. It is situated in a hollow, and surrounded by 
sandy hills, which extend to the west. The streets are wider 
than those of Timbuctoo, and equally clean. The houses, 
built in the same manner as at Timbuctoo, are much lower 
and less solid ; for the sand here is not of so clayey a nature. 
