About nine in the evening, great bowls of couscous were served for supper. The sherifs, being persons of high distinction, ate first, and sent us the remainder. On the 12th of August, at five A. M. we quitted Soforo, and again observed in its outskirts a long line of pleasing gardens: the road, shaded by trellises of fig-trees, is paved with flints to the distance of nearly three or four miles from the town. As we gaily pursued our route northwards, we fell in with many Jews proceeding to the market of Fez, which place we also reached about noon. The road had been good, less stony than that we had previously traversed; but the ground was little cultivated. Having neither acquaintance nor letters of recommendation, I took up my lodging with my muleteer at the fandac. After a short repose upon a mat, I was desirous of visiting the market. To reach it I passed through several dirty narrow streets of low buildings. The market is held in a street under a roof of trellis-work and straw; the dealers occupy little shops, five or six feet square, raised about three feet above the surface of the ground. Men keep these shops and sit there the whole day in the fashion of tailors on their board. No one took notice of me, and I bought for three felouses[21] a small loaf and a few grapes upon which I dined; then returning to the fandac I passed the night there with the asses and mules. On the 13th, I went with a negro of Mequinaz to visit the upper part of the town; this good-natured man took pleasure in shewing me its curiosities. We inspected several mosques: one in particular attracted my attention as the finest; it is called by the Moors Mouladrib. Wishing to proceed as soon as possible, risked changing two English crowns, in order to hire a mule to carry me to Rabat, where I hoped to find a French Consul. I applied first to a Moorish merchant, who bore the character of being very devout; he weighed my pieces and offered much less than their value; I was refusing to part with them on such terms when a Jew blacksmith passed us, and the Moor proposed to him to purchase them. Notwithstanding the bad character of his race, he proved less usurious than the Musulman. After weighing the crowns in scales which he always carried about him, he offered me a price much above that of the zealous follower of Mahomet; I therefore treated with him: but having at the moment no money at hand, to avoid detaining me he requested the Moor to pay me the price agreed upon. The latter hastened to comply, but gave me coin which would not pass without a diminution of one fourth of its value. Such is the charity of these avaricious hypocrites, who abuse with impunity the ignorance and simplicity of an unfortunate stranger.