62 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. II. 
praises of Lilla Fatma, the fat wife of Sheikh Barood, a white woman, 
who, he said, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, 
and so fat that she could scarcely walk : " her arm (t'barek Allah, 
<i>\\ c)j\xi, God's blessing on it !) is as big as my body," continued he, 
" and she says she should hke to see you and Sidi Yussuf." Such 
a hint was not to be rejected, and I therefore immediately paid 
her a visit, the boy acting as my Interpreter. On my entrailce she 
so veiled herself as to exhibit to advantage her arm, with all its 
gay ornaments ; and on my requesting to be favoured with a view of 
her face, she, with very little reluctance, gratified me. Her chin, the 
tip of her nose, and the space between her eyebrows, were marked 
with black lines ; she was much rouged ; her neck, arms, and legs, 
were covered with tattooed flowers, open hands, circles, the names of 
God, and of her numerous male friends. She had a multitude of 
gold ear-rings and ornaments, set with very bad and counterfeit 
jewels, and weighing all together, I should think, two or three 
pounds. Her shirt was of striped silk ; and she had a rich purple 
silk barracan, or mantle, gracefully thrown round her, and fastened 
at the breast by a gold pin, with ornaments of the same metal 
suspended from it : all the other articles of finery which she possessed 
were displayed round the tent, whilst a multitude of poor thin 
wretches, resembhng witches, sat round her in astonishment, never 
having in their lives seen such a paragon of perfection. Like ail 
other Arabs, they touched whatever pleased them most, one ad- 
miring this object, another something near it, so that our poor belle 
was sometimes poked by a dozen fingers at once ; all, however, 
agreeing on one point, that she was beautifully and excessively fat, 
and I must say I never before beheld such a monstrous mass of 
human flesh. One of her legs, of enormous size, was uncovered as 
high as the calf, and every one pressed it, admiring its solidity, and 
praising God for blessing them with such a sight. I was received 
