CHRISTMAS-BOXES. 
135 
day. I gave a Christmas-box to all the servants of 
the expedition, seven persons, each a cotton hand- 
kerchief and a ring. This is all I could spare. 
Yusuf had a silk handkerchief and no ring. The 
kind of ring esteemed here is one having a good 
imitation of a stone, and the metal is as good as 
gold for these people. With the exception of the 
Gatronee and my mahadee, the rest ill deserved their 
Christmas-box, but it is necessary to forget and to 
forgive. However, I am now more strict with 
them, as we are leaving the Tuaricks, amongst 
whom some of our servants became almost Tuaricks 
themselves in manners. 
The Sultan of Asoudee is still with us, and keeps 
up a sort of state about him, although he is a poor 
weak fellow indeed, compared to En-Noor. He has 
not paid us a visit, and we have not seen him. En- 
Noor, probably, does not wish to bother us with 
such a visit. The musicians who saluted us this 
morning came from him, but they did not know 
it was a feast-day of Christians, and only came to 
pick up what they could get. 1 sent Madame 
En-Noor a piece of white loaf-sugar, and told her 
it was a Christmas-box. She received it with many 
thanks ; so I have chronicled all our doings this 
day. I read the two first chapters of St. Luke in 
Arabic. We had no provisions, or anything with 
which we could produce the resemblance of a 
plum-pudding. As to roast beef, we have some 
