The first specimen of inhabitants we saw on arriving was a group of naked children with their mother, who covered herself up in her barracan on our approach.  The children were nearly all females, and even those of not more than three or four years of age seemed wonderfully developed.  They had formed a house out of a thick bush of wild palms over the well.

These people are what are called Tuaricks of Fezzan.  They are a dwarfish, slim race; and the Fezzanees call them their Arabs.  They cover up their faces like their kindred of Ghat, but have for the most part white thelems instead of black.  A few sport a red fotah, or turban.  They speak Arabic commonly, but some know also the language of Ghat; which fact connects them certainly with that country.  Their proper name is Tanelkum, a genuine Tuarick word, and decisive of their Targhee origin.  Their trade is chiefly camel-driving between Ghat and Fezzan.  They are a fairer and finer race than the Fezzanees, and do not intermarry with them.  Their numbers are not great, perhaps scarcely more than a thousand souls in all Fezzan; but they live in a state of entire independence, and pay no contributions to the Porte.

We passed the first well and came up with the true Fezzanees at the village of Laghareefah, where we encamped.  It is situated in Wady Gharbee, more properly called El-Wady par excellence, on account of its superior fertility and culture.  There is also Wady Sherky, and several others; as Etsaou, Akar, Um-el-Hammam, Takruteen, and Aujar.  The people of Laghareefah are all of a black-brown hue, and some had the ordinary negro features.  They were a little rude at first, but made some compensation in the evening by sending us a good supply of meat and fresh bread to our tents.

To our surprise, we saw nothing of our chaouches here; and on making inquiries, we found that they were not with the caravan.  They were known to have pushed on ahead, impatient to arrive.  We suspected they had taken the wrong route, and did not remember to have seen the track of their horses’ hoofs on the sand as we advanced.  At first we were not sorry that they were suffering a little for their bad conduct all the way from Tripoli, to which I have only made passing allusions.  But then we began to be alarmed for their safety, and begged the Sheikh to send a man after them with water.  They did not make their appearance until morning, when we learned that with immense fatigue they had succeeded in striking the valley lower down at another village, where they had tarried the remainder of the night.  As might be expected, they were in no good humour after their excursion in the sand; but our people, who had enjoyed a brief respite of unwonted tranquillity during their absence, instead of condoling with them, received them with laughter and jeers.