As the power of taking up serpents was supposed to constitute a Maraboot, Mr Lyon determined to acquire that distinction, and he accordingly soon learnt to handle and take up the largest scorpions without the slightest chance of being stung. Finding that Mukni, the viceroy of Fezzan, would not depart for some weeks, Mr Ritchie and Mr Lyon set out on the 7th February a journey to the Gharian mountains. They returned to Tripoli on the 22d March, having lived during this time among the Arabs, who have many of them their residences under ground, and whose appearance and manners too strongly attest the heavy oppressions under which they groan.

On the 25th of March Mukni set out for Mourzouk. The caravan consisted of 200 persons, and about the same number of camels; among the former was a considerable number of liberated blacks, who had been kidnapped and carried into slavery, and who were all joyful at the idea of returning once more to their native land, though many of them, with their young children, had to walk above 2000 iniles, with very slender means for their support. On the 6th April they reached Bonjem, on the northern frontier of Fezzan, where there is a Roman castle now in ruias, situated amid high hills. On the 11th, they arrived at the town of Sockna, after encountering a strong Sirocco, which blew the sand in all directions, to the great distress of the whole caravan. This curious scene is strikingly sketched in one of the plates attached to the work.

In the course of the journey, Mr Ritchie and his companions encountered none of those inconveniences, from their fellow travellers, by which the unfortunate Burckhardt was so much annoyed in his journey with the caravans from Upper Egypt. This circumstance gives strong ground to conclude, that Burckhardt's religion, notwithstanding all his care to disguise it, had been suspected, which would sufficiently account for all the ill-treatment he met with: for it is clear, from Mr Lyon's account, as well as from that of all other travellers,

that there is no safety for Christians in these countries. The very suspicion of such a circumstance never fails to draw forth the persecutions of this fanatical people, and the farther into the interior, this intolerance increases, insomuch, that death would be the immediate consequence of any profession of Christianity, or of any backwardness to join in the religious ceremonies of the country. One fellow in the caravan, in speaking of Mr Ritchie and his companions, called them, by way of contempt, Romees or Christians, which, coming to Mukni's knowledge, he was obliged to threaten him, in case they should ever call them by any other name than Mamelukes, as he himself did.-The people of the caravans, having found out Mr Ritchie's medical talents, were continually applying to him for remedies against some real or fancied diseases, and he and his companions had no little trouble in prescribing for all their various ailments.

There are in the mountains around the towns of Sockna, Hoon, and Wadan, immense numbers of buffaloes of different sorts. Ostriches also abound, by the hunting of which many of the natives subsist. The eggs of these birds are not hatched, as has been sometimes supposed, by the heat of the sun. But the parent bird regularly sits on her eggs from 14 to 18 days, as the common fowl does on her chickens. It is during the breeding season that the greatest numbers are procured, the Arabs shooting the old ones while on their nests. Lyon mentions, however, that it is the custom to keep tame ostriches in a stable, and in two years to take three cuttings of their feathers; and it is in this way, he informs us, that all the finest feathers, namely, the white ones, are obtained, the feathers of the wild ostriches being generally so ragged and torn, that not above half a dozen good ones can be found.

Mr

Mr Lyon mentions here an anecdote, which sets in a strong light the base, cruel, and cowardly nature of the Arabs. He had observed, during the journey from Tripoli, a slave of about 50 years of age, belonging to the owner of some camels, who was scarcely able to follow the caravan, so emaciated was his frame, and so much swelled were his feet and legs. His inhuman master was, however, con

stantly beating him, and invariably sent him out all night to watch the camels. On arriving at Sockna, he went out as usual with the camels, and returned to town in a high fever, notwithstanding of which, his master beat him cruelly with a stick, and finding him unable to cry out, he actually took stones and beat him on the head, being assisted by another Arab in this cruel task. Mr Lyon here interfered, and was saluted with no very polite language, on which he applied to the sultan's chief black, and got him severely bastinadoed, as hard as two men could lay on.

"When I returned to our house, the other Arab laughed at and taunted me to such a degree, that I was obliged (to his great astonishment) to give him a good thrashing, not a little apprehensive, I must own, lest some revenge should be taken on me in consequence; but I soon found I had nothing to dread, for these very men never after omitted coming daily to kiss my hand; and, while I was in sight, always caressed the poor slave, who from that time became a kind of pensioner on us."

p. 79.

On the 5th May, they arrived in Mourzouk, after a journey of 39 days, having travelled over, in general, a barren desert, with a few wadays or vallies interpersed. They met with little worth recording. Their en

trance into most of the towns was celebrated by great rejoicings, horsemen gallopping about, and shouting and firing off their muskets, and the inhabitants meeting them in their gala dresses, and affecting a joy, which they could not feel, at the entrance of the sultan, seeing that they were forced, though in the greatest poverty, to support him and his numerous retinue.

Mr Lyon had the following adventure with a snake.

