given his Boozaferr, yjy, or footing in the country, which I mentioned our having done at Sockna, or more properly in the Soudah mountains. The Arabs in these cases procure either the skeleton of an animal, or some carrion, and, digging a grave, bury it, howling as if for a deceased friend. All the night they imitate the cries of wolves and hyænas, as if in search of food, saying, “ Where is our Bouzaferr ? we are crying for our Bouzaferr ; the natives are starving; give your Bouzaferr.” The buried bones are intended to imply a starved friend, who is supposed to be unable to rest till the survivors are fed. The old man was, however, deaf to all their hints, and in consequence the Arabs made a little grave (for him, as they said), and left him, not without a few hearty wishes that some harm might befall him. As we sat round our little fires, during our march over the desert, we amused ourselves with a variety of Arab games and puzzles, and a few clumsy tricks with date stones, and much laughing and joking passed off our evening very pleasantly, until sleep seized us, and we then laid ourselves down on the sand round the fire until morning. Friday 18th. Thermometer 2°.—As there was at this place great plenty o f Agool, and other shrubs for the camels, they were, owing to a concerted scheme of the Arabs, not to be found ; we therefore were destined to pass the day hère, in spite o f all our threats and remonstrances. One of a party of Arabs, who had joined our Kafflé at Sebha, and from whom I hired the camel which Belford rode, offered one for sale. I t would not, like other camels, eat dates, and no food was to be found in the track we were to pass. We consequently despaired of its being able to get through the desert; and I, thinking to make a good bargain with him, offered him for it two dollars, or ten shillings. H e refused this, and went away ; but an Arab soon after brought me the animal, having purchased it for me for a dollar and one third, 6«. 8(1.! I killed it, and made every one merry, as it was sufficiently large to afford, for freemen and slaves, each two days’ allowance; it was a Maherry from Borgoo, and I suppose weighed upwards of 600lbs. The hungry Arabs had many quarrels in cutting it u p ; and I sometimes feared there would be mischief amongst them; but the altercation ended, like other quarrels amongst these people, in great noise, and biting tongues at each other. I never before had an opportunity- of observing how water is procured from the belly of a camel, to satisfy the thirst of an almost perishing KafH6. It is the false stomach which contains the water and undigested food. This is strained through a cloth, and then drank; and from those who have been under the necessity of making use of this beverage, I learn that the taste is bitter. As this animal had recently drank, its stomach was nearly full. I amused myself in making observations on its skin and skeleton, and in planning the formation of a boat; and I found that a most excellent contrivance might be made from them, for the purpose of crossing rivers; the back-bone being used as the keel, and the ribs as timbers. The formation of the chest of a camel resembles the prow of a Portuguese bean-cod, or fishing-boat. Indeed, it was in consequence of hearing the Arabs always calling it Markab, or ship, that the idea first occurred to me. Saturday, 19th February. Thermometer 1°.—Having filled water for five days, we set out over black stony hills, bounded to the north-westward at the distance of a mile from our track by a sandy desert.- A t nine, a hillock of a singular form, resembling a turret, and called Amaymet Saad, bore north 52° east. As it stands at the entrance of a pass we were to ascend, wre proceeded towards it; a strong east wind blowing very sharply. We met a man on his way from Sockna, who informed us that the Consul had been at R R
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