132 
TRAVELS IE AFRICA. 
Chap. LVI 
vicled with water-skins in order to bring up the strag- 
glers who had lagged behind from fatigue and thirst. 
And there were many who needed their assistance — 
one woman had even succumbed to exhaustion in the 
course of the night ; for such a forced march is the 
more fatiguing and exhausting as the dangers from 
a lurking enemy make the greatest possible silence and 
quiet indispensable, instead of the spirits being kept 
up with cheerful songs as is usually the case. But 
having once reached the cultivated grounds, after a 
march of two miles and a half more we arrived at the 
first gawasii trees which surround the village which is 
named after them, " Gawasii." In the fields or " kar- 
kara " adjoining this village, 'Aliyu the emir el Mu- 
ni en m had taken up his camping-ground, and was 
preparing himself for setting out upon an expedition 
against the G6ber people. 
It was well that we had arrived — having been inces- 
santly marching for the last twenty- six hours, without 
taking into account the first part of the journey from 
the town to the pond ; for I had never seen my horse 
in such a state of total exhaustion, while my people 
also fell down immediately they arrived. As for 
myself, kept up by the excitement of my situation, 
I did not feel much fatigued, but on the contrary 
felt strong enough to search without delay through 
the whole of my luggage, in order to select the 
choicest presents for the great prince of Sokoto, who 
was to set out the following morning, and upon 
whose reception depended a good deal of the sue- 
