The Country Had The Same Character.

At eight they arrived at Tessouwa.

The greater number of inhabitants were Turiacks. They had a warlike appearance, a physiognomy and costume different from the Fezzaners. More than a dozen muffled-up faces were seated near their tents, with every one's spear stuck forcibly in the ground before him. This struck them forcibly, from being very different from that which they had been accustomed to see. The Arab is always armed in his journey, with his long gun and pistols, but there is something more imposing in the spear, dagger, and broad straight sword.

Their course now lay over an extensive high plain, with a long range of hills, running nearly east and west. They entered them by a pass, in which were numerous recesses, evidently leading to more extensive wadeys. This pass led to another, the finest they had yet seen, and the only part approaching to the sublime, which they had beheld in Fezzan. It was rugged and narrow; its sides high, and overhanging in some places near the end of the pass, the wady Ghrarby opens, with groves of date palms, and high sandy hills. The change was sudden and striking, and instead of taking away, added to the effect of the pass they were descending.

Having travelled up the valley for about four miles, they halted at a small town, called Kharaik, having passed two in their course. The number of date trees in the eastern and western division of the valley, is said to be 340,000. The first division, or wadey Shirgi, extends from near Siba to within a few miles of Thirtiba, the other from the termination of Shirgi to Aubari.

In the evening, they saw some of the preparatory steps for a marriage. The woman belonged to Kharaik, and the man to the next town. A band of musicians, accompanied by all the women of the village, with every now and then a volley of musketry, formed the chief part of the procession. One woman carried a basket on her head, for the purpose of collecting gomah to form a feast, and pay the musicians. They came from the village of the bridegroom, which was about a mile distant.

The sheik of this town, whose name was Ali, was a good-natured Tibboo, exceedingly poor, but very attentive, and always in good humour. The place was so poor that they had sometimes to wait half a day before they could get a couple of fowls, or a feed of dates or barley for their horses. They were in hourly expectation of the arrival of camels from the friends of Hateeta, for the purpose of conveying them to Ghraat; no camels, however, arrived, and they were obliged to remain, much against their inclination. On Hateeta conversing with Dr. Oudney, on the difficulty they experienced in getting away from Mourzouk, on account of the obstacles thrown in the way by the people, he said, that the dread, which they had of the Turiacks, was unfounded, and that they should soon be convinced of it. He further added, that he could by his influence alone conduct them in perfect safety to Timbuctoo, and would answer with his head. He was indignant at the feelings, which the people of Mourzouk had against the Turiacks, who, he said, pride themselves on having but one word, and performing whatever they promise.

The promised camels not having arrived, they hired two of Mahomet el Buin, and with these they proceeded on to Gorma, which they found to be a larger town than any in the wadey, but both walls and houses have the marks of time. The sheik, Mustapha Ben Ussuf, soon visited them. He was an old man, a Fezzaner. His ancestors were natives of the place, and his features might be considered as characteristic of the natives of Fezzan.

They had many accounts of inscriptions being in this place, which the people could not read. They were conducted by sheik Mustapha to examine a building, different, as he stated, from any in the country. When they arrived, they found to their satisfaction, it was a structure which had been erected by the Romans.

There were no inscriptions to be found, although they carefully turned up a number of the stones strewed about, but a few figures and letters rudely hewn out, and evidently of recent date. They imagined they could trace some resemblance to the letters of Europe, and conjectured that they had been hewn out by some European traveller at no very distant period. Their thoughts naturally went back to Horneman, but again they had no intelligence of his having been there, "In short," as Dr. Oudney says, "to confess the truth, we did not know what to make of them, till we afterwards made the discovery of the Targee writing."

This building is about twelve feet high, and eight broad. It is built of sandstone well finished, and dug from the neighbouring hills. Its interior is solid, and of small stones, cemented by mortar. It stands about three miles from Gorma, and a quarter of a mile from the foot of the mountain. It is either a tomb or an altar; those well acquainted with Roman architecture will easily determine which. The finding a structure of these people proves, without doubt, their intercourse here. It is probable they had no extensive establishment, otherwise they would have seen more remains as they went along; they passed by, and saw to the westward, the remains of ancient Gorma. It appeared to occupy a space more extensive than the present town. They were not able to learn from the old sheik, whether any antique coins were ever found, or any building similar to this in the vicinity. Was this the tract of the Romans merely into the interior, or did they come to the valley for dates?

Hateeta arrived during the night of the 18th June; their departure was, however, delayed on account of his illness.

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