DA HA. 179 



to hunt up the steinbuck that had been wounded 

 early in the drive, as we belteved it could not go 

 far, reserving the death of the hog for a later per- 

 formance. The bush we found a tolerably thick 

 tangle of dwarf shrubs, interspersed with a good 

 many trees, few of which exceeded twenty feet in 

 height ; and but for the numerous runs, or game- 

 paths, we should have found what we had under- 

 taken, viz., threading this maze, no easy task, more 

 especially as "wait-a-bit" thorns formed no inconsider- 

 able portion of the impediments. A patriarchal gray- 

 beard of the tribe, as spoorer, led the way ; his two 

 sons, great, powerful, mature men, brought up the rear. 

 For this service I had promised the family the entire 

 carcase, for, without doing so, they would not have 

 now aided us ; for already the rest of the party 

 were smoking their loved daha (keef of the Moors, a 

 description of wild hemp),* and so expressed dis- 

 inclination for further exercise, on the plea that an 

 abundance of animal food had been already obtained. 



* I would call the attention of readers to this strange and in- 

 teresting fact, viz., the inhabitants of the extreme North and South 

 of Africa use in the same manner this weed, a proof, I think, that at 

 some period they must have had intercourse with each other. 



N 2 



