Who are the Varden people of North Africa?

I'm reading a 19th century travel account in which a missionary describes the people of Northern Africa very generally as "the Varden." I did research on the peoples of North Africa, including the Berber, the Egyptians, the ancient people of Cush, and the Bedouin, but in no encyclopedia or description have I even seen the word "Varden" mentioned. Does anyone know what people this word refers to, or anything about them? It may be a corruption or misspelling.