"...cooking assailed our nostrils: waves
of za'tr, of roast mutton, of fried
aubergine, and mint-spiced salad
washed over us in turn."
"They made her a soft bed on a slab of
moonstone with layers of soft petals but
the flowers wilted, Sita writhed and
groaned and complained of
everything..."
"We were served large dishes of fried
potatoes, sliced aubergine in tomato
sauce and diced slated cheese, and a
bowl of pomegranates and
watermelons. There was a heap of hot
pitas in the centre of the table."
"...drum and cymbals issued forth,
immediately followed by an Arab song,
sung in a sweet plaintive voice, with
delicate, floating trills."
"The crescent moon rose from behind
the eastern mountains and the peaks of
the gently stirring waves glistened in its
feeble rays, intermingled with threads
of light leaking from the houses of
Manfalout scattered along the opposite
bank."
U