60 
JOURNEY FROM 
soon spread out our baggage to dry, and gladly availed ourselves of 
the delay this operation occasioned to walk over the ruins of the 
town. 
Our camel-drivers, however, who had been hired by the journey, 
were not so well satisfied with this detention, and were urgent in 
persuading us to advance : but a trifling bakshees * soon quieted 
their remonstrances, and they made up their minds very contentedly 
to the arrangement. We now began to measure a short base by 
latitudes, in order to fix a few points with more accuracy ; and it 
was necessary to make use of the summit of a neighbouring hill for 
one extremity of the base. This spot was the place of residence of 
a most devout and highly-reverenced Marabut, the admiration and 
the terror of the people of Lebida ; and as we were proceeding to 
ascend the hill, our steps were arrested by the voice of the Tchaous 
whom the Bashaw had commissioned to attend us. As soon as he 
came up, he began very gravely to assure us, that the holy enthu- 
siast would by no means allow us to encroach upon his domains with 
impunity ; and proceeded to state that he would most certainly kill 
every person of our party who should dare to ascend, and afterwards 
sacrifice him (the Tchaous) himself, for having allowed us to intrude 
upon his retirement. It may be imagined that none of us had any 
particular wish to offend the holy personage in question ; but the 
hill which he occupied was unluckily the most convenient which 
could be selected for our purpose ; and we did not think it quite 
* Bakshees, or Baksheesh, is the Arab term for a gratuity or pecuniary consideration. 
