COIJNTRY.—RUINED VILLAGE. 177 by the crushing of tho fruit of the uschar, here of great size, an<l full of wind ; the noise they made in bursting much resembling that of a bladder. We almost fancied we heard some platoon firing, and laughed heartily at these blank shots, in spite of the trouble and danger of our way. On our road, as well as at the Gohr, many of our old soldiers were reminded of the fatal defeat of Churschid Pasclia, in which he also lost two guns, to recover which a whole battalion, save one or two men, were sacrificed. But again they trusted in tlie Pascha, and the Arab-Turkish " Allah Kerim!" Surely there was nothing easier than to have had these dangerous spots reconnoitred beforehand, and some 1000 men sent on with axes to clear a way.

No\y at last were we in the land of the Hallenga, to whom Taka belongs. It was indeed a laughable sight to watch the army, as, in the most inconceivable disorder, it made its way out of the morass. Horse, foot, baggage camels, asses, from all sides and corners, pushed their way so slowly out, that the Pascha, on reaching the opener ground, saw himself forced to halt at least two hours, to let men and cattle once again assemble, and get into some sort of order.

Here, again, all was plain ; the durra fields extended far and wide, though not in the luxuriant vegetation of the land of the Haddenda. On the open plain were visible small water-courses and much grass, but bushes and trees only in twos or threes, and right and left in the distance, from a half to one hour's journe\' off, was to be seen the Chaaba. We passed the ruins of a village, which, as we Avcre told, had been burnt and plundered by the Schaigie Melek Kamball, brother to Wood Malmuul, when he some two years before of liis OAvn accord, undertook with only 300 of his men an incursion into these lands, and murdered and plundered all he fell in witli. That sucli an enterprise could be successfully carried out, can only be aseribed to surprise, and the rapid movements of the Schaigies, wlio never seem to halt, know the country Avell, and have a great advantage in their fire-arms. Even now, though dead, Kamball still lives in the people's mouths ; they have a great number of son"-s about him. in which he is described, on account of liis cruelty and savage deeds, constantly wandering round, without grave, o 2