74 
MR- LUCAS'S 
and would give one of tliem to the King and the other to him- 
felf. The Shereef was dehghted with the propofal ; and they 
immediately retired to a fand hill at fome diflance from the tent, 
that their converfation might be unreferved and uninterrupted. 
Many fucceffive days were employed in the fame manner ; and 
as Mr. Lucas wrote down, at the time, tlie information which 
he obtained, he was foon pofleffed of fuch an account of Fezzan, 
Bornou, and Nigritia, efpecially of the two former, as much di- 
minifhed the chagrin of his own difappointment. 
One afternoon, as they fat together on the cuflomary hilly 
they were fuddenly diflurbed by the loud fcreams and difmal 
howHngs of all the women of Mefurata — a mode of alarming 
and collefting the men, which is always praftifed among the 
Arabs, on the approach of thieves, or of an invading enemy. 
In a few minutes the townfmen were under arms, and together 
with the Shereef Fouwad, the other Fezzaners, and Mr. Lucas's 
Black, went haftily on to the place where the Rebels were faid 
to have appeared : — there they found that the women had been 
deceived. It feems an afs had ftrayed into a field of barley; 
and as the owner of the corn, who was armed, and happened 
to pafs by at the time, went into the field to drive out the ani- 
malj 
