They acknowledge, however, that the soil of their country is
not very favourable to much cultivation of grain and fruit. Perhaps they
want to attract visitors, but are not likely to succeed at present.
Justly or unjustly, they bear a very bad character; and in Mourzuk, to
call a man a Tibboo is rather worse than to call a man a Jew in Europe.
_June 1st_, Post-day.--Letters, private and public, were forwarded. It
is now determined that we shall start for Ghat next Wednesday; at any
rate the Germans talk of doing so, whilst I am inclined to wait for
Hateetah and his escort. It would be imprudent to run the risk of a
disaster at this early stage of our proceedings, and my greater
responsibility renders me more cautious, and perhaps more timid, than my
enthusiastic companions. I am engaged in finishing my last despatches
and reports, collecting Arabic descriptions of Fezzan, one of which is
by the Bash Kateb, and corresponding on the future expenditure of the
Mission. The weather has become very hot with the advancing season, but
I am now pretty well used to the heat. The thermometer has risen to
103 deg.; in Bornou it rarely exceeds 105 deg.: I may hope, therefore, to brave
the sun's rays under or near the line.
Few incidents worth recording mark the latter days of our stay at
Mourzuk. I paid a visit to Abd-el-Kader, the Sheikh of the Pilgrims.
This holy person is quite humanized, and talks freely of the politics of
the Barbary coast.
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