I suppose I must have slept for seven or eight hours, getting the first
real rest that I had had since the night before the loss of the
dhow, for when I woke the sun was high in the heavens. We were still
journeying on at a pace of about four miles an hour. Peeping out through
the mist-like curtains of the litter, which were ingeniously fixed to
the bearing pole, I perceived to my infinite relief that we had passed
out of the region of eternal swamp, and were now travelling over
swelling grassy plains towards a cup-shaped hill. Whether or not it was
the same hill that we had seen from the canal I do not know, and have
never since been able to discover, for, as we afterwards found out,
these people will give little information upon such points. Next I
glanced at the men who were bearing me. They were of a magnificent
build, few of them being under six feet in height, and yellowish in
colour. Generally their appearance had a good deal in common with that
of the East African Somali, only their hair was not frizzed up, but hung
in thick black locks upon their shoulders.
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