The remarkable valley of _Gegabib_, famous for its dates, cannot be far from the neighbourhood of _Schiacha_ and _Torfaue_; since Mr. Browne says, page 26, that when he had advanced two journies to the north-westward of Siwah, he was _not far_ from Gegabib. Mr. Beaufoy calls it, from the description of Ben Ali, “a narrow plain, sandy, and uninhabited, but fertile in dates;” which, he adds, are gathered by the people of _Duna_ on the sea coast, eight journies distant.[38] As Mr. Horneman remarked no date trees on his way from Siwah to Augila, his route must have been wide of this valley or plain, and no doubt to the _south_ of it. This seems proved by Ben Ali’s description of the route from Augila to Siwah, which lay “_across the extensive mountains of Gerdoba_,” to this valley; since Mr. Horneman left the mountains to the northward of him, the whole way. As the dates of Gegabib are now gathered by the people of the sea coast; and those of Augila in ancient times, by the _Nasamones_ of the coast of the _Syrtis_; so the people of the _same_ coast, aided by the modern _Augilans_, undertake expeditions ten days journey inland from _Augila_, to _steal_ men and dates, at present![39] So that this system of inroad, from the quarter towards the coast, inland, seems to have been practised at all times; and I shall have occasion to remark it again, hereafter. Augila was an inhabited place in the time of Herodotus, and yet the dates were carried off by strangers: and it seems the present Augilans retaliate on others, the injuries sustained by their ancestors. V. _Augila._ This small, but celebrated territory, is situated nearly midway between Egypt and Fezzan; and somewhat less than 170 miles from the nearest coast of the Mediterranean. It seems to possess much of the character of an Oasis, being flat, well watered, fertile, and surrounded by arid deserts, either sandy or rocky; in particular, that to the west is so destitute of herbage, that the camels of Mr. Horneman’s caravan, carried their provender with them. Its extent from east to west, seems to be little more than a long day’s journey. The agriculture of the Augilans is confined more to gardening, than to raising of corn: but Mr. Horneman is silent respecting the culture of dates, for which it has been so celebrated both in ancient and modern times.[40]