80 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. II 
boo Saif f^jxm y] Waled ben Miriam ^ and Sohhoob 
and change their residence as they find pasture. Their Httle move- 
able tents are their only habitations ; for even in the neighbourhood 
of towns they make a small encampment while they remain. 
All our business being settled, we prepared to leave this place. 
Mr. Ritchie presented the Sheikh with some powder and cutlery 
ware, which, as I discovered some time after, was taken away from 
him by the covetous Sultan for his own use. 
Lilla Fatema was at this time very ill, and as Mr. Kitchie 
dechned visiting her, I became her doctor, and by means of some 
compounds of my own invention, quite cured her. Amongst the 
little secrets of her illness, I found out that she indulged herself 
in pretty large potions of Lackbi, which no doubt occasioned the 
head-aches she complained of 
Mr. Ritchie made several attempts with Gambay's dipping 
needle, the results of which are with his papers, and we each brought 
Sockna's latitude to 29" 5' 36" north, by observation of Spica 
^"irginis. 
On 22d of April left Sockna in company with the Sultan. At 
11. 30. we were attended clear of the town by a great multitude of 
people, and a prayer being recited, the horsemen all stopped, 
holding their open hands with the palms towards heaven. After 
this, each one kissed the Sultan's hand, and returned home. At 
one we passed a small spring, the only one in the country, of about 
two feet in diameter, in wliich the water was pretty good. The 
Sultan here told us, with an air of firm behef, that a Maraboot once 
travelhng this way, was overcome by thirst, and that by striking 
the ground with his stick (in the name of God), this water arose. 
At S. SO. we entered a wadey in the Soudah mountains, called 
Octooffa <sj^la^\, bearing from Sockna south by west, and at six en- 
camped near a well of tolerably good water, called Gutfa UJL'. Our 
