BASE ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY, 145 ///// in another. They would not, I think, have attacked us when we were all together, either by night or day ; but it is quite possible, that, if they had succeeded in inducing a party to go out shooting, they might have endeavoured in their absence to loot the camp, and make off with whatever they could lay their hands upon ; and Longay further added, that the Base tribes were massing around us, preparatory to a descent on our camp. Fires in all directions gave a semblance of truth to this statement. At any rate, fore-warned is fore-armed ; " and it was just as well to neglect no precautions. Suleiman most injudiciously told some of the Base that we had heard of the threat that had been made, but they indignantly denied it.

Nothing occurred that night ; but we had a watch, of course, as usual, and the next morning made a farther move in the direction of Haikota.

On first arriving at Haikota, we debated whether to go up the Gash, or to make for the Settite, that part of it over which we wanted to shoot extending along the river eastward from the Hamran country. Sheik Achmed declared we could go in whichever direction we preferred ; but we chose the Gash, as we hoped, after travelling as far as possible along its banks, to be able to go straight across country, and so reach the river.

The sheik had not actually promised that we could do this, but had said he felt sure we should find some of the Base willing to show us a way to the Settite ; but, even if we had had no trouble with the Dembelas, I doubt very much if it would have been a practicable journey for camels, owing to the rugged nature of the ground, the number of hills, and the thickness of the jungle in many places, through which we should have been obliged to make our way. I am sure, too, that none of the Arabs we had with us had ever made the journey, and I do not believe that any of the Base knew the way.