t-foot" stumps,
and aloes, seem to thrive best here, by their very nature indicating
what the country is, a poor stony land. Our camp was pitched by the
river Rumuma, where, sheltered from the winds, and enriched by alluvial
soil, there ought to have been no scarcity; but still the villagers had
nothing to sell.

On we went again to Marenga Mkhaili, the "Salt Water," to breakfast, and
camped in the crooked green thorns by night, carrying water on for our
supper. This kind of travelling--forced marches--hard as it may appear,
was what we liked best, for we felt that we were shortening the journey,
and in doing so, shortening the risks of failure by disease, by war, by
famine, and by mutiny. We had here no grasping chiefs to detain us
for presents, nor had our men time to become irritable and truculent,
concoct devices for stopping the way, or fight amongst themselves.

On again, and at last we arrived at the foot of the western chain;
but not all together. Some porters, overcome by heat and thirst, lay
scattered along the road, while the corporal of the Hottentots allowed
his mule to stray from him, never dreaming the animal would travel far
from his comrades, and, in following after him, was led such a long way
into the bush, that my men became alarmed for his safety, knowing as
they did that the "savages" were out living like monkeys on the calabash
fruit, and looking out for any windfalls, such as stragglers worth
plundering, that might come in their way. At first the Wanguana
attempted to track down the corporal; but finding he would not answer
their repeated shots, and fearful for their own safety, they came into
camp and reported the case. Losing no time, I ordered twenty men, armed
with carbines, to carry water for the distressed porters, and bring the
corporal back as soon as possible. They all marched off, as they always
do on such exploits, in high good-humour with themselves for the valour
which they intended to show; and in the evening came in, firing their
guns in the most reckless manner, beaming with delight; for they had
the corporal in tow, two men and two women captives, and a spear as a
trophy. Then in high impatience, all in a breath, they began a recital
of the great day's work. The corporal had followed on the spoor of the
mule, occasionally finding some of his things that had been torn from
the beast's back by the thorns, and, picking up these one by one, had
become so burdened with the weight of