292 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. VIII. 
I never thought a man could be put upon paper. That's the very 
Kaftan he bought of Hadje Mahmoud ! And look, he has a nose 
and mouth too, oh ! oh ! oh ! Allah ! Allah ! Allah !" 
Fighi Salem, a friend of ours, was particularly anxious that I 
should give him, before my departure, a stock of medicines, such as 
would enable him to become a father. I constantly made some 
excuse, but he was so pressing, that, unwilling to own my want 
of ability to comply, I gave him a compound of the dust of our 
medicine chest, which I pompously assured him was excellent, and 
would produce the desired effect. I recommended to him, when 
taking the prescription, to shut one eye while he drank, or to hold 
his ears ; which he promised faithfully to observe, and I make no 
doubt was anxiously awaiting the result. 
I made up some packages of medicine, which I presented to 
Mukni, begging him to accept also a small stiU which he had bor- 
rowed, and which I knew he never intended to return. He asked 
it first for the purpose, as he said, of making caraway water ; but I 
strongly suspect it was employed in composing something more 
congenial to his palate, as his Negresses kept the still on the fire 
night and day, and much mystery was observed on the occasion. 
Belford was sent for once or twice to put it in order, Mukni allowing 
him to enter the Haram attended by one of his sons. 
I sold our small horse for twenty dollars, and hired camels to 
bring home our goods as far as Sockna at one mitgal (or at the rate 
of the exchange of gold, one dollar three-fourths), the kantar. 
We had a japanned tea-tray, which was considered by far the 
finest thing ever seen in Morzouk. This I presented to Hadje 
Mahmoud for the improvement of liis family. He had often extolled 
it highly, and whenever he brought any one to visit us, begged that 
his friend might be indulged with a sight of it. We at last dis- 
covered that he wanted it to show to his Negress, who was with 
