AEEIVAL AT THE EHOL. 
323 
settlement and tlie adjoining village of Adael. Poncet^s agents a 
Dongolaui^ arrived on horseback^ accompanied by many Arabs^ 
negroes j and negresses^ and came to greet us. The latter eagerly 
sought their husbands or relatives^ as the case might be^ em- 
braced them affectionately^ then proceeded from one to the other 
of the negro porters_, saluted them with a friendly whack of a 
leather apron across the shoulders. A song 'and dance followed, 
and presently forming a circle, we were made the subjects of an 
oration j the ladies, clasping each other^s hands, danced in a ring 
round and round the tree, where, in the shadow, we were seated. 
In less than an hour the last of our wearied people came up. The 
fisherman from Jemeed, who had been made to carry a load, escaped 
with it ; it consisted of a casting-net and a rug ; so consequently 
that style of fishing is put an end to. 
We re-mounted in the midst of great acclamations and an 
excited throng, rode to the station, and were conducted into the 
interior ; the outer or first enclosure entered being a cattle-kraal 
of considerable dimensions. A stockade surrounded both enclo- 
sures; the inner zariba contained seventy tookuls or upwards; 
those of the agent and principals were furnished with rakubas or 
porticos ; and as they permit an escape from the ever- close hut, 
and afibrd a shelter from the hot sun, are exceedingly comfortable. 
Some of the huts were constructed upon a wooden framework, at 
an elevation of five feet from the ground — an advantage, as there 
is no drainage, consequently the water penetrates the tookuls built 
on the ground, such as the one appropriated for our use. Whilst 
this was being arranged, we rested beneath a superb tamarind 
tree, the only tree in the zariba, A hut near ours was allotted to 
the Doctor and Carlo, Poxcroft had another, and a large one was 
appropriated to the servants; so our party were all pretty well 
