302 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. LXII. 
tormented our animals, and which is very rarely met 
with in the eastern part of Negroland. We en- 
camped, after a march of about sixteen miles, in 
the midst of the forest, near the site of the former 
encampment of a Tawarek horde, where kreb was 
springing up in the most luxuriant abundance, af- 
fording the richest pasture to the horses, and a 
cheerful sight to ourselves; but we had here to 
sustain a very heavy rain, which lasted for several 
hours. Fortunately, it was not accompanied by much 
wind, so that my frail tent offered sufficient resistance ; 
but the encampment was far from comfortable. 
The rain had at length ceased ; but we had scarcely 
resigned ourselves to sleep, when a troop of pilgrims, 
passing by at this unusual hour of the night, roused 
us at once. Fortunately, the ground which we had 
to traverse further on was of a rocky nature, else it 
would have been almost impossible to proceed after 
the last night's rain ; but, after a march of about 
fourteen miles, we came to a very considerable sheet 
of water, which we crossed with extreme difficulty, 
and encamped close beyond in a state of entire ex- 
haustion. The channel of the torrent itself, which 
had spread its inundation to a great distance, was so 
considerable, being at the deepest spot five feet and a 
half, that it almost swamped me on my horse, besides 
wetting all my luggage. The place where we had en- 
camped was a narrow open spot in the forest; but 
the ground was full of ants, and we were also greatly 
troubled by innumerable swarms of small flies which 
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