182 AFRICAN WANDERINGS.

ling seemed to us to announce the outburst of some such beast of prey ; then, ere long we came on a yet fresh, half-devoured gazelle, from its feast on which some wild beast had been disturbed. Footsteps of elephants, quite recent, we saw in great numbers ; seemingly they had visited the durra-field at night. Among the various birds, we particularly remarked many small pigeons, about as large as a stare, with tails three-quarters of a foot long, of a brown-red colour, as was also the plumage under their Avings. At last Ave came on a large gazelle, and having luckily shot him, made our Avay back, and ere long were feasting on a piece of him, which tasted to us excellent, and not unlike our roe Acnison ; much Ave lamented no juice of the grape Avas to be had, to rejoice our longing and languishing palates.

Jackals and hyenas ai'e here in plenty ; the young of both Averc brought us, but Ave had no wish to be now" troubled with them.

Chameleons, too, Avere to be found hanging and basking in large numbers on the trees round.

On taking a ride, at mid-day, to the village of Dabaab, some half-hour's journey off, to visit the sick Kadi Ali, Ave found every-Avhere about holloAvs, or sunken places, which formed large marshes, and explained Avhy, during and after the rainy season, the country round about is so unhealthy ; for tlie vegetable and animal matter, when decaying, and the accompanying exhalations, must produce an atmosphere remarkably Avell adapted to bring on fever. In Dabaab Ave were closely inspected and examined by all, as, seemingly, before us no Avhite-skin had ever been seen in the village. This is of great extent, and seems to have many inhabitants ; Ave also saAv many cattle, and a certain prosperity and wealth seemed to peep out from all about us. But they possess, as Ave afterAvards learned, only very feAv camels, and their horses, bought in Abyssinia for ten to fifteen top*, are small and not enduring. Asses, cattle, sheep, and goats they liaA-e in abundance. Besides the one great thorn enclosure, there Avere some smaller ones round the dAvellings of the different families. The houses, or tokuls, Avere of tolerable size, and almost on every one had storks built their nests ; here this bird is saci-ed, and it Avould be • Pieces of cotton cloth.