74 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. II. 
people, from either country, took refuge here, and the population 
was, at that time, more than double what it now is. The people 
of Sockna speak a language peculiar to themselves and to the 
Tuarick of the Great Desert ; it is called Ertana, and is, I believe, 
the original Breber tongue. In another part of this work, I have 
given a short vocabulary of it. IMukni receives all his tribute in 
person, and is, from daylight until dark, sitting in the midst of the 
Arabs. As soon as the business of one party is settled, a prayer is 
recited, and room is left for another equally noisy set, who, though 
they dispute and make all sort of difficulty about paying their 
money, are never suffered by Mukni to gain their point : at the 
very moment indeed when they appear most confident of having 
their complaints attended to, some one of Mukni's men cries out 
" The Fattha !" (or first chapter of the Koran), every one joining 
in that prayer. This is the signal for the poor creatures to retire, 
and they are then obliged to consider their claims as settled. 
The Sheikh is in continual apprehensions of losing his life ; his 
predecessor having, the year before, been found one night with his 
throat cut, and no one was allowed to inquire who committed the 
deed. The inhabitants were obliged to pay a fine or penalty of 
2000 doUars to Mukni (who alone was supposed guilty), in conse- 
quence of the murder having been perpetrated in the town. 
It being necessary for the Sultan to employ persons of trust to 
receive his taxes at Hoon and Wadan, as well as from the neigh- 
bouring Arabs, he proposed sending with them his young son Yussuf, 
allowing Mr. Ritchie and myself also to accompany them, in order 
to afford us a safe opportunity of seeing those places. A troop of 
about thirty horsemen being prepared, on the 14th of June we set 
out. Little Yussuf was placed under the charge of a man named 
Ibrahim, who had also orders to attend to and supply all our wants. 
After passing over the plain, and through the palms, east by 
