CHAPTER XII.

Scarcity of Dhurra. — A Number of Base join our Camp.— Water-carriers.— Another deserted Village. — Ceremony of making Peace.— Friendliness of the Base Women. — The Mareb. — Buffaloes seen for the First Time. — More Base join the Camp. — Exciting Stalk after an Ostrich. — A Leper. — Game abounds.

On Feb. 3 we moved forward again. The dJmrra was running short ; at least, the time was not far distant when we should have none left. There were fifteen horses and from thirty to forty men to feed, and it was difficult to calculate how long it would last ; for, although we had usually enough meat for the men, they could not live entirely upon it. Our guides told us that four or five hours' march farther up the Gash there was a village where as much as was required could be bought. On our arrival there, dJmrra was found to be very scarce, and absurdly dear ; and, while we wanted it by the camel-load, the natives only brought it literally in handfuls. In fact, very little, almost no dhurra, is grown on the Gash much above Cassala. The Base did not care for money, but wanted cotton cloth and beads, which they wished to exchange with us for dJmrra. We soon saw, however, that scarcely any was to be obtained. We were obliged, moreover, to be very chary of our supply of cotton cloth and beads. I never came across any African tribe so fond of beads as the Base ; and the men are not far behind the women in this respect.

The village near which the dJmrra was supposed to grow is called Mai Daro. On our way, numbers of Base joined us ; 95