Chap. XXVIII. SERVANTS OF THE MISSION. 245 
been sent up from Tripoli, at the monthly salary of 
twenty mahbubs besides a sum of four dollars for his 
maintenance. He was certainly a handsome young 
man, about twenty-two years of age, a native of " the 
holy house" (Bet el mogaddus) or Jerusalem, with 
big sounding phrases in his mouth, and quite satis- 
fied to return with me directly to Fezzan without 
having done anything. Then came his more expe- 
rienced and cheerful companion, 'Abd e' Rahman, a 
real sailor, who was not so loud in his clamours, but 
urged more distinctly the payment of his salary, 
which was equal to that of Ibrahim. 
After I had consoled these dear friends, and assured 
them that I had no idea at present of returning north- 
wards, and that I should do my best to find the means 
of satisfying the most urgent of their claims, there ar- 
rived another of the bloodsuckers of the mission, and 
the most thirsty of them all. It was my colleague, the 
bibulous Yusuf, son of Mukni the former governor of 
Fezzan, accompanied by Mohammed ben Bu-Sad, 
whom Mr. Richardson, when he discharged Yusuf in 
Zinder, had taken into his service in his stead, and by 
Mohammed ben Habib, the least serviceable of Mr. 
Richardson's former servants. Yusuf was mounted 
upon a fine horse, and most splendidly dressed ; but 
he was extremely gracious and condescending, as he 
entertained the hope that my boxes and bags, which 
had just arrived with my faithful Gatroni, were full of 
shells, and that I should be able to pay his salary at 
once. He was greatly puzzled when I informed him 
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