44 
waiting for me in great anxiety, and crying out with 
fear. The fish* plunged into the waves, and a few mo- 
ments after rose up to the place which I had just left. 
A talbe of the name of Sidi-Amkeshet paid me one 
day a visit, and as we were accidently conversing on the 
interior of Africa, he addressed to me the following dis- 
course: 
" Frequently caravans set out from the provinces of 
Sus and Tafilet, and cross the Great Desert in about two 
months, to go to Ghana and Tombouctou. 
" There are, in the interior of Africa, two rivers, 
which both have the name of Nilgigthe one passes Cairo 
and Alexandria, the other takes its direction to Tom- 
bouctou. 
" These two rivers issue from a lake in the moun- 
tains of the Moon (Djebel Kamar.) The river which 
goes to Tombouctou does not reach the sea, but loses 
itself in another lake. The mountains of the Moon de- 
rive their name from the circumstance, that at every 
lunation they take successively the colours of a crown 
or of a lunar v rain- bow. 
" Travelling from Morocco to the shores of the Nile 
of Tombouctou is as safe as in the middle of a town, 
even though you should be loaded with gold; but on 
the other side of the river there is no justice nor safety, 
because it is inhabited by nations of very different char- 
acter. This river contains the fierce animals called 
Tzemsah, which devour men." 
He pointed out with his hand the direction of the 
courses of these two Niles; that of Cairo, said he, runs 
towards the east; and the other, of Tombouctou, replied 
I, does that run towards the west? " Yes, seignior," 
said he immediately, " towards the west?" 
