CHAP. VIII. 
RETURN TO TRIPOLI. 
309 
sitting opposite to each other by the fire, their masters made them 
fight with hghted sticks. Moosa, who always was the first to be 
enraged, began to call the other boy an infidel, to curse his father, 
and to use many other equally insulting speeches, which the Arabs 
taught him. The elder boy, provoked in his turn, then rose to 
revenge himself, when the Mttle fellow darted at his legs, and by 
biting them unmercifully, was always sure of gaining the victory. 
The Moors never took the trouble of collecting wood for their 
fires, but waited until every Kaffle had supphed itself, when they 
sent Moosa to steal what he could. Owing to his small size, he 
succeeded in these pilferings, to my great amusement, for I found 
that though he stole from every one else, he never robbed me, but 
even supplied me when I was in want of fuel. He was repeatedly 
offered to me as a present by his master, and I have since been sorry 
I refused him : he was jet black, and extremely pretty. In all the 
difficulf passes he rode on my right knee, telHng me the way in 
which he was caught, and many long stories besides. If his master's 
camels or mine chanced to stray, he would arm himself with a stick 
and go in search of them, nor would he give up the chase till he 
had driven them back ; he was indeed a most engaging child, and 
I became very fond of him. 
Wednesday, 23rd February. Thermometer 4°. — At seven the 
camels took the road by a wadey to the left, whilst I and the slaves 
went over an almost inaccessible mountain, caUed Nufdai i^^^^, 
which brought us to the well at its foot, called Gutfa Uli, about 
three miles distant from our last sleeping place ; the water here is 
very good. We stopped an hour at the well to water and refresh 
the slaves and animals, and then wound along a wadey having many 
small Talhh trees in it, until we had made about six miles north- 
east, the mountains opening out on the left. 
Old Baba Hassein, the Turk of whom I have made mention as 
