GRAND DINNER RAIN. 
113 
the burial of an old lady, which ceremony set the 
whole town in motion. The women screamed in 
crowds, and a great number of men went outside 
the walls to see the body consigned to its last 
resting-place. Yusuf pretends that the burial took 
place two hours after decease, which is the ordinary 
practice here, although thirty-two hours are said to 
be the proper time. 
To the 21st of May I was occupied in preparing 
a short report on Fezzan, with statements of the 
expedition and other necessary documents. 
We have had a grand dinner at the house of 
the Greek doctor Paniotti. The Bey, Bim Bashaw, 
his adjutant, the treasurer, and others were invited. 
The French have boasted of the number of their 
dishes, but I think the Turks beat them hollow in 
this particular. Besides two whole lambs, fowls, 
pigeons, there were at least twenty made dishes, 
with every variety of rich sweetmeat. Amongst 
the early fruits of the season we had figs and 
apples. The dinner was not quite so merry as 
Gagliuffi's, the champagne being absent. 
We had a smart rain-shower in the morning, 
and in the evening also there was a tempest of 
wind and lightning, and a little rain. The flashes 
were very vivid, and lighted up the whole firma- 
ment. 
The Tibboos persist in saying that there is plenty 
of water in their country, abundance of rain, fre- 
quent springs ; and some go so far as to describe 
VOL. I. I 
