84 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXII. 
of which I was quite at a loss to understand. But 
El Bakdy at length promised that I should only have 
to wait two days longer, when he would go with me 
himself; but it was not till the very last day in 
March that he returned from the town to the camp, 
and, although he at length brought my luggage 
with him, my real departure was even then still far 
remote. 
During this time I had especially to contend against 
the intrigues of my head man *Ali el A'geren, who 
seemed to find the stay in Timbuktu at my expense 
(where he himself was quite safe and well oflP, and could 
do what he liked,) quite pleasant and comfortable. 
He was therefore in no hurry to leave, but rather 
tried every means in his power to counteract my en- 
deavours for a speedy departure. An extraordinary 
degree of patience was therefore necessary on my part, 
and I was obliged to seek relief from the tediousness 
of my stay here in every little circumstance that 
broke the uniform tenor of my monotonous life. 
A great source of entertainment to me were the 
young sons of my protector, Babd A'hmed and Zen el 
'Abidin, who were continually wrangling about all 
sorts of articles, whether they belonged to the one or 
the other; my tent and my horse forming the chief 
objects of their childish dispute. And I was greatly 
amused, at times, at the younger boy placing himself 
at the entrance of my tent, and protesting that it was 
Zen el 'Abidm's tent, and preventing his elder brother 
from approaching it. • The plate opposite gives a fair 
