“ The guns! the guns! the guns! Oh, wonderful! how they made the dogs skip !—Oh, the guns!” were words in every body’s mouth. My friend, the sheikh, however, thought there, was a little too much of this, for on the second day, he said, “ True, the guns are wonderful, ’tis tru e !—but I lifted my hands, and said, Sidi absoktm, sidi abdel garda ! and from that moment the victory was yours.” It is said that, on the morning of the battle, the sheikh appeared at the door of his tent, with the English double-barrelled gun in his hand, and his EWliab sword slung over his shoulders, clothed in the dress of a simple trooper, saying it was his intention to fight on foot, at the head of his Eanemboos that he expected all the Arabs to follow his example, and eneourage the slaves, who were but young in the use of the firelock: that if it pleased God to grant their enemies the victory, flight was out of the question; they had nothing left but to die before their wives and children were torn from them, and escape so appalling a sight. April 4.—Nothing could exceed the joy of the people at having obtained the victory: the men walked about all day in their new tobes, and the women danced-, sang, and beat the drum, all night. My hut was thronged with visitors, all recounting their own feats, and bewailing their friends—sending the Begharmis to the devil, and asking for presents on their return, all in the same breath-. I had a private interview with the sheikh, and offered him my hearty congratulations : he was as kind and friendly as ever, talked a good deal about the signal manner in which the Kaffirs had been delivered into his hands, and mentioned most feelingly the death of my poor Companion Mr. Toole, whom he was very partial to—asked if his mother and father were living, and turning to Tirab, who was near him, said, “ How could they send him so far off?” The plunder Was said to have amounted -to four hundred and eighty horses, and nearly two hundred- women, with two eunuchs, and the baggage of the princes, which was carried on bullocks and asses. Fifty of their women were sirias * of great beauty, belonging to the sultan’s sons, and these were all given up to the sheikh. But while all these rejoicings were going on without, the climate was at work within. Omar, an Arab who had lived several years in the service o f the consul at Tripoli, and had accompanied Mr. Toole, at Iris recommendation, a hearty lively fellow, was no severely attacked by the fever, that in seven days we laid him in the earth. Columbus, who had been ill ever since he caught the fever from Mr. Toole, again took to his bed, and seemed to be more .debilitated than ever. April 15.—Although my funds did not exceed eight hundred dollars, yet I determined to see and talk to the sheikh on the subject of an eastern journey f. “ It is not in my power to send you to the eastward,” said he, “ or you should not want my assistance. You have seen enough yourself of the dispositions of the inhabitants of the countries towards me, and their power, to know that this is true. It has pleased God to grant me a victory now, which may lead to quieter times ; even the pilgrims have not for years gone by the Lake Fittre to Hadge. I am as anxious as you are, and with more reason, to open a road with -Egypt from hence: I cannot, nor can my people, now go to Mecca, without passing through the bashaw of Tripoli’s territories, and there are reasons which make that disagreeable. Why not try it from Egypt, where you have many friends, and return from this way by Fezzan ?—that would be easier.” The sheikh has a-most singular manner of delivery, and I scarcely ever * Slaves worthy o f being admitted into the seraglio. f The best information I had ever procured o f the road eastward was from an old hadgi, named E l Rasehifi, a native o f the city o f Medina: he had been at Waday and at Sennaar, at different periods of h ish fe ; and, amongst other things, described to me a people east of Waday, whose greatest luxury was feeding on raw meat, cut from the animal while warm, and full.of b lood: he had twice made the attempt at getting home, but was each time robbed o f every thing; yet, strange to say, he was the only person I could find who was willing to attempt it again. K K 2
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