About five o'clock we came in sight of Benowm, the residence of Ali. It
presented to the eye a great number of dirty looking tents, scattered
without order, over a large space of ground; and among the tents appeared
large herds of camels, cattle, and goats. We reached the skirts of the
camp, a little before sunset, and, with much entreaty, procured a little
water. My arrival was no sooner observed, than the people who drew water
at the wells threw down their buckets; those in the tents mounted their
horses, and men, women, and children, came running or galloping towards
me. I soon found myself surrounded by such a crowd, that I could scarcely
move; one pulled my clothes, another took off my hat, a third stopped me
to examine my waistcoat buttons, and a fourth called out, _la illah el
allah Mahomet rasowl allahi_,[10] and signified, in a threatening manner,
that I must repeat those words. We reached at length the king's tent,
where we found a great number of people, men and women, assembled. Ali
was sitting upon a black leather cushion, clipping a few hairs from his
upper lip; a female attendant holding up a looking-glass before him. He
appeared to be an old man, of the Arab cast, with a long white beard; and
he had a sullen and indignant aspect. He surveyed me with attention, and
inquired of the Moors if I could speak Arabic: being answered in the
negative, he appeared much surprised, and continued silent. The
surrounding attendants, and especially the ladies, were abundantly more
inquisitive: they asked a thousand questions, inspected every part of my
apparel, searched my pockets, and obliged me to unbutton my waistcoat,
and display the whiteness of my skin: they even counted my toes and
fingers, as if they doubted whether I was in truth a human being. In a
little time the priest announced evening prayers; but before the people
departed, the Moor, who had acted as interpreter, informed me that Ali
was about to present me with something to eat; and looking round, I
observed some boys bringing a wild hog, which they tied to one of the