The next morning there was a general meeting of the Sheikhs and people of the town in our apartments; and from the turn affairs began to take, we found it necessary to despatch a courier to Aroukeen, to beg the Tanelkums to wait a few days for us at that place.  During the meeting began the first prevarication of the Tuaricks.  The son of Shafou said that he did not agree to conduct us to Aheer—­an assertion we contradicted strongly.  At length he exclaimed:  “Although I did not agree to this, I will nevertheless conduct you,”—­making a new favour of an old bargain.

When the meeting separated, there was another affair brought on the carpet by Hateetah and Waled Shafou.  They boldly demanded seventy reals, or small dollars of Ghat, for the passage of our liberated blacks to Soudan.  I declared that I would not give them a real, and told them to seize the people if they chose.  Hateetah upon this went off in a rage, and Waled Shafou stayed behind, pretending to seize our servants.  We did not take any notice of him, and at last he likewise departed.  Mr. Gagliuffi had not been able to arrange this affair at Mourzuk,—­it being left in this position, “that they (Hateetah and Shafou) would say nothing about the matter; but that if others did, we should pay a little.”  The man who has a right to this tribute from freed blacks is now absent from Ghat, and any claim ought to be made in his name by his representatives.  When the Governor heard of this affair, he sent to tell us “to arrange the matter, and give something to these dogs of Tuaricks;” at the same time expressing his sorrow for such a shameful demand:  and shameful it was, because we had already paid for ourselves and our servants three hundred reals.  Besides this sum, Hateetah and Waled Shafou had each of them received a present of about a hundred mahboubs.  Finally my friend, Haj Ibrahim, the merchant, undertook to arrange this business, and paid on our account twenty-eight reals more for our servants.

On the morning of the 20th there was another general meeting, and I presented the treaty for consideration.  A long discussion followed, but I at first misunderstood the conclusion to which the Sheikhs came.  However, the following day we had a regular debate, the result of which was that the Sheikhs and heads of the town declared they could not come to a final arrangement until the winter souk (market), when all the notables would be assembled.

A great deal of unpleasant discussion occurred during all these meetings, and I had to fight my way step by step.  The Shereef was first on my side, but as I had promised him a present only if the treaty were signed, and as he saw that this would not take place, he turned round and became my active enemy.  However, it was out of his power to do me much harm.  The greater part of the last days of my stay were spent in agitation about the presents for Jabour, Khanouhen, Berka, and others, some of whom were absent.