CHAP. V. 
ZUELA. 
217 
same manner as the houses at Tripoli. The Castle had nothing to 
boast of but the sohdity of its materials. Near the town my horse 
stumbled and fell into a grave, which, from its being hollow, led me 
to examine it ; and I found, that instead of resembhng the shallow 
graves of Morzouk, those at Zuela are rather in the form of vaults. 
From the side of the first pit a chamber of the same length is exca- 
vated in the gravel, which lies under the surface of the sand, and 
the body being placed in the vault, the pit alone is filled with earth. 
The present walls of Zuela are of the same materials as the 
Castle. The town has but few good houses in it ; but, judging from 
the ruins I saw, I should conceive it must once have been of 
much consequence, and built in a manner rather superior to the 
Arab towns in general. The inhabitants boasted that the door of 
Zuela was in Egypt, which leads me to conclude, that some town 
there may have so named one of its gates, and that the Arabs 
have taken it literally. Zviela is even now called Zella by old 
people. The town has three very good Mosques, and three gates of 
entrance. 
December 24th. Thermometer 8°. I found that the hour of 
Friday's prayer had been put off on my account, a deputation being 
sent to announce to me that the Imaum only waited my arrival to 
begin prayers. The Shreefs were already at the Joumma, and as 
they are persons of consequence, this attention on their part was a 
mark of great honour done me. I therefore did not hesitate to 
obey the summons, and was received by them most graciously, 
although I perceived that several of them very narrowly scrutinized 
me, and appeared evidently watching the manner in which I went 
through the ceremonies. After the prayers the Imaum showed 
me the Mosque, of which he seemed very proud, and with some 
reason, for it was certainly the neatest I had seen in this country. 
We were constantly attended by an idiot, who took a particular 
