It was evident that once, and not very long ago, the population had been dense, for we came to the remains of many villages, or rather towns with large market-places.

Now, however, these were burned with fire, or deserted, or occupied only by a few old bodies who got a living from the overgrown gardens.

These poor people, who sat desolate and crooning in the sun, or perhaps worked feebly at the once fertile fields, would fly screaming at our approach, for to them men armed with guns must of necessity be slave-traders.
Still from time to time we contrived to catch some of them, and through one member of our party or the other to get at their stories.

Really it was all one story.

The slaving Arabs, on this pretext or on that, had set tribe against tribe.