194 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. IV. 
During the whole day a constant succession of visitors came to 
pay their compHments of condolence, and I seriously thought that, 
with such an accession of evils, we should in a few days more 
be hurried to our graves. Yussuf and Hadje Mahmoud attended 
on us, as did our little girl, who was our principal nurse, and was 
very humane and careful. We lay ten days in this state, and during 
that time Yussuf, by my desire, sold about 100 lbs. of our powder, 
so that we now again obtained a little money ; but we were too ill 
to enjoy any benefit which our riches might procure us. Mr. 
Ritchie's horse, which had never recovered its flesh since coming 
from Tripoli, and which was very old, I sold, through the medium 
of Yussuf, for seventy dollars, to the Sultan. By the sale of many 
trifles, which the Sultan no longer made an objection to our dis- 
posing of, I cleared, after paying my debts, about 150 dollars, including 
the money for the horse and powder, and now determined, should 
I recover, on penetrating still farther to the southward of Morzouk, 
though incapable of making such progress as I wished, from not 
possessing sufficient funds for the purpose. 
I found myself under the absolute necessity of soon return- 
ing to England to receive instructions for my further proceed- 
ings (supposing me still to be employed on the mission), for 
although money for the additional grant of ^1000 could have been 
procured from Tripoli, much time must have elapsed before I could 
have obtained it ; and even then, I must have gone in person for it. 
I had no one whom in my absence I could have left in charge of 
my goods at Morzouk, Belford being too sick and helpless either to 
keep guard over them, or to remain alone in that place. Added to 
this, ^1000 was a sum by no means adequate to carry me through 
Africa ; as it would be requisite to purchase merchandise totally 
different from that which had already been provided, and without 
which I could not have made my way. Belford, from his weak 
