The Bey of Tunis has an immense number of camels which he farms out.  He has overseers in certain districts, to whom he gives so many camels; these let them out to other persons for mills and agricultural labours, at so much per head.  The overseers annually render an account of them to Government, and, when called upon, supply the number required.  At this time, owing to a disorder which had caused a great mortality, camels had been very scarce, and this was the reason of the extensive seizure just mentioned.  If an Arab commits manslaughter, his tribe is mulcted thirty-three camels; and, as the crime is rather common in the Bedouin districts, the Bey’s acquisition in this way is considerable.  A few years ago, a Sicilian nobleman exported from Tunis to Sicily some eighty camels, the duty for which the Bey remitted.  The camel, if ever so healthy and thriving in the islands of the Mediterranean, could never supersede the labour of mules.  The camel is only useful where there are vast plains to travel, as in North Africa, Arabia, Persia, Australasia, and some parts of the East Indies.

A hundred more Arabs joined, who passed in a single file before the Bey for inspection:  they came rushing into the camp by twos and threes, firing off their long guns.

We crossed large plains, over which ran troops of gazelles, and had many gallops after them; but they go much faster than the greyhound, and, unless headed and bullied, there is little chance of taking them, except found asleep.  On coming on a troop unawares, R. shot one, which the dogs caught.  R. went up afterwards to cut its throat a la Moresque, when he was insulted by an Arab.  R. noticed the fellow, and afterwards told the Bey, who instantly ordered him to receive two hundred bastinadoes, and to be put in chains; but, just as they had begun to whip him, R. went up and generously begged him off.  This is the end of most bastinados in the country.  We passed a stream which they said had swallowed up some persons, and was very dangerous.  A muddy stream, they add, is often very fatal to travellers.  The Bey surprised Captain B. by sending him a handsome black horse as a present; he also sent a grey one to the Frenchman, who, when complaining of it, saying that it was a bad one, to the Bey’s mamelukes, his Highness sent for it, and gave him another.  Under such circumstances, Saint Mary ought to have looked very foolish.  The Bey shot a kader, a handsome bird, rather larger than a partridge, with black wings, and flies like a plover.  We had a large hawking-establishment with us, some twenty birds, very fine falconry, which sometimes carried off hares, and even attacked young goat-kids.  Marched to a place called Gilma, near which the road passes through an ancient town.  Shaw says, “Gilma, the ancient Cilma, or Oppidum Chilmanenense, is six leagues to the east-south-east of Spaitla.  We have here the remains of a large city, with the area of a temple, and some other fragments of large buildings.  According to the tradition of the Arabs, this place received its name in consequence of a miracle pretended to have been wrought by one of their marabouts, in bringing hither the river of Spaitla, after it was lost underground.  For Ja Elma signifies, in their language, ‘The water comes!’ an expression we are to imagine of surprise at the arrival of the stream.”