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Shaty has eighteen districts, some very limited, but having date-palms, and paying contributions to Mourzuk. Edree, itself, is drained of four hundred mahboubs per annum. 27th. I rose at sunrise and went to see the ancient dwellings of Edree, where the people lived underground: they are excavations out of the rock, some fifty yards from the surface beneath the modern town.
The valley of Edree is very shallow, and this portion of it is mostly covered with bushes of wild palm and with coarse herbage; it looks green and grateful amidst the surrounding aridity. There are still remaining many fruit-bearing date-trees about seven thousand, scattered at great distances. The water is good, although the surface of the valley is in parts covered with a whitish crust of salt.
On the 26th, after a march of ten hours, with cool weather at first, but suffocating heat afterwards, we reached Edree, a town of El-Shaty, in a state of great exhaustion. During the latter part of the march, however, we had been cheered by the sight of the town, which stands on a small mound of yellow clay and rock.
Some large springs are continually overflowing with bubbles of gas, like the great well of Ghadamez. In the garden-fields of Edree are cultivated wheat and barley, the former white and of the finest quality. A good deal of grain has already been got in this year. With industry, and a few more animals to draw the water for irrigation, a great quantity of wheat might be grown in this oasis.
I gave the Kaïd, who was a mild and respectful man, a handkerchief, a little bit of writing-paper, and some soap, and sent him off to his station, whence he had come on purpose to visit us. Three handkerchiefs formed also an appropriate present to the Sheikhs of Edree. Yusuf has been reading an Arabic book, which I at first thought was some commentary on the Koran; but to-day I was undeceived.
We had almost forgotten that there was such a thing as sand in the desert; but we shall have two days more of the same kind of travelling, to keep us in mind of this unpleasant truth. However, we were glad enough to leave Edree. Our marabout, comparing this place with El-Wady, for which we are now journeying, says, "Edree is like a jackass; El-Wady is like a camel!"
Yusuf calls Edree "the city of camel-bugs." These vermin are the leeches of the camels. During the morning we passed two or three forests of palms, and afterwards traversed a flat valley, where was a little herbage. Bou Keta noted the route in many parts by the presence of camels' dung; but the shape of the sand-hills in these parts seems to be perfectly familiar to these men.
Commence crossing the Hamadah Last Pillar of the Romans Travelling in the Desert Rapid March Merry Blacks Dawn Temperature Ali returns Day-travelling Night-feelings Animals Graves of Children Mirage Extent of the Plateau It breaks up Valley of El-Hasee Farewell to the Hamadah Arduous Journey The Camel-drivers New Country Moral and religious Disquisitions The Chaouches Reach Edree Abd-el-Galeel Description of Edree Subterranean Dwellings Playing at Powder The Kaïd Arabic Literature Desertion of the Zintanah Leave Edree Sandy Desert Bou Keta the Camel-driver Wady El-Makmak The Lizard Reach Wady Takadafah Sand Another Embroglio.
Laghareefah, like Edree, had been destroyed by the brilliant, though ruthless usurper, Abd-el-Galeel, on account of its resistance to his authority. The old town is at a little distance from the new, and was evidently a much better-built place, commanded by an earthen kasr or fortress.
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