venture to make an incursion on his territory,
Bou-Akas seldom condescends to march
against them in person, but sends his negro
into the principal village. This envoy just
displays the gun of Bou-Akas, and the injury
is instantly repaired.

He keeps in pay two or three hundred
Tolbas to read the Koran to the people:
every pilgrim going to Mecca, and passing
through Ferdj' Onah, receives three francs,
and may remain as long as he pleases to enjoy
the hospitality of Bou-Akas. But whenever
the Scheik discovers that he has been deceived
by a pretended pilgrim, he immediately
despatches emissaries after the impostor; who,
wherever he is, find him, throw him down, and
give him fifty blows on the soles of his feet.

Bou-Akas sometimes entertains three hundred
persons at dinner; but instead of sharing
their repast, he walks round the tables with a
baton in his hand, seeing that the servants
attend properly to his guests. Afterwards,
if any thing is left, he eats; but not until the
others have finished.

When the governor of Constantinople, the
only man whose power he recognises, sends
him a traveller; according to the rank of the
latter, or the nature of the recommendation,
Bou-Akas gives him his gun, his dog, or his
knife. If the gun, the traveller takes it on
his shoulder; if the dog, he leads it in a leash;
or if the knife, he hangs it round his neck:
and with any one of these potent talismans,
of which each bears its own degree of honour,
the stranger passes through the region of
the twelve tribes, not only unscathed, but, as
the guest of Bou-Akas, treated with the
utmost hospitality. When the traveller is about
to leave Ferdj' Onah, he consigns the knife,
the dog, or the gun to the care of the first
Arab he meets. If the Arab is hunting, he
leaves the chase; if labouring in the field, he
leaves his plough; and, taking the precious
deposit, hastens to restore it to Bou-Akas.

The black-handled knife is so well known,
that it has given the surname of "Bou-
Djenoni, the man of the knife," to its owner.
With this implement he is accustomed to
cut off heads, whenever he takes a fancy to
perform that agreeable office with his own
hand.

When first Bou-Akas assumed the government,
the country was infested with robbers,
but he speedily found means to extirpate
them. He disguised himself as a poor
merchant; walked out, and dropped a douro (a
gold coin) on the ground, taking care not to
lose sight of it. If the person who happened
to pick up the douro, put it into his pocket
and passed on, Bou-Akas made a sign to his
chinaux (who followed him, also in disguise,
and knew the Scheik's will) rushed forward
immediately, and decapitated the offender.

In consequence of this summary method of
administering justice, it is a saying amongst
the Arabs, that a child might traverse the
regions which own Bou-Akas's sway, wearing
a golden crown on his head, without a single
hand being stretched out to take it.

The Scheik has great respect for women,
and has ordered that when the females of
Ferdj' Onah go out to draw water, every man
who meets them shall turn away his head.

Wishing one day to ascertain whether his
commands were attended to, he went out in
disguise; and, meeting a beautiful Arab
maiden on her way to the well, approached
and saluted her.

The girl looked at him with amazement,
and said,

"Pass on, stranger; thou knowest not the
risk thou hast run."

And when Bou-Akas persisted in speaking
to her, she added:—

"Foolish man, and reckless of thy life;
knowest thou not that we are in the country
of Bou-Djenoni, who causes all women to be
held in respect?"

Bou-Akas is very strict in his religious
observances; he never omits his prayers and
ablutions, and has four wives, the number
permitted by the Koran. Having heard that
the Cadi of one of his twelve tribes
administered justice in an admirable manner, and
pronounced decisions in a style worthy of King
Solomon himself, Bou-Akas, like a second
Haroun-Al-Raschid, determined to judge for
himself as to the truth of the report.

Accordingly, dressed like a private
individual, without arms or attendants, he set out
for the Cadi's town, mounted on a docile
Arabian steed.

He arrived there, and was just entering the
gate, when a cripple seizing the border of his
burnous, asked him for alms in the name of
the prophet. Bou-Akas gave him money,
but the cripple still maintained his hold.

"What dost thou want?" asked the Scheik
—"I have already given thee alms."

"Yes," replied the beggar, "but the law
says, not only 'Thou shalt give alms to thy
brother,' but also, 'Thou shalt do for thy
brother whatsoever thou canst.'"

"Well! and what can I do for thee?"

"Thou canst save me,—poor crawling
creature that I am!—from being trodden
under the feet of men, horses, mules and
camels, which would certainly happen to me in
passing through the crowded square, in which
a fair is now going on."

"And how can I save thee?"

"By letting me ride behind you, and
putting me down safely in the market-place,
where I have business."

"Be it so," replied Bou-Akas. And stooping
down, he helped the cripple to get up
behind him; a business which was not
accomplished without much difficulty.

The strangely assorted riders attracted
many eyes as they passed through the crowded
streets; and at length they reached the
market-place.

"Is this where you wish to stop?" asked
Bou-Akas.