Towards eleven at night, several large calabashes full of couscous, with the flesh of a kid killed for the purpose, were brought to us from the village; the bearers carried them on their heads, and were lighted by a taper. No sooner had these messes arrived than the descendants of Mahomet feasted voraciously, and gave what remained to the Moors of their train: care was taken to awaken all who were or pretended to be asleep. I was at the moment lying on the sand beside the baggage; and as no one seemed to pay any attention to me, I patiently resigned myself to the loss of my supper, although I had eaten nothing the whole day but some dates, given to me by my host at parting. At length a Moor from the village, walking about with his taper in his hand, discovered me, and asking who I was, led me to an immense dish of couscous, round which several Moors were assembled, and desired me to help myself. The Moor who presided at the repast placed some scraps of meat upon an old mule-cloth, and, when we had eaten the couscous, he gave to each a little bit of the reserved meat, tearing it with his dirty fingers. On the 3rd of August, at half-past five in the morning, we again proceeded northward, through plantations entirely surrounded with earth walls, over which I perceived beautiful fruit trees, such as pears, figs, apricots, vines, and some rose bushes. These charming plains though rather deficient in moisture, often renewed the delightful remembrance of our European gardens. The sterility of the Sahara was still so impressed upon my imagination, that the plains of Tafilet appeared by comparison a terrestrial paradise. About ten in the morning we passed Tanneyara, a little village, a mile to the east of our road, shaded by immense numbers of date-trees. Here our caravan was retarded by a troop of Arabs, to whom we were obliged, whether we would or not, to pay the passage-dues. This prank occasioned a great deal of confusion; the two parties had nearly come to blows; but fortunately no bad consequences ensued: the merchants gave a few dragmes, and the Arabs left us to continue our route, which lay over a dry and gravelly soil. The gently swelling hills which rose on either hand were apparently composed of red sand, and bore no vegetation: the heat was extreme, and we had no water to moisten our parched lips. At one in the afternoon we reached Marca, a large village enclosed by a wall twelve or fourteen feet high, and there halted.