Hateetah is always begging, and now asks for burnouses for the Ghat
Sheikhs, Khanouhen, Jabour, Berka, and his brother. He still pretends
that the Germans must give him a present, and that he knows no one but
the English. In compliment, and to soothe him, I said, "You must dress
in all your fine clothes at Ghat." This awakened his vanity, and he
seemed delighted with the idea. His reply was, "You also must one day
dress in all your best clothes--one day--only one day." I replied, "I
have no fine clothes;" at which he seemed puzzled. Turning the
conversation, he said I must change all his Tunisian piastres into
dollars; which I shall certainly not do. This Consul of the English is a
tremendously grasping fellow.
The Tanelkums all give the son of Shafou a good character. We parted
with them this morning. They take some loads of dates for us, and have
gone to Aroukeen, where they will wait for us six days, and then leave
us; that is, if we do not come up. They will be twelve days, they say,
on their journey. We go by a different route to Ghat, and shall see but
not enter Serdalous. This place is now thickly inhabited by Tuaricks,
and Hateetah does not wish to come in contact with them, for fear of
exciting their curiosity and cupidity. So he is a knowing old dog after
all. Our Tuaricks are displeased that the Germans have encamped so far
from us this evening. The ground is a narrow slip of wady stretching
east and west, almost on a level with the plateau.
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