Till': FATHER OF ALL IIIF (iDATS -I^S 



oil ilie way Icu-k ti> catnii I licaid (lie I'o.ii' of a stasf, wliicli, 

 when heard oii a still cNciiin!'' ('cIkiiii''' tlii'(>U"li the o-reat 



~ ~ •~ o 



tree-stems, is a sound ealciilated to make a man impatient 

 lor the next iininiiiiu'. it was tlirOili of Xoveiid)ei-, wlucli 

 is rather late for these demonstrations, and, as a matter <if 

 fact, 1 did not hear it a^'ain after tliat tiiulit. If tlie\- li;id 

 continued to L;ive out siieli signals we miulit have done 

 better. 



it li;id lieeii borne in u[>on us at ndd-d;i\- tliat tlie 

 arrival of tlie camels with our ((luipao'e that nialit was 

 problematical, as these splay-footed animals do not travel 

 Well em mountain [)atlis, and one of the party was sent 

 back to bring on, by some means or other, something to 

 eat, and, if possible, sonu-^ coverings. It was long past dark 

 when we heard our messenger shouting, for he had missed 

 the track and oot entano-led amono; the trees. Half an 

 hour later he blundered into cam}) with old Bouha. ,iiid a 

 donkey laden with certain necessaries, but we had little to 

 cover our bodies that night, and not over-mueli to put 

 inside them. Douba had to septal under the eanopy of his 

 cloak, whieh gave him the well-known bat-like ap|)earance 

 of a tragic d(\s|»erado. and ex]ilained with ;i '_;rin that he 

 was accustomed, ten \'ears back, to that sort of shelter — 

 that is, before a paternal government interfered with his 

 line of business. We filled our luiieheon-bags \\ith pine- 

 shoots for })illows, but as thc\- were gathered in the d.nk 

 we did not find out. till we were too slee])y to remox f iheni, 

 that most of them had eones attached. ('\iil and l"'indlay 

 tried the same material for their beds, anil their dii-ams 

 were not peaceful. As an old campaigner. I pict ended to 

 instruct them in a l)etter dodge, whicli is to dii;' ;iiid s(,'r;ipe 



