CHAP. II. JOURNEY TO MORZOUK. i 63 
most graciously, and invited to sit close to her, when one of the first 
questions she asked me was, if in my country the ladies were as fat 
and handsome as herself? For the plumpness of my countrywomen, I 
owned, with shame, that I never had seen one possessed of half such 
an admirable rotundity, which she took as a great compliment ; but I 
did not attempt to carry the comparison farther, though she was really 
very handsome in face and features. She amused herself while speak- 
ing with playing on a kind of drum, made of clay, called Derbooka, 
<!Sy)jj, by beating with one hand, and playing with the fingers of the 
other ; and perceiving that I was amused by it, she ordered an old 
man to get up and dance. The females sang and clapped their hands 
in good time, and the dancer went through a variety of figures, all 
equally indelicate. A woman then succeeded him, and in this respect 
quite threw him in the shade ; but as I knew it to be the general mode 
of dancing in this part of Barbary, I of course applauded it. Lilla 
Fatma herself then thought proper to honour us with a few graceful 
attitudes in the same style ; but Mr. Eitchie's entrance into the 
tent soon put a stop to the exhibition, and the ceremony of veiling 
took place in the same manner as before. Fatma soon discovered 
a likeness between her late husband and Mr. Eitchie, from their 
being both very slender ; but unfortunately the resemblance failed 
in all other points, her former spouse being, at the time she was 
obhged to leave him by an ordert of the Eashaw, fifty years old, 
with a grey beard ; while, on the other hand, Mr. Eitchie was but 
twenty-seven, and of a very fair complexion. She was at all events 
determined to be pleased with us ; and having sprinkled us with 
rose-water, allowed us to take our leave. On returning to our tent, 
we sent her some coffee, and a few lumps of sugar. 
We found here much difficulty in obtaining water for our 
horses, owing to the great depth of the wells, and the people being 
employed in filUng the skins for the morrow. In the evening, we 
