Dec. 18th. Thermometer 5° at the tent door. Fine clear morning, with the wind to the eastward. We had much difficulty in catching our horses, which had broken their tethers, and run out on the desert; even the Kaid’s Rosinanté was capering about: my horse, however, stopped at the sound of my voice, and by 9.15. we were enabled to proceed. At about three-quarters of a mile south-east by east of Zaitoon, is another village of the same description, called Touela, طويله. We passed through it, and, I believe, shook hands with every male inhabitant in the place. Near this village is a large heap of ruins, said to have once been a castle, the walls of which are, though roughly built, very curious. Between a rising ground a little to the eastward, and the principal well, there are twelve others, each about four yards apart, and having arched communications sufficiently high for a man to walk erect in. Leaving Touela, we ascended to a bleak stony plain, running on to the desert on the left, and having very irregular sand hills, about the distance of two miles to the right. We directed our course north 65° east. A strong north-east wind was blowing, and I observed, as in coming from Tripoli, that in the coldest days the sun has the greatest power of burning the skin. Belford and myself were completely disfigured about the nose, which became very red, and smarted painfully. At eleven the sand hills closed in, and we came again to a few palms and a small village called Maghwa, مخوه. We remained to warm ourselves in the sun by a well side, and were joined by Besheer el Dthucker, the Kaid of Traghan’s brother, who had followed us full speed from Morzouk. At 11.45. the camel having passed, we went on; and at 1.30. came again to sand hills. At 2.10. we arrived with the horses at Taleb, طالب, (Fox), a village with about eighteen palm trees, and four or five mud huts: the Sheikh brought us out some dates and very salt water. The mountains between us and Hamera, حميره, called El Gāra, القار, bore north 60° east. At three, the camel having passed, we went on. At 4.10. passed El Gāra on the right. From hence Hamera bore north 55° east. We travelled all this day, with the exception of the villages, over a gravelly desert. On the plain we visited a well which is haunted by Iblis, or the devil; for the Arabs cannot conceive that the echo which proceeds from it can arise from any other cause. At five we arrived at Hamera. I found myself greatly exhausted in consequence of the pain in my liver, and the debility occasioned by the mercury I had taken. The Kaid promised me much comfort here, as we were to have the Sultan’s own house; but we waited so long in the midst of the village, before we could find any one to get it ready, that I was obliged to produce my Teskera, which soon set the people in motion, and converted a set of impudent lazy Arabs into the most submissive people in the world, and every one of them seemed equally anxious to do us honour.