HARD WORK FEZZANEE CHARACTER. 59 
forest of palms belonging to our camel -drivers, 
having descended to them in small groups from 
their grandfathers. 
Next day (29th) we again went on over the sand, 
which extends beyond Ghadamez and Souf, to the 
west, and even to Egypt on the east. It is met at 
different points by the khafilahs, and crossed in dif- 
ferent numbers of days. We found it very hard 
work to cross it, and understood why, in these parts, 
the words rami, sand, and war, difficult, have be- 
come convertible terms. Bou Keta had consider- 
able trouble in keeping to the route, being reduced 
to depend chiefly on the camels' dung, which rolls 
about the surface of the sand. Here and there was 
a patch of coarse herbage, scattered like black spots 
on the bright, white surface. Every object was very 
much magnified at a little distance ; I saw what 
seemed to me to be a horse on the top of one of the 
hills, but on drawing near it proved to be our own 
greyhound bitch smelling the hot air. 
Bou Keta gave some account of himself to-day. 
It seems that "Fezzanee" is not a very respectable 
epithet in those countries. 
" I am not a Fezzanee," said Bou Keta, abruptly. 
"Then what are you?" 
" My mother was a Tuarick woman, and my 
father one of the Walad Suleiman." 
" Then the Walad Suleiman are gentlemen, 
whilst the Fezzanees are Turks and dogs?" 
"That's the truth," quoth he. 
