94 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XLL 
the resistance we were to meet with, till after two 
o'clock in the morning of the 18th, when we reached 
a rising ground, and, dismounting, lay down near 
our wearied horses to get an hour's rest. 
We then continued our march with great alacrity for 
an hour, when we came to a halt on undulating sandy 
ground thickly cohered with bushes. The horse- 
men galloped on in advance, while Overweg and I re- 
mained with the train, consisting of from sixty to 
seventy camels mounted by young men, and boys 
not more than ten years old, who were looking for- 
ward with such avidity for prey that they could 
scarcely be kept back. At length we began to 
proceed slowly, but soon came to another halt, as till 
now we had not heard a single shot ; but when the 
day dawned, the greedy multitude could not be kept 
back any longer, and on we went. 
We here obtained a faint view of an irregular 
valley-formation ahead of us, adorned with a few 
palm-trees, which, in the dubious light of the 
dawn, gave to the country an interesting and en- 
tirely new appearance. Crossing this valley-plain, 
we gradually ascended higher ground, and reached 
a small deserted village, consisting of large spacious 
huts. But though we turned off from it to the 
north, in order to prevent our little troop from 
dispersing to make booty, the best-mounted and most 
daring of them started off on their light mehara to 
see if something might not have been left to suit them. 
Some little cultivation was to be seen around the 
