BRILLIANT METEOR. 
19 
African lewdness were being related, a thing hap- 
pened which none could disbelieve, none call in 
question. This was the appearance of an immense 
meteor in the sky, shooting over half the heavens, 
with a slight curve, from east to west. It had a 
tail like a comet, and around its head burnt a blue 
light of excessive brilliancy. This phenomenon ap- 
peared at a quarter to eight o'clock in the evening. 
I never saw anything like it before, and perhaps 
shall never again see its equal. It might have been 
visible two minutes. We all cried out with surprise 
at beholding it. We had our faces towards the 
south, and the course of the meteor was across the 
south, but not very high, at about the third of the 
circle of the heavens. Afterwards, every few 
minutes, small meteors w T ere seen sporting about in 
the same direction, some in a straight line and 
others descending. 
9th. — The wind of this fine cool morning pre- 
vented a visit from En-Noor. That he might not 
be disappointed, however, I sent him his customary 
tea; and amused myself by hearing the Sfaxee dis- 
course of that constant subject of conversation, the 
attack of the Fadeea. According to him, on that 
occasion great fear was felt by all the caravan. 
Most of our servants had formed the resolution to 
abandon us. There were, however, some honourable 
exceptions ; amongst the rest, Said, the great maha- 
dee, and another. Yusuf and Mohammed Tunisee 
proposed the plan, that we three, the Germans, and 
