CHAP. II. 
JOURNEY TO MORZOUK. 
59 
goods, so that each camel-man might be enabled to know his own 
charge, and thus avoid mistakes or confusion. 
23d March. — I went back into the town, and found that Mukni 
was not to join us until the morrow ; by which delay, we obtained 
time to furnish ourselves with many necessaries, which we had 
before forgotten to provide. 
24th March. — Mukni did not arrive this day ; but his two Ne- 
gresses and household slaves came out and pitched their tents. 
These women were mounted on camels, in a kind of htter, called 
Shibha tAijL which is a Mght frame of wood, covered with scarlet 
cloth, so arranged, as to prevent the person in the inside from 
being seen. One of them had been twice to the Niger with 
Mukni, and was named Zaitoon ^yoj or ohve tree ; the other was 
the mother of his youngest child, and was called Zeman Donya, 
<ujjj j^toj time of the world. All was confusion this day ; and the 
varied heaps of goods, camels, saddles, and animals, which were 
scattered about, presented a very Hvely scene. As I sat in our 
tent, writing a letter, some Arabs came in, and seemed to find 
much amusement in seeing me write from left to right ; but, when 
I told them my letter was addressed to a Female, their astonish- 
ment knew no bounds ; and they laughed heartily at the idea, that 
it was possible for a woman to be capable of reading. Colonel 
Warrington's eldest son came to spend the evening with us. 
March 25th. — I went into the town, and took leave of all my 
Christian friends. At eight A. M. the kaffle, consisting of about 
two hundred men, and the same number of camels, set off. We 
followed them, and pitched our tents, to rest for the night, on the 
desert, near a well and a few palm trees. After dark, Mr. Ritchie, 
accompanied by our friends. Dr. Dickson, and Messrs. Carstensen, 
arrived. We amused ourselves in visiting httle parties of the 
I 2 
