wataitee's return. 
191 
with them all my soups. The Germans eat hausa 
like Tuaricks, and do very well. I expected to 
find the water of Falezlez most unpalatable. This, 
indeed, is its reputation ; but we were all ageeably 
deceived, and the salt taste was scarcely perceptible. 
About ten in the morning, on the 5th, a solitary 
white camel, with a rider, was reported as trotting 
rapidly over the hills to the east. The circum- 
stance created some excitement. It was Moham- 
med Wataitee, son of Shafou, coming riding like 
the monarch of the desert, as he is, upon his fine 
maharee. He had been travelling three days and 
three nights consecutively ; and however eager we 
were to hear his opinion of the dangers that threat- 
ened us, it was necessary to allow him to spend the 
whole day in repose. 
When we could get speech of the traveller, he 
talked boastfully of the value of his protection, 
and assured us that we had really nothing to fear. 
He had heard, or would acknowledge to have 
heard, no rumours of the hostile intentions of his 
father's cousin ; only, he observed, " He is an old 
man," with a gesture that implied wilfulness. He 
would have us believe that this terrible enemy who 
has been pursuing us — at least in our imagination 
— is nothing but a testy old gentleman, who says 
these sort of things in a fanciful way just to express 
his power. 
6th. — We were off soon after sunrise, and made 
a long day of twelve hours. The Kailouees were 
