Having descended from the minaret, we continued
our ramble through the town, and finally
dropped into an Arab café to endeavour to pick up
some information as to the exact position óf Ede-
meetha and the Tawarek camp. We were told that
we should probably not be able to find any house-
room at Edemeetha, as it was only a very small
oasis, but that it lay only some ten miles away from
a town called Gomar, which, as it contained a
caravanserai, would make a convenient headquarters
from which to visit the camp.
Our informant, however, was very doubtful
whether we should find the Tawareks there at all,
for a large party of them had been seen that
morning on the march with their women and tents
retiring towards the deserts to the south.
It seemed probable that what we had feared had
already come true—that the Tawareks had found
that even their secluded position at Edemeetha had
not proved sufficiently sequestered for the safety of
such a small party from the outraged Shaambah of
the neighbourhood, and that they had been compelled
to beat a retreat to safer quarters in their
rear. We returned at once to our house and made
our preparations for as early a start as possible on
the morrow.
We arrived at Gomar soon after noon on the day
of our departure from El Wad. As soon as we were
installed in the caravanserai, I sent out Aissa into
the town to inquire into the truth of the rumours as
to the departure of the Tawareks.
We had experienced to the full the elusive