"Here, while I was resting under a tree, a man came and told me that he had observed a snake of the most venomous species, called Effa, coiled up under a bush. I instantly armed myself with a ramrod, and having discovered the reptile, pinned it to the ground by a stab through the lower jaw. Belford just then came up, and fancying it was of a harmless kind, took it by the tail: as he was on the opposite side of me, I did not perceive him, and having pressed another stick on the creature's head, I withdrew the ramrod, in order to get a better hold of it. At this moment Belford again pulled, and extri

cated the snake, which turned upon and attempted to bite him; its tail, however, luckily broke, and it fell back into the bush, where I immediately dispatched it. Had it wounded Belford, as it was on the point of doing, his death would have been inevitable, as we had no instrument at hand for cutting out the venom, or any fire with which to burn it, as is done with effect by the Arabs. On examining the snake, I found it was of the same species as some I had seen at Tripoli; those, however, did not exceed six inches in length, whereas this was about two feet long, and very bulky. Their colour is generally a dull reddish brown, with black spots; the belly yellow, and aspect particularly disagreeable and malignant." pp. 81, 82.

Mukni the sultan behaved with

great civility and attention to the for their recommendation to him, they English mission, and had it not been would have been exposed to various difficulties. Mr Lyon, in particular, was his constant companion, riding along with him, and being generally treated by him with cakes and dainties. The travelling pace was a walk of the horses which generally got beyond the camels. At noon they stopped under a tree if they could find it, horses, where they ate and slept until and if not, under the shade of their

the camels overtook them. The camels never had any stop, nor the poor negroes, who, with their wives, and even little children, plodded on a whole day under a burning sun, for 16 and sometimes 20 hours.

Our travellers were now settled at

The

Mourzouk, which is a walled town, houses are formed of dried clay, which, containing 2500 inhabitants. durable and strong. They have geas rain is unknown, is sufficiently nerally an open court in the middle, round which are the apartments for men and animals. The rooms have no windows; but are open from the top, for the admission of air and light. There are several pools of stagnant salt water in the town, and when we consider the intense heat of the climate, the thermometer in summer being always above 100° during the day, and sometimes as high as 133°, we need not wonder that the inhabitants are liable to fevers and agues.

On the 15th May, Mr Lyon was attacked with a severe dysentery, which confined him to bed for 22 days, and reduced him to the last extremity. His recovery was impeded by the

extreme saltness of the water, the poor quality of his food, and the exces sive heat and dryness of the climate. Those who had seen him in his worst state, thought it next to impossible that he could survive. The situation of the party was at this time most distressing. They were oppressed by disease and poverty, their money being nearly exhausted, without any prospect of additional supplies--and, to add to their misfortunes, the sultan Mukni behaved to them in the most treacherous manner, giving them no assistance and even wishing for their deaths, that he might seize upon their goods. Their situation is thus described by Mr Lyon.

"I was no sooner convalescent, than Mr Ritchie fell ill, and was confined to his bed with an attack of bilious fever, accompanied with delirium, and great pain in his back and kidneys, for which he required repeated cupping. When a little recovered, he got up for two days, but his disorder soon returned with redoubled and alarming violence. He rejected every thing but water; and, excepting about three hours in the afternoon, remained either constantly asleep, or in a delirious state. Even had he been capable of taking food, we had not the power of purchasing any (which could nourish or refresh him. Our money was now all expended, and the sultan's treacherous plans to distress us, which daily became too apparent, were so well arranged, that we could not find any one to buy our goods. For six entire weeks we were without animal food, subsisting on a very scanty portion of corn and dates. Our horses were mere skeletons, added to which, Belford became totally deaf, and so emaciated as to be unble to walk." pp. 100, 101.

From this period, some one of the party was constantly ill, and at times they were all confined to bed, when they were neglected by most of those who had cause to befriend them. There were some, however, who be haved differently, and it was to their kind offices that they were indebted for the preservation of their lives; they had all alternate fits of convalescence and relapse, but on the 20th of November, Mr Ritchie, exhausted with long continued distress, expired. The following is the account of his last moments. "One day (the 17th) he appeared so far recovered, as to be able to get up and be dressed. We placed him on the mat in the centre of the room, when he seemed much refreshed, and thanked us for the

trouble we had taken; he then expressed a wish to have a little coffee, which, for a time, I was unwilling to give him, fearing it might injure him: he was, however, so earnest in his request, that I was obliged at last to comply with it. As he complained of the closeness of his room, and appeared determined on lying that night on the mat, we made his bed on it; and I

laid myself down by him. In the afternoon he examined his tongue in the glass, and appeared a good deal alarmed at its colour; but presently said, I was frightened at the blackness of my tongue, but now recollect I have been drinking coffee; had I observed that appearance without knowing the cause, I should have said I had a bye. In the evening one or two of the bilious fever, and should bid you good Mamlukes came in; he spoke to them for a little while, and soon after fell asleep. I remained awake the greater part of the night, during which he slept soundly; but in the morning I found he had crept from his bed, and was lying uncovered, and in a state of delirium, on the cold sand. We immediately put him to bed in his own room, and he appeared to rally again.

