Account of Alexander Scott's Captivity 
On landing, they found that several of the camels had died, 
owing, as Scott supposes, to their having swallowed stones and 
gravel while feeding on the low bushes, whicli are so close to 
the ground that the animals could- scarcely feed without taking 
up gravel with them ; and considerable quantities of it were 
found in their stomachs after they were opened. As soon as 
the hire of the boat was settled, (which amounted to three 
camels for every family taken over and brought back,) the 
party set out on its return, by the same route which they had 
followed in coming to the Bahar. They travelled for a montli 
without any particular occurrence, until they came to the wood 
before described. While going through it, they saw some of the 
black people called Bambarras, who were arrned with bows and 
arrows,^ and quite naked. The Arabs attacked the Negroes, 
and a short contest took place, when several of the Arabs were 
wounded, but at last the blacks were beaten, and eight of them 
made prisoners. These were brought to the tents, bound hand 
and foot, and the next morning carried away by the Arabs, 
who pursued their journey. The Negroes were tattooed or 
marked by three diagonal cuts on each cheek,;* and a horizontal 
one across the foreliead. 
After this the caravan travelled for about a month and a 
half over hard ground, with small hills, covered with low wild 
bushes^ but without trees of any size ; but there were trees of 
considerable magnitude in the low ground through which they 
oceasionaUy passed. About this time they came to a large 
valley, where there had been much rain, and a considerable quan«- 
tity of fresh water was in it. The trees and shrubs were quite 
green ; there grew no grass, but a herb like the green-sauce of 
England, a flower like the dog-daisy^ and a yellow flower about 
eight or nine inches high, of which the camels, sheep, and goats 
ate. The ^‘green-sauce'^ and goat's milk were here the prin^ 
cipal food of the party. They remained about six moons in 
this valley, during which time the men frequently went out to 
fight, and brought back camels, corn, &c. which they had plun- 
dered. When this valley could no longer afford food to their 
cattle, they sent a party to look out for another place of en^ 
campment ; an^ when they had discovered a suitable spot, the 
whole party set out for it, takmg three days to reach this new 
