384 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXXIII. 
separate ; and while Mr. A^ogel pursued his journey 
to Zinder (whence he promised to join me before 
the end of the month), I hastened to overtake my 
people, whom I had ordered to wait for me in Kalemri. 
I have described this place on my outward journey as 
a cheerful and industrious village, consisting of two 
straggling groups, full of cattle and animation ; but 
here also desolation had supplanted human happiness, 
and a few scattered huts were all that was at present 
to be seen. Having rested here for about an hour with 
my people, who had unloaded the animals at a short 
distance from the well, I started again at three o'clock 
in the afternoon, and reached Shecheri, where I was 
to receive my escort, this being the reason why I had 
been obliged to deviate from the main direction of 
my route. This time we encamped on the open 
square inside the village, where we were exposed to 
the dust and dirt raised by a numerous herd of cattle 
on their return from their pasture-grounds. This 
was a sign of some sort of comfort remaining ; but 
we were disturbed in the night by a shrill cry raised, 
on account of a report having been just received that 
a party of native traders, or " fataki," had been at- 
tacked by the Tawarek. In the morning, I had great 
ditficulty in obtaining two horsemen for an escort ; 
but I at last set out, taking a southerly detour 
instead of the direct road to Zurrikulo, and thus 
reached the town of Keri-zemdn, situated two miles 
and a half south-west from the former, along a track 
ornamented by a dense grove of diim-palms* 
