Ali Was,
However, Disappointed By Not Finding Among My Effects The Quantity
Of Gold And Amber That He Expected; But To Make Sure Of Everything
He Sent The Same People, On The Morning Following, To Examine
Whether I Had Anything Concealed About My Person.
They, with their
usual rudeness, searched every part of my apparel, and stripped me
of all my gold, amber,
My watch, and one of my pocket-compasses; I
had, fortunately, in the night, buried the other compass in the
sand - and this, with the clothes I had on, was all that the tyranny
of Ali had now left me.
The gold and amber were highly gratifying to Moorish avarice, but
the pocket-compass soon became an object of superstitious curiosity.
Ali was very desirous to be informed why that small piece of iron,
the needle, always pointed to the Great Desert; and I found myself
somewhat puzzled to answer the question. To have pleaded my
ignorance would have created a suspicion that I wished to conceal
the real truth from him; I therefore told him that my mother resided
far beyond the sands of Sahara, and that whilst she was alive the
piece of iron would always point that way, and serve as a guide to
conduct me to her, and that if she was dead it would point to her
grave. Ali now looked at the compass with redoubled amazement;
turned it round and round repeatedly; but observing that it always
pointed the same way, he took it up with great caution and returned
it to me, manifesting that he thought there was something of magic
in it, and that he was afraid of keeping so dangerous an instrument
in his possession.
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