d be abandoned.

We encamped a stone's throw beyond the houses. The well is called by the
same name as the village. The inhabitants are Tuaricks, and some of them
of a very pure race, almost white; whilst others, again, are dark: they
are called Tagama. The women and children all came out to sell their
cheeses, and a few other things. I purchased two small fowls and a good
number of cheeses, which seem to be the principal articles of produce:
they are made quite square, three or four inches a side, and a quarter
of an inch thick. I purchased these with imitation silver rings, of
which the people are immensely fond, preferring them to the imitation
gold ring. I got two cheeses for a ring--a plain hoop: the fowls cost
each three of these toys. The women and girls bothered me much with
their curiosity and their bartering. Some of them are as stout as the
Mooresses of the coast, and nearly all are well-looking; many with very
good features, and fair for this country. All are polite enough, men,
women, and children. We are glad to find the people more civil, the
nearer we approach to Soudan. We pray and hope this amendment may
continue; for hitherto, since we left Mourzuk, we have always had the
people, with the exception of those of Tintalous, more or less hostile
towards us. Some of our customers came to ask if the rings were really
silver, for the blacksmith of the village had said they were only
pewter. We replied, they were _de-de_ silver; that is, looked like it,
or equal to it. They are, indeed, a most excellent imitation of silver,
and answer quite as well the purpose of adorning these Targhee beauties.

I saw to-day, on a single bough of tholukh, and a very small bough,
three birds' nests suspended in a festoon. I tasted the wild
water-melons of this part of the Sahara, and found them bitterness
itself. But I am told by our Gatronee, that the Tibboos have a method of
extracting the bitterness from this wild fruit. The people brought me
_en route_ some fruit, called in Bornou _kusulu_, and _mageria_ in
Haussa; that is, the _nebek_ or fruit of the sider or lote-tree. They
were dry, but sweet and nice, and of a pleasant, acid sweet. Provisions
thus are becoming more plentiful and varied. Dr. Barth has bought some
meat of _el-wagi_, the name given by Yusuf for the bugar wahoush, or
wild ox of the Arabs.

The greater part of the trees in this region are of the species called
in Haussa, _tadani_, and in Bornouese, _kabi