178 AMONGST THE EESHIAT AND TO LAKE STEFANIE 



Contrary to our expectations, the Oromaj made no objection to 

 our leaving the sick under his care, so we were relieved from 

 anxiety on their account. 



We marched for live hours through a thin bush wood up a 

 gradual slope, the sandy soil of which had already sucked in 

 every drop of rain, and camped by the dried-up bed of a 

 stream, having passed by the way the upper course of the river 

 by which we had been compelled to halt on April 3. There 

 were a few rain-pools still in its bed, and this led us to push on 

 further in the hope of finding similar supplies later, but there 

 was not a sign of water where we camped. It had evidently 

 not rained here for a very long time, as digging deep in the sand 



was altogether fruit- 

 less of results. We 

 had to send some of 

 the men back for an 

 hour and a half's 

 march to get a little 

 of the water we had 

 passed, so that their 

 day's work was an 

 arduous one. The 

 bright fresh green of 

 the bushes gave a 

 pleasant appearance 

 to the scenery, in 

 spite of the scarcity 

 of grass and the 

 immense number of 

 termite or white ant hills, which were more numerous and of 

 more regular cylindrical form than any we had seen elsewhere. 

 A copious shower which fell in the evening put an end to our 

 sufferings from thirst, and reassured us as to the prospects of 



ADENIUM SPECIOSXJM. 



