Chap. XXVII. SANDY DOWNS. — DE'fFOWA. 
205 
of the roving tribe of the Welad Sliman, all mixed 
together, — while their beasts of burden formed a 
multifarious throng of camels, oxen, horses, and 
asses. The Welad Sliman, who were bringing camels 
for sale to the market of Kan6, were greatly fright- 
ened when I told them what had happened to their 
brethren near Kiika mairua, as they were conscious 
that most of the camels now with them were of the 
number of those which two years ago had been taken 
from the Kel-owi in Bilma. 
As evening came on, the dells which we had to tra- 
verse were thronged with thousands of wild pigeons, 
carrying on their amorous play in the cool twilight 
of approaching night. All was silent, with the ex- 
ception of a distant hum, becoming more and more 
distinct as we wound along the side of an exube- 
rant meandering valley. The noise proceeded from 
the considerable town of DefFowa, which we reached 
at a quarter past seven o'clock, and encamped at a 
little distance to the north. Lively music never 
ceased in the town till a late hour. 
All was still silent in the place when, Tuesday 
early in the morning, I set out with my March 25th - 
little troop to follow the track of our temporary 
companions the Tebu. The village was surrounded 
only by a light thorny fence ; but it seemed to be 
prosperous and densely inhabited. The country con- 
tinued similar in character, but better cultivated 
than the tract we had traversed the day before ; and 
the immense multitude of wild pigeons, which found 
