118 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. III. 
priated all our effects and merchandise to his own use : of the latter, 
we had a great quantity, which Mr. Ritchie would not allow me to 
dispose of, lest it should lower us in the eyes of the natives ; but I 
thought it could be of little consequence when compared with our 
Hves, which were so perpetually endangered by want and privation. 
We had in vain tried to dispose of our horses ; they were so lean, 
(and we had no money with which to buy any provision to fatten 
them) that no one would even look at them. 
I had managed to keep my own in rather better case than the 
others, by giving him our travelling baskets, and occasionally steal- 
ing a little food for him, but still he was not sale-worthy. In this 
situation were our affairs, when in one of our visits to the Sultan, 
Mr. Ritchie ventured to ask from him the loan of some money : his 
answer, though a negative, was couched in very plausible and 
friendly terms ; and he assured us, by the name of God, that we 
were welcome to all he had in the world, but that the Bashaw had 
lately exacted so much from him, that he had not a single dollar 
remaining. It happened, however, that on the preceding day, he 
had, to our certain knowledge, received 4000, which were deposited 
in the very chest against which he leant, whilst he uttered these 
falsehoods. Finding that nothing was to^>be gained at this visit, we 
retired in utter disappointment, not knowing where else to apply. 
Belford, at this time, was attacked with giddiness and deafness, 
and fell into a very weak state. Our situation was daily becoming 
more deplorable in all respects ; our rate of living was reduced to 
one saa, or quart of corn per diem, with occasionally a few dates, 
amongst four of us. Mukni's spy, about this time, came and made 
some very mean offers, (but which Mr. Ritchie thought proper to 
reject) about purchasing our cloth and gunpowder, and we plainly 
perceived he was negotiating for the Sultan. We had endeavoured, 
indeed, to sell some of our merchandise, by offering it somewhat 
