EMMA. "I should say the cause; for the fat comes by degrees, and cannot inconvenience them so much as swallowing quantities of food and drink when they require it not."
MR. WILTON. "They have other quaint notions. Among the points of etiquette which prevail at the court of Morocco, the following is mentioned:—The word death is never uttered in presence of the Sultan. When it is unavoidable to mention the death of any person, it is expressed by such words as, 'He has fulfilled his destiny;' on which the monarch gravely remarks, 'God be merciful to him!' Another point of whimsical superstition is, that the numbers five and fifteen must not be mentioned in presence of the sovereign."
GEORGE. "I should be continually saying forbidden words if I were there; so we will go on, if you please, pilot."
EMMA. "I have the bays. They are Boujanyah, and Storah, on the coast of Algiers. This state is inferior to Morocco, both in extent and fertility; but the city has a grand harbor, is itself very populous, and contains some splendid ruins."
DORA. "I have the gulfs. They are Tunis, Hammamet, and Khabs, on the coast of Tunis, which was once the seat of Carthaginian power, but like the other states, is now reduced to a tithe of its former greatness, although it is still one of the finest cities in Africa. It has a good harbor and fortifications. The manufactures are silks, velvets, cloth, and red bonnets, which are worn by the people."
MR. WILTON. "There is yet another Barbary state to pass: who has a word for Tripoli?"
CHARLES. "I have, madam. Tripoli is the most easterly, and the most wretched of the Barbary states. It extends straggling along a great extent of coast, where may be seen the enormous Gulf of Sidra or Sert, called by the natives 'Djou al Kabit,' or Gulf of Sulphur, and the Gulf of Bombah. Tripoli received its name from once containing three cities of considerable importance, which are now little else than ruins."
MRS. WILTON. "The 'Research' has not tarried long on that coast, at any rate. We must now suppose ourselves authors instead of travellers; and without thinking of impossibilities, straightway carry our ship overland, across the Isthmus of Suez, and launch quietly on the waters of the Red Sea."
MR. BARRAUD. "It is scarcely fair to pass Egypt without a recognition: the Egyptians would sympathize with us in our partiality for the ancient element. They are special lovers of two things—gardens and water. Even stagnant water, if sweet, they consider a luxury; running water, however dirty, they hold to be extremely luxurious; when during the inundation, the canal of Cairo is full, all the houses on its banks are occupied by persons, who sit in their leisure hours, smoking by its muddy waters; but the height of their enjoyment consists in sitting by a fountain—this they esteem equal to paradise."
MRS. WILTON. "In the Red Sea there are eleven gulfs of moderate dimensions, and some small bays: we will not wait to examine them, as they are not important; but how are we to sail out of this sea? George, will you undertake to pilot us?"