all the
towns of the Jereed, with date-groves and gardens. The houses were most
humbly built of mud and bricks. After a scorching march, we encamped
just beyond, having made only ten miles. Saw quantities of bright soft
spar, called talc. Here also the ground was covered with a saline
effloresence. Near us were put up about a dozen blue cranes, the only
birds seen to-day. A gazelle was caught, and others chased. We
particularly observed huge patches of ground covered with salt, which,
at a distance, appeared just like water.

CHAPTER X.

Toser.--The Bey's Palace.--Blue Doves.--The town described.--Industry
of the People.--Sheikh Tahid imprisoned and punished.--Leghorn.--The
Boo-habeeba.--A Domestic Picture.--The Bey's Diversions.--The Bastinado.--
Concealed Treasure.--Nefta.--The Two Saints.--Departure of Santa Maria.--
Snake-charmers.--Wedyen.--Deer Stalking.--Splendid view of the Sahara.--
Revolting Acts.--Qhortabah.--Ghafsa.--Byrlafee.--Mortality among the
Camels--Aqueduct.--Remains of Udina.--Arrival at Tunis.--The Boab's
Wives.--Curiosities.--Tribute Collected.--Author takes leave of the
Governor of Mogador, and embarks for England.--Rough Weather.--Arrival
in London.

Leaving Dra-el-Hammah, after a hot march of five or six miles, we
arrived at the top of a rising ground, at the base of which was situate
the famous Toser, the head-quarters of the camp in the Jereed, and as
far as it goes. Behind the city was a forest of date-trees, and beyond
these and all around, as far as the eye could wander, was an
immeasurable waste--an ocean of sand--a great part of which we could
have sworn was water, unless told to the contrary. We were met, before
entering Toser, with some five or six hundred Arabs, who galloped before
the Bey, and fired as usual. The people stared at us Christians with
open mouths; our dress apparently astonished them. At Toser, the Bey
left his tent and entered his palace, so called in courtesy to his
Highness, but a large barn of a house, without any pretensions. We had
also a room allotted to us in this palace, which was the best to be
found in the town, though a small dark affair. Toser is a miserable
assemblage of mud and brick huts, of very small dimensions, the beams
and the doors being all of date-wood. The gardens, however, under the
date-trees are beautiful, and abundantly watered with copious streams,
all of which are warm, and in one of which we bathed ourselves and felt
new vigou