Chap. XLI. 
ALARMS. 
115 
of 200 camels and about as many horses, had a short 
time previously carried away all the cattle belonging to 
the place. The state of the country was so insecure 
that the inhabitants would not allow Mr. Overweg to 
stay here, notwithstanding his earnest protestations, so 
that he was obliged to make up his mind to proceed 
with the caravan, although he was sensible of the 
danger connected with such an undertaking ; and cer- 
tainly, if we had met with a tolerably strong party of 
the Tawarek, our companions would have afforded us 
very little protection. We were so fortunate, how- 
ever, as to pass through this infested track just at 
the time when an expedition, laden with booty, had 
returned homewards. 
We, however, met more than forty Biidduma half 
a day's journey beyond Ngegimi, armed with spears 
and shields, and clad in nothing but their leather 
apron. They had been occupied in preparing salt 
from the roots of the siw&k or Capparis sodata ; and 
when they saw the first part of our caravan coming 
through the thick forest, they commenced an attack, 
so that Overweg and I were obliged to fire a few 
random shots over their heads, when, seeing that we 
were stronger than they had supposed, and recog- 
nizing some friends among the Kanembii, they al- 
lowed us to pass unmolested. But our whole march 
from Ngegimi to Barrowa, through the thick under- 
wood with which the shores of the lake are here 
overgrown, resembled rather a flight than anything 
else. 
i 2 
