the drift of my thought, and said he was not going
towards the Nile, but on the contrary, he was going with Rionga's men in
the opposite direction, to a place called Paira. "If that is the case,"
I said, "why do you want a gun?" "Because there are some other matters
to settle. I shall not be long away, and my men will take care of
you whilst I am gone." I gave him the blanket after this, but was too
suspicious of his object to lend him a gun.

15th to 20th.--I saw Mahamed march his regiment out of the place, drums
and fifes playing, colours flying, a hundred guns firing, officers
riding,--some of them on donkeys and others--yes, actually on cows!
whilst a host of the natives, Rionga's men included, carrying spears and
bows and arrows, looked little like a peaceful caravan of merchants, but
very much resembled a band of marauders. After this I heard they were
not going to Rionga himself, but were going to show Rionga's men the way
that they made friends with old Chongi of Koki. In reality, Chongi had
invited Mahamed to fight against an enemy of his, in whose territories
immense stores of ivory were said to be buried, and the people had an
endless number of cattle--for they lived by plunder, and had lifted most
of old Chongi's; and this was the service on which the expedition had
set off.

21st to 31st.--I had constantly wondered, ever since I first came here,
and saw the brutal manner in which the Turks treated the natives, that
these Madi people could submit to their "Egyptian taskmasters," and
therefore was not surprised now to find them pull down their huts and
march off with the materials to a distant site. Every day this sort of
migration continued, just as you see in the picture; and nothing more
important occurred until Christmas-day, when an armadillo was caught,
and I heard from Mahamed's head wife that the Turks had plundered and
burnt down three villages, and in all probability they would return
shortly laden with ivory. This was a true anticipation; for, on the
31st, Mahamed came in with his triumphant army laden with ivory, and
driving in five slave-girls and thirty head of cattle.

1st to 3d.--I now wished to go on with the journey, as I could get no
true information out of the suspicious blackguards who called themselves
Turks; but Mahamed postponed it until the 5th, by which time he said
he would be able to collect all the men he wanted to carry his ivory.
Rionga's men then departed, and Mahamed showed