My young fighi (or writer of charms) tells me, as a secret, that he cannot write a talisman for himself, but must ask another of the brotherhood to do this for him. Neither in this place can physicians heal themselves. This civil youth made me a present of a piece of his workmanship to-day, observing, "There is great profit in its power; it will preserve you from the cut of the sword and the firing of the gun." I pray not to have occasion to test its efficacy, but hope it may also serve as a protection from the bite of scorpions, which are so plentiful about here, and are said, at this season, to jump like grasshoppers. According to the people of Tintalous there are three species of them, each distinguished by a different colour--black, red, and yellow. Despite the talk of these disgusting reptiles I went in the evening to see the wells which supply Tintalous with water. They are nothing more than holes scooped out of the sand in the bed of the wady, and supplied by _ma-el-matr_, "rain-water," which collects only a few feet under the sand, and passes through no minerals. I afterwards proceeded to the encampment of the slave caravan, which is going in a few days to Ghât. A native of that place--the chief, indeed--was exceedingly rude at our first rencounter, and the following dialogue took place:-- _The Ghâtee._ Where are you going? _Myself._ I am going to Sakkatou. _The Ghâtee._ What for? _Myself._ To see the Sultan, who is my friend. _The Ghâtee._ How do you know him? _Myself._ The English have known him for years past. _The Ghâtee._ Ah! _Myself._ Yes. _The Ghâtee._ Have you any dollars--large dollars? (making a large circle with his thumb and forefinger.) _Myself._ No: I don't carry money to Soudan, which is of no use to me. There I shall have wadâ. _Ghâtee._ Eh! Eh! But cannot you give me a turban? _Myself._ No, I am not a merchant, I don't bring such things; go to the Arab merchants and buy. _Ghâtee._ Um! Um! _Myself._ Do you know Mohammed Kafa in Ghât? _Ghâtee._ Oh, yes! _Myself._ He is my friend. _Ghâtee._ Allah! _Myself._ Yes; he sent me a fine dinner twice whilst I was in Ghât. _Ghâtee._ Allah! Allah! _Myself._ Do you know Haj Ibrahim? He is my great friend. _Ghâtee._ Allah! Allah! (greatly surprised). _Myself._ Why, how is it that you do not know me, Yakōb, as I have been in Ghât many years before? At this some of the other people of the caravan cried out, "Yes, yes, we all know Yakōb;" so that I left the rude slave-merchant quite crest-fallen. He evidently, at first, wished to assume the airs of a Haghar, and bully me out of a present. The caravan consisted of some thirty poor young women and children. There was also with them a small quantity of elephants' teeth.