The only knowing man in this department was
away at some neighbouring village, and it was necessary to send
messengers to find him. There being nothing better to do, the day,
accordingly, was spent in quarrelling. We had at least a hundred
tongue-skirmishes between our people and the people of Mizdah--between
our chaouch and the other chaouch--between our chaouch and the sheikh of
the country--between Yusuf and the Fezzanee--between every individual
black and every other individual black--Between our chaouch particularly
and all the people of Mizdah:--in short, there were as many rows as it
were possible for a logician to find relations betwixt man and man.
I must not forget that our chaouch, in spite of all this effervescence,
had got up this morning in a very pious state of mind. He told us that a
marabout had appeared to him in a dream, and had said, "O man! go to
Soudan with the Christians, and thou shalt return with the blessing of
God upon thee!" This vision seemed to have made a deep impression upon
him at the time, but he had forgotten it long before it had ceased to be
the subject of my anxious thoughts--"O God, I beseech thee, indeed, to
give us a prosperous journey! But thy will be done. We are entirely in
thy hands!"
_April 10th._--We had another glorious row this morning before starting.
A man who had gone to fetch the blacksmith, and found him not, demanded
payment of two Tunisian piastres.
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