Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855Barth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
Accompanied by Mr. Gagliuffi, the Greek doctor, and the Bin-básha, we
left Múrzuk by the western gate. My parting from Mr. Gagliuffi was
cordial. He had received us and treated us hospitably, and had shown
an earnest desire to further our proceedings, and to secure if possible
the success of our expedition; and, if in his commercial transactions
with the mission he did not neglect his own advantage, we could not
complain, though it would have been infinitely better for us if we had
been provided with a more useful sort of merchandise.
In leaving the town we kept, in general, along the same path by which we
had first entered it, and encamped during the hot hours of the day in
the scanty shade afforded by the trees of Zerghán, the well close by
affording us delicious draughts of cool water, not at all of that
brackish insipid taste which is common to the water of Fezzán. We had
started in the belief that we should find our luggage in Óm el hammám;
but in this place we learned from the poor ragged people who come
occasionally hither to take care of the trees, that it was gone on to
Tigger-urtín. Not knowing, however, the road to the latter place, we
took the path to Óm el hammám, and encamped about seven o’clock in the
afternoon a little north of it.
Óm el hammám is a half-decayed and deserted village, built of clay,
which is strongly incrusted with salt, the inhabitants at present living
entirely in huts made of palm-branches. The plantation being intermixed
with a large number of ethel-trees (_Tamarix orientalis_), and
interspersed with gardens, exhibited a more varied aspect than is
generally the case with these groves; and having pitched our tent near a
large ethel-bush, we felt very comfortable, especially as we had the
good luck to obtain a few eggs, which, fried with plenty of onions, made
a very palatable supper.
Next morning we directed our course to Tigger-urtín, making almost a
right angle towards the north, and crossing a desolate plain incrusted
with salt, after we had left the fine plantation of Óm el hammám. Having
reached the village of our camel-drivers, which consists entirely of
huts of palm-branches, we looked long in vain for a tolerable camping-
ground, as the strong wind filled the whole air with sand. At length we
pitched our tents a few paces south from the well. It was an extremely
sultry and oppressive day, and the wind anything but refreshing.
In the afternoon we went to pay our compliments to Mohammed Bóro, who
had left Múrzuk several days before us. He informed us that he had
consumed all his provisions, and that he would have left to-day for
Tasáwa, in order to replenish his stores, if he had not seen us coming.
We consoled him with the intimation that we hoped our whole party would
be soon ready for starting, and sent him a quantity of dates and corn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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