266 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXX. 
with a quantity of com, upon those of Ay6ru. But 
although our guest, who was accompanied by two or 
three followers, was a rather decent young man, never- 
theless, the neighbourhood of these Tawarek inspired 
us with just as little confidence as the behaviour of 
our friends the Songhay on the island ; and we kept a 
good watch, firing the whole night. Nothing is more 
probable than that Park had a serious quarrel with 
these islanders. 
Fortunately we were not disturbed ; and we set 
out from our camping-ground at a very early hour, 
in order to make a good day's journey, but we were 
first obliged to search about in the two hamlets 
which lie opposite the island, and one at the very foot 
of the rocky cone of Warba, for the guide that had 
been promised to us the preceding day. We had 
scarcely set out fairly on our march, when a heavy 
thunderstorm rising in the south-east, threatened us 
with a serious deluge, and obliged us to seek shelter 
under some trees to the right of our path. We then 
unloaded the camels, and endeavoured to protect our- 
selves and the luggage, as well as possible, with the 
skins and mattings ; but the storm was confined to a 
very violent gale, which scattered the clouds, so that 
only very little rain fell. Having thus lost almost two 
hours of the best part of the day, we proceeded on our 
march, not now digressing to the right and left, but 
following a broad, well trodden path, which led us 
through carefully cultivated cornfields, shaded with fine 
hajilij. But soon the ground became more undulating, 
