Chap. LXIII. CONDUCT OF EL WALA'tL 
345 
greatest chiefs, who pride themselves in possessing 
a whole shirt of that kind. Owing to the swampy 
character of the neighbourhood, which produced 
countless hosts of mosquitoes, and to the number of 
hyenas, which frightened the cattle repeatedly, I 
passed a restless and sleepless night. 
I was now in the hands of the Tawarek, Friday, 
and my crafty Arab companion was enabled Au s ust 12th - 
to take full advantage of my dangerous situation. 
For, on the one hand, it had become necessary to re- 
present me to these simple people as a great sherif, 
and thus to excite their hospitable feelings, while at 
the same time he instigated me to reward their treat- 
ment in a generous manner, but nevertheless sold 
my presents to them as his own property. It required 
a great deal of patience and forbearance on my part, 
to bear up against the numerous delays in this part 
of our journey, and to endure the many tricks played 
upon me by the treachery of my companion, in order to 
prevent at least his proceeding to open violence. In 
this encampment he bartered the horse which I had 
bought for him at Libtako, for seven fat and powerful 
bulls, which, in Timbuktu, probably might fetch from 
8000 to 10,000 shells each. This business being at 
length settled, and the whole encampment breaking 
up, we proceeded onwards. The men were mostly 
mounted on horses of a small unsightly breed, but 
well adapted to bear fatigue, while the women were 
sitting astride on their household furniture, which 
was packed on oxen and asses. 
Proceeding thus slowly onward, our friends en- 
