180 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. IV. 
way, as to render it necessary for liim to be pushed in and shot out 
hke a sack of coals. Tlie body being completed, and springs being 
out of the question, it was mounted on two strong poles, which did 
duty as shafts ; and to these were fixed two wheels from one of the 
field-pieces, so that the carriage stood at about three feet from the 
ground. The Sultan never for a moment quitted the place where 
Belford was at work, and was all delight at the progress which he 
made. Numbers of people came to see it, and many asked if that was 
the kind of vehicle in which our King and his wives used to ride. I 
was frequently puzzled how to answer ; for to say the truth, though 
Belford, considering his want of materials, had done wonders, it 
very much resembled one of those little market carts which are 
dragged about London by donkies. It soon, however, lost that 
appearance, by being covered with a splendid hood of scarlet cloth, 
and having a bed laid inside of it. The shafts, body, and wheels 
were painted green, though not very durably. The Sultan had 
some verdigris, which he had brought from Tripoli ; part of this 
was mixed with ohve oil, which, not drying, was scraped off, but the 
rest being prepared with vinegar, formed a wash which answered 
his fondest expectations. The carriage was now as gaudy as the 
Sultan could wish, and he was the sole and happy possessor of it ; 
but a serious inconvenience soon presented itself : the coach was 
not large enough to allow of a place for a driver, and his horses 
were too spirited to be trusted alone with such a small state-carriage. 
After devising many plans to remedy the defect, we found we had 
but one expedient left, which was to convert the vehicle into a gig. 
Accordingly, a jack of all trades, who was a very ingenious fellow, 
made, by my directions, a set of harness tolerably well, except that 
the little pad on the horse's back weighed above fifty pounds. This, 
however, was soon reduced ; but when the animal was put into the 
shafts, we discovered that the carriage was so low as to form an 
