of corn grown there,
on account of the abundance of water. Sidi Jafel Waled Sakertaf--whose
voluminous name we found it quite easy to learn under these
circumstances--is cousin of the Sultan Shafou, and a very old man; but
we cannot hope that in these frugal regions the gout will interfere in
our favour, and put a stop to this unprovoked foray.

The weather has been cool to-day. We are on high ground, although in a
wady; and this renders the heat very supportable. The reported attack
keeps our minds occupied, and has a little upset us; but no one talks of
flinching. Besides, this has not been the first alarm, nor will it be
the last. I sent an account of this circumstance so far to Lord
Palmerston by the courier; and should have written much more, had not I
been occupied with the news and with the Kailouees, who have chosen this
occasion to be troublesome. We do not get so much information, by the
way, out of these people as we might expect; they do not know the names
of the wadys and rocks hereabouts, and so pretend they have none.

The hundred dollars which we brought from Mourzuk are now nearly all
gone--I have only eight or ten left. Friend Sidi Jalef Waled
Sakertaf--how unmusical the name sounds!--will get little money from us,
and must content himself with our baggage, if he will play the robber.
For the cousin of a Sultan, fie!

_August 1._--We left Ajunjer early, and made five hours only, because
to-morrow there is no herbage until late in the evening. How tantalising
to be obliged to advance thus by short stages towards an ambuscade! We
take things pretty philosophically, however, and make geological
observations. Overweg (who begins to show signs of weakness) is
delighted that we have at length reached a region of granite. I think I
must have passed a great number of rocks of the same kind between
Ghadamez and Ghat. To the eye of an ordinary observer, some of them have
the same aspect as sandstone, or even limestone. This granite interests
us, especially as in the direct Bornou route there appears to be none at
all.

Dr. Barth compares the Tuaricks of Ghat and the Haghar to lions and
tigers, and the Kailouees to snakes. The comparison well hits off their
outward characteristics, but, as Overweg says, we must not judge of
these people by the ordinary rules of morality, or apply to them an
European standard. I suspect we shall have to put up with still more
extraordinary specimens of human nature.

We were