less oppressive: the Ries were-in such myriads,'' that darkness was the only refuge from their annoyance. All poor Mr. Ritchie’3 sufferings and disappointments were brought to our recollections ; and although, from the arrangements which we had been ' able to make, we were better provided with necèS- saries than those who had gone before us,—yet did we consider our stock as a very sacred charge, applicable only to the grand objects of our expedition. We received visits from all the principal people of Mourzuk the day after our arrival ; and remarking a very tall Tuarick, with a pair of expressive, large, benevolènt-loôking eÿès, above the black mask with which they always Cover the lower part of their face, hovering about the door, I made sighs to him to come near, and inquired after Hateeta, the chief Captain Lyon had spoken so highly of, and for whom, at his request, I was the bearer of a sword. To my great surprise, striking his breast, he exclaimed, ' “I am Hateeta I are you a countryman of Said*?—how is he ? I have often longed to hear of him.” I found Hateeta had been but once in Mourzuk since Captain Lyotf s departure; and was nowonly to remain a few days. On the following morning he came to the house, and the sword was presented to him. I t would be difficult to describe his delight ; he drew the sword and returned it, rèpéatedlly ; pressed it to his breast, exclaimed “ Allah, Allah!” took my hand, and pressing''it, said “ Katar heyriclc yassur yassur” (thank you very very much)-; nearly all the Arabic he could speak. J t was shortly reported all over the whole town,' that Hateeta had received a present from Said, worth one hundred dollars. 12th.—We had been several times visited, and our hopes and spirits raised, by a person called Boo-Bucker Boo-Khaloom. He said that it was in the sultan’s power to send us on to Bomou if he pleased : he even'hinted that â bribe for himself might induce him to do so—this, however, we found was nOt the case. Boo-Khaloom was represented to us, and truly, as à merchant of very considerable riches and influence in the interior. He was on the evë of starting for Tripoli, with really superb presents for th e bashaw. He had five hundred slaves, the handsomest that could be procured, besides other thing's. He stated to Us, secretly, that his principal object in goingto Tripoli Was to obtain the removal of the present sultan of Fezzan ; and wished that we should make application to the bashaw for him to accompany us farther into the iii- * Captain Lyon's travelling name. FR OM T R IP O L I TO M O U R Z U K . XXIll terior: we were not,, however, to hint that the proposition had come from him. Boo-Khaloom said that he should be instantlyjoined by upwards of one hundred merchants who waited but for his going, and no further escort would be necessary; that he should merely remain a few weeks in Tripoli, and, on his return, we .could instantly move on. The'substance of all . these conversations was transmitted to Colonel Warrington. Boo-Khaloom left Mourzuk for Tripoli, with his slaves and presents,: loading upwards of thirty camels, apparently reconciled to, and upon good terms with, the sultan. It was, however, very well known that Sultan Mustapha had set every engine at work to have Boo-Kh;d.oom’s head taken off on his arrival in T ripoli; and that the other was willing to sacrifice all he was worth to displace and ruin Mustapha in the bashaw’s favour. I t was not till the 18th, that the sultan, after attending the mosque, started for T ripoli; all his. camels and suite had marched in divisions, for three days previous,—in slaves he had alone more than one thousand five hundred. He was attended by about ten horsemen, his. particular favourites, and four flags were carried before him through the town. The inhabitants complained dreadfully of his avarice, and declared that he had not left a dollar, or an animal worth one, in all Fezzan. Nothing was now to be done but to make our arrangements for a favourable start the following spring.. By the sultan’s departure, every necessary for our p r o c e e d i n g was .withdrawn.from the spot where we were. Not a camel was to. be procured, and every dollar, that he could by any means force from his -subjects, was forwarded to Tripoli. To Tripoli, therefore, were we to look for supplies of every kind; and it was decided by us all, that;my departure had better follow his as soon as, possible. In pursuance of our determination to represent to the bashaw of T ripoli how necessary it was that something more than promises should be given us for Qur .sterling.money, on Monday, the 20th May, I left Mourzuk, with only my own negro servant Barca, three camels, and two Arabs ; and, after a most dreary journey of twenty days, over the same uninteresting: country I had already traversed,—the more dreary for want of my former companions,—I arrived at Tripoli on the 12th June, where I was received by the consul with his usual hospitality and: kindness, and he assigned me apartments in the consulate.
27f 24
To see the actual publication please follow the link above