CHAP. XIV. 
JOURNEY FROM CHOPO TO LATTAKOO. 
Being unable to procure any water for our 
oxen at Chopo, we took final leave of it, left the 
bed of the Nokannan River, and proceeded over 
the desert. On the west side of the Nokannan, 
which we had left the preceding day, is an ex- 
tensive wood of mimosa trees, but on the east 
side we found only bushes and brown short grass 
growing out of red sand ; these were succeeded 
by low bushes, and afterwards nothing but thinly 
scattered tufts of grass were to be seen. But 
suddenly, however, we came to grass nearly 
reaching to the backs of the oxen, which we saw 
burning at a distance, in three different direc- 
tions, and which had been set on fire by the 
natives. This is often done with the hope of rain 
coming immediately after, when, as in Asia, young 
grass shoots up, and soon attracts the game. 
K 2 
