About Aheer, the Bornou and Soudan routes appear not to be far apart.  The Tibboos make Kisbee to be only eight days from Aghadez.  The Kailouees also state that Bilma (or Boulouma, in their pronunciation) is only seven or eight days of good travelling from Tintalous; but the salt-caravans always employ fourteen days, arriving at Bilma on the fifteenth.

Yesterday afternoon a portion of a large Soudan caravan arrived.  A number of bullocks were amongst its beasts of burden; one of these had immense branching horns, and, according to the report of Said’s wife, was of the same species as those found in her country, Kanemboo, near Bornou.  These bullocks seemed to be in every respect trained like horses, and some of them carry a burden of four cantars.

22d.—­I rose early, to prepare my despatches for Mourzuk and England.  To-day not much wind, only a little refreshing breeze.  The wind, which appears to visit us daily instead of the rain, generally begins about an hour after noon, and continues to blow in fitful gusts until three or four P.M. when it gradually sinks.  The evenings are perfectly calm, though not always cloudless.

Yesterday five maharees arrived from Tintaghoda, mounted by persons who came to inquire after the health of En-Noor.  They left early this morning.  Somehow or other these maharees always look suspicious to me.  The injuries we have received make us suspicious.

I ate some honey of Aheer to-day.  It has a most treacley taste, and, in truth, is not unlike treacle, not having the delicate flavour of honey.  It has purgative qualities.  They boil it on the fire, and so spoil it.

I wrote to-day to Viscount Palmerston, to Mr. Gagliuffi, and my wife, sending also specimens of the Kailouee language, and the journal of Yusuf, describing the route from Ghat to Aheer—­altogether a good parcel.

The Arabs and Moors try to measure everything by portions of their body.  The draa, a measure from the elbow to the tips of the fingers, is in universal requisition.  The fathom, signified by the arms extended on both sides the body, is not so frequently in use.  The sun is often said to be so many fathoms high.  If we attended a little more to these natural measures it might be well, although the human body being so various in size we could never be correct, and then we might lose sight of those artificial means of measuring objects which distinguish us from the semi-barbarian Arabs.

This evening I heard from Es-Sfaxee a more favourable account of the power of En-Noor.  It would appear that En-Noor is the aged Sheikh, the Sheikh Kebeer, of the Kailouees, whom all respect, and to whom all look up in cases of difficulty and distress.  With En-Noor always authority remains, whilst all the other Sheikhs are being changed—­some every year.  En-Noor, nevertheless, appears to be a great miser, continually amassing wealth in money, merchandise, or camels.  He is also reported to have four hundred horses in Damerghou, a district of which is subjected to him.