s a
drink. There is but a small supply, and what there is has a muddy,
chocolate colour. The last water we took up from the valleys of Asben
had a milky hue, so that when the coffee was made of it, it looked like
_cafe au lait_.

Bandits and hostile tribes frequent this well of Chidugulah, and rest
hereabouts to pillage caravans. Our people spoke of the Oulimad, and
Overweg dreamed he was fighting with them. I dreamed the same night of
large turtles, for it had been said they are found in this plateau, and
their marks had been traced to-day. I learn now that large turtles, two
feet and a-half long, and one foot and a-half broad, are found here. The
back shell of one was used for a watering trough by the people we met
_en route_. We had sand all day, rising occasionally in considerable
mounds. I observed the prevailing winds in the formation of these
mounds; for there is always an inclined plane towards the quarter whence
the wind blows; whilst to where it blows the mounds are scarped. The
winds prevailing now are E.N.E.; and the wind has nearly always come
from this direction since our arrival in Aheer. In another season,
however, there may be a total change. In full summer it may be south,
for what we know. In fact, Amankee says, in summer the wind always comes
from the south. At this season the sand is covered with nice herbage in
some places, but in the hot weather it must be all dried up. This is, in
truth, the spring time in this country; the birds are all laying. There
are also young birds fledged. In Haussa there is no word for "fledged."

This route must really present, in some parts, for many hours together,
an ocean of sand; as, I think, it is described in the Itinerary procured
by Davis. To-day the footprints of the giraffe have entirely
disappeared.

In summer it must be very difficult for large caravans to obtain water
from this well, for our people were full half a day filling four or five
skins. What a blessing, nevertheless, is the existence of the Chidugula,
for there is no water for three days farther. The boys killed this
morning a jerboah, or what the Germans call a jumping mouse. I saw one
yesterday, jumping before my camel's feet. There are a great number
here. This jerboah is of a different colour from those I have seen in
Tunis; being white all over the lower part of the body and neck,
straw-coloured on the top of the head and along the back; whilst those
in Tunis are nearly of the same colour