scribed form by one of his religion; the Moor has no religious ceremony in connection with the slaughter of animals, but unless they have been killed by a Mohammedan or a Jew, he will not eat the meat. The Christian cares not who killed the beasts, being only interested in who shall eat them.

A large fire of brushwood was made in front of our tent, and the bullock having by this time been cut up and dressed, we gave most of it to the tribesmen, ourselves preferring to make a meal of canned tongue, or bœuf à la daube, to meat from which the blood had scarcely ceased to run. What was left we laid on the ground outside the tent, and looked forward to succulent steaks on the morrow.

We had scarcely finished our supper, when there was a great row outside in the camp, everybody talking and shouting at once. Rushing out to ascertain the cause of this disturbance, we found that one of the tribesmen had been detected stealing the bullock's head. He was immediately haled before the Ait Arbain, or Council of Forty, which throughout Sus is the governing body of the tribe. Our first impulse was to intercede for the culprit, as he had worked hard for us during the day, carrying goods up the cliff, and pitching tents, etc., but we were advised to let the law take its course, otherwise we should be subject constantly to theft. And, after all, we were somewhat curious to see how justice was administered by these wild, unruly people. It was short and sharp. Proof of the crime having been given, the offender was fined 6 dollars, or three-fourths of the value of the whole bullock, and, as he had nothing like this sum in his possession, his gun and two cumias (curved and pointed dagger-knives worn throughout Morocco

and Sus) were taken from him as security, and lodged in our tent.

It was a strange sight, this camp of ours among the wilds of Sus. We had expected that with nightfall most of the men would have gone to their homes, but to these hardy mountaineers, wrapped in their sulhams, with the hoods drawn over and enveloping their heads, a night passed under the wide canopy of heaven was as comfortable as under the shelter of a roof. Before turning in, Beyerle and I took a turn round. The watch-fires still gleamed brightly, revealing round each a circle of sleeping natives, while the clear, full moon shone like a silver lamp in the cloudless, starry sky above. And as we turned towards our own tentdoor, there, in the shadow, lay a man fast asleep, his long gun cuddled in his arms, and his head resting on our side of beef! Our visions of juicy steak on the morrow suddenly lost their charm.

[73]

CHAPTER VII.

THE COUNCIL OF THE 'FORTY.'

A quiet discussion-Dispensing and surgery-Sidi Hashem's matrimonial troubles-A terrible threat-' Mr. Garden '— An unpleasant discovery-The mineral wealth of MoroccoAn earthly paradise-Sworn friends-Bad weather still cuts our communication with the yacht-Important news '-Teamaking and tea-drinking-An impudent forgery-A dignitary of the desert,

I WAS awakened very early the next morning by the crowing of the cocks, which, tied by their legs so as to prevent their escape, had shared the shelter of our tent; but I dozed off again, to be thoroughly roused by a great clamour outside. Hastily dressing, I inquired from Sabbah the meaning of all that disturbance, and what they were quarrelling about. Looking out of the tent door, I saw a crowd of natives that had formed themselves into excited groups, and were shouting and gesticulating at one another at the top of their voices. I expected every moment to see the knives flash out of their sheaths and blood drawn, but Sabbah quickly disabused my mind of that idea.

'They not quarrelling,' he said—' only talking among themselves.'

If that was the row they made when they were just having a little friendly conversation, I wondered what

sort of a pandemonium they would make when they were angry.

'What are they talking about-politics?' I asked.

Like the Irish, they have their burning question of Home Rule, and their discussions suggested the proceedings of an Irish Parliament-everyone talking and nobody listening-and politics seemed the most likely topic of discussion, if it was not a blood-feud. In matters of religion, of course, they were all agreed, and next to religion, I suppose, politics are the most calculated to rouse the angry passions of a multitude.

'They're talking about the rifles; they want them now,' said Sabbah; but a glance at the sea didn't give much hope of their getting any more rifles that day at least. A very strong wind had sprung up in the night, and the waves were breaking a couple of hundred yards from shore in the good old style of a week before.

We had scarcely got breakfast over before a regular procession of lame, halt, sick and blind came to our tent begging for medicines. All sorts of ailments, real and imaginary, were exhibited or described. The malades imaginaires were easily disposed of with a bread-pill or a mild dose of salts; but such ailments as cataract, deafness, broken limbs, and bullet wounds of several years' standing, were beyond my simple remedies.

Their fortitude in bearing physical pain was admirable, and their simple faith was beautiful to witness. Quite calmly one man bared his arm, and showing the spot where a bullet was embedded, requested me to cut out the ball with the scissors I was then holding in my hand. On my declining to do so, he suggested that I might use the knife I carried in my belt, the

one with which the bullock had been killed the night before. He was quite disappointed when I refused to undertake the operation.

Another man, a pure Arab from the desert, Sidi Hashem by name, who had made himself very much at home in our tent, and had only, with the greatest reluctance, allowed himself to be turned out when we went to bed the night before, asked me if I could do anything for his wife, who, to his great sorrow, had not borne him any children. I I suggested that possibly the fault lay with him; but he said no, he had already a child by another wife. The Mohammedan religion allows a man four wives, so I told him I was afraid there was nothing for it but to get another one: it was the infliction of Allah.

'No,' he said, shaking his head, 'I have had this wife ten years, and she is the best woman in all my country. I do not wish to marry any other'—an example of conjugal attachment not too frequently met with among his Moorish neighbours.

He then asked me if I had any poison, but I told him I had brought none from the ship. I wondered to what use he intended to apply it, but rather suspected, from remarks that he let fall, that he was desirous of removing his other more favoured spouse.

The morning wore on, and as the natives saw no sign of a further consignment of rifles, they began to get very angry and make a noisy demonstration round our tent. As the excitement increased, I sent for some of the Ait Arbain to explain to them that the guns would come as soon as the sea calmed down, but that if they didn't behave themselves they wouldn't get any at all. They feared, or pretended to fear, that we meant to break faith with them, but we