CONSTRUCTION OF WELLS. 
161 
dikes to receive and retain the rain-water, and when they 
have collected more than they want they convey the surplus 
by channels to the foot of the date-trees. Each landholder 
has in the middle of his field a well of clear and good 
water, sunk to the depth of twenty or twenty-five feet, in 
a hard sand mixed with small black and yellow pebbles ; 
I remarked several having strata from fourteen to eighteen 
inches thick of red sand a little veined with grey and of 
the consistence of clay. Two posts fifteen feet high are 
erected, one on each side of these wells supporting a cross- 
beam, to which is fastened a long pole, bearing a weight at 
its hinder extremity to counterbalance the bucket which is 
attached by a piece of cord to the other ; the water is thus 
drawn up without much effort and serves to water their 
plantations. At the depth of about twenty-five feet are 
found rocks which appear to be of granite. Wood is very 
scarce in this country ; the fuel consists only of dry palm- 
leaves and the trunks of dead trees ; the timber used in the 
construction of their houses is that of the date-tree. 
The plough is used in this country, and it is drawn by 
mules or camels. 
Near sunset the Berbers collected some small pebbles, 
which they arranged symmetrically upon the sand, then heated 
them with a fire of palm-leaves, and, after kneading a little 
barley-meal, baked a cake of it for our supper upon the stones ; 
to improve it they mixed with the meal some small bits of mut- 
ton fat ; when baked it was divided among us . Aly gave me 
a little bit of it which I thought delicious, although badly 
baked and very heavy, for I had tasted nothing the whole day; 
my guide, however, though he allowed me so little nourish- 
ment, upbraided me with living at his expense, since my own 
provisions had been long exhausted. Happily for me two 
Trajacant marabouts had joined our caravan ; Aly supplied 
them with provisions, and allowed them sometimes to ride 
his camels, not out of humanity, but because he would hav€ 
VOI. II. M 
