eing at last settled, I wrote to Grant on
the subject, and sent all the men off who were not sick. Thinking then
how I could best cure the disease that was keeping me down, as I found
the blister of no use, I tried to stick a packing needle, used as a
seton, into my side; but finding it was not sharp enough, in such weak
hands a mine, to go through my skin, I got Baraka to try; and he failing
too, I then made him fire me, for the coughing was so incessant I could
get no sleep at night. I had now nothing whatever to think of but making
dodges for lying easy, and for relieving my pains, or else for cooking
strong broths to give me strength, for my legs were reduced to the
appearance of pipe-sticks, until the 15th, when Baraka, in the same
doleful manner as in Sorombo, came to me and said he had something to
communicate, which was so terrible, if I heard it I should give up the
march. Lumeresi was his authority, but he would not tell it until Grant
arrive. I said to him, "Let us wait till Grant arrives; we shall then
have some one with us who won't shrink from whispers"--meaning Bombay;
and so I let the matter drop for the time being. But when Grant came,
we had it out of him, and found this terrible mystery all hung on
Lumeresi's prognostications that we never should get through Usui with
so little cloth.

16th to 19th.--At night, I had such a terrible air-catching fit, and
made such a noise whilst trying to fill my lungs, that it alarmed all
the camp, so much so that my men rushed into my tent to see if I was
dying. Lumeresi, in the morning, then went on a visiting excursion into
the district, but no sooner left than the chief of Isamiro, whose place
lies close to the N'yanza, came here to visit him (17th); but after
waiting a day to make friends with me, he departed (18th), as I heard
afterwards, to tell his great Mhuma chief, Rohinda, the ruler of
Ukhanga, to which district this state of Bogue belongs, what sort of
presents I had given to Lumeresi. He was, in fact, a spy whom Rohinda
had sent to ascertain what exactions had been made from me, as he, being
the great chief, was entitled to the most of them himself. On Lumeresi's
return, all the men of the village, as well as mine, set up a dance,
beating the drums all day and all night.

20th to 21st.--Next night they had to beat their drums for a very
different purpose, as the Watuta, after lifting all of Makaka's cattle
in Sorombo, came hovering about, and declared th