284 TEAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



is rather exciting to know that you are in danger of 

 being stopped and robbed, or fired at by matchlock- 

 men securely posted in rocks above ; but then, when 

 the danger rarely makes its appearance, it is not 

 pleasant to have to keep beside the baggage-camels. 

 Wherever the country was said to be very danger- 

 ous, we did not wander far from our servants and 

 camels, and they only progressed at the rate of two 

 miles an hour, taking almost an entire day, when 

 there was little or no moonlight, to make a journey of 

 twenty miles. Where the people of the district were 

 found or represented to be tolerably quiet, and infor- 

 mation could be obtained of any encampment, village, 

 or well, which might serve as a place of rendezvous, 

 our plan was to start off the camels and servants for 

 that place at daybreak, either providing them a guide 

 or leaving them to find their own way, as seemed best 

 in the circumstances. We then set off on horseback, 

 accompanied by our ghorawalldh; who had a smatter- 

 ing of several of the languages spoken in Beluchistan, 

 on the riding-camel, which we could mount whenever 

 tired of horseback, and on which there was secured a 

 small water-skin, perhaps some provisions, ammuni- 

 tion, and a few medicines. In some parts it was 

 necessary to place a bhoomia, or guide, upon the 

 camel, but most usually we two started alone on our 

 adventures with hearts " prepared for any fate." The 

 hours of the morning were usually spent in shooting, 

 there being an abundance of hyena, antelope, black 



