this rigour did not exist.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

CLAPPERTON'S JOURNEY TO SOUDAN.

EXPEDITION OF CLAPPERTON AND OUDNEY TO SOUDAN--BEAUTY OF THE WOMEN--
CRUELTY OF THE ARABS--DR. OUDNEY PRESCRIBES FOR THE SICK--REACH
KATAGUM--SLAVES OFFERED AS PRESENTS--DEATH OF DR. OUDNEY--CLAPPERTON
ARRIVES AT KANO--CITY DESCRIBED--HAUSSA BOXERS--SACKATOO REACHED--
RECEPTION BY SULTAN BELLO--GREAT INTELLIGENCE OF THE SULTAN--WONDER AT
ENGLISH CUSTOMS--DESIRES THAT A CONSUL AND DOCTOR MAY BE SENT TO HIM--
CLAPPERTON LEAVES SACKATOO--SUFFERINGS FROM THIRST--DANGEROUS JOURNEY--
RETURNS TO KOUKA--VISIT TO LAKE CHAD--JOURNEY ACROSS THE DESERT TO
TRIPOLI.

It will be remembered that Captain Clapperton, accompanied by Dr
Oudney, set out from Kouka on the 14th of December, 1823, for the
purpose of exploring Soudan. Their party consisted of Jacob, a Jew, two
servants, and three men of Fezzan. They had three saddle-horses and
four sumpter mules. They travelled in company with a _kafila_ in which
were twenty-seven Arab merchants and about fifty natives of Bornou.
Most of the Arabs rode on horseback, some having, besides, a led horse,
but all the rest of the party were on foot.

Doctor Oudney was of great service to the _hadji_, who had injured his
hand by the bursting of a gun. He invariably pitched his tent close to
that of the doctor, who regularly dressed it for him.

Passing old Birnie, they had after two days to pass through an
undulating country, frequently wading across hollows filled with water.
Having to cross a river, the _hadji_ had provided himself with a large
raft, on which his own and his friends' baggage was carried across; but
the Arabs, who passed lower down the river, were dreadfully frightened.
The greatest difficulty was with the camels and female slaves, the women
screaming and squalling loudly. The camels were towed across, one man
swimming before with a halter in his teeth, while another kept beating
the animal behind with a stick, while it every now and then attempted to
turn back, or bobbed its head under water.

The next day they were exposed to another danger. The grass having been
set on fire, the flames advanced rapidly, and must have put them all to
flight, had they not sought shelter within the ruined walls of old
Birnie.

They passed through numerous towns and villages, the people belonging to
a tribe of Shooa Arabs. The women were really beautiful. They wore
their hair in a form which at a distan