MY FRIEND’S ACCOUNT. 69 
beautiful black ox tied to a tree, —a present from Wal-da- 
Gubbra. After leaving this village, our road led through 
a forest of giant euphorbias, exceedingly dense, but, wher- 
ever it was at all open, full of elephant tracks. This forest 
led down to the river Darde, flowing east. It was full 
of water, but we managed to wade across, and _ halted 
for a short time to allow the boys to bathe and _ pray. 
After this the country changed, becoming more open, the 
euphorbias still large, but growing several yards apart. 
“We camped at 4 p.M. at a large village in a flat, grassy 
country, dry, and swarming with guinea-fowl, of which | 
shot three, at the same time scaring a large wildcat. The 
following morning we again started at seven o’clock, and 
as we did so one of the Shoans presented me with his 
whip, saying, ‘ A great man needs one for his mule and his 
slave.’ The Shoans mount from the offside of their mules, 
and ride with only the big toe in the stirrup. We had not 
gone far when it began to rain; we were at once enveloped 
in a thick mist, and the water poured down on us until I 
was drenched. After an hour and a half we came to 
a hut and took refuge, squatting over a fire and eating 
chuko, a mixture of durrha meal, salt, and chilli-pepper, 
which was given to us in dirty wooden bowls, but was 
very comforting in our chilled, wet state. I now found it 
would be impossible for my camel to get to the Shoan 
camp before night, and as there was no food at the hut 
for my men, I determined to push on and do without 
my tent. 
“The rain had cleared off by the time we started, and the 
country soon showed signs of old cultivation. The soil 
was exceedingly black, and ridges marked the boundaries 
of the crops. I asked the Shoans if it had not been so, 
and they replied, ‘ Yes; four years ago we came here and 
found the crops just ripe; the people fought and killed 
