VII 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



289 



twenty-five men, laden for the most part with water, 

 and make use of the full moon by night marches. 

 The following day I spent in sleep, as I decided to 

 set out at moonrise. 



At eight o'clock the moon had risen sufficiently 

 above the horizon to afford good light ; so I started 

 at that hour, taking with me Karscho, the two Wan- 

 derobbo guides, and twenty-three men. We marched 

 steadily until two in the morning, when Mayolo said 

 he was unable to march at night, and that he was 

 sure we had strayed from the proper direction. I 

 climbed a small hill and looked about, but could see 

 no sign of any living thing ; all about me the silent 

 desert gleamed white in the moonlight. Occasionally 

 the quiet was broken by the dismal howl of a hyena, 

 or the angry snort of feeding rhinoceroses. My men 

 were fresh ; but being uncertain of the direction, I 

 decided to await dawn ; so we threw ourselves clown 

 upon the soft sand in the bed of a dried watercourse, 

 and waited for sunrise. Ere the sun was above the 

 horizon, we again set out upon our way. The desert 

 was almost level, but here and there it was broken by 

 the depression of some watercourse then dry, or a 

 small hill of reddish rock orleamins^ with mica. 



At eight o'clock we crossed one of these dried 

 watercourses, and there in the soft sand I saw fresh 

 tracks. A shout soon brought my men to me. I 

 counted the footprints of twenty-five men, and the 

 tracks of five or six camels. I turned to Mayolo : 

 " Who are these people t — Rendile 1 " He shook his 

 head, saying, " Dthombon." 



" What are dthombon, Mayolo } " 

 u 



