xvi 
PREFACE. 
day of Kebia-el-awel, tlie caravan^ after but a two-hours^ 
marchj reached the village called Ungurutua^ when Mr. 
Richardson soon felt so weak that he anticipated his 
death ; and leaving the hut (where he was established) for 
his tent, told his dragoman, Mahommed Bu Saad, that he 
would die. Being consoled by him that his illness was of 
no consequence, he assured him several times that he had 
no strength at all ; and indeed his pulse ceased almost 
to beat. He began, then, to rub his feet with vinegar, 
and applied the same several times to his head and 
shoulders. After which, in the absence of his servants, 
he poured water also over himself ; so that, when they 
returned after a few moments, they found him quite 
wet. To counteract the bad effect of this proceeding, 
they began to rub him with a little oil. In the evening 
he took a little food, and tried to sleep ; but notwith- 
standing that he seems to have taken souiething to 
bring on sleep, he threw himself restless from one side 
to the other, calling his wife several times by her 
name. After having walked out of his tent with the 
assistance of his servant, he ordered tea, and remained 
restless on his bed. When it was past midnight, his old 
dragoman, Yusuf Moknee, who watched in his tent, 
made some coffee, in order to keep himself awake ; upon 
which Mr. Eichardson demanded a cup of coffee for 
himself: but his hand being so weak that he could 
scarcely raise the cup, he said to Moknee : ^ Tergamento 
Ufttj — 'Your office as dragoman is finished;^ and re- 
peated several times, with a broken voice, ' Forza ma- 
fishej forza mafishe le-koul/ — 'I have no strength, I 
