Thursday, February 17th. Thermometer 0.—At eight we set off over an uneven plain to a stony desert, a cold north wind blowing. After passing some hills, we arrived at the Hatïa, and wells of Om el Abeed, ام العبيد, having gone north 50°. E. twelve miles. We met a few Arabs from Sockna, who said that Sidi Mohammed ben Shaib was expected, on his way to the Sultan of Bornou, with presents from the Bashaw: they also said an Englishman was with him; but I concluded the report to have originated in its being known at Tripoli, that Belford and myself were to have accompanied him. In the evening, we filled and mended our Gerbas, and otherwise prepared for passing the five days’ desert now before us. The Arabs amused themselves by placing a camel’s skull on a rising ground, and firing ball at it, all resting their guns; only one, however, struck it. I rose to fire; but they all laughed at me for not placing my gun on a branch, or otherwise steadying it; I nevertheless struck the head twice, when, resolving not to lose my reputation as a good shot, I laid down my gun with indifference, pretending I could hit it as often as I pleased. The Arabs were astonished (and I must own I was equally so, being but an indifferent shot in general), and gave me the title of Bendag, or marksman. Baba Hassein, whom we again joined at Zeghen, had never given his Boozaferr, بوزفرّ, or footing in the country, which I mentioned our having done at Sockna, or more properly in the Soudah mountains. The Arabs in these cases procure either the skeleton of an animal, or some carrion, and, digging a grave, bury it, howling as if for a deceased friend. All the night they imitate the cries of wolves and hyænas, as if in search of food, saying, “Where is our Bouzaferr? we are crying for our Bouzaferr; the natives are starving; give your Bouzaferr.” The buried bones are intended to imply a starved friend, who is supposed to be unable to rest till the survivors are fed. The old man was, however, deaf to all their hints, and in consequence the Arabs made a little grave (for him, as they said), and left him, not without a few hearty wishes that some harm might befall him. As we sat round our little fires, during our march over the desert, we amused ourselves with a variety of Arab games and puzzles, and a few clumsy tricks with date stones, and much laughing and joking passed off our evening very pleasantly, until sleep seized us, and we then laid ourselves down on the sand round the fire until morning.