Projected Departure for Damerghou--False Start--Picturesque Caravan--Sultan's Views of White Skins--My Birthday--The Sultan fights his Battles over again--His Opinion of Women--Bragging--The Razzia on the Fadeea--Political News in the Desert--Cold Weather--Continue our Journey--Bornouese Fighis--Tin-Tagannu--Trap for a Lion--Mousa's Camels--A further Delay--Jackals and the Fire--Language of Signs--Tintalousian Coquettes--Departure of the Zinder Caravan--Natural Features--Languages--The Kilgris--Killing Lice--The Razzia to the North--Present of a Draught-board--Pagan Nations--Favourable Reports. _Nov. 2d._--As this was the day fixed for our departure for Damerghou, it may well be imagined that we looked forward to it with some anxiety. Our delay in the neighbourhood of Tintalous had been unexpectedly long, and at times even the idea had crossed our minds that we should never be allowed to depart at all. Often we had desired to start alone; but had been withheld by our own prudence, as well as by the representations of our host, the venerable Sheikh of Tintalous. We had come by degrees scarcely to believe in the possibility of an advance, and to consider ourselves as the prisoners of circumstances in this advanced part of the Sahara, touching on the very borders of Central Africa. Now, however, we saw, by the bustle of preparation in the town, that, whether the salt-caravan arrived or not, we were to press forward. All night the town was in a bustle. We rose before sunrise, to complete what packing we had to do, and saw Jupiter and the moon in positions nearly resembling the Ottoman device. It was windy all yesterday and this morning, with a considerable degree of cold.