THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION* #99 
letter of recommendation to the king of Fezzan. 
But, considering the risk of his being taken by the 
Arabs, which might oblige him to make a disad- 
vantageous peace, he requested him, immediately 
afterwards, to defer his journey till the Arabs were 
reduced. The Shereefs were extremely chagrin- 
ed at this proposition, as well as Mr Lucas, since 
they had written to the king of Fezzan, that they 
would soon present to him a Christian, who had 
travelled a journey of many moons from his native 
land, for no other purpose, but to gratify his wish 
of visiting him, and seeing his kingdom of Fezzan ; 
and believed that his anger would be so great at 
this disappointment, that he would probably inflict 
upon them the greatest indignity which a Shereef 
can be made to suffer, the heaping dust upon their 
heads. The remonstrances of the Shereefs, and 
the representations of an old man of the class of 
Maraboots, or distinguished saints, induced the 
Bashaw to comply with Mr Lucas's request, espe- 
cially as the rebel Arabs had evacuated that part, 
of the country which he was to traverse in his jour- 
ney. On the 1st of February 1789, therefore, 
their little caravan left Tripoli, and proceeded to- 
wards Fezzan, by the route of Mesurata, which, 
though not so direct as the ancient passage by the 
way of Guariano, is yet more safe, as it is not ex- 
posed to the impositions of the rapacious tribes, 
Hooled Ben Soliman, and Benioleed. The heavy 
