DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 131 



camel and leading her rotind the town, while numerowa 

 horsemen galloped up and discharged their muskets quite 

 close to her head ; the honour of which compliment was 

 understood to compensate for the fear which it could not fail 

 to occasion. 



In journeying onwards to Mourzouk the travellers passed 

 alon^ the naked sides of the Gebel Assoud, which the Major 

 crossed now for the third time ; but no familiarity could 

 relieve the sense of dreariness and misery which its aspect 

 occasioned. A rainy day came as a blessing to the whole 

 party, especially to the poor slaves, on whom Boo Khalloom 

 had only in special kindness bestowed one draught of water 

 in the day to cool their burning thirst. On the 30th Oc- 

 tober the caravan made its entry into Mourzouk with simi- 

 lar pomp as into Sockna, amid the shouts of the inhabitants, 

 whom the chief, by his liberality, had inspired with the 

 warmest attachment. The Major, however, was much dis- 

 heartened by not seeing any of his countrymen amid the 

 joyous crowd ; and his fears were confinned by finding Dr. 

 Oudney just recovering from a severe attack in the chest, 

 and Mr. Clapperton in bed the fifteenth day with ague, — 

 facts which, combined with the unfortunate result of the 

 last expedition and the sickly look of the natives themselves, 

 indicated some peculiarly baneful influence, without any 

 visible cause, in the climate of Mourzouk. 



Invalids so severely afflicted were not very fit to begin a 

 ong and laborious journey ; but their ardour was extreme, 

 and imagining that a change of air would be beneficial, they 

 contrived, even before Boo Khalloom was ready to set out, 

 to move forward to Gatrone, leaving Major Denham behind 

 at Mourzouk. On the 29th November the whole caravan 

 broke up from that city, and began their journey through 

 the Desert. They were escorted by nearly every inhabitant 

 who could muster a horse. The expedition, besides the 

 English, comprised 210 Arabs, ranged in tens and twenties, 

 under different chiefs. The most numerous were the 

 M'Garha, who, to the amount of seventy, came from the 

 barren shore of the Syrtes. These barbarians enlivened 

 the route by their traditionary tales, their songs, their ex- 

 temporary poems, in which all the incidents of the journey 

 itself were narrated ; in short, by an inexhaustible fund af 

 wit and vivacity. Their pride, their revenge, their rob- 



