LUCAS. 
315 
over them with eveiy gale. On the third day, 
they emerged from the desert of sand hills into a 
hard stony soil, where a few fields vegetated in 
sullen stillness with meagre grain, while the white- 
thorn and Spanish broom appeared at a distance, 
with olive and date-trees. On the 4th day, after 
travelling for some time among rocky hills, varie- 
gated with plains of olive and date-trees, they 
reached the ruins of Lebida, a Roman colony, 
where fragments of a temple, and several trium- 
phal arches, still remain, and where the soil of the 
adjacent district exhibits the most luxuriant vege- 
tation. On the fifth day, as they approached Me- 
surata, they were alarmed by an account of the 
depredations of the tribe Hooled Ben Soliman, 
and soon after fell in with a party of Arabs, whom 
they imagined to be enemies, and resolved to 
attack. The Shereef Fouwad, with the horse, 
led the van, and the foot followed in a confused 
crowd, like a flock of frighted sheep, dancing, 
shouting, twirling their muskets over their heads, 
and jumping round each other like madmen, till 
they approached within shot of their antagonists, 
when each man squatted behind a bush, to shelter 
himself, and take the surer aim. But while they 
were levelling their muskets, they were recogniz- 
ed by the Arabs for friends ; and the caravan pro- 
ceeding, they arrived in the evening at Mesurata. 
The governor of Mesurata, who had resided for 