The

"On the 20th we got a fowl, of which we made a little soup for him, and while he was taking it, a man came in and told me a courier had arrived from Tripoli with letters. I went out, but returned, to my sad disappointment, empty-handed, the man having no dispatches for us. broth which Mr Ritchie drank, was the first nourishment he had taken for ten days, though we had used all our endeavours to prevail on him to eat. He said he felt much revived by it, and turned round to go to sleep. 1 placed my bed at the entrance of his room, and remained watching him. He seemed to breathe with difficulty; but as I had often observed this during his former maladies, I was not so much alarmed as I should otherwise have been. At about nine o'clock, Belford, on looking at him, exclaimed in a loud voice, He is dying!' I begged him to be more cautious, lest he should be overheard, and immediately examined Mr Ritchie, who appeared to me to be still in a sound sleep; I therefore lay down on my bed, and continued listening. At ten I rose again, and found him lying in an easy posture, and breathing more freely; five minutes, however, had scarcely elapsed before his respiration appeared entirely to cease; and on examination I found that he had actually expired, without a pang or groan, in the same position in which he had fallen asleep." pp. 190, 191.

Mr Lyon and Belford, his surviving companion, were now left in a state of the most extreme despondency; they buried their departed friend next day, Belford having made a rough coffin,

which in they deposited his remains. They read over him during the night the Protestant service, and during the day they publicly recited at his grave the first chapter of the Koran, after which they returned home to pass a day of misery. They were afterwards both confined to their beds, by a strong fever with which they were seized, and at the mercy of any one who chose to pillage them. At this time, while they were in the lowest state of depression, they received the truly welcome intelligence, that a further advance of L. 1000 had been made by government, towards the expence of their mission, and having also, by the disposal of some of their effects, realized a sum of 150 dollars, Mr Lyon determined on penetrating still further northward. He set out on the 14th December from Mourzouk, having received a teskera from the sultan, which enabled him to levy contributions for his subsistence on the inhabitants as he travelled along, a privilege, however, which he never exercised, as he regularly paid for what he received. He arrived at Tegerry, the southern limit of Fezzan, on the 2d January, and in the course of the month, returned to Mourzouk. In the course of his journey, the weather in the mornings and evenings was extremely cold, the thermometer falling to 40 and even lower. The country was generally barren; but abounded with wild animals, of which the principal were the hyenas and jackals, the former of which were exceedingly fierce.

Mr Lyon has collected some curious information respecting the_state of the country, and the trade in slaves, which is prosecuted with a great eagerness, and which renders the interior one continued scene of ferocious cruelty. He confirms what other travellers, and particularly Burckhardt, have observed, namely, that the slave trade originates in Africa itself, and that the exportation of slaves to the European colonies, against which the European powers have of late most laudably directed their efforts, forms a very small branch of this nefarious traffic. It is from the southern nations of Africa, who are immersed in barbarism, that the slave markets in the north are supplied. Those savage tribes being, from their ignorance in all the mechanical arts, weak and defenceless, are the natural prey of their

more powerful neighbours in the north, who are continually planning expeditions into the interior of Africa for the purpose of carrying off slaves. The sultan Mukni, with whom Mr Lyon travelled from Tripoli, often headed expeditions of this nature, and it was from the fruits of these lawless incursions that his tribute to the bashaw of Tripoli was chiefly defrayed. The plan adopted by the Arabs for kidnapping these people is thus described.

"They rest for the night, two or three hours ride from the village intended to be attacked; and after midnight, leaving their tents and camels with a small guard, they advance, so as to arrive by day light; they then surround the place, and, closing in, generally succeed in taking all the inhabitants. As those who elude the first range have also to pass several bodies placed on the look-out, and armed with guns, their chance of escape is almost impossible. On a rising ground, at a convenient distance, is placed a standard, round which are stationed men prepared to receive and bind the captives, as they are brought out by those who enter the town; when bound, the pillagers return for fresh plunder. In the course of one morning, a thousand or fifteen hundred slaves have sometimes been procured in this manner, by two or three hundred men only. When the inhabitants are all secured, the camels, flocks, and provisions, come into requisition; and these dreaded Arabs march on and conquer other defence

less hordes, in the same manner.” p. 255.

Cunning and address, the resources of weakness, are the only defence of the effeminate inhabitants of the south against these cruel inroads ; and their ingenuity in foiling their pursuers is frequently exerted with singular success.

"They run (says Mr Lyon) with great swiftness, and when endeavouring to es cape, use many successful and ingenious feints. For instance, if pursued on cocky ground, they will kneel suddenly, in such a manner, as to resemble a rock or stone, the mountains in their own country being black like themselves; if where wood is lying, they embrace the trunk of a tree; if on sandy ground, they stand on an eminence, until their pursuer is in the hollow near them, they then run to the next hollow, and change their direction or even bury themselves before he gets to the rising ground. They show equal skill in eluding the vigilance of their keepers when caught. Mukni has often told me stories of their