his company, and we were glad to have discovered this circumstance
so early, as it might prevent us from relying upon their co-operation,
in cases of greater importance. We did not much expect that the
Arabs would proceed to extremities, but our party, at all events, was
quite as strong as theirs, and we were determined to carry our point.
When the Camels were loaded, and we were about to drive them
off, the warmth of our opponents had abated; for an Arab very
easily makes up his mind to submission when he finds that the
chances are not greatly in his favour; and they followed our party
without offering further resistance, resuming by degrees their customary
occupations. A little beyond Giraff is a small ravine or wady,
called Ghebaiba, the banks of which present the only cultivation
which is to be found in this neighbourhood ; and near it, on a little
rising ground, are the remains of some building, too much in ruin to
admit of any satisfactory description, and which bears the same
name as the wady. As we passed over the plain which occurs after
Giraff, the country began to assume a more pleasing aspect. Instead
of the dreary, level surface of the marsh over which we had lately
travelled, we now passed over a succession of undulating ground,
covered with pasturage, among which appeared flocks of sheep and
goats, and here and there an Arab tent. But the most welcome
objects which this change of soil afforded were the wells of sweet
water which presented themselves at Zaffran, near one of which we
encamped for the night ; and after a few copious draughts, we soon
forgot the nauseous flavour of that which we had lately been drinking,
which nothing but necessity could have induced any one to swallow.
We drew plentifully from the wells, which were very deep, and
allowed our horses and camels to drink freely; a luxury which the
poor animals had not enjoyed since leaving Mesurata, as their allowance
even of the bad water had been necessarily limited, and for the
last four days they had been without any. This privation, though
not unusual in the Syrtis, was nevertheless severely felt by both
horses and camels ; and their breath during these intervals, particularly
that of the camel, became extremely heated and offensive*.
I t is in this neighbourhood that we must look for the Aspis of
Strabo, which is mentioned by that geographer as occurring after the
lake, and for a port which he describes as the best in the Syrtis.
“After the lake (are his words) is . a place (called) Aspis, and a
port (which is) the best of those in the Syrtisf.” The first remains
of building which occur after Sooleb (where the great body of the
lake has already been said to finish) are those at Mahiid Hassan,
which is evidently an ancient site. To these remains succeed those
of Zaffran, which are more important, and are placed in a much more
desirable situation. They occur immediately after Giraff where the
marsh finishes altogether, and are situated in a country abounding
with pasturage, and furnished with a plentiful supply of sweet
water. Zaffr&n has been evidently a military station; and it ,is
there that we began to perceive more clearly the nature of those
* The camel has been known to go as'much as ten days without water, but1 they stdier
very much from an abstinence of three and four days.
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p. 8.36.
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