CHAP. III. 
MORZOUK. 
103 
strictness, and without exciting the slightest suspicions of our 
stolen meals. 
Hadje Mahmoud, a most religious old man, became very trouble- 
some to me, and was continually begging that I would call in some 
Maraboot to pray over, and write prayers on Mr. Ritchie's head and 
hands : his delirium he attributed to the devil, and foretold that 
it would not cease until we had put a sword, or some implement 
of iron, under his head, Iblis being much alarmed at that metal. 
All these plans I resisted as well as I could ; but found much dif- 
ficulty in overcoming a strong desire he had to bring a plate with 
the names of God written on it, which were to be washed off, and 
the inky water given to the invalid to drink. Our poor patient, 
meanwhile, regardless of what was passing, longed and asked only 
for a little milk, which unhappily we were not able to procure ; 
the Sultan, although he had fifty goats, made so many excuses and 
difficulties about affording us any, that we were obliged to give up 
all hopes of gratifying him. 
Great preparations were now making all over the kingdom, 
to forward an expedition which the Sultan intended to send 
against the tribe of the Tibboo Borgo, a country about a month S.E. 
Bodies of Arabs arrived from Sockna, and the towns in that direc- 
tion ; a party of horse also came from Benioleed, and Morzouk 
was all confusion. Sidi Aleiwa, the Sultan's eldest son, was to take 
the command. All the men assembled to accompany him were 
quartered on the toA\ai's-people, who were obliged to feed them and 
their cattle twice a day. 
I shall here mention the names of certain persons who came to 
see us, and were really friendly towards us, in order to distinguish 
them from numberless other visitors, who, at first, were very re- 
gular in their attendance, but who vanished as soon as our sugar and 
