ead with wild date-palms, palmettos, or dwarf palms. The view of

"Towering Atlas that supports the sky,"

now stands forth, vaster and more magnificent as you approach the
capital, and is the only feature of surpassing interest on the journey;
but it suffices to absorb all the attention of the traveller. As he
gazes on the giant mountain, which seems to support with its huge rocky
arms the frame-work of the skies, its head covered with everlasting
snow, he forgets the fatigue of his painful route under an African sun;
and, lost in pious musings, adores the Omnipotent being who laid the
foundation of this solid buttress.

Halfway is called "the Neck of the Camel," where there is a well in the
midst of a scene extremely desert and dreary. Here all the donkeys of
the party of merchants died from want of water. The water of this well
is not permitted to be drunk by animals, in obedience to the solemn
Testament of the Saint who dug it. The poor horses and mules were tied
close up to the well, looking wistfully at the water when drawn for the
biped animals, and snuffing the scent; but they were not allowed to
taste a drop. Two horses broke loose and fought, their combat being
aggravated by thirst, "See!" cried the Moors to the merchants, "the
Saint is angry with you for having wished to give his water to horses."

Our merchants, however, in defiance of the Saint (this invisible enemy
of the lower creation) and of his supporters, got a supply of water,
which during the night, and en marche the next day, they distributed to
their steeds. The accommodation on the way, and at the capital is very
bad, even the waiting-room near the palace, appropriated to the
Christians, is but an old dilapidated shed, with one of its sides
knocked out, or never filled in. "Everything," say our merchants, "is
going to rack and ruin in the capital. The Emperor will not even repair
his palaces, or the jealousies in which he keeps his women; money is his
only pursuit and his God."

Their residence in the capital was very disagreeable, all being cooped
up in the Jews' quarter, and obliged to subsist on victuals cooked by
these people, which made certain of them unwell, for some of the Barbary
Jew's food is very indigestible.

The presentation of the merchants to the Emperor was conducted as
follows: At nine in the morning, they were admitted into a garden in
presence of about two thousand imperial guards, all drawn up in file,
looking extreme