Chap. LXXXV. FATIGUE IN THE DESERT. 
421 
continuance of such suffering, and when we started 
at a very early hour, a poor female slave tried to 
make her escape, by hiding herself in the bushes, but, 
she was soon found out, and received a severe flogging 
for her pains. 
Proceeding along a very peculiar basin of natron, 
at the foot of the rocky slope, we reached after a 
march of about four miles the northern well, situated 
in an open pleasant landscape, the mountains on the 
east side receding in the distance. We remained 
here this day and the following forenoon, keeping 
back the Ddza, who were anxious to pursue their 
journey, for animals as well as men stood in need of 
some repose, in order to enable them to traverse the 
long desert tract which separated us from the Tebu 
country. 
Just about noon, as we were packing ready 
to start, a thunder-storm gathered on the 
chain towards the east, and a few drops of rain 
fell while we were setting out. Having then kept 
along the valley for about three miles, we ascended 
the higher ground with an easterly direction, and ob- 
tained a sight of the eastern slope of the chain which 
borders the valley, which, although not so high on 
this side as towards the west, seemed yet to have an 
elevation of about 300 feet. About three o'clock 
we had again a slight shower of rain. The whole of 
A'gadem, as I here became aware, forms a sort of 
wide extensive hollow, bordered on the eastern side 
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