I rose without receiving any good news. On the contrary, Mr.
Sfaxee, who has always professed such disinterestedness, begins to hint
demands. I find that I shall have to pay him as much as the other
people. Escort En-Noor, by the way, was delighted with the little
present I made to him of a pair of coloured scissors for his wife. The
thermometer a little after mid-day rose to 94 deg. Fahr. and 27 deg. 30' of
Reaum. In the afternoon the rain only threatened, and we had but two or
three puffs of wind.

We hear that the Sultan is better; and from his servants we collect that
he is not willing we should go on to Zinder unless escorted by himself.
Certainly this arrangement would please us under ordinary circumstances;
but we hear that it would detain us two or three months in Aheer, which
will never do. To-day I made acquaintance with the round salt-cakes of
Bilma. They consist of a very rough species of salt, like so many big
round grains of the coarsest sandstone. One that I saw was of a dark
brown colour, extremely dirty, about half-a-foot in diameter. Apparently
these lumps are very compact; they serve as money both in Soudan and
Tintalous. The greater part of the revenue of Aheer is derived from this
salt carrying between Bilma and Zinder.

_10th._--This morning I felt much better, as well as I have ever done
since leaving Tripoli. One adapts one's self to any climate by degrees.
I took courage even to read a little, and went over Jackson's "What to
Observe," among other things. But my mind is still troubled about our
future course of proceeding. It is impossible to bring Sultan En-Noor to
any arrangement. He still shelters himself from our importunities under
the plea of ill health. Almost every morning we have a few visitors from
the town. The people are not troublesome, except that they show a good
deal of prying curiosity to see the faces, forms, and actions of
Christians. We learn that scouts are still out after our camels,
hitherto without success. I am afraid they have been driven far away;
and begin to doubt our ever setting eyes on them again.

The morning was clear and dry, with a little cool wind breathing up the
valley. The country was covered with fresh herbage; trees were budding
and birds singing, as in spring. Yesterday evening we had a visit from a
wolf, who was looking out for our two or three sheep for a supper, but
the watch was too well kept. There are many wild animals in Aheer, but
we have hith