This Was A Very Independent
Proceeding; But, As The Flock Belonged To Their Own Tribe, They
Laughed At The Question Of Property That I Had Immediately
Raised, And Assured Me That This Was The Arab Custom Of Insuring
Their Breakfast, As We Should Kill No Game During That Day.
In
this they were mistaken, as I killed sufficient guinea-fowl to
render the party independent of other food.
In a day's march through a beautiful country, sometimes upon the
high table land to cut off a bend in the river, at other times
upon the margin of the stream in the romantic valley, broken into
countless hills and ravines covered with mimosas, we arrived at
Ombrega (mother of the thorn), about twenty-four miles from
Geera. In that country, although uninhabited from fear of the
Base, every locality upon the borders of the river has a name.
Ombrega is a beautiful situation, where white sandstone cliffs of
about two hundred feet perpendicular height, wall in the river,
which, even at this dry season, was a noble stream impassable
except at certain places, where it was fordable. Having descended
the valley we bivouacked in the shade of thick nabbuk trees
(Rhamnus lotus), whose evergreen foliage forms a pleasing
exception to the general barrenness of the mimosas during the
season of drought. We soon arranged a resting-place, and cleared
away the grass that produced the thorn which had given rise to
the name of Ombrega, and in a short time we were comfortably
settled for the night.
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