neighbourhood of feveral other tribes, where I found one of our failors, named Denoux, who was a flave like myself. Having asked him what was become of his companions, "Six of them,” faid he, "were carried away by the emperor's son, foon after our fhipwreck, and have fince gone to France. Mr. Taffaro, the furgeon-major, died of the blows he received on the head with a large ftick; Mr. Raboin, fecond lieutenant, expired alfo in dreadful torture. Others, to avoid the horrors of famine, have renounced their religion. As for me, Sir, I fhall not be long in following thofe whom death has now freed from their miferies. Behold in what condition I am; there is no kind of bad treatment to which I am not daily expofed."

I

At the information that fome of the crew had returned to France, I conceived new hopes; thinking the marine minifter would fend positive orders to reclaim the reft; and fuch commands were actually iffued, but the vice conful at Morocco paid no attention to their execution. was reflecting upon the caufes of this total neglect, when, on retiring behind my bush, I was much aftonished to fee my mafter's camels returning without a guide. Being called to receive my portion of milk, when it was pretty late, and not feeing the peor baker, I took the liberty of alking what was become of him; but the Arabs gave me a very cool anfwer, and drove me from their prefence. Next morning, early, a young Arab, employed in keeping the flocks, informed me, that Sidy Mahamimet, fufpecting that the baker privately milked his camels, watched him, and having caught him in the fact, had feized him by the throat and trangled him.

I now remained the only flave in the hamlet, and I had no longer any companion to whom I could communicate my misfortunes. My fituation became every day more and more deplorable; but I formed a refolution of not fuffering myfelf to be dejected by it.

This refolution, and the condu&t I had obferved towards those who withed to humble me, had procured me fome confideration among the favages; fo that from time to time I was fuffered to Todge in the back of their tents; I even fometimes drank out of their veffels. My mafter, too, fuffered me to remain at eafe, and I was no longer required to guard his camels. It is true, that he never spoke to me concerning my liberty; but, even if he had, I fhould have paid very little attention to his words, for I was now fo well acquainted with his perfidy, that I had not the leaft confidence in him. It was, however, neceffary for me to continue to make faggots, which I had done for fome time paft, in order to barter them for milk; for thirst often drove me into the most inconceivable fits of madnefs. I faw the Arabs themfelves in the greateft diftrefs on this account. Several of them died of thirst and hunger, and. the feafon did not admit of any relief. This was the fourth time that their crops had been deftroyed by drought. This difmal fituation had fo irritated the minds of the inhabitants of the different tribes, that they made war upon one another. Milk had entirely failed them, and each tried who could carry off moft cattle, in order that they might kill them and dry the flesh. Water was fill fcarcer, for there is little to be found in the defert, except towards the fea, and even then it is black, putrid, and brackish. This bad beverage, T 2

added

added to the want of paftures, keeps the Arabs always at a distance from the coafts. Deftitute of every kind of provifions, no one attempted to purfue his journey; and it was in these circumstances that I beheld to what extremities men may be reduced through want. The Arabs who had the leaft milk, quenched their thirst from the bowels of the camels which they killed. They preffed a greenish kind of water from the filth found in the ftomachs of these animals, which they preferved with great care, and often boiled their flesh in it. That which they procured from the bodies of their goats had the tafte and fmell of fweet fennel. Broth made of it never appeared to me disagreeable; but that procured from the camel was not fo pleafing to the tafte. What greatly aftonished me was, that these animals, which never drink above twice or thrice in a year, and which eat only dried plants, fhould have fuch a prodigious quantity of water in their stomachs; and particularly the camel.

With a view to effect my liberty, I contrived to get the treasure I had given the Arab again into my poffeffion, that it might enable me to traverse the desert, and bribe the Arabs to conduct me to Morocco. But Sidy Mahammet miffing it very fhortly, he prevailed on me, by a variety of powerful arguments, to restore it once more. The principal inducement was a promise of being fent to Mogador, and in the mean time to be allowed a proper quantity of milk, both in the morning and evening.

Chance at length conducted Sidy Mouhammet, fheriff of the tribe of Trargea, to the place which I was watering with my tears; and having feen me, he asked who I was. The Arabs told

him my hiftory, and they boafted above all of the great riches, in powder and fufees, which I was faid to poffefs at Senegal. The sheriff immediately recollected me; he asked me, what fituation I had been in at the island of St. Louis; and I returned a fatisfactory anfwer to all his queftions. Having looked at me nearer, he exclaimed, "What! art thou Briffon ?" On my replying in the affirmative, he appeared greatly aftonished, and addreffing himself to the Arabs, "You do not know this Chriftian; every thing at Senegal belongs to him." This man imagined, that all the ftores in the king's magazine, which he had feen me deliver, were my property; and my mafter's brother-in-law, Sidy Sellem, encouraged by this flattering account of my riches, did not hefitate to purchase me, giving five camels in exchange.

I did not know that this bargain was concluded, when I was unfufpectedly filled both with furprife and joy. Having returned with my mafter from watering our camels, for the third time during three months, I was cornmanded by my miftrefs to carry a leather bucket, which the had borrowed, to a neighbouring tent, where I found Sidy Sellem, who called me, and bid me prepare to fet out with him the next morning for Mogador. I had been flattered with this hope, and so often deceived, that I could fearcely perfuade myself that he spoke in earneft. However, fome appearance of preparation for the propofed journey, convinced me that his information was true. The old man himfelfrenewed his proteftations, upon which I was fo transported, that I threw myfelf at his feet, wept, fighed, and laughed; in fhort, I did not know what I was doing. One must have known

ufe the expreflion, with fcales like thofe of the Arabs; a change which was attended with great pain. The thorns over which I walked, had torn my feet to the quick; I could scarcely stand upright, and the large dogs, which were continually let loose upon me, and from which I could never difengage myself, without receiving dreadful wounds, rendered me altogether incapable of guarding the camels. To add to my misfortunes, the excelfive heats, about the end of February and March, had dried up all the water in that part of the country; and a fingle drop of rain had not fallen to moiften the fields which I had fown. Our cattle, no longer finding patture, were on the eve of perifhing, when, at length, the two tribes of Labdeffeba, and the Quadelims, after having each deliberated on their prefent fituation, refolved to go in fearch of fome fpot occupied by more induftrious hands.

I was in this difinal fituation, when I accidentally met with an Arab, who had in his train a Christian flave, whom I found had been baker to our fhip. This Arab difpofed of him to my mafter, at a moderate price; and he was affigned to perform my ordinary labour. I had now leifure to recruit my ftrength a little; but the unhappy baker paid dearly for the knowledge which he had in the art of preparing food. After eating all the fnails which we could find in the neighbourhood, we fed upon the flesh of the fheep that had died, either of hunger or disease; and this fuggefted to us the idea of ftrangling a few kids in the night-time, perfuaded that our masters would throw them away, as their law does not permit them to eat the flesh of any animal, unless it has died by the knife; but fufpicion falling on us, at

length