MARCH TO NOliTElFAED. Ill 



2,000 feet. But at this time we heard from Mr. Mun- 

 zinger that he expected still to be detained for several 

 days in Massowa, and that we had better proceed to 

 Bogos, by Ain and the Lebka valley, without waiting for 

 him. One of the Naibs of Arkiko was with us, and his 

 presence would be ample guarantee ; in fact, the people 

 being friendly, no special protection was necessary. 



We were all tired of the heat, and Jesse was for a day 

 or two very ill. We therefore determined to proceed at 

 once to Ain, and thence to a cooler climate. We accord- 

 ingly retraced our steps somewhat, and then marched to 

 Kanzal, still in the plain running northward from Ailat ; 

 but at Kanzal the hills to the east become scattered, and 

 hence, to the northward, one great barren plain extends 

 from the base of the mountains to the sea. This tract is 

 a perfect desert in the summer, though after the winter 

 rains it becomes green, and affords pasture to the cattle 

 of the Habab tribes. The heat and glare in the day- 

 time at the season of our journey were said to be almost 

 unbearable, and it was therefore necessary to make the 

 march across the desert of Shob (or Sha'ab), as this tract 

 is called, at night. We started in the evening of the 

 4th of July, with a full moon. 



Before dark we passed a large encampment of the 

 Warea, one of the nomade Bedouin tribes. It was sur- 

 rounded by a low circular thorn fence, immediately 

 inside which was a ring of hemispherical huts, the frame- 

 work of bent sticks, covered by mats. These huts can 

 be taken to pieces, and packed on a camel or a bullock, 

 and set up afresh in a very short time. We found them 



