48 THE KING VISITS HIS BROTHER. 
present to his brother Sidy Aibi, chief of a tribe of Brakiias ; 
he took my marabout along with him. At his departure he 
directed that I should lodge with his aunt Fatme-Anted- 
Moctar^ to whom he recommended me. I had not seen her 
before^ but she treated me with great kindness, as did also 
two of her nieces who lived with her. They were consi- 
derate enough to send away all the curious who were in- 
cessantly besetting me. 
At noon, they gave me some sangleh, the first I had 
eaten since I arrived at the king's camp. 1 was indebted 
no doubt to the protection of Hamet-Dou for the peace I 
enjoyed here ; the women also were less annoying than I 
had found them in the districts I had lately traversed ; their 
curiosity was sometimes vexatious, but I was no longer tor- 
mented as I had been elsewhere. The wind was high, and 
it raised a prodigious quantity of sand, which fell like rain 
on our heads, and incommoded us for half an hour, so that 
we could not stir out of doors. In the evening we had a 
shower of rain, and 1 could breathe more freely again. On 
the 12th, the king returned ; and on the 15th, we made our 
arrangements for proceeding on our journey, for we had only 
stopped to give Hamet-Dou the opportunity of visiting his 
brother. 
We advanced nine miles E. J N. E. on a stony ground 
covered with briars and abounding in pasturage. At noon 
we encamped in the vicinity of a range of mountains which 
they told me were called Zirih, but, as I afterwards learnt, 
Zirih signifies mountain. 
