164 
M I M C I N A. 
whom the country is so much infested. The Berbers them- 
selves dare not approach without caution the camps of 
their own tribe to which they are strangers; but, if business 
obhges them to repair thither, they take the following me- 
thod to escape the fury of these pitiless guardians. The 
visiter advances slowly, and makes a circuit round the tents 
at a considerable distance ; the dogs begin to bark, without 
advancing on account of the distance ; as soon as the owners 
of the tents shew themselves, he acquaints them with the 
object of his coming, when they are anxious to satisfy him; 
if he applies for hospitality, supper is spread for him on 
a mat at a short distance from the tents, which no one is 
ever allowed to enter. 
At five in the evening, when the heat was abated, 
I took a walk to the town of Mimcina, accompanied by a 
neighbouring Moor, who, being a friend of Sidi-iVly's, had 
come to visit him and brought him a present of dates, 
which, by the invitation of the donor, we ate to- 
gether. The chief of our Ikrbers strongly recommended 
me to this Moor, and charged him especially to guard 
me from insult and not to suffer me to be robbed of the 
pagne which I wore ; a recommendation which gave me but 
an indifferent opinion of the people whom I was about to 
visit. The town is walled and surrounded by pleasant plan- 
tations of palm-trees. I observed under a shed near the 
gate a party of loungers, who, as soon as they saw me, 
crowded round me asking a thousand ridiculous questions, 
for they were already apprised that I was an Arab who had 
escaped from the christians. With some trouble I got quit 
of these impertinent fellows, and, penetrating into the town, I 
passed through a very narrow, winding, and dirty street ; the 
walls of the houses are at least fifteen feet high and very 
badly plaistered. I was followed by a crowd of men, for the 
women were veiled and durst not look at me. I seated 
myself under a gallery, where many old men were col- 
