CHAP. XV.] RICH ABN MISSING. 4 1 9 
No one eat much that night, as all were too thirsty. 
On the following morning I found to my dismay that 
all of our porters had absconded except two men who 
had slept in the same hut with my people *—we were 
for about the hundredth time deserted in this detest¬ 
able country. I ordered Eddrees to push on to Foweera^ 
and to desire my men with the ammunition to wait 
there until I should arrive, and to request Kamrasi to 
send porters immediately to assist us. Foweera was; 
about thirteen miles from Deang, our present position. 
Eddrees and his party started, and I immediately sent 
my men with empty jars to search in all directions for 
water ;—they returned in about an hour, having been 
unsuccessful. I again ordered them to search in 
another direction, and should they find a native, to 
force him to be their guide to a drinking place. In 
about three hours they returned accompanied by two 
old men, and laden with three large jars of good water; 
they had found the old people in a deserted village, 
and they had guided them to a spring about three 
miles distant. Our chief want being supplied we had 
no fear of starving, as there was abundance of plan¬ 
tains, and we had about a dozen cheeses that we had 
manufactured while at Kisoona, in addition to a large 
supply of flour. A slight touch of fever attacked me, 
and I at length fell asleep. 
I was awakened by the voices of my men, who were 
standing at the door of my hut with most doleful 
countenances. They explained that Eicharn was miss¬ 
ing, and was supposed to have been killed by the 
natives. My vakeel held a broken ramrod in his hand; 
this suspicious witness was covered with blood. It 
appeared that while I was asleep, Eicharn and one of 
my men named Mahommed had taken their guns, and 
without orders had rambled through the country in 
search of a village, with the intention of procuring 
porters, if possible, to carry us to Foweera. They had 
arrived at a nest of small villages, and had succeeded 
in engaging four men ; these Eicharn left in charge 
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