CHAP. VIII. RETURN TO TRIPOLI. 305 
chased it for me for a dollar and one third, 6s. 8d. ! I killed it, 
and made every one merry, as it was sufficiently large to afford, for 
freemen and slaves, each two days' allowance ; it was a Maherry 
from Borgoo, and I suppose weighed upwards of GOOlbs. The 
hungry Arabs had many quarrels in cutting it up ; and 1 sometimes 
feared there would be mischief amongst them ; but the altercation 
ended, like other quarrels amongst these people, in great noise, and 
biting tongues at each other. 
I never before had an opportunity of observing how water is 
procured from the belly of a camel, to satisfy the thirst of an almost 
perishing Kaffle. It is the false stomach which contains the water 
and undigested food. This is strained through a cloth, and then 
drank ; and from those who have been under the necessity of 
making use of this beverage, I learn that the taste is bitter. As 
this animal had recently drank, its stomach was nearly full. I 
amused myself in making observations on its skin and skeleton, 
and in planning the formation of a boat ; and I found that a most 
excellent contrivance might be made from them, for the purpose of 
crossing rivers ; the back-bone being used as the keel, and the ribs 
as timbers. The formation of the chest of a camel resembles the 
prow of a Portuguese bean-cod, or fishing-boat. Indeed, it was in 
consequence of hearing the Arabs always calling it Markab, or ship, 
that the idea first occurred to me. 
Saturday, 19th February. Thermometer 1*. — Having filled 
water for five days, we set out over black stony hills, bounded to 
the north-westward at the distance of a mile from our track by a 
sandy desert. At nine, a hillock of a singular form, resembling a 
turret, and called Amaymet Saad, bore north 52° east. As it stands 
at the entrance of a pass we were to ascend, we proceeded towards 
it ; a strong east wind blowing very sharply. We met a man on 
his way from Sockna, who informed us that the Consul had been at 
R R 
