Lilla Fatema was at this time very ill, and as Mr. Ritchie declined visiting her, I became her doctor, and by means of some compounds of my own invention, quite cured her. Amongst the little secrets of her illness, I found out that she indulged herself in pretty large potions of Lackbi, which no doubt occasioned the head-aches she complained of. Mr. Ritchie made several attempts with Gambay’s dipping needle, the results of which are with his papers, and we each brought Sockna’s latitude to 29° 5′ 36″ north, by observation of Spica Virginis. On 22d of April left Sockna in company with the Sultan. At 11.30. we were attended clear of the town by a great multitude of people, and a prayer being recited, the horsemen all stopped, holding their open hands with the palms towards heaven. After this, each one kissed the Sultan’s hand, and returned home. At one we passed a small spring, the only one in the country, of about two feet in diameter, in which the water was pretty good. The Sultan here told us, with an air of firm belief, that a Marāboot once travelling this way, was overcome by thirst, and that by striking the ground with his stick (in the name of God), this water arose. At 3.30. we entered a wadey in the Soudah mountains, called Octooffa اكطوفه, bearing from Sockna south by west, and at six encamped near a well of tolerably good water, called Gutfa قتفا. Our place of encampment was a small plain, without any other vegetation than a few prickly bushes of talhh. This spot was surrounded on every side by high mountains of basalt, which gave it the appearance of being in the crater of a volcano. We here presented our Bouzaferr بوزفرّ, which is a kind of footing paid by all travellers on entering Fezzan, and is attended with ceremonies something similar to those observed on crossing the line. Should any person refuse the necessary distribution of food, the Arabs dig a grave, telling him that it is made expressly for him, and howling as for a dead person, with many other ridiculous pranks, which generally produce the wished-for feast. We took with us, for this purpose, two sheep, and a quantity of meal, and distributed portions to all the tents, much to the satisfaction of our fellow travellers. Lilla Fatma also paid her footing, as did one or two others, who had never before passed these mountains. We this day had advanced south 10° west eighteen miles.