TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 105 one died shortly after our arrival, and the remainder looked very sickly. We halted under some large trees on the side of a considerable gully or ravine, having a mud bottom, at that time dried up, but which, during the rains, was the bed and course of a torrent running to the ssw.

The supply of rice we brought from Kayaye was here exhausted, with the exception of a few pints, and we had not as yet been able to procure a sufficiency of either cous cous or meal to make a full allowance, for two days. The only provisions we could find here was a little milk and some fowls.

One of the camels, having every appearance of approaching death, was killed, and the meat made use of by our men. We tasted it, and found it as good as any beef we could procure.

This gave a sufficiency for the day.

The chief of the town called on us in the afternoon, and told us that he had received directions from Almamy to provide us with some corn, which he was ready to deliver ; but, as it was not in a state to be made use of, we requested him to have it converted into cous cous and meal, which he undertook to have done. The necessity we were under of waiting for this supply, and the loss of three of our camels by death, since our arrival here, obliged us to make a halt.