LEAVE OUR HALTING-PLACE. 243 



commenced, and busily going forward. Had the 

 little animals the power of speech, I question 

 much if such unanimity of purpose would have 

 determined the energies of the whole community, 

 so immediately to the repair of the injury. PI ad 

 a corresponding one been committed on a Dankalli 

 kraal, as I observed to Himyah, they would have 

 had a month's calahm about it ; to which my com- 

 panion, turning up the end of his nose, gave an 

 affirmative jerk of the head, at the. same time 

 ejaculating, " Whalla," " by God," as if he had 

 never heard a truer thing than that, in the whole 

 course of his life. 



We both stooped over the hole to watch the 

 progress of the work. Short-legged thick-bodied 

 labouring ants, already bore masses of moistened 

 earth several times their own weight to close up 

 the orifice made by the ball ; whilst on all sides 

 the easily distinguished soldiers, were running 

 about in great numbers, apparently on the look-out 

 for the fierce invader, who had made such an 

 onslaught on their castle. 



We did not remain at Ahmahguloff for the 

 night, but after " asseir," or afternoon prayer, the 

 camels were again loaded, and we moved to 

 another halting-place about six miles farther to the 

 west, but still in the plain. A Bedouin who had 

 come into the camp during the day, reported that 

 abundant forage would be found there. Where 

 we were, the circumstance of the Kafilah of 



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