October 1st.—This was the great feast called Aid el Kebire, which is to commemorate the meeting of the pilgrims at Mecca, and their offering sacrifices on holy ground. On this occasion each master of a family feeds his wives, children, and slaves on meat, and it is considered meritorious in him to kill, with his own hands, any animals he may purchase. By chance the Sultan recollected us at this festival, and sent us a lamb, which was a treat we little expected. Mr. Ritchie being weak and nervous, I, as in duty bound, became the butcher, and performed my task with great alacrity. Animal food was such a novelty to us, that we actually were tempted to eat too much, and in consequence the next day we all fell ill. No good Moslem will eat of an animal which has not had its throat cut in a particular way, and “In the name of God.” We had never offered meat, having, indeed, none to offer but such as was killed in the markets; but on this occasion we found the most scrupulous ready to accept, and perfectly satisfied with the lawfulness of the food, although when we first came into the country they would not eat pigeons, which were killed by us, fancying that in cutting their throats we had omitted the prescribed ceremonies. At this period the Sultan became a little better, and began to give Belford a great deal of trouble, by employing him to repair his three field-pieces, the wheels and carriages of which were much out of order. There was great difficulty in explaining to the blacksmiths how to make large nails, or to bend the iron for the wheels, and, in Belford’s weak state, he found it a very laborious task to overlook and instruct them. He, however, was rewarded with wholesome food, with which we could not have supplied him at home, the Sultan daily sending him some rice and meat whilst at his work. The poor fellow often thought of us, and wished we could have partaken of his good fare. This job being at last finished, I was consulted by Mukni respecting the construction of a coach, and I promised him that if he could manage to procure good wood for the purpose, Belford should make it, provided Mr. Ritchie did not object, and that I would train four horses to run in it. I anticipated much pleasure and amusement in this new occupation, as I had at the time nothing to interest or divert me. Mukni sometimes, in high good humour, sent us a few fresh dates of a peculiar kind, of which Mr. Ritchie was very fond, and even extended his generosity so far as to allow of our cutting two palm-trees out of a million and a half, for Lackbi.