Chap. XL. FEMALE SLAVE. — RICH VALES. 
73 
departure from this place was fixed for the following 
day. 
When the camels, guarded by the men gunday 
on foot, had left in the morning, we went October 5th. 
first with the other horsemen to the well, in order to 
water our horses. We had not visited it before, as it 
was at some distance from our tents. The vale was 
of that general wild and luxuriant character which 
distinguishes the valleys of Kanem ; but it was even 
more wild and picturesque than usual, and a chill 
draught of air met us proceeding from the richly- 
wooded dale, where the sun's rays never penetrated, 
There were several wells, which exhibited a busy and 
interesting scene, the horsemen in their picturesque at- 
tire (a mixed dress of their native abode and their pre- 
sent adopted home) thronging around these sources 
and centres of life, in order to water their poor- 
looking but persevering nags. When we returned to 
the place of our former encampment all was desolate, 
and loneliness and silence had succeeded to the ani- 
mated dwelling-place of a quarrelsome multitude of 
people. We hurried on over undulating sandy ground, 
richly overgrown with trees, and soon overtook our 
camels : the place of our destination was not far off ; 
and at noon we were already encamped on a fine sandy 
level, rising over another luxuriant hollow or vale 
especially rich in kiirna-trees, whence the well u Bir 
el Kiirna " has received its name. It was a spacious 
encampment, with Arabs and Tebu intermixed, and 
could not but be very salubrious, although we found 
