later, leaving his bride behind, he started to cross the Sahara, accompanied by a sheikh who was subsequently accused of planning his murder. Ghadames was reached, by an indirect route, in October 1825, and in December Laing reached In Salah in the Tuat territory, where he was well received by one particular group of Tuareg. On 10 January 1826, he left Tuat and made for Timbuktu across the desert of Tanezrouft. Letters written in May and July told of his suffering from fever and the plundering of his caravan by another group of Tuareg. Laing describes being wounded in 24 places in the fighting. Together with another survivor, he managed to reach Sidi Al Muktar, penniless and having lost his right hand. He joined another caravan and reached Timbuktu, thus becoming the first European to cross the Sahara from north to south. His letter dated from Timbuktu on 21 September announced his arrival in that city on the preceding 18 August, and the insecurity of his position owing to the hostility of the Fula chieftain Bello, then ruling the city. He added that he intended leaving Timbuktu in three days time. No further news was received from the explorer. From information pieced together later, it was ascertained that he left Timbuktu on the day he had planned. He may have been strangled by Tuareg raiderstwo men pulling on each end of a turban wrapped around Laing's neckon or about the night of 26 September 1826. Aftermath Laing's papers were never recovered, and his father-in-law, Hanmer Warrington, accused the French (who also wanted to reach Timbuktu) of interference and having procured Laing's journal; however, there has never been any evidence for this. René Caillié reached Timbuktu two years after Laing and by returning alive was able to claim the 9,000-franc prize offered by the Société de Géographie for the feat. Both men were awarded the Gold Medal of the Society for 1830. In 1903, the French government placed a tablet bearing Laing's name and the date of his visit on the house occupied by him during his 38-day stay in Timbuktu. This house, located in the Djingareiber district, inside the old town, was declared a National Heritage by decree of 18 December 1992. References 1794 births 1826 deaths Military personnel from Edinburgh British colonial army officers West India Regiment officers Scottish explorers British people murdered abroad Explorers of Africa Male murder