rial of it. Strong umbrellas would be very
useful during the hot summer months for all Saharan travellers.

I to-day asked the son of Shafou how his father liked the sword. An
unfortunate question. He replied, "Ah, he sends his compliments; but
says the sword is a little thing, and that you ought to have sent him
some money. There were many people waiting to see you at Aroukeen. They
were much disappointed at your not coming. They said,--'The Christians
must pass this way.'" It appears that a whole tribe of Tuaricks were
waiting for us, to beg, and to "eat us up," as the Arabs graphically
express it. In this respect we have been fortunate in not finding
Tuaricks on our line of route.

7th--We made another long and weary day of twelve hours. The fatigue is
killing. Our course was south-west, through heaps and groups of rocks
and narrow shallow wadys. In some directions, ridges of small rocks; in
others, isolated masses of conic form. The bed of the desert is mostly
granite, and some of the rocks are of the same substance. Indeed, the
Central Sahara seems to bristle with ridges of granite. Then there are
many varieties of this stone, and others springing out of granite, as
quartz rocks and felspar, and some sandstone mixed with quartz. Across
our path we observed many traces of wild oxen, and a few were seen with
their immense horns. Birds and reptiles were rare, and the lizard not so
frequent as before. Our camels found scarcely a mouthful of hasheesh; no
trees were visible, except a few miserable tholukhs.

The Kailouees have changed in a marked manner since Wataitee has
rejoined us, and are much more civil. But I do not talk to them,
contenting myself with a civil "Good day. How do you do?" This prevents
them from begging of me. They beg of Barth and Overweg, who do not
notice them. As I am "the person who gives," I am obliged to be very
polite, but distant.

_8th._--We started at sunrise, and made a short day of seven hours and
a-half, resting at last in a wady surrounded with rocks, where there was
some good herbage.

In the course of this march we met another portion of the large Soudan
caravan, and consigned to it our letters. They brought the news that the
Tanelkums were a day only in advance, having halted to take up water at
Aroukeen, where they dug again the old well which had been blocked with
stones.

This caravan informed us, besides, that the body of the large caravan
was resting at the well of Tajet