PREPARING FOR THE START 



them everything ; all they seemed able to do on their own 

 initiative was to loot in the neighbourhood and quarrel among 

 themselves. Soon we had complaints from the chiefs of the 

 neighbouring villages about the misdeeds of the Somali. When, 

 a few days after we had landed, the rains began, we made the 

 still more alarming discovery that the men had very frail con- 

 stitutions. After every storm of rain, twenty or thirty of the 

 Somali would be prostrated with fever. The condition of several 

 of the men soon became so serious, that it was only owing to 

 the unremitting care of Benett-Stanford that they were kept alive. 

 Gleave was also taken ill, and caused us great anxiety. It was 

 decided that, as thirty-three camels and several donkeys had been 

 landed, and as a number of local Suahili porters had been hired, 

 Sir Henry Tichborne and I should make a night march to Witu 

 to try and persuade Dr. Rae to go to the rescue. I packed up 

 my collections, my reserve luggage, and some manuscripts at 

 which I had been at work during the voyage out, and left them 

 to be returned to Aden. This, however, was the last I ever 

 saw of them. 



The night, however, was so cloudy that at first it appeared 

 doubtful whether we could go, but at ten o'clock the moon 

 broke through the clouds, and the order was given to the men 

 to get ready. The Somali at first refused to go, and before 

 they were persuaded to do so the clouds had again hidden the 

 moon. In darkness, broken only by the fire-flies, on the night 

 of the 14th December, we stumbled across the plain and 

 through the swamps of Mkonumbi, in what we fondly imagined 

 was the first march to " Lake Rudolf." After daybreak I 

 hurried forward to Witu to arrange accommodation for the men, 

 and as the late Dr. Rae kindly ordered the chain-gaiig to clean 

 an empty hut, it was ready for them when they arrived, 

 exhausted by the long night march. 



The late Bird Thompson soon came in from the morning 

 drill of the Indian troops, and received us with his usual 

 kindness ; Tichborne described the sorry plight of our men, 

 and Dr. Rae, though very unwell, started off for Mkonumbi 

 in the evening. 



In the afternoon Thompson took me for a walk through 

 the town, showed me the ruins of the Sultan's palace (PI. III.) 

 and some of the wells, and told me its history. Witu was 



