As I have frequently had occasion to mention Shiati, I now take an opportunity of saying that it is a district lying to the westward of Sebha; it is situated in a Wadey, and contains many towns. This Wadey runs east and west, or nearly so; and is divided into Wadey Shirghi, or eastern Wadey, and Wadey el Ghrarbi, or western Wadey.
In Wadey Shirghi the towns are thus situated, beginning from the east. Ashkiddi اشكد, Ghiddi قدّي, Gelwas قلوس, Brak براك, which is two-thirds of a day from Sebha, and ten days from Gharian, is the largest of these towns. Zooiat زويات, Tamzawa طمرعوه, Gusser Sallām قسرسللم, Aggar اقار, Maharouga محاروقه, El Gerda القرد, Taroot طروت, Gootta قوته, Berghen برغن (two of that name), Temissan طمسان, Iddri يدري, which is a large village, and westernmost in the Wadey Shirghi. It is two days from Brak, and eight days from Ghadams.
Another wadey called El Agaal اللقعر runs parallel to the above. It is one day from Sebha, and has the following towns in it: El Abiad اللبياض, El Hamra الحمره, Khalifa خليفه, Bendoobaïa بندباي, Zueïa زويا, Ergābi ارقعبي, Tenāhmi طنامي, Gusser Saad قسر سعد, Gusser Sbaida قسر زبيده, Kharaig خريق. This is all the Wadey Shirghi.
The Wadey Ghrarbi begins from the east at Iddri Fegaige فقيج, Kertibi كرتبي, Garragarra قراقرا, Tuash طواش, Teweewa طويوه, Germa جرما, the ancient capital of Fezzan; Ghraraifi غرّايفي, Oubāri وببعري, seven days from Ghraat, which is about W.S.W. two long days from El Abiad, which is one day from Sebha. This is the Wadey Ghrarbi.
The people in the Wadeys are blacks and mulattoes as in Morzouk, and Arabs live amongst them. The villages contain from thirty to two hundred houses; many, however, are composed of palm huts. The people are very poor, but in the time of the Waled Suleman, who resided much amongst them, they were opulent. In some of the pools of stagnant water in the Wadey Shaiti are found small worms, of about the size of a grain of rice; these are collected in great quantities, and pounded with a little salt in a mortar, until they form a black paste, which is made into balls of about the size of the double fist, and then suffered to dry in the sun. These worms, which are called Dood, form one of the very few luxuries of Fezzan, as the poor people, when they have a mess of flour, mix some of them with the sauce, to their Aseeda. They resemble very bad caviar in taste, and the smell is extremely offensive; but habit and necessity overcome all prejudices in this country, and I soon became very partial to them. Sand is an unavoidable ingredient in this paste, and the natives consider it as more wholesome in consequence. One or two families gain a good subsistence by preparing these worms for the market of Morzouk, and the neighbouring towns.
Monday, Feb. 14th. Therm. 3°.—Another Kafflé joined us from Morzouk, belonging to a native of Tripoli named Khalifa: those I mentioned before, set out this day for Temanhint. Belford’s Maherry was here so lame, that I had him fired all round the foot by Ibrahim, who was now become very useful to us. The manner of firing camels is by a very thin red hot iron, which is curved so as to be easily turned round the foot: they have these irons of different lengths and sizes, for the particular part to be burned. I hired another camel for Belford to ride on, at the rate of two dollars, from hence to Sockna, agreeing that it should carry two skins of water on passing the Soudah.
As I had nothing better to occupy me, I mounted my own Maherry, with a Tuarick Rahela, or saddle, and practised riding him according to their manner, which is very difficult, and not used in Fezzan. I fortunately succeeded much beyond my expectation. A town called Gurda قردَه, is S.S.E. one mile from Sebha.
Tuesday, 15th Feb.—At 7.30. went on, after having been most hospitably treated by Lizari’s friends. Our road was over a barren plain, until 8.30. when we ascended a mountain called Ben Areif بن اريف, by a pass named Hormut ben Areef, bearing N. 55°. E. of Sebha. At nine we descended to a stony plain, bounded close to the right by table-topped hills: to the left were a few insulated sugar-loaf hills of yellow limestone. At eleven the plain became more distinct; distant hills to the right, and desert plain extending to the left: this latter was called El Ghrazzie الغرازي. At 1.15. mountains closed in, in the form of a crescent, having two black hills half a mile from the road, called Roos Ghraab روس غرعب, or the heads of the ravens. At two arrived at Temenhint طمنحنت, having travelled N. 56°. E. 15 miles. In the evening we had occasion to buy straw for the camels, in a way I had never before seen, of the people who came out from the town to trade with us. Shreef Sadig soon instructed me in this new mode of barter. The person who has to sell mentions what he wishes in exchange for certain commodities, whether oil, liquid butter, or shahm, which is a kind of salted fat much resembling bad tallow in taste and smell. If liquids, he pours water into a pot in proportion to the quantity of oil or butter he requires; if solids, he brings a stone of the size of the shahm, or other article demanded. The buyer pours out water, or sends for smaller stones, until he thinks a fair equivalent is offered. The quantities then agreed for are made up to the size of the stone, or the depth of the water.
Temenhint is so completely surrounded by date trees, that it is not seen from the road. It is a small walled village, and considered by traders as the most inhospitable in Fezzan.
Wednesday, 16th. Therm. 1°.—At 7.30. started. Stony desert to the left and right, with bushes occasionally. At 9.45. descended to a sandy hatïa, called Hatia Gurmayda حاتيم قرميده. At 4.30. arrived at Zeghen زيغن; having travelled N. 75°. E. 22 miles. We built up our goods under the walls, and lay there. Having been so long accustomed to black faces, I fancied that the natives, who are entirely a white population, looked sickly. The women are reputed to be very handsome; but I did not enter the town, and if I had done so, should not have seen them. We had numerous visitors, and a large supply of food, Lizari’s general acquaintance enabling us to procure whatever we wanted. They gave us an account of a wedding which had taken place that morning, speaking much of the beauty of the bride; and on hearing her named, we found that she was the very girl whom Lizari intended demanding of her father on his return from Tripoli. He was much confounded, but bore with great good humour our joking him at being too late. The successful lover was aware of Lizari’s intentions; and on hearing he had set out from Morzouk, instantly demanded, and bore off the prize.