After again returning to England, and remaining nearly three years, his passion for travelling once more seized him, and he resolved to attempt to penetrate into the interior of Africa, and to visit the famous and mysterious city of Timbuctoo, so long an object of curiosity to the inhabitants of Europe.

Davidson set out on this perilous undertaking in the month of August, 1835. He was accompanied by a negro, named Abou Bekr, a native of Timbuctoo, who, having been taken prisoner by a hostile tribe, was sold as a slave, when he was about fourteen years of age. He was carried to the West Indies, where he remained nearly thirty years, exposed to all the evils of slavery. Abou was the grandson of an alkaid, or magistrate, and the son of the king's witness, one of the principal law-officers of state, and had, before being stolen, received a good education. After passing through the hands of several owners, his superior intelligence attracted the notice of his master, who employed him in a situation of some little trust, and afterwards liberated him. He was subsequently brought to England, and, being able to speak and write the Arabic language, he was engaged by Mr. Davidson to accompany him, and to act as interpreter on his African expedition.

Our traveller reached Gibraltar on the 10th of September, on his way to Morocco; but many difficulties had to be overcome before he could obtain permission to pass through that kingdom. His resolution was, however, not to be easily shaken. In spite of the lukewarmness of some of those whom he met with at Gibraltar, and the dissuasions of others, he deter mined to persevere. He proceeded to Tangier, and the sultan of Morocco, in answer to his request to be allowed to proceed through his territories. invited him to repair to court. No sooner had he arrived than he was besieged by patients; morning, noon, and night his attention was taken up with this employment. On an average, fifty persons a day claimed his advice; and, as he had to perform the duties of both physician and apothecary, his hands were quite full. During his stay in Morocco, no fewer than twelve hundred patients passed through his hands, including the sultan, the principal ladies of his harem, the whole of the ministry, as well as the judges, besides other persons of distinction. The whole kingdom seems to have been suddenly seized with illness, for the luxury of being prescribed for by an English doctor.

At length he was permitted to continue his journey. After attempting the ascent of Mount Atlas, which he was forced to abandon, in consequence of an unusual accumulation of snow, he traced his steps to Mogador: here he received the emperor's permission to proceed to Wadnoon, having previously arranged with the sheikh of that place for his convey. ance across the desert to Timbuctoo in safety.

Wadnoon is a large town on the borders of the Sahara, from which it is

1

separated by a line of hills. From this place four kafilas proceed annually, each consisting of from three hundred to a thousand slaves. Unfortunately from his lengthened detention at Gibraltar and Morocco, Davidson did not reach Wadnoon till the end of April, and the last kafila for the season had left a fortnight previous to his arrival. From the intense drought it is impossible for travellers to cross the desert during the summer months, the springs being at that time dried up, and the camels unable to sustain the heat.

During his stay at Wadnoop, our traveller was exposed to the most trying difficulties. Anxious to proceed on his journey, he plied the sheikh with unceasing importunities; but all his proposals were artfully evaded, first on one pretext, and then another. At one time he painted in strong colours the dangers and privations which our traveller must suffer if he started, except with a kafila, and, at another, promising an immediate escort to convey him across the desert. In the mean time, he was daily harassed by the ridiculous demands of the natives, all asking for medicine to cure them of illness, real or imaginary. Some of the ladies wished to be fattened up to thrice their present size; and many wanted charms to cause people to love them. Most of them were disgustingly filthy, both in their dress and habits. As a Christian, too, he was exposed to unceasing annoyances from the Moors. His situation was truly miserable, yet he was forced to submit through the fear of making enemies, and thus altogether defeating the objects of his journey. At times, indeed, unable longer to bear the insults to which he was exposed, he had to threaten to shoot some of the barbarians, and had great difficulty in restraining himself; at others, sick at heart, and unable longer to bear these indignities, he all but resolved on an immediate return to Mogador, and to seek the means of accomplishing his journey in some other quarter.

The sheikh of Wadnoon was a person of considerable sagacity, and most contradictory character; at one time arrogant, austere, despotic, and occasionally savage; at another, low and grovelling; now punishing his slaves with the utmost severity, and again lavishing on them the greatest kindnesses. He was, moreover, of a most penurious disposition, and, though possessed of great hordes of treasure, he thought nothing of asking Davidson for the refuse of his tobacco leaves to fill his pipe. He had a numerous family, four wives, forty female slaves, and a great number of children, many of whom were covered with vermin, and clothed in rags.

Filthy as were the persons and habits of the inhabitants of Wadnoon, they were better than those of the Damanis, a portion of which tribe at this time arrived with a kafila from Soudan. "Never," says Mr. Davidson, "did I meet with any people who gave me so complete an idea of savages. Their bodies are a mass of dirt, and their wan eyes are sunk in their heads; their teeth of pearly hue seem darting from their gums

They wear their hair long and in large quantities, some curled and others platted. Half-dyed blue with the khoart, and half-famished, they present a revolting exterior, but never did any people improve so much upon acquaintance. I had seen the Pindari horsemen in India, the Leoni savages in Arabia Felix, the Wahabi in Yemen, the Ababdeh and Bishare in Arabia Petræa and Egypt, but all these have a great advantage in appearance over my friends the Damanis.

