When the Moors had quenched their thirst, they went to look after the baggage, and to see that none of the straps had given way. In spite of this examination, which is repeated at every halting-place, the camels are often galled by their loads, and these hurts are not easily healed; the Moors apply fire to the wounds, and often scarify the neighbouring parts and the tumours themselves, to let out the blood and matter; they cut away the dead flesh, and cover the wound with salt to prevent mortification. When a camel is ill, or ready to die of exhaustion, the Moors give it a little water, and for this purpose they use a wooden funnel which they apply to its nostrils; this is the best method of watering a camel, because the animal, though naturally docile, shakes its head about and spills the water on all sides, when it is applied to its mouth. It is only in cases of extremity however that they have recourse to this practice.
Sometimes it was immediately after doctoring the wounds of his camels that Sidi-Aly came and mixed our beverage without washing his hands; if by chance he did wash them, he gave the water he had used for this purpose to his poor slave to drink! I cannot describe the horror and disgust which I felt at this man’s contempt for his fellow-creatures.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, we pursued our course towards the north; at ten we stopped for prayer, and having discharged this pious duty, we received a ration of water, very insufficient however to quench our thirst; for the further we advanced into the desert, the more intense became the heat. In the night I was almost consumed with thirst; but I could get no water. I doubled myself up upon my camel, whose motion lulled me and made me feel drowsy, but I could get no sleep.
On the 22d of May, at nine in the morning, the caravan halted; we were all exhausted by thirst; the east wind was hotter than ever, and our water was rapidly diminishing, for the wind caused a great evaporation by drying the skins; and a great deal of water filtered through the pores. As I lay on the sand, I ruminated on the possibility of alleviating the horrors of our condition; I desired Sidi-Aly to buy two or three more skins if any could be found, and I gave him for this purpose some goods which I had received from the Moors of Timbuctoo. He replied that nobody would sell them at any price; which I believed, but I suffered too much not to insist upon making the experiment. He then proposed to send one of the men belonging to the caravans to the nearest wells which he said was the best way of getting water to make sangleh to recruit our exhausted strength. I thought this a good plan, and agreed to it with pleasure; but Sidi-Aly, who was not the most scrupulous of Musulmans, never made the least inquiry for such a person; he took into his own possession what I had given him to pay the messenger, and sent his son to the well. This he would have done whether I had paid or not, for as I afterwards found it was the custom to do so, and I saw the Moors set off from all parts of the caravan for the same purpose.
My thirst was so intense that I determined, in order to appease it, to go into the neighbouring tents, and see if I could obtain a few drops of water out of charity. With my rosary in my hand, I went from tent to tent, to beg a little water “for the love of God;” I did not find many charitable souls, but it was not a favourable moment for the experiment, for we were all suffering alike. My useless fatigue, and the impatience it occasioned, augmented my torments, and when I got back to my tent, I fell on the ground senseless. The Moors who are themselves the most importunate beggars in the world, do not like to be asked for any thing. Sidi-Aly told me that I ought not to ask other people for water, that it was troublesome; I found out also that he boasted amongst his friends of the kindness he showed me, and said that he was grieved at the privation I endured. A lying hypocrite! he took no better care of me for that. Many of the Moors thought that he had brought me with him out of pure compassion, and, far from undeceiving them, he took care to confirm them in this error; but when they questioned me on the subject, I told them the state of the case, and they then assured me that I had paid too much to my guide. I knew that full well; but what could I do? only resign myself to my fate.
About five o’clock in the afternoon, after having quenched our thirst, we continued our course to the north, and traversed a district interspersed with grey quartz rocks streaked with white: at midnight we ascended some sand-hills.
On the 23rd, at ten in the morning, we halted on sandy ground, but rather more solid than what we had crossed the day before, and interspersed with rocks of rose-coloured and black granite. Our situation was still the same; the east wind blew with violence; and far from affording us any refreshment, it only threatened to bury us under the mountains of sand which it raised, and what was still more alarming, our water diminished rapidly from the extreme drought which it occasioned. Nobody suffered more intensely from thirst than the poor little slaves, who were crying for water. Exhausted by their sufferings and their lamentations, these unhappy creatures fell on the ground, and seemed to have no power to rise; but the Moors did not suffer them to continue there long when travelling. Insensible to the sufferings which childhood is so little fitted to support, these barbarians dragged them along with violence, beating them incessantly, till they had overtaken the camels, which were already at a distance.
Indeed, no person was privileged; even the Moors, whose turn it was to walk by the camels, and who, partly to amuse themselves and partly to encourage the animals, sang to them as they marched by their side, were under the same law as those who were riding, and never tasted water except when it was distributed to the whole caravan. I thought I could perceive nevertheless that Sidy-Aly had under his dress a small bottle, like our hunting bottles, and that the old fox made use of it every now and then in secret to refresh himself, without any regard for his brethren.
What distressed us most during this horrible day was the pillars of sand, which threatened every moment to bury us in their course. One of the largest of these pillars crossed our camp, overset all the tents, and whirling us about like straws, threw us one upon another in the utmost confusion; we knew not where we were, and could distinguish nothing at the distance of a foot. The sand wrapped us in darkness like a thick fog, and heaven and earth seemed confounded and blended into one.
In this commotion of nature, the consternation was general; nothing was heard on all sides but lamentation, and most of my companions recommended themselves to heaven, crying out with all their might, “There is no God but God, and Mahomet is his prophet!” Through these shouts and prayers, and the roaring of the wind, I could distinguish at intervals, the low plaintive moan of the camels, who were as much alarmed as their masters, and more to be pitied, as they had not tasted food for four days. Whilst this frightful tempest lasted, we remained stretched on the ground, motionless, dying of thirst, burned by the heat of the sand, and buffetted by the wind. We suffered nothing however from the sun, whose disk, almost concealed by the cloud of sand, appeared dim and shorn of its beams. We durst not use our water, for fear the wells should be dry, and I know not what would have become of us if, about three o’clock, the wind had not abated. As soon as it became calm, we prepared to set off, and the dokhnou was mixed and distributed. It is difficult to describe with what impatience we longed for this moment; to enhance the pleasure which I expected from my portion, I thrust my head into the vessel, and sucked up the water in long draughts. When I had drunk, I had an unpleasant sensation all over me, which was quickly succeeded by fresh thirst.