Chap. LXXXV. CARAVAN OF TEBU. 
425 
on their road to B6rnu, they were anxious to ex- 
change their camels for mine, the latter being ac- 
customed to the climate of Bornu whither they were 
going. Such an exchange is certainly advisable to 
travellers proceeding in either direction, in the event 
of the animals of each party being equally good ; but, 
on the one hand, 1 wanted too badly the few camels 
which had withstood the fatigue, and, on the other, 
those of these people were too poor to allow me to 
accept their offer ; and in consequence, they had to 
load the five horses which they had with them with 
water-skins. These people gave us the important 
information that the ghazzia of the Tawdrek had re- 
turned from Tibesti, having made only a small booty 
of forty camels and thirty slaves, on account of 
the Tebu having been on their guard, although they 
threatened to return at some future period. We re- 
mained here the following day, enjoying the repose 
of which we stood so much in need. A strong wind 
had been blowing all night ; but the heat, at two 
o'clock in the afternoon, reached its usual elevation 
of 108° in the best shade. 
We started again in the afternoon, winding Monday, 
round the south-eastern edge of the consider- '^^^^ 
able mountain group to which the vale is indebted for 
its existence, and having on our right sandy downs. 
Just at the spot where we left the small oasis, known 
to the traders of the desert as Zaw-kanwa, on our 
left, we fell in with the footsteps of a small party, 
when, supposing them to be marauders, we followed 
