400 ADIEU TO ABU BUKEREE. 



a-head, I promised him if he would accompany us 

 to Murroo, to give him the old Arab frock I then 

 wore. He accordingly accompanied us to our 

 encamping ground, and received the almost worn- 

 out garment with many thanks, as he held it up 

 before him, like a Jew calculating the probable 

 value of an old coat. After examining its novel 

 cut and character, the venerable chief at last made 

 up his mind what to do with it, for, nodding to his 

 wife, who was in, what is called, a delicate situation, 

 he intimated his idea that it would very well 

 become her, and bestowed it accordingly. 



Two little boys were now ordered to drive back 

 a fine bullock, which had evidently been intended 

 as a return present, for those which Abu Bukeree 

 had expected from us. The old gentleman then 

 bowed his salams, and mounted his mule ; 

 stooping, as he rode away, over the neck of the 

 animal; the long bent back of age, strikingly 

 contrasted with the straight shaft of the spear he 

 carried on his shoulder. 



Our halting place, Murroo, was a natural park, 

 in which small green savannahs were surrounded 

 with tall, flat-topped mimosa trees, the trunks of 

 which were hidden, by an interlaced thicket of the 

 ascending and descending runners of some luxu- 

 riantly growing climber. An immense number of 

 sparrow-like birds, with their noisy chirrupings, 

 seemed to raise great objections to our occupation 

 of their favourite resort. The little woodland scene 



