THE AUTHOR TORMENTED. 
123 
would come about me opening their mouths as wide as they 
could ; then, with hideous grimaces they thrust their fingers 
into them to mimic me, and called out at last : " He is like a 
christian V 
I swallowed my vexation^ trembling at the thought of 
what such men would do to me, if they discovered my 
real sentiments ; they would have made a martyr of me ; 
and I could not but think of the tortures which poor Major 
Laing must have suffered from beings who were still more 
ferocious. How^ I longed for the moment when I should 
reach Tafilet, and get rid of my tormentors. I had abso- 
lutely nothing left but the clothes I had on, and a new 
coussabe which I owed to the generosity of my Timbuctoo 
host, besides a padlock which secured the bag that contain- 
ed my notes : not a day passed that these did not excite 
the cupidity of my companions ; when I asked for water 
they said : Give us thy new dress and thy padlock, and 
thou shalt have something to drink." They purposely left 
me in want that I might give them what they wished ; but 
I had courage to resist and they obtained nothing. 
The wells were now nearer together, and as we came 
to them more frequently, we could travel part of the day. 
When the heat was excessive, during the journey, those 
who wanted to drink were allowed to have water ; on these 
occasions they pointed at me and said to one another : Do 
not let us give hhn any, till he has promised us something." 
I disdained to have recourse to entreaty, and bore both 
hunger and thirst rather than ask for any thing at their 
hands ; so I turned my head away, and pretended not to 
hear what they said. Thirst at last compelled me to apply 
to Sidi-Aly, who muttered when he ordered them to give me 
water ; while 1 was drinking it he imitated the humming 
noise made to induce the camels to drink. He durst not 
refuse me the water for his own sake ; for the other Moors 
in the caravan, who were not his associates, would have 