"As soon as the camels were unloaded, the twenty Damanis came to the sheikh's house, where they devoured a sheep with nearly half a hundred weight of kuskusu, and a camel load of ripe mashmash, (apricots,) and then all lay down to sleep. In about an hour they got up, and then came in a body to see the Nazarene, (Mr. Davidson.) I had some difficulty to keep myself from being smothered by them. The sheikh came to drive them away, when one who seemed to have some command said, 'Nazarene, we are wild Arabs; none of us have ever seen a Christian; we know you are a great man; if our coming thus offends you, we will go, if not, astonish You are a magician, show us some fire.' I lighted some tinder from the sun with my glass, and then showed them my small globe, telescope, watch, pistols, &c., afterwards a lucifer match, and lastly, I set fire to my finger, dipping it in spirits of terebinth: this was too much for them, they became alarmed. I then got my sword, and afterwards gave them snuff; they all smoked my pipe, and, when that was finished, and I had examined all their eyes, and given many of them medicines, and would not take money for it, I was told I had only to say, 'Resuli Mohammed,' (My prophet is Mohammed,) and go anywhere."

us.

At length, after a delay of seven months, Davidson was enabled to set out. His departure had been delayed from time to time for the purpose of joining a kafila, but as all the tribes on the usual caravan route were at war, and their progress thus rendered almost impossible, it was determined to leave the usual track, and push on with the utmost speed, and with only such delays as were absolutely necessary. In this hazardous expedition, he was accompanied by an Arab of the Tajacanth tribe, named Mohammed El Abd, Abou Bekr, and two attendants. So rapidly was it intended to proceed, that the camels were to drink only six times, though the jour ney, even when made in this hurried manner and by the shortest route, usually occupies from thirty to thirty-six days.

Before we left Wadnoon, our traveller felt a strong presentiment of the failure of the expedition, and of his own untimely fate, which were unfor tunately too fully realized. "My mind," he says, in one of his letters from this place, "is made up to the certainty that I shall leave my bones in Soudan ;" and in another he writes-"Before this reaches you, I shall be wending my way over Africa's burning sands to a sort of fame, or to the sad 'bourne from which no traveller returns;' if to the former, truly

happy shall I be to renew your valued friendship, but if to the latter, think sometimes of the poor lost wanderer." As he advanced, however, his prospects seemed to brighten, and his spirits to rise. "Every step we have taken from Wadnoon," he again writes, "we have found the people better, more liberal, more hospitable, and, although somewhat savage, having yet a little mildness of character, of which there is none at Wadnoon.' In the same letter, he says, "In conclusion, I beg to assure you, I flatter myself with the hope that the intrepid traveller may pass a merry new year's day at the famed city of Timbuctoo, which event I hope to have the high pleasure of announcing to you in about three months, Sheikh Mohammed El Abd having promised to be the bearer of a letter which he is to deliver for me, and to say, 'There is a letter from Yahya Ben Daoud, (John, son of David :) the Tajacanths have kept their word!'"

These bright anticipations were not destined to be fulfilled. After proceeding some distance, his little party was met by one of the tribes of wandering Arabs, by which the desert is infested. After robbing him of some money, however, they allowed him to proceed. Three days afterwards, Davidson and El Abd, having outstripped the remainder of their party, were overtaken while waiting for them, at a place named Swekeya, by a band consisting of fifteen or sixteen Arabs of the tribe of El Harib. After the usual salutations, and a few words of conversation, the chief of the party asked El Abd to conduct him to the watering-place. Unsuspecting treachery, El Abd, leaving his musket behind, proceeded with the Harib chief over the sand-hills, the remainder of the tribe sitting down at a short distance from Mr. Davidson. No sooner were they out of sight than one of the Arabs took up the musket, pretending to examine it, and, taking aim, shot poor Davidson dead. Hearing the report of the gun, El Abd asked his companion what was the matter, when the Harib replied, that his party had shot the Christian. Mohammed El Abd complained bitterly, saying that he would rather they had murdered himself. The work of death done, the Haribs carried off every thing belonging to Mr. Davidson, and then allowed the party, including Abou Bekr, to proceed on their journey.

Such was the end of poor Davidson, and thus was another victim added to the long list of those who had forfeited their lives to advance the cause of discovery in Africa!

CERVANTES SAAVEDRA.

M

ICHAEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, the inimitable author of Don Quixote, was born at Madrid, in 1549. From his infancy he was fond of books; but he applied himself wholly to novels and poetry, especially those of Spanish and Italian authors. He went to Italy, to serve Cardinal Aquaviva, to whom he was chamberlain at Rome; and afterwards followed the profession of a soldier, for some years, under the victorious Colonna. He was present at the battle of Lepanto, in 1571; in which he lost his left hand by a shot. After this he was taken by the Moors, and carried to Algiers, where he continued a captive five and a half years. Then he returned to Spain, and wrote several comedies and tragedies; which were well received, and acted with great applause. In 1584, he published his Galatea, a novel in six books. But the work which has immortalized his name, is the History of Don Quixote; the first part of which was printed at Madrid, in 1605. This is a satire upon books of knight errantry; and the chief end of it was to destroy the reputation of these books. It was universally read; and the most eminent painters, tapestry-workers, engravers, and sculptors, were soon employed in representing the history of Don Quixote. Cervantes's work, even in his lifetime, had the honour of receiving royal approbation. As Philip III. was standing in a balcony of his palace at Madrid, he observed a student on the banks of the Manzanares reading a book, and from time to time breaking off and beating his forehead, with extraordinary marks of delight: upon which the king said, "That scholar is either mad, or reading Don Quixote:" the latter of which proved to be the case. But notwithstanding the vast applause his book everywhere met with, Cervantes had much ado to keep himself from starving. In 1615, he published a second part. He wrote also several novels; and, among the rest, The Troubles of Persiles and Sigismunda. He had employed many years in writing this novel, and finished it but just before his death; for he did not live to see it published. His sickness was of such a nature that he was able to be his own historian. At the end of the preface to this work, he represents himself on horseback upon the road, and a student, who had