deed, he came to us
to serve as guide through the country over which he wields delegated
dominion. He had not far to go. His empire is a mere pocket one. The
palm-trees are about three hundred in number, and there are but
half-a-dozen diminutive fields of barley ripening in the ear, fed by
irrigation from several wells which supply tolerably sweet water. A few
onion-beds occur in the little gardens, which are partially shaded by
some small trees.

Sheikh Omer supplied us with copious bowls of milk; the most refreshing
thing, after all, that can be drank in the heat of the day. We were,
however, impatient to get off, but had to wait for a blacksmith to shoe
the horses of our chaouch. The only knowing man in this department was
away at some neighbouring village, and it was necessary to send
messengers to find him. There being nothing better to do, the day,
accordingly, was spent in quarrelling. We had at least a hundred
tongue-skirmishes between our people and the people of Mizdah--between
our chaouch and the other chaouch--between our chaouch and the sheikh of
the country--between Yusuf and the Fezzanee--between every individual
black and every other individual black--Between our chaouch particularly
and all the people of Mizdah:--in short, there were as many rows as it
were possible for a logician to find relations betwixt man and man.

I must not forget that our chaouch, in spite of all this effervescence,
had got up this morning in a very pious state of mind. He told us that a
marabout had appeared to him in a dream, and had said, "O man! go to
Soudan with the Christians, and thou shalt return with the blessing of
God upon thee!" This vision seemed to have made a deep impression upon
him at the time, but he had forgotten it long before it had ceased to be
the subject of my anxious thoughts--"O God, I beseech thee, indeed, to
give us a prosperous journey! But thy will be done. We are entirely in
thy hands!"

_April 10th._--We had another glorious row this morning before starting.
A man who had gone to fetch the blacksmith, and found him not, demanded
payment of two Tunisian piastres. The chaouch, suspecting that he never
went at all, but concealed himself in the village, would not pay him.
This brought on a collision. Sheikh Omer supported us; and so all the
people of the other village took part against us. Two of them were
armed, and some of us thought it advisable to load our pistols. At last,
however, we pushed t