Cuap. LXIIT. BE'le' CHIEF OF HANS-X-A'DAK. 349 
obstinacy, and with an oath, that I was a Shilliih, 
— a Berber from the north, — and wanted to re- 
present myself as a sherff, in order to pass through 
his tribe with less trouble and expense. He, as well 
as his people, became, by degrees, rather trouble- 
some ; but they treated us well, sending us two pre- 
pared sheep, and large dishes of rice boiled in an 
abundance of butter, but without salt. The chief 
himself is said to consume every day a sheep, and the 
supply of milk from seven cows, — in this respect re- 
minding us of the Emperor Vitellius. 
I presented to the chief a first-rate tiir- Monday, 
kedi, two black shawls, and a red cap; August i5th ' 
but as my fine horse excited his cupidity, we had 
some difficulty in getting away, and matters appeared 
for some time rather, serious. But having at length 
proceeded on our journey, after a little more than a 
mile, we ascended from the rich grassy plain, upon an 
undulating tract of deep sandy soil, richly clothed 
with mimosa and herbage, and broken now and then 
by a depression or cavity covered with the richest 
species of grass, called " banga." Numerous flocks 
of sheep were pasturing here, and a servant of Bele, 
who accompanied us, felt no compunction in seizing 
the fattest specimen and slaughtering it. After a 
march of about eight miles, the poisonous euphorbia 
became very common ; but we looked in vain for 
water, as we had taken no supply with us, and it was 
not till after a long march over the sandy downs, 
that we reached a pool of stagnant and dirty water. A 
