e gate, and the
procession poured along the streets, the women _loo-looing_ as we
passed, the bagpipes shrieking louder than ever, the crowd buzzing, the
horses thundering, the cavaliers shouting. In fine, this hubbub carried
us quite back into the regions of civilisation, where men collect on
public occasions often without any real joy, and by mere process of
action and reaction succeed in working themselves up into a state of
boisterous enthusiasm.

Several days were now chiefly occupied in writing reports on the
progress made by the expedition hitherto; and in voluminous
correspondence on petty, matters--petty, I mean, in themselves, but very
important to us--all connected with our future proceedings. I forwarded
to the Foreign Office a letter addressed by the Sultan Laoul, of the
Tibboos of Bilma, to Mr. Gagliuffi. It appears these people are now
nominally subject to the Ottoman Porte.

_12th._--We went to pay a visit to Mustapha Agha, my old friend of
Ghadamez. He received us with all the honours--a guard of officers,
pipes, coffee, and sherbet. That important subject of health was a good
deal talked of. Mustapha fears the climate of Fezzan, and finds little
consolation in the doctrines of fatalism. He seemed surprised at the
bulk of the despatches last forwarded from the Consulate, and asked if
we all knew how to write. He cannot understand the necessity of minute
directions. We explained as well as we could; and then talked of the
journeys we had respectively performed. This gave Mustapha an
opportunity of astonishing us in his Turkish way. He said that he had
come with 200 men and 300 camels from Tripoli in sixteen days, having
stopped only one day, and travelled regularly from three in the
afternoon to nine next morning. We marvelled, as in duty bound; but
refrained not from making inquiries; the result of which was, that the
real time was thirty-one days, only eight days less than we had
occupied. We did not scold Mustapha for his exaggeration, but might
perhaps have done so without offence. When a Turk does tell a lie, he
submits to be accused of it with good-humour.

After leaving the hyperbolical Governor, we went to see Sheikh Mohammed
Boro, Sakontaroua of Aghadez, who has arrived here _en route_ from
Mekka. He was recommended to us by Hassan Pasha of Tripoli; but Mr.
Gagliuffi does not think much of him. We shall see.

_14th._--Walked in the gardens, and were pleased with their aspect. On
returning,