484 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA.

dromedary was for sale, offered to buy it. Achmet conducted the business for ine, for the bargaining lasted at least two hours, before the purchaser succeeded in slowly struggling up to a decent price. The Barabra who had bought Abou-Sin was also on hand, to ratify the bargain, and I was thus saved from the necessity of sending the animals to the markets of Assouan. I must do both the men the justice to say that they afterwards made every exertion to cheat me, in the way of counting money and offering bad pieces, and at last gave a large pile of copper coin, which, when it was counted, lacked two piastres of the right amount. When all was finished, I delivered Abou-Sin into the hands of his rascally new master, with a sorrowful heart, for the old fellow and I were good friends. Had he known we were to be separated, I am sure those large black eyes of his would have dropped a few tears, and that capacious throat gurgled out a sound of lamentation.

Achmet threw his arms around the beast's big head and kissed him tenderly. I was about to do the same thing, when I remembered that the never-sweating skin of a dromedary exhales not the freshest of odors, and preferred caressing him with my haud rather than my lips. So farewell to Abou-Sin, and may he never want dourra and bean-vines, nor complain under too heavy loads : and should he die soon (for he is waxing in years), may some son of his strong loins be there to carry me, when next I visit Central Africa !

My arrival at Wadi Haifa terminated the journey of thirtyfour days from Khartoum. In that time my little caravan had travelled between eight and nine hundred miles, and at least half of it as rough travelling as can be found in Africa.

Now we were beyond danger and done with fatigue, and could