y capital. A married
woman preferred another man to her husband, and frankly confessed that
her affections had strayed. Her lord, instead of flying into a passion,
and killing her on the spot, thought a moment, and said,--

"I will consent to divorce you, if you will promise one thing."

"What is that?" inquired the delighted wife.

"You must looloo to me only when I pass on the day of the celebration of
your nuptials with the other man."

Now it is, the custom for women, under such circumstances, to looloo
(that is, salute with a peculiar cry) any handsome male passer-by.
However, the woman promised, the divorce took place, and the lover was
soon promoted into a second husband. On the day of the wedding, however,
the man who had exacted the promise passed by the camel on which the
bride was riding, and saluted her, as is the custom, with the discharge
of his firelock. Upon this she remembered, and looloed to him. The new
bridegroom, enraged at this marked preference, noticing that she had not
greeted any one else, and thinking possibly that he was playing the part
of a dupe, instantly fell upon his bride and slew her. He had scarcely
done so when the brothers of the woman came up and shot him down; so
that the first husband compassed ample vengeance without endangering
himself in the slightest degree. This is an instance of Arab cunning.

A subject of considerable importance was brought under my attention at
Mourzuk. It appears that whilst the objects of legitimate commerce, in
being exported from the interior to Fezzan and Tripoli, pay double
duties--that is, twelve and a-half per cent in each place--slaves pay no
transit duty whatever in this regency of Barbary if they are destined
for the Constantinople market, and even if sold in Tripoli or Fezzan
only pay once a duty of ten mahboubs per head. It frequently happens
besides that the Turkish merchants, who embark with their slaves for
Constantinople, sell a considerable number on the way. On arriving at
their destination, they pretend that such as are missing from their
register have died; and in this manner they contrive to evade the
payment of all duty whatever. It has been attempted to get the impost of
ten mahboubs paid in Mourzuk, and likewise to force all the caravans to
take that route. This would have acted as a check upon the slave-trade;
but the influence of the Gadamsee merchants was too great to allow the
measure to be carried out. It is most importan