VISIT TO A PRIEST. 
149 
Tafilet — for this Berber was to furnish beasts of burden ^ they 
signed a written agreement in which they mutually bound 
themselves to fulfil their engagements, and the Berber pro- 
mised to return in eight days with the camels. Tired of 
the monotonous life which I was leading in the camp, I re- 
solved for amusement to make a tour among the tribe of 
Oulad-Gouassim to visit an eminent Mahometan priest, 
whose sanctity had been highly extolled ; his encampment 
lay about three miles to the east of ours. I approached his 
tent at the moment when the holy personage was coming 
out : several old men accompanied him ; they had heard me 
spoken of, and immediately informed him that I was unhappy, 
and that I had separated from the christians. He answered 
with an air of indifference and without appearing to take any 
notice of me : " Well then ! he has to thank God for his 
return into the way of salvation."' I seated myself for a 
moment upon the ground with him and some of the Moors, 
who were vicing with each other in obsequiousness to him : 
he ordered one of them to fetch him a little water, to dissolve 
some salt which he intended to take as a remedy for an indis- 
position, pretending that this beverage would give him relief. 
As the vessel which was brought to him was too full, he 
was about to pour out some of the water, when one of the 
Moors in his company, being apparently thirsty, proposed to 
drink it, but the haughty priest, with a contemptuous air, 
asked who he was that he should drink out of his satala j 
the person who aspired to this favour was no doubt worthy 
of it, for no sooner had he mentioned his name than the 
priest presented the vase to him. During the short time that 
I remained in his presence I saw a number of Moors come to 
consult him on divers maladies ; his only remedy for so many 
complaints was to lay his hand gravely upon the part affected, 
and, rubbing it gently, to pronounce a prayer. This import- 
ant person was also the public writer and the instructor of the 
children. 
