June 1st, Post-day.—­Letters, private and public, were forwarded.  It is now determined that we shall start for Ghat next Wednesday; at any rate the Germans talk of doing so, whilst I am inclined to wait for Hateetah and his escort.  It would be imprudent to run the risk of a disaster at this early stage of our proceedings, and my greater responsibility renders me more cautious, and perhaps more timid, than my enthusiastic companions.  I am engaged in finishing my last despatches and reports, collecting Arabic descriptions of Fezzan, one of which is by the Bash Kateb, and corresponding on the future expenditure of the Mission.  The weather has become very hot with the advancing season, but I am now pretty well used to the heat.  The thermometer has risen to 103 deg.; in Bornou it rarely exceeds 105 deg.:  I may hope, therefore, to brave the sun’s rays under or near the line.

Few incidents worth recording mark the latter days of our stay at Mourzuk.  I paid a visit to Abd-el-Kader, the Sheikh of the Pilgrims.  This holy person is quite humanized, and talks freely of the politics of the Barbary coast.  He entertained myself, the German, the Greek doctor, and Gagliuffi with tea; and this at sunset, when all the other pilgrims were at their prayers.  He is a Tuatee of Gharai, and has been many times to Mekka in his present capacity.  Indeed he makes the journey about once every three years.  The pilgrim caravans travel very fast; no others can keep up with them.  On leaving any place where they have halted, the Sheikh has the privilege of demanding the release of two or three prisoners; and the scandalous whisper that any Barabbas can sometimes obtain his liberty by a judicious investment of presents.  When encamped near a town, moreover, the tent of the Sheikh becomes an inviolable asylum for every criminal who chooses to take refuge there.  Many other privileges equally valuable are enjoyed by this functionary.  Abd-el-Kader himself is an extremely urbane gentleman, and we retired quite satisfied with our reception.  He gave me a vocabulary of the Tuatee dialect, and some account of the statistics of the place, which I forwarded to the Foreign Office.  It appears that formerly the people of Tuat paid to the Algerines five hundred camel-loads of dates and ten necks of gold, i.e. the gold ornaments sometimes worn round the camels’ necks.  When the French made their conquest, they sent to the Tuatees to renew their tribute to them as the actual masters of Algeria.  The answer returned was, “Come and take the tribute!”

11th.—­The gardens continue to attract my evening strolls.  Every one is now busy sowing ghaseb, and I passed a half hour in working with some cheerful labourers at the preparation of the ground, smoothing the soil in the squares for irrigation.  They were amused at my voluntary industry.  I sleep now late of mornings after my evening exercise in the gardens, and find myself the better for it.