THEY RETURN DISAPPOINTED. H? 
had now only a skin and a half of water remaining for 
eleven persons, we had indeed more than that number with 
us, and the allowance was every time more and more scanty 3 
we suffered beyond all expression. After drinking a few 
drops, we lay down to wait for those who were gone in 
search of a fresh supply. About ten in the morning the 
poor wretches arrived half dead with thirst, and as soon as 
they had been relieved, as far as our small store permitted^ 
they told us that they had had great difficulty at first in 
finding the well and that when they had reached it they 
were dreadfully disappointed to find it quite dry ; they were 
by this time so tortured with thirst, that they resolved to 
kill a camel, that they might divide amongst them the water 
contained in its stomach ! a poor resource, for the v/ater was 
not pure, and there was very little of it. The blood of the 
animal would have been a great refreshment, but they durst 
not drink it for fear of infringing the laws of the Koran. 
About four in the afternoon, after having drunk the 
rest of our water, we were again on our way, more thirsty 
than ever, and proceeding slowly towards the north, in the 
hope of reaching the wells of Telig by the morning of the 
26th. At nine in the evening we stopped for prayer as 
usual ; a Moor who accompanied us gave us each a little 
water, which we received most gratefully ; it relieved us 
very much. The night was very hot like the preceding. 
About ten we turned for three miles to the east, along the 
foot of some high hills of moving sand. 
On the 26th, at five in the morning, we passed near 
some large masses of white earth, which looked at a distance 
like houses in ruins ; in this part is found a very fine grey 
sand. The camels, though laden, lay down to roll themselves, 
which raised a terrible dust ; and the Moors had infinite diffi- 
culty in preventing them from doing so. I also observed in 
this place gravel of the same colour, and further on 1 found 
veins of white earth, of the same nature as the masses already 
