BARLEY-BUYING GHAREEAfl. 
39 
buy barley." They swore they had none — not a 
grain ; but when we swore in our turn that we 
would pay them for what we wanted, they admitted 
having a little that belonged to some people in 
Fezzan. I was amused with the eloquent indigna- 
tion of our burly chaouch when they professed com- 
plete destitution at first. " You dogs ! do you live 
on stones?" cried he. This was a settler; and 
showed them that they had knowing ones to deal 
with. Of course their original shyness arose from 
fear lest we might rob them. When a bargain was 
struck they became quite friendly, and brought us 
out some oil, barley-cakes, and boiled eggs — all the 
luxuries of the oasis ! 
Ghareeah Gharbeeah stands on the brow of a 
limestone rock, on the western side of a valley, vv hich 
we had to cross in approaching between date plant- 
ations and a few fields of barley. It was an ancient 
Roman city ; and there remains still an almost 
perfect bas-relief of a Victoria on one side of the 
eastern gateway, which is composed of limestone 
blocks a foot and a half square. We could trace 
also the imperfect letters of a Latin inscription, 
together with some Berber characters. The houses 
of the present inhabitants are formed of rough blocks 
of limestone mixed with mud, and roofed with palm- 
trunks and palm-trees. The water resembles that 
of the well of Tabooneeah, coming " from the same 
rock," as the people say : it is slightly bitter and 
saltish. 
