126 
ROW WITH OUR ESCORT. 
I left Mourzuk on the 25th of June, late in the 
evening, and proceeding- until midnight, stopped at 
a little cluster of palms, with two or three inha- 
bitants, called Thurgan. Then rising at daylight, 
and starting at once, I passecl Om-el-Hamam, and 
reached Tesaoua about nine in the evening. I found 
that the Germans and the Tanelkums had gone on 
in advance some days, but not so fast that we could 
not hope to overtake them. The hurry and bustle 
attendant on the preparations for starting has ren- 
dered me rather indisposed ; I was quite unwell on 
the 27th. *Next day, however, I could receive Ha- 
teetah and the son of Shafou, and have a civil row 
with them. I had to ask them whether they would 
travel by night, and what they would agree to do if 
any one fell sick. To the first question they promptly 
answered " No, they would not ;" but to the second, 
that in case any one was very ill indeed, they would 
wait a little for him, or travel in the night. I said 
that this was not exactly what I wanted, and that 
in case of sickness the expedition must be stopped. 
They recommended me to go to Ghat, and there re- 
main twenty days until the great heat had passed, 
allowing the Tanelkums to go on. This advice is 
worth reflection : but perhaps we may not suffer so 
much from the heat as I anticipate. We came to a 
tolerable understanding, and it was at length agreed 
that we should start on the 29th. 
The weather is now cool, the wind often blowing 
round in the course of the day ; it rarely blows 
