ACHMED AGEEJrS EXCUSES. 215 next day four women and two men appeared ; the former they kepi,, but killed the men. As fast as any people appeared, if men, they were killed ; if women, or quite young children, they were made prisoners. Many died of hunger and thirst in the cave ; but between one and two hundred men were put to death, while upwards of a hundred and sixty women, as well as a great number of children, were taken off. The women were apportioned out as slaves or wives ; what became of the children, I did not learn ; but we saw some of the women on our return to Haikota, and others, we were told, had been sent off to other villages. The Base women look very strong, and appear to do most of the hard work.

We reached Haikota before our caravan ; and while we were at luncheon in the zariba of the German, who we found had fled. Sheik Achmed Ageer arrived to pay us a visit. He endeavoured to appear as though nothing had happened to displease us, ]put his manner was evidently constrained. We taxed him with his duplicity, and told him how indignant we were with him for having deceived us. His excuses were very lame ; and he tried to throw the blame on Mahomet Salee, to whom he declared he had given instructions to take us to Lacatecourah in the first instance, and there arrange with the sheik to go on to Toansar and Beergayla. He acknowledged that these were Base villages, and that both they and other villages were on the Settite. His throwing the whole blame on Mahomet Salee was of course nonsense ; as the latter acted under his orders, whatever they were, and dared not disregard them.

Of the five sick camels that we had left behind in his care, he said that two had died from snake-bite, and that the other three were well. When they made their appearance, however, we found that they were very far from well ; and, although we