ull information. As will be seen, my informant
gave me wadys and sheep-walks for towns, in many cases. [At
the end of the volume will be found more complete
information on the positions of places in Aheer,
subsequently obtained by Mr. Richardson.--ED.]

It would have been very interesting to collect authentic information as
to the population of many places in Aheer. I suspect the number of
inhabitants is very small indeed. I had already been powerfully
impressed with the paucity of the population of the districts of Ghat,
the desert region occupied by the Azgher, and had been led to compute
that they cannot contain in all more than a couple of thousand people.

CHAPTER XVII.

Zinder Caravan--Negress playing "Boree"--Curious Scene--Objects
of Barter--Fresh Annoyances--Remarks on our Reception in
Aheer--En-Noor--Asoudee--Better News--Fresh Extortions--En-Noor
disappoints us--Europeans taken for Spies--Things in demand at
Aheer--Exercise--Overweg's Patients--Wild Animals in Aheer--Kailouees in
dry Weather--Robbing a Prince--Ghaseb and Ghafouley--Aheer
Cheese--Mokhlah Bou Yeldee--Our Wealth noised abroad--Alarm at Night--A
fresh Attack--Said's Gallantry--Disorderly Protectors--Thirteen
Robbers--Amankee--Loss of my Tea--Country of Thieves.

_10th Sept. continued._--Yusuf has been to the town, but has come back
without any authentic news of the departure of the caravans for Zinder.
He says, however, that En-Noor is better; and that it is reported that
the first caravan will go in fifteen or twenty days, and the second and
largest, with which En-Noor himself talks of setting out, about twenty
days afterwards.

I was disturbed this evening from my repose on the dry sand under the
pale moonlight by the most unearthly noises, coming from a group of our
black servants. On getting up to see what it was, I found that one of
our negresses, a wife of one of the servants, was performing _Boree_,
the "Devil," and working herself up into the belief that his Satanic
majesty had possession of her. She threw herself upon the ground in all
directions, and imitated the cries of various animals. Her actions were,
however, somewhat regulated by a man tapping upon a kettle with a piece
of wood, beating time to her wild manoeuvres. After some delay,
believing herself now possessed, and capable of performing her work, she
went forward to half-a-dozen, of our servants, who were squatting down,
on their hams, re