Chap. XXVI. NATRON TRADE. 
159 
but a short distance when a man came running after 
us, bringing us the exciting news that a party of 
Tawarek had fallen upon the two Arabs, and after 
wounding the elder of them, who had made some 
resistance, had carried off all their camels but three. 
I expressed my surprise to my horseman that such a 
thing could happen on the territory of the governor 
of Kano, and urged him to collect some people of the 
neighbouring villages, in order to rescue the property, 
which might have been easily done ; but he was quite 
indifferent, and smiling in his self-conceit, and pull- 
ing his little straw hat on one side of his head, he 
went on before us. 
Small villages belonging to the district of Zakara 
were on each side, the inhabitants indulging still in 
security and happiness; the following year they were 
plunged into an abyss of misery, Bokhari making a 
sudden inroad on a market-day, and carrying off as 
many as a thousand persons. I here had a proof 
of the great inconvenience which many parts of 
Negroland suffer with regard to water, for the well 
at which we watered our horses this morning mea- 
sured no less than three and thirty fathoms ; but I 
afterwards found that this is a very common thing as 
well in Bornu as in Bagirmi, while in other regions 
I shall have to mention wells as much as sixty fathoms 
deep. Beyond this spot we met a very numerous 
caravan with natron, coming from Kiikawa ; and I 
therefore eagerly inquired the news of that place from 
the horsemen who accompanied it. All was well ; but 
