138 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
effects of the fever the next morning, I nevertheless deter- 
mined to push on, after engaging the services of a man 
belonging to the Afgab tribe, who said he could take us 
nearly to the Ganana, and who proved to be the best 
native guide I ever had. 
Just as we were starting, considerable disturbance was 
caused by a party of Aulihans who accused two of my men 
of assaulting one of their women. I ordered the woman 
to be brought up, and told her to point out the two men, 
as I believed she was lying in order to force me to give 
her a present. To the amusement of all of us she picked 
out the head man of one of my companies, named Husein, 
who had been unable to walk for some days. Travelling 
along fast over a flat barren country, we camped at noon 
on the banks of a stream called Wachago, in which there 
was much stagnant water. To the north were the last 
hills belonging to the mountain range that extends all the 
way south from Abyssinia. We continued on steadily 
for four days over the-same desert-like country, without 
seeing a sign of any inhabitants. 
We found water only at rare intervals, and it was almost 
unfit to drink on account of its salty taste. Though most 
of the caravan went ahead and camped before twelve 
o'clock, many of the boys would not appear until late in 
the afternoon, having to be helped along by their com- 
rades. I had to remain continually behind to see that 
the sick were provided for, and most wearying work it 
was. Every day, however, showed an improvement, the 
exercise seeming to do the boys good. Dodson was suf- 
fering a good deal, but he was a very plucky fellow, and 
made no complaints. When we reached camp, we would 
have to lie down’ immediately, on account of violent 
pains in the back. 
On February 5th we arrived at some wells called 
