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CHAPTER XII. 



Conversation with Ohmed Medina respecting the course of the 

 river Hawash. — Description of that river. — Its termination in 

 Lake Abhibhad. — The various watersheds of the basin of the 

 Hawash. — Comparison of present route with that of previous 

 travellers. 



When Ohmed Medina did come, he prepared to 

 stop the whole day, directed Zaido to boil some 

 coffee, placed his spear upright against the boxes of 

 my hut, and wheeled his shield very gently up 

 towards the farther end of my retreat, asking me 

 at the same time to suspend it from the roof by the 

 little wooden hook that was attached to a leathern 

 thong for this purpose. He then unbuckled his 

 sword-belt, and after handing it to me also to take 

 care of, he stooped on to his hands and knees, and 

 crept well under the shade. I produced my pencil 

 and paper, and we soon entered into a long conver- 

 sation upon the Hawash, in which we were joined 

 by a young man belonging to Owssa, named Oh- 

 medu, who had come into my hut out of curiosity, 

 but learning what we were about, volunteered some 

 information respecting his native place. The map 

 projected between these two was an excellent one, 



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