AFRICA.' ni 
require a journey of five days, and m which I 
Ihoiild find no kind of food or refrefliment, 
either for my people or my animals ; not the 
fmalleft trace of vegetation ; not even vegeta- 
tive earth. It was only, they faid, a vaft 
ocean of fand, where it was irapoffible to move 
one ftep without finking up to the knees ; 
and this fand, moveable and as light as duft, 
was fo fine that, we fhould run the rifk of be- 
ing fmolhered upon occafion of the leaf!: 
wind,, if we did not perlfh by thirft, hunger, 
fatigue, and diftrefs, before we had accom- 
phfhed half the way. 
This difcouraging intelligence was con- 
firmed, in appearance, by the condu£t of the 
Kabobiquas themfelves. Notwithftanding the 
requeft of their chief, notwithftanding the 
temptation of the prefents I offered them, not 
a fingle individual of the horde would confent 
to ferve me as a guide. This refufai, how- 
ever, did not alarm me. Whatever terrifying 
afped: it wore, I afcribed it to the fear w^ith 
which thefe defpicable poltroons were pof- 
feiTed, that, by confenting, they fhould certainly 
deliver themfelves into the hands of the Hou- 
ZDuana^, The more they per fi Red in repre- 
fenting 
