48 
LOVE MARRIAGES AND OTHERS. 
iiibited to the people, riding about the town ! All 
were greatly astonished at the splendour of the 
bride's dowry. Are not these fit materials for an 
Arabian Night's entertainment ? My servant, Said, 
also married the other evening, but not so roman- 
tically ; taking up with the divorced wife of another 
freed black. I heard nothing of it until all was 
over. The parties guessed rightly that I should 
take no interest in the matter, or rather disapprove 
of it, as the fellow has abandoned his own and 
natural wife. This divorced negress, who has at 
last found a master, has gone the round of all the 
tents since she has parted from her former husband, 
and is a little intriguing wretch. The Sfaxee and 
Yusuf countenanced the affair, but kept it quite un- 
known to me. They, however, fetched Overweg, 
and presented him with a portion of the marriage- 
supper — bazeen. I felt much disgusted on hearing 
of the affair. The old wife is a native of Kanem- 
boo, and is going thither. She will, of course, 
gladly take leave of her husband and this young- 
wife and rival. Marriage is an excessively loose 
tie here, at any rate amongst the poor. The rich 
pretend to respect marriage. 
We have all done little in clearing up diffi- 
culties, or obtaining correct information of the 
Tuaricks of the Sahara. ~No good informants are 
to be found. From the Sheikhs of Ghat it is quite 
impossible to learn anything. We hope to get 
some information from a Tanelkum now going with 
