A boundless horizon was already expanded before us, and we could distinguish nothing but an immense plain of shining sand, and over it a burning sky. At this sight the camels uttered long moans, the slaves became sullen and silent, and, with their eyes turned towards heaven, they appeared to be tortured with regret for the loss of their country, and with the recollection of the verdant plains from which avarice and cruelty had snatched them. CHAPTER XXIII. Violence of the east winds — Pillars of sand — Scarcity of water — Deplorable situation of the caravan — Hills of loose sand — Rocks of granite — Wells of Telig — Toudeyni, rich salt mines — Thistle of the desert — Vexations and persecutions of the Moors, their intolerance — Wells of Cramès — Well of Trasas or Trarzas — Trajacant Moors. We continued our route to the north a little west, through a district uniformly arid, interspersed with little sand-hills, in a direction from east to west. The east wind had now subsided, and the heat was excessive on account of the calm. We were tormented with thirst, for we only drank once in the course of the day. I derived some benefit from the care I took, after the example of the Moors, to fasten a strip of cotton cloth over my eyes, and another over my mouth to keep off the burning air which parched my lungs. In the course of the day, we had passed over grey and red gravel in many places. Towards half past five we halted on unvaried sand; and a large calabash of water mixed with dokhnou was brought to us. We had eaten nothing all day, and yet we felt no need of food; for the dokhnou is very nourishing, and the burning thirst with which we were tormented had taken away every thing like hunger. A Moor was sent to take care of the camels, which were wandering here and there in search of a few blades of grass. About ten at night, we had some rice cooked, which we ate with melted butter; but it made me very thirsty. I begged for a little water; but old Aly, my guide, who had remained behind, no doubt that he might drink as much as he liked himself without being seen, came up at the moment they were preparing to give me the water, and peremptorily countermanded it. This was only a prelude to the annoyance he afterwards caused me.