82 
MAJOR LAING. 
established on the borders of the Dhioliba, (a great num- 
ber of whom had resorted to Timbuctoo^ on hearing of the 
arrival of a christian) than they all declared they would 
never suffer a nasarah to set foot in their territory, and if he 
made the attempt, they warned him that he would have cause 
to repent it. 
The major, perceiving that he could do nothing with 
these fanaticSj chose the rout -of el-Arawan, where he hoped 
to join a caravan of Moorish merchants, conveying salt to 
Sansanding 5 but alas ! after journeying five days to the 
north of Timbuctoo, the caravan with which he had come up 
was stopped by Sheikh Hamet-ourd-Habib, an old fanatic, 
chief of the tribe of Zawat, who wander in the desert of 
that name. Sheikh Hamet seized the major, under pretence 
of his having entered his territory without permission. He 
then wished to compel him to acknowledge Mahomet to be 
prophet of God, and required him even to make the salam. 
Laing relying too confidently on the protection of the pacha 
of Tripoli, who had recommended him to all the sheikhs of 
the desert, refused to obey Hamet, who more and more ur- 
gently insisted on his acknowledging himself a Musulman. 
Laing continued firm, and chose to die rather than yield ; a 
resolution which made one of the most intelligent of tra- 
vellers a martyr to the cause of science. A Moor, belonging 
to the train of the chief of the Zawats, who was directed 
by his master to kill the christian, refused to execute his 
order. What !" said he, do you wish me to slay the first 
christian who has come among us, and one who has done us 
no injury ? give the commission to another ; I will not be 
the instrument of his death ; kill him yourself." This 
address suspended for a moment the fatal sentence, and the 
question of Laing' s life or death was warmly debated for 
some time. At length the latter was decided on. Some 
black slaves were summoned, and they were ordered to per- 
