RUINED VILLAGES 283 



all travellers along this road. I made use of this halt 

 to overhaul my collection of skins, and had a busy time 

 among them, as I found the rains had brought out their 

 greatest enemy, the bacon -beetle. In the evening I 

 heard many tales of the robbers and their doings, 

 opinions apparently being divided as to whether they 

 would look on me as a nice fat prize, or too danger- 

 ous to meddle with, even if they could overpower 

 my party. One of those present had some beautifully 

 plaited bridles and whips with very fine lashes, made 

 from pure white hippo-hide, of both of which I secured 

 samples. 



An hour's journey next morning brought us to 

 Abanu, a large village in the midst of much cultivated 

 land, which was looted last year, when the church and 

 many of the houses were burnt, the wretched inhabitants 

 deserting their ruined homes and seeking shelter in 

 Wundee. After this the country became wilder and 

 more bush-covered, so we struck off the road and saw 

 three defassa cows, but could find no bull. Ali also 

 caught sight of a bushbuck, but 1 was not quick enough 

 to get a chance. I took some photos of the different 

 bays, and one of the peninsula of Maskelly Exsost, and 

 Desette Isle lying off it. Three and a half hours from 

 Abanu we reached Targosar, where we found a little 

 camp of cattle-herds, evidently friends of Basha Kassa's. 

 Here, while drinking sweet new milk, I sat antl watched 

 the men weaving on the ordinary rough loom of the 

 country. With them were two old priests, whose church 

 had been burnt ; from these I learnt that the herdsmen 

 paid a heavy ta.x to be allowed to graze their cattle 



