Last night an entertainment was provided for me by Mohammed el Lizari, to celebrate my birthday. Lilla Fātma honoured his house with her presence, and was covered with silks, gold, and red paint, which she took care occasionally to show as she accidentally, or rather purposely, dropped her Aba from her face. About a hundred noisy, greasy Morzouk women amused the company, and nearly stunned me by playing on erbabs, drums, tin-pots, and gourds; there was also much dancing, with Lackbi and pipes in abundance. I was sensible of this kindness on the part of Lizari, but I certainly never wished again to pass so noisy and tiresome a birthday. These compliments were followed up by a present of a young camel, on which I was to feast. As it was Lizari’s wish to accompany me to Tripoli, he held daily consultations with his friends on the subject; and this plan was at length arranged, as a security against the acts of Mukni, who, we greatly feared, would cause him to be privately murdered before I left Morzouk. In the meantime it was considered necessary that he and his household should be always armed; and as I did not quite understand Mukni’s behaviour to myself, I also determined to be on my guard, constantly concealing a pair of pistols in my dress. We found great difficulty in procuring camels, the Arabs, who let them, being busily occupied in the slave-markets. Some Kafflés at this time came in from Soudan and Bornou, bringing about 1000 slaves, chiefly female. As I am now about to leave Morzouk, and have been enabled from actual observation in my journey to the extremity of Fezzan to form an opinion of that kingdom, I shall subjoin all the information I have been able to collect on its general state, as well as the habits and customs of the natives. CHAPTER VII. OF FEZZAN. Aspect of the Country — State of Cultivation — Minerals — Animals — Birds — Vegetable Productions — Fruits — Esculents — Time and Manner of cultivating Grain — Water — Towns — Food of Inhabitants — Possibility of improving Agriculture — Tenure of Lands — Weights and Measures — Government — Principal People — Character of the Natives — Inroads into the Negro Countries — State of the Slave Trade — Crimes and Punishments — Character of the Natives — Religion — State of Literature and Ingenuity — Language — State of the Women — Records — Slavery and the Slave Trade — Laws relative to the Issue of Slaves. The northern boundary is Bonjem, in latitude 30° 35′ north, of which I have already spoken; and Tegerry, in latitude 24° 4′ north, is the southern, which is inhabited by Tibboo of the mountain tribes. Its eastern boundary is the Harutz mountains behind Temissa, and Oubāri in the west.