We felt our case to be rather hard, especially the Germans; for they had nothing of their own to eat but dry kuskusou and onions. I was a little better off. We could get nothing from the town during the day, not even a fowl or eggs, nor even a bit of cheese.
Nevertheless, we had been told that everything was abundant in this place. It appears all the sheep are at a distance, out to graze; as for bullocks, there are none. Dr. Overweg drew out his bottle of port wine, and we three Europeans soon made an end of that, and retired for the night in pretty good spirits.
Dr. Overweg and Yusuf calculated the number of people who were reported to be in pursuit of us from Tajetterat to the Marabouteen, at three hundred and sixty. The passage of the expedition from Tajetterat to Tintalous has cost the Government about one hundred and fifty pounds sterling, at the least. I cannot get over this. However, let us raise our hearts in thankfulness to Almighty Providence, who still watches over us, preserves our health, and saves us from destruction.
[11] This is the oasis of Janet, mentioned previously.—Ed.
[12] The black people of Central Africa, whose character and opinions we do not yet understand, seem to take peculiar delight in those very natural phenomena which civilised nations regard as disastrous. Among other instances, I have seen an old negress, usually gloomy and taciturn, quite intoxicated by an earthquake. Whilst others were thinking of their safety, she ran about the courtyard on her hands and feet, rolling over, laughing and whooping, as if she were a devil and this was news from the infernal regions.—Ed.
[13] Where he got this news I cannot tell.
CHAPTER XVI.
Promises of the Sultan—Yellow-painted Women—Presents—Anecdotes—Prepare to visit En-Noor—Our Reception—Dialogue—Seeming Liberality of the Sultan—Greediness of his People—No Provisions to be got—Fat Women—Nephew of the Sultan—Tanelkum Beggars—Weather—A Divorced Lady—Aheer Money—Our Camels again stolen—Account of the Tanelkums—Huckster Women—Aheer Landscape—Various Causes of Annoyance—No News of the Camels—Anecdote of my Servants—Storms—Revolution in the Desert—Name of the Country—Dr. Overweg—Money and Tin—Saharan Signs—Habits of the Rain—Burial of a Woman—Demands of Es-Sfaxee—Salt-cakes of Bilma—People of Tintalous—Wild Animals—List of Towns and Villages—Population of Aheer and Ghât.