The 17th continued our course towards Ferreanah over the mountains Tenoucla, on the skirts of which, in the neighbourhood of Jebbel Usmir, found large strata of petrified oyster-shells. Passed Tenoucla and lay (18th) on a plain without inhabitants or water, called Lerneb.[248] From Lerneb arrived the 19th, in the evening, at Melew, where the Bey of Constantine was encamped with about 3,000 men.
The 20th, in the morning, set out for Ferreanah, from whence we were distant about 10 miles. Ferreanah is the ancient Thala[249] taken and destroyed by Metellus in his pursuit of Jugurtha. I had formed, I know not from what reason, sanguine expectations of elegant remains here, but in this I was disappointed. I found nothing but baths of very warm water, without the town; in these there was a number of fish, above four inches in length, not unlike gudgeons. Upon trying the heat by the thermometer I remember to have been much surprised that they could have existed, or even not been boiled by continuing long in the heat of this medium. As I marked the degree with a pencil while I was myself naked in the water, the leaf was wetted accidentally, so I missed the precise degree I meant to have recorded, and I do not pretend to supply it from memory. The bath is at the head of the fountain and the stream runs off to a considerable distance. I think there were five or six dozen of these fish in the pool. I was told likewise that they went down into the stream to a certain distance in the day and returned to the pool, as warmest and deepest water, at night.
The ruins of the ancient town begin at the mouth of a valley, or opening of the mountains to the south of that valley, on the west side of the bed of what appears to have been a river, but which is now only sand. This part is called Gobul. On the river side is a well or reservoir paved with cut stone, on which are the marks of the cord of the bucket, which are so strong as to seem to indicate that the water was brought from a great depth. The mouth is on a level with the bed of the river. There are here the traces of a very large fabric, which by the remaining ornaments, now much consumed, appears to have been a very elegant Corinthian. There was no possibility of making out the place, though there seemed to have been three temples, situated nearly like those of Spaitla. These ruins extend, with considerable interruption, south-east, till within a mile of the sanctuary of Sidi Mohamed Teleely, the building of whose Cubba has probably taken up many of the most elegant materials.
About two miles south-east of this marabout, there are four columns on foot which seem to be in their places, about two feet buried in the earth, forming the four angles of a square, 17 feet distant, in very bad taste. These are all the remains at this time, no traces remaining of Dr. Shaw’s.
The situation, in a plain everyway surrounded with mountains, agrees with the ancient Thala; so does its extent; but Metellus might have met with water nearer than 50 miles, as there were two large lakes at Malen, in a very convenient situation, where the Bey encamped . . .[250] from the history other objections in Jugurtha’s flight to the desert before he came to Thala.
The 21st, left Ferreanah, continued along the river to the mountain Sidi Eisa[251] within sight of his sanctuary, no water or inhabitants.
Next morning descended into a plain, passed Sidi Ali Ben Oune and still further the Maretba (?), the route of the Tunis camp, about seven miles east; continued along the plain, where copied the following inscription on a monument of bad taste.[252]
VRBANILLA MIHI CONIVNX VERECVNDIA PLENA HIC SITA EST
ROMAE COMES NEGOTIORVM SOCIA PARS PARSIMONIO FVLTA
BENE GESTIS OMNIBUS CVM IN PATRIAM MECVM REDIRET