HARD WORK OVER THE SAND. 
63 
CHAPTER V. 
More sandy Desert — Fatiguing March — Water and Herbage — Water- 
drinking — Sight the Plateau of Mourzuk — Hot Wind — Arrival in 
El- Wady — Tuaricks — Laghareefah — Fezzanees — The Chaouches 
astray — The Sheikh Abd-el-Hady — Description of the Oasis — 
Tempest — Native Huts — Official Visits — Desert News — Camel- 
drivers — Ruins of Azerna — Move on — The Kaid — Modest Requests 
— Ladies of the Wady — Leave the Oasis — Vast Plain — Instinct of 
the Camel — Reach Agar — Reception — Precede the Caravan — Reach 
Mourzuk — Mr. Gagliuffi — Honours paid to the Mission — Acting 
Pasha — Climate — Route from Tripoli — Its Division into Zones — 
Rain in the Desert. 
On the 1st of May we had an arduous piece of 
work to perform. The khafilah was in motion four- 
teen entire hours, over heavy sand, with the hot 
wind breathing fiercely upon it. No amateur walk- 
ing was indulged in. Every one kept sullenly to 
his camel ; and those who were obliged to advance 
on foot dragged slowly along, seeming every mo- 
ment as if they were about to abandon all exertion 
in despair, and lie down to perish. Our course lay 
mostly south, as usual ; but varied occasionally from 
south-east to south-west. The scene was one of the 
most singular that could be imagined. Camels and 
men v/ere scattered along the track, treading slowly 
but continually forward, and yet not seeming to ad- 
