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In all the bazars and streets the roads were paved and watered; such was the cleanliness that a bit of straw could not be seen; why then make mention of dirt? "The arrival of our merchants was much talked of. A confidential eunuch mounted on horseback, and attended by many servants, came to our kafila, and asked the merchants, "Who is your chief?"
On the 16th of August, soon after Major Denham returned from the eastward, he and Captain Clapperton, accompanied by William Hillman the carpenter, took their departure from Kouka, with the intention of first visiting the shores of Lake Chad and then joining the kafila which was on its way from Soudan to Tripoli.
We took advantage of the curiosity of the Aòdeli, who had just arrived with a kafila, to make them stay in our camp and question them.
No information could be obtained from the natives of lions ever being seen in the neighbourhood; numerous other animals appeared to abound, and that confirmed the opinion. They moved for Woodie on the 7th February, accompanied by two Arabs of Boo Saif. Major Denham left the kafila, and proceeded a little to the westward, making a parallel movement with the camels.
As they went, they met a rickety closed carriage being driven at a furious rate down a side street, and both men thought it was making for the mile- long causeway which connects the island of Massowah with the mainland. "Who travels in such a hurry?" asked Abdullah, looking after the swaying vehicle. "Perchance a kafila starts for the interior to-night," said Mulai Hamed.
On the following morning, as the kafila was about to continue its journey, three men were seen approaching on swift camels; and shortly after Rias Abdallah Yezzed and two of his followers rode up. They were in pursuit of the runaway Krooman, and in great rage at the trouble which he had caused them.
In consequence of the rain, they found water fresh and pure during almost every day's march, and arrived at Zeghren with the loss of only one camel. On the last day, previously to arriving at the well, Omhul Abeed, a skeleton of a man, with some flesh still hanging about him, lay close to the road, but it was passed by the whole kafila with scarcely a remark.
Move off quickly, or else they will immediately fall on the caravan, and utterly plunder us all. When the people of the kafila heard the name of robbers, they immediately became alarmed, and marched off and made their escape. O darweshes! when the dog-worshipping khwaja had thus far told us of the adventures and misfortunes, I wept involuntarily on hearing them.
On seeing the solitary foot passenger of the kafila, with his water flask in his hand, and the bag of zumeeta on his head, sink at a distance beneath the slope of one of these, as he plods his way along, hoping to gain a few paces in his long day's work, by not following the track of the camels, one trembles for his safety; the obstacle passed which concealed him from the view, the eye is strained towards the spot, in order to be assured that he has not been hurried quickly in the treacherous overwhelming sand.
When we clambered up on to the akaba it looked dreary and lifeless, silent and lonely and stony, but it soon became lively enough, for we were a large kafila, about fifty people and twenty-four camels. We had by very good fortune a great deal of cloud that day, but also some tremendous sun.
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