d makes a more terrible carnage by his bites than all
the musketry. They never make an attack drawn up in line of battle.
Every warrior has his own particular combatant. He who throws his
adversary on the ground, or who carries off his arms or his beast,
retires precipitately with the fruit of his victory. Others, if they
think they are the stronger party, lay hold on them, give them several
blows with a poignard, or trail out their entrails with their horrid
claws. The person who to-day is possessed of considerable riches in
bestial, may find himself reduced to-morrow to extreme poverty, and
stripped by him who, the preceding day, had no property at all. The
weakest tribes, who are in consequence most exposed, are careful to live
at a considerable distance, especially from the Ouadelims and
Labdesseba. I have seen some of these two tribes, sometimes before
leaving their country, begin their ravages in the neighbourhood of
Arguin, which they call Agadir, and carry them even to the gates of
Morocco.

[Footnote 39: This great drum is committed to the charge of one of
the most considerable inhabitants. It is used on different
occasions; sometimes to call to arms, sometimes to inform that an
Arab is bewildered in the Desert, and at other times that the
camels are lost.]

In general, they cultivate no other grain but barley, and sometimes
wheat, when there has been plenty of rain. But after three years of
drought, their fields producing nothing, their method is to carry the
horrors of war into more fortunate countries, and there seize from their
brethren the fruits of their labour and industry. It thus happens that
plentiful crops fall into the hands of ferocious men, who are more
disposed to fight, than to labour for their subsistence.

When the battle is over, each party dig graves for the slain. The
Talbes, being desired to repair to the place stained with the blood of
their brethren, ran up to perform the duties of their function. These
consist in pronouncing some plaintive sounds upon a few handfuls of sand
gathered together in a shell, and sprinkling it upon the unhappy persons
whom they prepare for death, by placing their thumb upon their forehead,
as if they were applying some holy oil, and conclude with throwing upon
their bodies a scarf and chaplet. When they expire, they stretch them in
a grave, always carefully laying them on the left side, with their face
towards the east, as if to contemp