426 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXXV. 
them up for awhile, till we had convinced ourselves 
that they were people in search of a runaway slave. 
Pursuing then our march altogether about sixteen 
miles, we halted at nine o^clock in the evening; but 
started again at midnight, and after a march of 
fourteen miles, reached Muskatenu, the southern- 
most limit of the oasis of Kawar, although nothing 
but an inconsiderable shallow depression, full of marl 
and alum. 
Although the heat was greater than usual, the 
thermometer indicating as much as 110°, we started 
with great alacrity in the afternoon, as we were 
now approaching the seats of Tebu power and civi- 
lization in the heart of the desert, where nature 
has provided this little fertile spot, in order to faci- 
litate intercourse between distant nations. However, 
several sandy ridges opposed themselves to our pro- 
gress before we reached the real beginning of the 
valley, at the western foot of a large and broad- 
topped rocky mound ; but the sand was not so deep 
as I had been led by the description of other people 
to expect. Here the scenery became highly interest- 
ing, the verdant ground — where small patches of the 
grass called ^^ghedeb" and vegetables were sown, 
surrounded by slight fences of palm-bushes — being 
overtopped by handsome groups of palm-trees; and 
cheered as I felt by this spectacle, after the dreary 
march which we had made, I could not grudge my 
people a few shots of powder. But while our friends 
the Ddza salt-traders encamped at the very thickest 
