KHOR BOGOU. 239 had lately done with Achmed Ageer) had just returned from the Dembelas country, and that he had seen Aylmer's and Lort Phillips's lost rifles ; that Ras Aloula had them in his possession, as well as the horse. This was probably a lie : they had heard of our affair at Ma Ambasah, and wanted to say something about it, and so invented this story on the spur of the moment.

We made about seventeen miles before halting for the night at Adardee in Khor Bogou. We passed wells at three different points on the road, immense flocks and herds, and a great many people. We travelled a long way in Khor Bogou, which was very pretty ; in places, precipitous rocks rose to a considerable height on both banks. We saw no game with the exception of doves, which were very numerous, a number of which we shot for food. The mountains were getting higher. The only thing wanting in the landscape was more verdure ; there were scarcely any trees, though plenty of bushes, while we regretted, for the sake of the camels, the almost total absence of grass. At Adardee we came across several of our old camel-drivers of the previous winter, and engaged one of them with his three camels to go on with us to Massawa.

The camel question was constantly recurring, as one by one they dropped off. It was impossible to lighten the loads they were carrying, and we gave all the attention we could to seeing that they were properly fed ; many of them however, unknown to us of course, must have been diseased when we bought them.