Chap. LXII. FU'lBE CATTLE-BREEDERS. 
317 
ment of this district had taken place, — a young inex- 
perienced lad having succeeded to the former ruler. 
Fortunately there had been no rain the afternoon 
of the preceding day, so that the country had dried 
up a little from the inundation of the last of July, 
and the weather was fine and genial. Thus cheer- 
fully proceeding on our road, we met several people 
on their way to the town with fowls and milk ; for 
during our stay in Tinge the communication with the 
neighbouring places had been entirely interrupted by 
the heavy rains. A'bu-Bakr escorted me to some 
distance, when he left me with a hearty wish for the 
success of my undertaking, and begged me urgently 
to be on my guard. In taking here quite a north- 
erly direction, we now entered a province where the 
population of the Fiilbe entirely prevails, and this day 
we had passed several encampments of Fiilbe cattle- 
breeders on our route, consisting of oblong oval-shaped 
huts, constructed of matting. Cattle seemed to 
abound ; but the cultivation of the ground was rather 
scanty, and the character of the country uniform, 
and without any interesting features, the trees con- 
sisting almost exclusively of talha and homed. We 
had also to cross a river, at present about 200 yards 
wide and two feet deep, which the preceding day had 
evidently been impassable and had carried away se- 
veral head of cattle, a fact we learned from a Piillo 
neatherd whom we passed on our road, as he was 
cheerfully stalking before his cattle, and leading them 
along merely by the sound of his voice. 
Thus, after a march of about thirteen miles, having 
