166 
RECEPTION AT TAGELEL. 
made in the way of compliments. In the East, it 
would not be prudent to take him at his word 
who should say, " Everything I have is yours." 
The huts of the village are very clean, and are 
inhabited entirely by slaves of En-Noor. These 
villages of Damerghou, at a distance, have the 
appearance of Chinese villages, such as I have 
seen drawn, with eaves cocked up like the rim of a 
French hat. The evening was given up to fes- 
tivities, the slaves of the caravan uniting with those 
of the Tagelel. A regular procession brought the 
supper from the village to the people of the cara- 
van, and then the music and dancing began. We 
had no supper sent. His highness is amazingty 
shabby in this respect. He fancies, perhaps, he 
could send us nothing better than what we have 
ourselves got, but he might try the compliment. 
We are, however, obliged to him for preventing 
others from levying contributions upon us in this 
new region. The Tuaricks here — all the strangers 
— are very civil; on account, I believe, of our 
being with the old man. He is of great negative 
utility. 
Overweg went to a lagoon, with little green isles 
in the midst of it, and shot some ducks. Ducks ! 
This convinces us that we are now in the country of 
water. A wader was shot, and a fine plump bird 
something like a partridge, which Mohammed 
Tunisee calls poule de Carthage, but it is much 
