RELIGIOUS DISPUTES 
OUR CHAOUCH. 
53 
sandstone rocks, and valleys covered with pebbles 
and loose blocks. Some of the rocks are perfectly- 
black, and would be considered by an European 
geologist, on a distant view, as basalt. Until half- 
past four in the afternoon we did not see a blade of 
grass, a sprig of vegetation, or living thing of any 
description ; but at the camping-ground was a thin 
scattering of herbage, near the foot of the black 
mountain called Solaou Marrafa. 
We have sometimes moral disquisitions among 
our people. This day we had a dispute on religion. 
The Zintanah, a real orthodox Musulman, main- 
tained a strict distinction between the believers and 
unbelievers, giving heaven to the former and hell to 
the latter. Yusuf and several more tolerant gentle- 
men held out hope of mercy to us all, as God was 
"the Compassionate and the Merciful." The chaouch 
also lectured the people on courage, and publicly 
maintained that the Fezzanees were all cowards. 
This fellow is a second Sir John FalstafF, without 
the corpulence. The tone of all members of the 
caravan, as I have mentioned, is now much hu- 
manised. Every one is more civil to us, and, by 
habit, to one another. However, the chaouches must, 
of course, get up a quarrel now and then : they do 
it between themselves ; but, as a sign that they like- 
wise are a little civilised, have only had two regular 
explosions to-day. Probably these worthies, who 
remind me of a bull-dog and a terrier, find parti- 
cular pleasure in this form of social intercourse ; for 
