ir faces like their kindred of Ghat, but have for the most
part white _thelems_ instead of black. A few sport a red fotah, or
turban. They speak Arabic commonly, but some know also the language of
Ghat; which fact connects them certainly with that country. Their proper
name is Tanelkum, a genuine Tuarick word, and decisive of their Targhee
origin. Their trade is chiefly camel-driving between Ghat and Fezzan.
They are a fairer and finer race than the Fezzanees, and do not
intermarry with them. Their numbers are not great, perhaps scarcely more
than a thousand souls in all Fezzan; but they live in a state of entire
independence, and pay no contributions to the Porte.

We passed the first well and came up with the true Fezzanees at the
village of Laghareefah, where we encamped. It is situated in Wady
Gharbee, more properly called El-Wady _par excellence_, on account of
its superior fertility and culture. There is also Wady Sherky, and
several others; as Etsaou, Akar, Um-el-Hammam, Takruteen, and Aujar. The
people of Laghareefah are all of a black-brown hue, and some had the
ordinary negro features. They were a little rude at first, but made some
compensation in the evening by sending us a good supply of meat and
fresh bread to our tents.

To our surprise, we saw nothing of our chaouches here; and on making
inquiries, we found that they were not with the caravan. They were known
to have pushed on ahead, impatient to arrive. We suspected they had
taken the wrong route, and did not remember to have seen the track of
their horses' hoofs on the sand as we advanced. At first we were not
sorry that they were suffering a little for their bad conduct all the
way from Tripoli, to which I have only made passing allusions. But then
we began to be alarmed for their safety, and begged the Sheikh to send a
man after them with water. They did not make their appearance until
morning, when we learned that with immense fatigue they had succeeded in
striking the valley lower down at another village, where they had
tarried the remainder of the night. As might be expected, they were in
no good humour after their excursion in the sand; but our people, who
had enjoyed a brief respite of unwonted tranquillity during their
absence, instead of condoling with them, received them with laughter and
jeers.

The Sheikh Abd-el-Hady sent us breakfast, and he and his people were far
more polite than yesterday. We learned that there was a caravan in the
w