Gatrone is a town of itself, principally inhabited by Fezzanners, who are all black, and having, as I before observed, the Tibboo living outside in huts, with occasionally houses, of which we occupied one. There is a castle in the centre of the town, surrounded by a wall. The Tibboo do not appear to mix with the town’s people, but form a separate community, and adhere to their ancient manners, language, and costume. Gatrone has a plentiful stock of Marāboots, for which profession the Fezzanners are admirably adapted. News now arrived of the Ghrazzie, or slave hunt, being within three or four days of Tegerry; corn in consequence became very dear, being one kail, or about two gallons for a dollar. In the afternoon our pretty dancers paid us another visit, and passed through the town. I certainly never saw dancing performed with more modesty, which is saying a great deal for Africans, who, generally speaking, regard decency as the last consideration, and totally incompatible with their ideas of grace. I at this time visited Hadge el Raschid, a great Marāboot, and a very cunning fellow, who gave me much information about Waday and Tibesty, and offered to accompany me to all the Tibboo tribes, if I would give him a watch and a long telescope. It had been my intention to have accepted his terms; but I gave up the idea for the present, in consequence of Belford’s health, which was now very precarious, and which he feared would be unequal to the journey of seven days from Tegerry, over the rocks of Tibesty, without wood or water. The Marāboot treated me to a dish of the Taberca, or seeds of the colocynth apple, which were brought from Tibesty. I found them very palatable, and not at all partaking of the bitter of their outward covering. He told me many stories of the southern Tibboo; of their great love of plunder, and appropriating to themselves the property of others. They will sometimes carry off a camel in the night, which before morning will be entirely devoured; and many traders have been so completely fleeced by them as to be obliged to wait for other Kafflés, before they could return to their own country. Of Tibesty, and the road to Waday, he gave me the following information. “In Tibesty there is a large spring of hot water, which appears to boil as if over a fire. The soil in which this spring is situated is composed entirely of sulphur, in many places quite pure. The water is drank medicinally by the natives, as well as strangers who go purposely from other countries to drink it. In taste it is acid.” This man affirmed, “that all blind people, on washing their eyes with the water in question, are restored to sight; while all sores and rheumatic pains are completely cured by it.” In short, according to his account, its properties are most wonderful. The existence of such a bed of sulphur and spring water may throw some interesting light on the idea that the mountains of Tibesty are of volcanic origin.