l-Shaty, in a
state of great exhaustion. During the latter part of the march, however,
we had been cheered by the sight of the town, which stands on a small
mound of yellow clay and rock. The whitewashed marabout of Bou Darbalah
gleamed a little distance in front of the place, which in itself is now
a heap of ruins, having been destroyed by Abd-el-Galeel, on account of
the resistance of the inhabitants to his usurped authority. He also,
with a cruelty rarely practised in Saharan warfare, cut down above a
thousand palms; thus rendering it impossible for the place to recover
rapidly from its disasters. Previously there had been a hundred and
twenty heads of families; now there are only twenty-five, and these are
still diminishing it is said. However, many little children are now in
the streets, naked, and covered with filth.

These few inhabitants are a mixed race, some being as fair as those on
the coast, whilst others are as black as the darkest negroes of Central
Africa. The Sheikh and two or three patriarchs of the village were
polite and hospitable, and showed every disposition to comply with the
orders sent by the Pasha of Mourzuk to supply us with fresh provisions
without payment. I accepted a sheep and two fowls; but the dates for our
blacks I paid for, and added a few presents.

The valley of Edree is very shallow, and this portion of it is mostly
covered with bushes of wild palm and with coarse herbage; it looks green
and grateful amidst the surrounding aridity. There are still remaining
many fruit-bearing date-trees--about seven thousand, scattered at great
distances. The water is good, although the surface of the valley is in
parts covered with a whitish crust of salt. Some large springs are
continually overflowing with bubbles of gas, like the great well of
Ghadamez.

In the garden-fields of Edree are cultivated wheat and barley, the
former white and of the finest quality. A good deal of grain has already
been got in this year. With industry, and a few more animals to draw the
water for irrigation, a great quantity of wheat might be grown in this
oasis. The gardens contain also a few figs and grapes. Doves were
fluttering in the branches of the palms, and swallows darting through
their waving foliage. There were thousands of native flies here, besides
those that had come with us. When we complained, we were answered, "This
is a country of dates!"

Shaty has eighteen districts, some very limited, but havin